Jerry Hsu
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Jerry Hsu (born December 17, 1981) is a
Taiwanese-American Taiwanese Americans () are Americans who carry full or partial ancestry from Taiwan. This includes American-born citizens who descend from migrants from Taiwan. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, 49% of Taiwanese Americans lived in the state of Califo ...
skateboarder Skateboarding is an action sport originating in the United States that involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry job, and a method of transportation. S ...
,
photographer A photographer (the Greek language, Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who makes photographs. Duties and types of photographe ...
and currently owner of clothing company "Sci-Fi Fantasy". As of October 2018, Hsu does not have pro status in skateboarding anymore and has no sponsors.


Early life

As of 2007, Hsu's family home remains located in
San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...
,
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
(U.S.). Hsu's family is originally from
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, and his parents speak both English and
Mandarin Chinese Mandarin (; ) is a group of Chinese (Sinitic) dialects that are natively spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. The group includes the Beijing dialect, the basis of the phonology of Standard Chinese, the official language of ...
. Hsu explained in 2010 that his Chinese-language fluency is akin to a "third grader." Hsu started skateboarding in the early 1990s and he explained what he was attracted by in a 2013 interview: "I remember the reason I started skating was because I saw these kids with green hair and big pants and they looked so stupid, and I wanted to be that." His mother brought home a discarded concrete parking block during his early period of skateboarding and he later regarded the gesture as "very thoughtful."


Professional skateboarding


1996–2001: Maple, ''The Storm'' and Tilt Mode Army

Hsu's first skateboard deck sponsor was Maple, where he was a team member alongside Johnson, who facilitated his recruitment, Louie Barletta, Chad Bartie, and Chad Knight, among others. After he joined Maple, Hsu appeared in a promotional video for the northern California retail outlet NC Board Shop's clothing line, called "NC Clothing," alongside other sponsored riders, such as Gershon Mosely and Pancho Moler. Released in 1996, ''Montage'' runs for a duration of 30 minutes and also indicates that Hsu was sponsored by a brand named "Sutters" at the time. The first Maple advertisement announcing Hsu's professional status with the brand was published in 1999, when he was 17 years old, and featured the tag line: "Not another brick in the wall." Hsu appeared in the 1999 Maple video ''Black Cat'', which also featured Johnson and Barletta. Around the same period, Hsu was first sponsored by the
Osiris Shoes Osiris is a skateboard clothing brand founded in California by Swedish skater Tony Magnusson Tony Magnusson (born February 23, 1963) is a Swedish semi-retired professional skateboarder and part-owner of Osiris Shoes. Magnusson gained sign ...
company, which had rebranded itself after it was first launched as "Evol Casuals" during the preceding two years. Although he was not yet a professional for Osiris, Hsu appeared in the 1999 Osiris video ''The Storm''. His video part garnered attention for a never-before-seen trick that became known as a "Storm flip”, in which the skateboarder performs a "nollie backside 180 kickflip”, and while still in midair, adds a "late front-foot kickflip" before landing on the ground (a nollie trick is executed at the front end of the skateboard). In a May 2013 interview, Hsu explained that he is still asked to perform the trick on a frequent basis, but he tries not to perform Storm flips, as they are "too busy" and he feels embarrassed. Hsu also said that he enjoyed this time period with Osiris, as he was able to constantly travel, including international trips, and participate in the benefits that the company was reaping from market success. Hsu membership of the Tilt Mode Army was first revealed in 2000 with the release of the inaugural TMA video ''Tilt Mode!''. Described as a group of skateboarder friends from the San Jose, California area, TMA's membership also consists of Johnson, Barletta, Matt Eversole,
Steve Caballero Steve Caballero (born November 8, 1964) is an American professional skateboarder. He is known for the difficult tricks and air variations he invented for vertical skating and for setting the long-standing record for the highest air achieved on a ...
, and Jose Rojo.


2002–2006: enjoi and ''Bag Of Suck''

Prior the dissolution of Maple, Hsu joined the enjoi company, which had been started by Johnson, who recruited both Barletta and Hsu, as they were all close friends at the time. Hsu explained that Johnson was primarily interested in Barletta to begin with, but Hsu was later included as part of a "package deal." Regarding Hsu's recruitment, Johnson said in a 2013 interview: "We stole the fuck out of this guy." Commencement on the production of the inaugural full-length enjoi video commenced after Johnson's departure in 2003. Entitled ''Bag Of Suck'', the video was released in 2006 and features a two-section part from Hsu as the conclusion. With a duration of just under eight minutes, the first section of the part is accompanied by
Cass McCombs Cass McCombs (born November 13, 1977 in California) is an American musician and songwriter. Since 2002 he has released ten albums, an EP and a B-sides compilation under his own name. McCombs’ music blends elements of many styles including Ameri ...
's "Sacred Heart", while
Sonic Youth Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of the b ...
's cover version of
The Carpenters The Carpenters (officially known as Carpenters) were an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen Carpenter, Karen (1950–1983) and Richard Carpenter (musician), Richard Carpenter (born 1946). They produced a distinct ...
' song "Superstar" is used for the second section. Hsu also joined the Ricta skateboard wheel team during the same year.


