Under Exposed with SK8RATS Shane Auckland

In this Under Exposed interview, we chat with Shane Auckland, the creator of SK8RATS videos/website/YouTube, as well as a freelance skate videographer.

First off, we’re big fans of you and all of the sk8rats videos, and we appreciate you taking the time to answer some questions with us.

It’s my pleasure! Thank you guys for supporting SK8RATS all these years, that support really means a lot and keeps me going!

Of course. Let’s start with some basic stuff like where you’re from and where did you grow up?

I’m originally from Machias, Washington and grew up in the Snohomish and Lake Stevens area. Where I lived in Machias was few miles from downtown Lake Stevens. I will always be thankful for where my folks raised my brothers and I. We had so much woods to play in as kids. I’ve lived in LA for 15 years now and I if I ever have kids I hope I could give them a similar childhood. 

When did you first pick up a camera and start filming?

I wanna say I was around 14 or so when I really started to film skateboarding. My first camera was some a random VHS-C from a pawnshop if my memory serves me correctly. I can’t remember the exact brand.  

VHS-C is some ancient tech. Nobody resurrecting that shit haha. Did editing go hand and hand with starting to film or nah?

Editing pretty much came hand and hand. After using my VHS-C camera for a while I wanted to edit the footage but my family didn’t have a computer good enough for video editing. Then we got a Dell that had movie maker on it and for a birthday I asked for mini DV camera (had a firewire port on it) and bought a fire port to install on the Dell, and then SK8RATS Volume 1 was made, my first full length video you could say haha. I made the intro animation of the rat in Power Point too. So budget haha.

I’m from Tacoma and I grew up filming and skating here in the NW, so I’m pretty familiar with the struggle of being a skater and filmer here, could you share a bit about the challenges, for folks who aren’t familiar?  

You the know pain phosho, yeah it’s a struggle. With all the rain we get in the PNW which in return gets the concrete weathered super fast and makes everything really rough, definitely not the ideal place for skateboarding. But to find the positive in the negative it makes all of our skate spots very photogenic in my opinion. We used to drive around to patches of blue skies in the distance and hope we find dry concrete somewhere to skate. We didn’t have iphones or anything so we couldn’t just check the weather forecast really quick. It was a mission.

We’ve always been kinda outside the skate industry up here in WA, or at least adjacent to it. No big national board companies, brands, mags, etc. How did you find your way into the wider skateboarding “industry”?

I was very fortunate how I got my self into the skate industry. When they announced they were gonna do a second Bangin contest at The Berrics, I asked Cory Kennedy if he wanted me to cut up his footage and submit and we did and he got first place. He went to The Berrics to film his own bangin. At that time they needed a second filmer, and Steve Berra and Eric Koston were telling Cory he’s gotta move to LA, and Cory was saying that him and I were going to move down once he was done with high school (Cory was still in High School). Steve was like does Shane need a job, and then Steve called me from Cory’s cellphone and I thought it was gonna be Cory telling me what the Berrics was like, and it was Steve (my first time ever talking to a pro skater). Then Steve flew me down to LA I worked at the Berrics for a few weeks. We filmed the Volcom United Nations, the RVCA United Nations and I edited up the RVCA United Nations, and some other things, and got the job. Went back to WA dropped out of college and packed everything up, and now it’s been 15 years in LA. I remember flying back from that trip thinking if the plane goes down I’m good, I got to live out my dreams. Will always be thankful for the way Steve and Eric changed my life.

How has living down there been and what’s it like being away from home?

Living here has been pretty wild. It’s definitely the meca for skateboarding. You can not beat the southern California sunshine that’s for sure! But I always go back to WA as much as I can. Otherwise I would probably lose my mind living in a city like this. I need nature. I usually spend a lot of time in WA during the summer time. Nothing like a PNW summer!

You’ve been an inspiration for a lot of skaters and filmers here in our zone. I’ve always appreciated that it seems like you found a way to capture skaters having fun while still skating hard. Who were your inspirations growing up, and who are you inspired by now?

