Stacy Peralta was born and raised in West Los Angeles, California, growing up on the beaches of Venice and Santa Monica. But Peralta was also a product of the streets, where he and a band of fellow “Dogtown” teenagers became the vanguard of the 1970s Skateboard Culture. Peralta rolled this status into a real profession, earning product endorsements, TV and film appearances and a Skateboarding World Championship—all by the age of 19.

During the early 1980s, Peralta chose to “retire” as a professional skateboarder, and joined George Powell to form Powell-Peralta, then the leading manufacturer of skateboard related products. Producing, directing and editing 1984’s Bones Brigade Video Show, Peralta literally created an entirely new genre of film. Equal parts action, entertainment and personality, Peralta’s series of 8 “straight-to-video” skate films revolutionized sports media, establishing a template that has become the standard in today’s action sports industry.

 

You could sum up Stacy Peralta’s continuing artistic expression in three words: “Point of View.” World champion athlete, captain of industry by age 21, director, writer and producer in video, television and feature documentary. His laurels include both a World Skateboard Championship and a Director’s Award at the Sundance Film Festival. He is credited with inventing the Action Sports Video and reinventing the Action Sports Feature Documentary. He has written screenplays and has had screenplays written about him for big studios like Sony Pictures. And he who now brings his wealth of experience and point of view to Made in America, his latest and most provocative artistic endeavor.   

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 Tony Alva was born in 1957, in Santa Monica California and in 1968 got his first surfboard and skateboard and developed a passion for surfing, skateboarding and rock-n-roll. In 1972, he joined the legendary Z-Boys skateboard team along with Jay Adams and Stacy Peralta.

 

Alva later went on to win the Men’s World Overall Championship in 1977. In the 1980’s, Tony formed the infamous “Alva Posse” and sponsored innovative skaters including: Christian Hosoi, Ray Barbee, Mark Gonzales, Dave Duncan, Eddie Reategui, Chris Cook, John Thomas, Jeff Hartsel, Craig Johnson, John Gibson, Bill Danforth, Fred Smith III, and Jim Murphy.

 

In 1999, he was presented the X Games Lifetime Achievement Award from Tony Hawk, and in 2000, he received the Legend Award from TransWorld Skateboarding Magazine. In 2002, Alva was featured in the Sundance and Independent Spirit award-winning documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys and in 2005 was an authenticity consultant and stunt coordinator on the upcoming Sony feature film, Lord of Dogtown, based on his life with the Z-Boys.

 

The first skateboarder to successfully market himself as a brand name, Tony Alva continues to own and operate the innovative Alva Skateboard Company in Oceanside California. Considered the originator of vertical skateboarding, Alva continues to develop new technology to the sport he loves. Staying true to his roots, Tony Alva surfs and skates pools almost everyday. “Today, Tony sneaks into unsuspecting people’s backyards to taste the illicit thrill of riding an empty pool.” – Stacy Peralta     

 

Source: skateboardinghalloffame.org