Steve Berra is a multifaceted individual with a successful career in skateboarding, directing, publishing, acting, event management, and content creation since the early 1990s.
A native of Nebraska, Berra began skating at an early age and quickly developed a passion for the sport.
In 1995, at the age of 14, he decided to pursue professional skateboarding, and by 18, the skater had moved to California to live with his mentor, Tony Hawk.
He quickly established himself as one of the most influential skateboarders of his time.
Berra is known for his signature backside flips, creative approach to skating, and willingness to take risks.
As a pro skater, he has been featured in some of the most iconic skate videos of all time, including his memorable appearance in "The End."
But he also unleashed his riding skills in "Feasters," "Super Conductor, Super Collider," "Rolling Thunder," "Mind Field," and others.
In addition to his impressive skateboarding career, Berra has used his talents to venture into other areas of the entertainment industry, such as directing and producing films, creating his own line of skateboards, and even launching a successful clothing brand.
Co-Founder of The Berrics
The American skater had an interest in acting since the age of 18 and has had roles in television shows such as "Felicity" and "Nash Bridges," as well as a minor role in the film "Anywhere but Here."
His directing credits include the feature film, "The Good Life."
In addition to his work in the entertainment industry, Berra has made a name for himself as an entrepreneur.
He released a best-selling shoe line - the DVS Berra - and used the proceeds to purchase the building that would become The Berrics, a skatepark (and website) co-founded and co-owned by Berra.
Steve produced several skate videos and events, including Battle at the Berrics (BOTB), which has become an iconic competition.
The regular footer has also launched a line of skateboards and a clothing brand under the same umbrella.
Berra's accomplishments in the sports and entertainment industry have made him a controversial individual in the skateboarding community.
With his unique vision for the future of skateboarding, Steve is an inspiring figure who has changed the face of skateboard media.
Berra has consistently shown his versatility and determination throughout his career, successfully transitioning between different roles and industries.
Here are 25 interesting facts about the Missouri-raised skater:
1. Stephen Berra was born on May 10, 1973, in Omaha, Nebraska;
2. He was bullied at school and decided to pursue a professional skateboarding career at age 14, even though he won several trophies as a football (soccer) player until eighth grade;
3. When Berra hit 18, he moved to Southern California to Tony Hawk's home;
4. One of his first jobs was editor-in-chief at Transworld Skateboarding magazine, fact-checking trick names and writing articles;
5. Throughout his career, he was sponsored by Blockhead, 101, Birdhouse, Foundation, Alien Workshop, DC Shoes, Grizzly Griptape, DVS, Skullcandy, and other skate companies;
6. Steve and Eric Koston are the co-founders of The Berrics, a popular skateboarding website and private indoor skatepark located at 2535 East 12th Street in Los Angeles, California. The Berrics is a portmanteau of the words "Berra" and "Eric";
7. The Berrics is one of the playable skateparks on "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5";
8. Since its inception, Battle of the Berrics crowned Mike Mo Capaldi (2008), Chris Cole (2009), Paul Rodriguez (2010), Morgan Smith (2011), PJ Ladd (2012), PJ Ladd (2013), Cody Cepeda (2014), Sewa Kroetkov (2015), Diego Najera (2016), Chris Joslin (2017), Luan Oliveira (2018), Monica Torres (2019), Sierra Fellers (2020), and Jamie Griffin (2021/2022);
9. DVS's 2005 skate video "Skate More" sparked a long-lasting controversy involving Berra's participation in so-called "fake spots";
10. Berra has appeared in several television shows, including "Rob and Big" (2007) and "Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory" (2009);
11. In 2013, Steve Berra directed "The Way Up," a series of six videos by Target telling the stories of six athletes, including motocross champion Ryan Dungey, surfers Kolohe Andino and Carissa Moore, skateboarder Paul Rodriguez and freeskiers Rosalind Groenewoud and Torin Yater-Wallace;
12. In 2014, The Berrics announced the acquisition of The Skateboard Mag;
13. Berra and his company directed several films, including "The Good Life" (2007), "7-Teen Sips" (2000), "One Day in Skateboarding" (2014) "The L.A. Boys" (2016), and "Push" (2016);
14. In 2016, Steve went on a massive live rant about the state of the skate industry on his Instagram account. The meltdown generated a wave of criticism across social media, with skaters calling him "Simp Berra";
15. Berra also became the target of his community's attacks for having preached to "keep skateboarding core" and then selling out to all types of sponsors;
16. In 2018, Hypebeast acquired 51 percent of The Berrics. Simultaneously, Steve and Eric created The Berrics Company to ensure the original project's spirit was not lost;
17. In 2021, Berra initiated a heated exchange of words at the Tampa Pro with a group of youngsters holding up a silly photoshopped sign of Jagger Eaton playing with his nipples;
18. In January 2023, Steve and Eric announced they had regained full control of The Berrics, a brand that "we've effectively had any influence over what we created" for five years;
19. Berra's talented riding has been featured in several magazines, including Thrasher and Transworld Skateboarding;
20. He was married to actress and singer Juliette Lewis from 1999 to 2003;
21. The skater and entrepreneur is a Scientologist;
22. Steve says he never smoked cigarettes, drunk alcohol and coffee, or done drugs;
23. Jeremy Klein once revealed that Berra got to his room crying because he found out his idol Tony Hawk was smoking pot when they were on a demo somewhere;
24. The skater has a daughter and a son. However, he has never disclosed their names and the identity of the mother;
25. Steve Berra is on Instagram (@steveberra) and Twitter (@steve_berra);