2007–2012: Emerica, "Epicly Later'd" and ''Stay Gold''

Following the notability and success from ''Bag Of Suck'', Hsu underwent significant sponsorship changes, leaving
WeSC WeSC (short for "We are the Superlative Conspiracy") is a Swedish clothing brand that is primarily influenced by skateboarding and snowboarding. The company's head office is in Stockholm and employs between 51 and 200 staff members. The company ...
clothing and Osiris for Emerica, which offered him both a shoe and apparel deal, in 2007—the tag line "GuessHsu?" was used in the promotional material. Hsu revealed in a September 2012 online interview, for the RIDE Channel's "Weekend Buzz" series, that he was offered a sponsorship deal with
Nike, Inc. Nike, Inc. ( or ) is an American multinational corporation that is engaged in the design, development, manufacturing, and worldwide marketing and sales of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories, and services. The company is headquartered ne ...
following the end of his contract with Osiris; however, Hsu declined the offer in favor of Emerica, due to the effect of a questionnaire that he was emailed as part of the recruitment process:
I was asked if I would want to … well, I was sent, like, a email questionnaire, that was like pre-written. Like it seemed just like it was this pre-written thing, towards … like it was totally impersonal. It was, ah, like, "What do you like about Nike? What do you think you can bring to Nike? What like, ah, blah, blah, blah, blah, bah. Like I don't even know if it was, like, a serious consideration that I could ride for them, but, yeah, when I read that thing, like, this was kinda, like, if this is their deal, then I don't really, I'm not really into it.
The
Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tra ...
web video series "Epicly Later'd" published its "Jerry Hsu" episode in May 2007, which is hosted and created by Hsu's friend Patrick O'dell, who was previously a staff photographer at ''Thrasher Magazine''. Hsu received attention after the episode was released, as Hsu shows O'dell his family home—including footage of his parents—and VHS footage of Hsu skateboarding at the age of 13 years, leading O'dell to use the description "child prodigy." Johnson is also interviewed by O'dell and his high regard for Hsu is obvious:
The way that Jerry sulives his life is, like, he lives it on his own terms. He wears what he wants to wear, he sleeps when wants to sleep—he does whatever he wants to do. And, when you're in a "business" situation, they either don't like that because they can't do that, or, they don't like that because it's not marketable, or whatever. He's kind of like an "old soul" … He's the guy that's younger than you and you look up to him.
Hsu released his first signature shoe with Emerica, the "Hsu" (including a lowtop variation that was released at a later stage, named the "Hsu Low"), in 2008. Hsu was then sponsored by the MOB skateboard griptape brand in early 2010. Hsu followed up his first Emerica shoe with the "Hsu 2 Fusion" in 2011, which is a mid-top design that incorporates the
Sole Technology Sole Technology, Inc. is an American footwear company, specializing in skate shoe production and distribution. The company is owned and run by Pierre André Senizergues, a former professional freestyle skateboarder. The company's headquarters ...
invention, "STI Fusion Technology" (Sole Technology is the parent company of Emerica). Hsu explained in a corresponding promotional video that he prefers the mid-top design because it provides him with ankle protection. The fourth TMA video, ''Bonus Round'', was released in 2009 and also featured other enjoi riders, such as Caswell Berry, Nestor Judkins and Clark Hassler. The following year, Hsu then appeared in his first-ever Emerica full-length video, ''Stay Gold'', for which he skated solely in switch stance during a period in which he sustained significant injuries. ''Stay Gold'' filmer Jon Miner identified Hsu's part as one of the most difficult aspects of the video's production in a 2011 interview:
There were a number of challenges, the ones that came closer to the deadline stand out the most just because of the level of stress. Jerry Hsu's constant knee/ankle injuries and what direction to take his part in was a pretty heavy one. Jerry went through hell to film that part, He got ankle surgery and two or three knee surgeries. He skated switch because he didn't have the strength in his knee to skate regular. That's how good Jerry is; he filmed an amazing part on a bad knee going the wrong way.


