Founded in ’92 by renowned professional skateboarders and longtime friends Jason Lee and Chris Pastras, Stereo came as a breath of fresh air during a time that many skaters felt that skateboarding had creatively hit rock bottom.
Stereo’s unique and highly innovative approach to skating, with emphasis on style, originality and plain old fashion fun, was quickly embraced by the skateboard community. By incorporating street art, 50s and 60s design, jazz album cover artwork and ideas pulled from early men’s magazines, Stereo has been credited as revolutionizing skateboard graphics, artwork and advertising. The classic Americana styles Stereo produced -- and continues to produce -- carries with it a lightness and humor that promotes individuality and creativity amongst skateboarders of all ages.
Together, Jason and Chris released two skateboard films: A Visual Sound (’94) and Tincan Folklore (’96). Going against the grain with the use of 8mm film, black and white still photography and avant-garde music -- some of which composed by Chris and Jason -- the two films are now revered as classics within the skateboard community.
In ’96, Jason set skateboarding aside to pursue an acting career and has since appeared in many big screen productions, including Mall Rats, Chasing Amy and Almost Famous, among others. Chris headed Stereo entirely on his own in Jason’s absence. However, despite Chris’ painstaking efforts to keep the company alive, the legacy came to an end in ’00. While continuing to skateboard and work within the industry, Chris went on to pursue other interests outside of the business. He attended college full-time and focused more on his art.
As fate would have it, however, Chris and Jason joined forces again in ’03 to re-launch Stereo under Giant Distribution. With a new team of skateboarders and other influential artists, musicians, actors and individuals dubbed Sound Agents, Stereo quickly gained momentum.
In addition to resurrecting Stereo, Jason and Chris continued to advance their personal careers. Jason landed the leading role on NBC's hit sitcom My Name is Earl, and Chris was beginning to establish himself as prominent figure in the contemporary art world, displaying his work at world-famous galleries all across the globe.
Jason and Chris released their third film, Way Out East, in ’04. Shot exclusively with 8mm and 16mm film, the video documented a three-week long road trip through London, New York and Paris. With the same jazzy feel and innovate approach to skateboarding as the first two Stereo releases, Way Out East was regarded by many as an instant classic.
Stereo parted ways with Giant Distribution in the summer of ’06 to pursue the independent route. The two partners wasted no time setting up shop and were fully operational within a matter of weeks.
Today’s Sound Agents are considered to be some of the most naturally gifted and innovative skateboarders on the scene. The internationally diverse team consisting of Clint Peterson, Danny Supa, Olly Todd, Daniel Shimizu, Danny Renaud, Benny Fairfax, Tony Silva, Dyson Ramones, Zach Wagner, and John Lupfer is a true skateboarding force to be reckoned with.
Amidst ongoing collaborations with well-respected lifestyle brands, the forthcoming release of the highly anticipated film titled Journey Through Sound and over 15 years of industry experience, Stereo continues to be an influential skateboard brand and is now on its way to be coming a lifestyle powerhouse.
We just got a few of your Bamboo core decks from the distributor and are so stoked on them...Half of our skaters were riding some similar ones before and when I heard you guys were going to be using them I made sure to get 1 of each size...
You should get someone to send us a dealer app so we can get everything we need and not have to get whatever the distributors happen to have...We want to promote Stereo to the fullest extent!
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