Steve Berra, Roof-To-Roof Crooked Grind, Los Angeles, CA 1996

Art Director: Ted Newsome

“The mid-to-late 90s were probably my favorite time as a skate photographer. So much good shit was happening, the skate industry was healthy and so much new was being discovered each and every day. I probably had a pager in those days, so I’m pretty sure Steve Berra sent me a page and I called him back and he asked about skating this spot in Los Angeles on the coming weekend. That’s how things were done before everyone in the universe had smart phones. I’m not sure I understood what he meant when he said he wanted to crooked grind across a foot gap but it all sounded pretty sweet to me. We meet up at the school and I help him (and whoever his Filmer was at the time) position this bench across the two roofs. This was while Steve still rode for Foundation and Airwalk and put the finishing touches on what I think was the best interview Steve ever had in a skateboard magazine. TWS Art Director Ted Newsome put some custom touches on the cover with the bronze foil Pantone (also known as a fifth color) and this baby really shined when it hit the newsstand. Even today it remains one of my favorite covers I’ve ever shot for a magazine.”