2013–2017: Leaves Enjoi and joins Chocolate

''New York La La La'', a fashion video directed by Aaron Rose and featuring Hsu, was published on the Nowness website on September 25, 2013. Alongside fellow professional skateboarders Austyn Gillette and Josh Harmony, Hsu was dressed in designer garments for the short film, and a portrait of the three was photographed by L'Officiel Hommes editor André Saraiva. In September 2013, Hsu announced his departure from the enjoi brand. Hsu explained in an interview that was published on October 12, 2013, that his decision was spurred by the departure of longtime brand manager Eversole who, according to Hsu, grew tired of protecting the brand from the profit-driven demands of shareholders. Barletta will take Eversole's place as enjoi's brand manager and Hsu stated: "Louie understands what enjoi is all about, so I think they can still make something really great and I wish them the best." Hsu later clarified that he received "generous" paychecks while he was with enjoi and his teammates, whom he respects "very much," were not a factor in his decision, which took a long time to make. He also revealed that the discussions about his departure mostly involved just himself and Barletta, and those conversations were "emotional and shitty" for him. On November 12, 2013, a video was published on the Crailtap
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
channel, the official channel of the
Girl Distribution Company Crailtap is a skateboarding distribution company based in Torrance, California, United States. The distribution company is home to Girl Skateboards, Chocolate Skateboards, Royal Skateboard Trucks, and Fourstar Clothing. Girl Skateboards History ...
, in which Hsu is officially revealed as the new professional for
Chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civ ...
Skateboards, a sub-brand of Girl. The video
skit Skit may refer to: * * A short segment in a performance, such as: ** Sketch comedy ** Hip hop skit ** Puppet skit ** Promo (professional wrestling) * Skit note, parody of a banknote See also * Skete A skete ( ) is a monastic community ...
features Marc Johnson, Mike Carroll, Stevie Perez, Elijah Berle, and Chris Roberts. Hsu explained in an interview why he wanted to join the Chocolate team: "It’s a family. When I walk into Rick owards office and there are printouts of graphics on the floor and he’s hand picking them, I know this is where I wanna be." To commemorate Chocolate's 20th anniversary in 2014, O'dell filmed a four-part retrospective for "Epicly Later'd" and enlisted Hsu as a cohost. In the first episode, published in October 2014, O'dell filmed Hsu with Girl co-owners Carroll and Rick Howard, and also asked Hsu to explain what is important about the Chocolate brand for him:
You just feel an immediate cool, like: "Welcome!" So everyone's just like, "Welcome to the family"-type thing. And all of a sudden, you're just looking at Chocolate boards, and then you're looking at Chocolate boards with your name on it. It's like a dream come true … Your name's next to Marc Johnson, Gino Iannuci, Chico renesyour heros!


2017–present: Starts Sci-Fi Fantasy, leaves Chocolate and Emerica

In the summer of 2017 Jerry started a clothing company, "Sci-Fi Fantasy," selling out multiple limited releases within hours in early 2018. According to him it is his primary source of income as he has no sponsors for skateboarding by October 2018. Jerry left Chocolate Skateboards in September 2017. In March 2018 his long term shoe sponsor Emerica ended its business relationship with Hsu.


Video games

Hsu is a playable character in the Skate video game franchise—''
Skate Skate or Skates may refer to: Fish *Skate (fish), several genera of fish belonging to the family Rajidae * Pygmy skates, several genera of fish belonging to the family Gurgesiellidae * Smooth skates or leg skates, several genera of fish belongin ...
'' (2007), ''
Skate 2 ''Skate 2'' is a skateboarding video game developed by EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts. The game was released worldwide in January 2009 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 after the spin-off title ''Skate It''. It is the sequel to 2007's ...
'' (2008) and ''
Skate 3 ''Skate 3'' is a skateboarding video game, the third installment in the ''Skate'' series and the sequel to 2009's '' Skate 2'', developed by EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts. It was released worldwide in May 2010 for PlayStation 3 a ...
'' (2010)—developed by the
Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the d ...
(EA) and Black Box companies. Hsu was selected to film his own introduction for the first installment, and then appeared in the cinematic trailers for all three games.