Thank you! I’m always stoked if I can inspire people. Big inspirations would be Jason Hernandez and Ty Evans and French Fred and Joe Castrucci growing up. Locally Jordan Sanchez Andy Froberg and his friends, they were the older guys in my hometown. Today would be my friends Grant Yansura and Ben Ericson. Grant is easily putting out the best skate content in my opinion. And every project Ben puts out he should seriously win an Oscar, it’s amazing the feeling you get from Ben’s projects. I hope I can make something as amazing as those guys do! 

For sure! Grant is one of our favorites, we love everything he touches. Who are a few of your favorite NW skaters of all time, and maybe a favorite part from each of them?

Jordan Sanchez and Cory Kennedy. Jordan’s part from Andy Froberg’s video “Shoot your Friends” and Cory’s Part from “Beware of Sasquatch” from Brandon Jensen’s Video

Corey’s Beware of Sasquatch part really set the standard for NW skaters for the last decade, it was/is so good. I always watch your adventures on Instagram, it looks like you're always getting into some interesting non-skate missions. Tell me a bit about the trips you do outside skating?

The last few years I’ve really gotten into astro photography. I’m a big sci fi nerd and space has always fascinated me, so I’ve been trying to get better at it. I’m definitely still a big poser at it, but I’m learning. Plus, it’s fun to have another activity to do when out camping, hopefully aliens will abduct me soon haha. Also our dad would take us out as kids to go treasure hunting out in the woods of WA at old logging/mining camps from the late 1800s/early 1900s. My older brother Colby really got into it and has been doing for a long time now. We’ve been getting an expedition going every summer up in the cascades mountains. This past summer Cory joined us on one. It was super fun. It’s definitely not normal hiking, we’re going fully off the grid most of the time, bush wacking for miles sometimes. It’s definitely some Indiana Jones vibes. You can find those vids on YouTube

Dude, bushwacking like that is no joke. Sounds gnarly, and fun. You’ve always had a really good music selection in your edits. What are some of your favorite bands and/or songs you’ve discovered from skate videos?

Thank you, really appreciate that! I live for music. I mean pretty much everything came from skate videos when it comes to music taste, but that’s kinda true for all of us skaters. It’s crazy how a piece of wood and 4 wheels defines us. I mean my love for Modest Mouse came from skate videos, the same with Built to Spill, and The Shins. From Stefans part in Subtleties, Cario in the reason skating to Modest Mouse. It all influenced me.

Same for me, love it. What projects are you working on this year?

I’m currently doing a VX part with Shawn Hale for Birdhouse Skateboards and I have a SK8RATS VX part with Johnny Matarazzo and Mitch Mueser from Spokane, both of them live here in LA now.

Dope. Currently, what are your 3 favorite videos or edits you’ve created? Why are those meaningful or important to you? 

Epicness of Snoho will always be a classic, such rad time in my life and the early years of my friendship with Cory. And there’s nothing like your hometown park too.

The memorial video I put together of Smotag will always be close to my heart. Miss him everyday.

And probably Cory Shoreline Rail edit. For one, just insane to film him, his talent will always be out of this world and that time frame of our lives will always be so nostalgic and memorable. Pre iphone days and all, skateboarding just meant so much back then, it still means everything but boy oh boy has the times changed.

We could ask you questions all day, but to be respectful of your time we’ll wrap it up with this fun one; You’re elected president of skateboarding today, what changes do you make and why?

Keep the questions coming whenever, always down. Let’s see, if I was elected president of skateboarding I would probably outlaw instagram haha or social media maybe in general. I think social media could be the down fall for all of us. I would love to be off of it but at the same time you need it especially doing video content, but it’s also a tool I think we as a society are abusing, sadly.

Agreed. You’ve got my vote. Any final thoughts? Shoutouts? Anything or anyone to keep an eye out for?

Thank you for hitting me up and supporting SK8RATS all this time, all the support out there really means a lot and keeps me going! Keep an eye out for some new SK8RATS projects with Johnny and Mitch and the new Shawn Hale Birdhouse part, which will probably come out early next year.

Thanks a ton for being down Shane!

Thank you Alex! Lets get a sesh in next time I’m up north! 

Go watch more SK8RATS stuff on YouTube and check out Shane’s website sk8rats.com