What’s going on, Colton, what are you up to? Tell us a little about where you grew up and what it was like skating there.

Hey, I just got back from a nice day of boarding in the East Bay, new spots and good friends. I grew up in Burlington, Wisconsin, a small town in the southeastern part of the state. We have almost nothing to skate in my hometown. Most of the time we would skate homemade rails and boxes. Living in a place like that made me want to discover new landscapes and head to the West Coast.

What initially brought you out to S.F? What are some pros and cons of living here?

I have always wanted to live in California. San Francisco just seemed like a nice fit. We have good weather almost all year and plenty of new and old spots to skate. It’s also nice to just grab you board and explore, no need for a car. There are also a bunch of talented skateboarders to film. The only con that I can think of is that it’s illegal to skateboard anywhere in the city, I have always thought that was strange, being such an accepting place.

How’d you get into filming? Did it start with skating? 

Not a particular thing got me into filming, just started pressing record and fell in love. I’ve been skating for 16 years now, filming just seemed like a natural progression.

How long ago did you pick up a camera?

5 years ago.

What was the first camera you finished a project on, and did you have any influences when you were first starting?

My first camera set up was a Sony VX-2000with an mk2 fisheye lens. I still own it to this day. Nothing really influenced me in the beginning. I just turned the camera on and hit record. I wasn’t really a filmer, more the guy who had a camera.

And when did you realize that you were good at it?

I wouldn’t say I’m good at it yet, but I have a basic understanding of how it works. I realized I could make something enjoyable to watch after January Through June came out in late 2009.

Top 3 skate videos?

Mouse, Penal Code 100a, and Welcome to Hell.

How’d you get linked up with SLAP?

My friend Justin Carlson recommended me for the job, thanks buddy.

What exactly do you do there?

At the moment, I just make the San Francisco Treats. It’s a really great place to work, and I would love to get involved with more projects at SLAP.

Tell us a bit about “Three Days a Week.”

We had a nice crew for that one, all of the guys ripped. We took six months to film and put together a short video, and it’s the last video I made before getting the job at SLAP. I would love to make something like it again. It was the first time that I felt any pressure making a video, but I’m happy how it turned out.

Who was in it?

We had a star-studded cast consisting of Charlie Pravel, Jeff Hill, and Pat Moran. Also, a friends section with a bunch of homies.

I tagged along with you guys for a San Francisco Treat mission and it was a very heavy session. Take us through a day of filming for one of those.

Well, I meet up with the guys around”¯noon, pick an area of the city to explore and shred it. On the weekdays we stick to neighborhood spots and hit up schools and downtown areas on the weekends. I’m just happy to have such a amazing group of friends and such a beautiful city to skate in.

What’s your opinion on the VX versus HD debate?

I think that it‘s a rather pointless debate. It‘s all skateboarding, as long as you‘re filming it well, it shouldn’t matter what format or camera your using. ”¯Filming in HD brings a very quality image with massive amounts of detail. I can’t think of anything HD takes away from skateboarding. ”¯”¯ 

Do you have any techy tricks to making HD look a little more “real” like interlacing or anything like that?

Nope, it already looks real. I don’t think that anyone has shot interlaced since Nike’s Debacle. ”¯You just have to find a sweet spot between blending your footage and still making it look fast.

I’ve heard you’re a secret ripper behind the lens, what’s your take on filmer footy? 

Filmer footy has a time and a place, unless you‘re Mike Manzoori.”¯

What does the future hold?”¯

I just started working on San Francisco Treat #20. It‘s going to be a good one. We‘re taking four months and making a short video with a couple of parts. ”¯I hope to take a couple trips and explore some new terrain. 

Any shout outs?

Family and friends. Thanks.