Photography

Hsu's photography career has gradually developed since the commencement of his professional skateboarding career. Hsu contributes work to ''Vice'' magazine and, in September 2010, he exhibited a body of photographic work at the Steinsland Berliner Gallery in
Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
, Sweden under the title "Vatican Gold," alongside
Ed Templeton Ed Templeton (born July 28, 1972) is an American professional skateboarder, contemporary artist, and photographer. He is the founder of the skateboard company, Toy Machine, a company that he continues to own and manage. He is based in Huntington ...
, Kevin Long and Jonnie Craig. Hsu's photography project "Table For One" was published as a zine of the same name in January 2013. Sold by San Jose's Seeing Things Gallery, the zine documents Hsu's obsession with people who eat by themselves and a corresponding
Tumblr Tumblr (stylized as tumblr; pronounced "tumbler") is an American microblogging and social networking website founded by David Karp in 2007 and currently owned by Automattic. The service allows users to post multimedia and other content to a sho ...
blog, also of the same name, remains online as of November 2014. ''Grape Magazine'' described the "Table For One" as Hsu's "ode to being alone." ''The Killing Season'', Hsu's first-ever photography book was released as a limited edition product (150 copies) in March 2013 by SPA, a publishing company owned by Hsu's friend. The book is based on a
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
skateboarding trip, in which a group traveled from the north to the south of the country on mopeds. A video of the trip was released on the ''SkateBoarder'' magazine website in mid-2012. The opening of Hsu's solo photographic exhibition "The Observable Universe" occurred in Los Angeles, California, U.S. on July 2, 2013. The exhibition was held at the Family Bookstore and consisted of eleven curated photographs. Emerica asked Hsu to curate a photography book for the DVD release of the 2013 video ''Made''. Released in September 2013, the 80-page book features Hsu's own photographs, as well as those he obtained from other photographers, including Templeton, Mike Burnett and Brian Gaberman. Hsu then released a zine of photographs (limited to 300 copies) taken of the people who photograph him as a professional skateboarder, titled "Our Moment Together," in October 2013 through Deadbeat Club.


"Rolling Through the Shadows"

Leica Camera Leica Camera AG () is a German company that manufactures cameras, optical lenses, photographic lenses, binoculars, Telescopic sight, rifle scopes and microscopes. The company was founded by Ernst Leitz in 1869 (Ernst Leitz Wetzlar), in Wetz ...
AG, a
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
camera, lens and optics manufacturer, initiated an interview series with skateboard journalist Mark Whiteley (former editor of ''SLAP'' magazine) in January 2013. The series was introduced through the company's blog and is entitled "Rolling Through the Shadows"—Whiteley explains in the introduction that he will interview a selection of skateboarders that "have gravitated towards Leica M equipment", including Hsu and others, such as Templeton and
Arto Saari Arto Saari (born November 9, 1981) is a Finnish professional skateboarder and photographer. Early life Saari was born in Seinäjoki, Finland. His mother was supportive of his skateboarding and his first skateboard was a Vision Gator model. Ska ...
. However, as of November 2014, Hsu was not yet interviewed for the series.


Awards and accolades

Hsu won the "Best Video Part" award at the 2007 ''
Transworld Skateboarding ''Transworld Skateboarding'' (''TWS'') was an Skate magazine, international magazine on skateboarding that was based in Carlsbad, California, United States. The publication also ran an accompanying website and video production company. In Februar ...
'' awards, for his part in ''Bag Of Suck'', in addition to the "Readers' Choice" award. ''Transworld'' writer Mackenzie Eisenhour described Hsu's award-winning part in a 2009 retrospective of the first 10 recipients of the Best Video Part award: "This is what Tiltmode looks like when the gloves come off. Jerry, like Heath irchart is one of the few guys who can finesse impact-heavy skating." Professional skateboarder Jimmy Cao selected Hsu's ''Black Cat'' video part for ''
Thrasher Magazine ''Thrasher'' is a skateboarding magazine founded in January 1981 by Eric Swenson and Fausto Vitello. The publication consists primarily of skateboard- and music-related articles, photography, interviews and skatepark reviews. The magazine also ...
s "Classics" series. Cao introduced the video by saying: "I picked Jerry's part, because he's got good style, sick trick selection, and he's just fun to watch." The magazine called the part "gnarly."


Personal life

Due to the physical toll of his skateboarding, Hsu identified photography as a vocation that he would like to eventually transition into. In 2013, Hsu explained that his body is "constantly thrashed" and admitted that he is "broken." In 2011, on "Epicly Later'd," Hsu's mother expressed her opinion of Hsu's skateboarding career: "Well I'm happy for him, as I said. This is his job, not mine; it's his life, not mine, so ..."


References


External links


Emerica profile

Table For One photography blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hsu, Jerry 1981 births Living people American skateboarders American people of Chinese descent American sportspeople of Taiwanese descent Leland High School (San Jose, California) alumni Sportspeople from San Jose, California Sportspeople from the San Francisco Bay Area Skate photographers Photographers from California