Jackson Casey’s videos Boyish and Worship Friendship spring to mind as fine examples of independent videos that have crossed over from being wholly the niche concern of other desert dwelling skaterats into being big releases within Internet savvy skateboarding circles. It’s not just the unquestionably high quality of the skateboarding on show but also Casey’s trademark queasy witch-house, hipster aesthetic. There is a branch of skateboarders that wear cut-offs, odd socks and listen to John Maus and Casey is not only giving these people what they want but also creating a recognisable “brand” of his own. This notion of the independent videographer as “brand” is perhaps the most interesting development within skateboarding culture in recent times as people like Casey have managed to establish an aesthetic that is so recognisable and singular that it would make many actual brands with full time marketing departments envious.
Casey is by no means a once off though. Other desert dwelling filmers that have successfully made a recognizable brand of themselves include the O’Shea brothers out of Arizona with the success story that is their “A Happy Medium” series of videos. A Happy Medium 1 & 2 have not only had a hand in furthering the careers of some names that have become considerably more recognizable of late (Aaron “Jaws” Homoki, John Motta, Josh Hawkins etc.) but it could be argued that the videos themselves found such success due to the fact they had such a recognizable style of their own
Though sometimes their appeal to sub Nikon-ad indie folk soundtracks can get a little saccharine the mix of genuinely original and creative “dork-tricks” many of which taking place in Arizona’s abundance of drainage ditches and knee quivering big gap skating courtesy of Jaws and Hawkins amongst others has almost managed to foster the idea of not only a Happy Medium aesthetic but A Happy Medium style skate spot or even A Happy Medium style of skateboarding.
