"INSIDE THE MIND"

“Inside the Mind” is a documentary series that dives into the creative process of skateboarders. 
We explore their thoughts, motivations, and the environments that shape their work. 
Each episode offers an unfiltered look at their world, showcasing what drives them and how they navigate their journeys.
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In our first installment of "Inside the Mind Of," we caught up with Chris Chann to talk about his recent travels.
From Tokyo to Bali and Barcelona, he shares the stories behind some of his trips,
how he got into skateboarding, started his YouTube channel, and met Obama with his crush.

What’s up, Chris? How are you doing? You’re back in LA now. How does it feel to be back home?
Man, it feels good to be back! Of course I missed my family and friends, catching up has been nice. Traveling was amazing—I had the time of my life—but coming back to LA feels cool too. The hustle continues here, and being in my routine motivates me.
So, what have you been up to? You’ve been traveling for a while—how long have you been away from home?
Yeah, about 10 months! I’ve always wanted to travel in Asia, so I went to Tokyo first and stayed there for a month. It was crazy—my first real experience in Asia. Just seeing everything and all these Asian people everywhere felt wild, especially since I have some Asian roots myself, haha. But I realised I could only stay in Tokyo for so long. After that, I went to Bali, honestly just winging it because I always wanted to go there. I didn’t have any big plans at the time, just thought it would be dope to experience it. 
While I was there, I met this guy, Hendry, at a party, and he invited me over to their spot. Then, I think I met Indra after, though honestly, I was kinda drunk, so it’s a bit of a blur, haha. Pretty organically, we started bouncing ideas around, and that’s how our collaboration on the pants came to life. The vibe there was amazing—the work ethic, the people, and their setup. They even had a mini ramp by the pool, which was sick. Being in new places and meeting people like that really rewires your brain and gets the creativity flowing.
That’s what life’s all about—going places and meeting new faces.  What were your favourite places while travelling?
Oh man, Thailand had some incredible food. I tried all kinds of meats and different BBQ styles, and the desserts were out of this world. I even tried eating bugs for the first time, which was definitely an experience! It wasn’t my first time trying spicy food, but that’s where I really started developing my spicy food palate. Bali was dope too, mainly because of the crew from Televisistar—they had such great energy. But Tokyo? That was definitely the craziest place. It felt like I was in an anime or something. Everything was just all over the place!
Oh yea, sounds like a great time man! Then you spent the last 3 months in Barcelona? What brought you here and what do you like most about the city?
Last year, I spent about four months in Barcelona and built a nice community of friends there. As long as I have a crew around, it’s easy to come back. 
This time I came back since I was already travelling and I wanted to get this one particular trick, which was just taking many more sessions then I imagined. I remember leaving the crib and telling you ahh shit, here we go again, haha.
Barcelona’s just super chill—the weather is great, the skate spots are on point, and the food is cheap. It’s hard to beat living there.
True story man, Barcelona is amazing! So when and how did you first get into skateboarding?
I started skating when I was about five. My aunt got me my first board, and my brother was into it too, so I got into it through him. We did everything—rollerblading, scootering, biking. We were just kids having fun. But then I got hooked on playing this computer game around 13 or 14. I would leave the game on autoplay while watching skate videos on YouTube, you know, double-screen style? I’d watch trick tips and then go outside to try them.
Wait wait, which game are we talking about here?
RuneScape, haha! That was my game—maybe it still is! I’d have my character chopping wood while I watched skate videos.
Haha sick, so how did YouTube come into the picture?
Yeah, I got inspired by those trick tips. It was like a light bulb moment. I figured if I could keep trying to get better at the game, I could do the same with skating. Once I landed a trick I was proud of, and then I started taking trick request and documenting the process of learning the trick.
Well we did some digging in your YouTube archives, and one particular thing stood out to us. About 15 years ago, in 2009, you uploaded your first YouTube video. At the end of that video you’re shaking Obama’s hand. What’s the story behind that?
Oh man, that was wild! So, here’s the story; Obama came to my school for a special event, and all the students had to enter a lottery for a chance to attend the event. I ended up winning that lottery, and my crush at the time won it too—like, what are the chances!? There was this massive crowd, and I couldn’t get anywhere near him. But then I saw the Secret Service agents moving through the crowd, and it was like the ocean opening up! I snuck behind them and followed their path. That’s when I took out my flip camera and started filming. And there I was, shaking Obama’s hand, haha!
No way man, haha! That’s almost as legendary as winning against Chris Cole at BATB7. How did you get there and what was that experience like?
So yeah, I got invited because The Berrics was doing Pro's vs. Joeys, and just getting that invite was crazy to me. Playing against Chris Cole was sick. I was so nervous, especially since he’s a legend. But as the game went on, I got close to being out, and I thought, I’ll probably lose anyway, which eased my nerves a bit. I decided to try some harder tricks, and I think I eventually won with a switch double varial heelflip, haha. It was a milestone for me.
That’s for sure one for the books! Thanks for your time, Chris. It's been cool catching up after living with us for three months here in Barcelona. One last question: if there’s a message you’d like to share with the world, what would it be?
Don’t overthink your crazy ideas—just keep showing up. Try them out, and eventually, you’ll get to where you need to be.


WATCH "INSIDE THE MIND" CHRIS CHANN HERE