Tod Swank Movies
Filmmaker Mike Hill profiles one of the skateboarding world's most revolutionary figures in this documentary tracing the life and career of World Industries founder Steve Rocco. Founded in 1989, World Industries made waves throughout the skateboarding industry by ambushing the corporate world to rewrite the rules of the game and usher in a refreshing new era of companies that were owned and operated by skaters. While many thought it could never be done, Rocco accomplished the formidable feat with a little help from such talented friends as Rodney Mullen, Jason Lee, Mark Gonzales, Natas Kaupas, Spike Jonze, and Jeff Tremaine. A cultural revolution that changed the public perception of skateboarding from that of a passing teenage fad to a thriving anti-authoritarian counterculture, the rise of World Industries ultimately resulted in the creation of some of the most unlikely cult heroes in contemporary sports. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Steve Rocco
- 2002
- R
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As a teenager growing up in the mid-'70s, Mark "Gator" Rogowski became a passionate skateboarder. With time, he became quite good on a deck and, by the early '80s, his skills on the vertical ramp, combined with his cocky charm and surfer-dude good looks, helped to make him one of the top professionals on the skating circuit. Between endorsement deals and performance fees, he was earning more than a hundred-thousand dollars per year by the time he was 18. Not surprisingly, Rogowski soon found himself living a fast-lane lifestyle, partying all night, and dating supermodels. But when the popularity of ramp skating fell in favor of street skating, Gator found his career going into a skid. Over several years, he struggled to get his demons under control, trying, with no real success, to reinvent himself and regain his place in the public eye. In 1991, the bottom finally fell out of Rogowski's life: At the age of 24, he found himself behind bars, confessing to rape and murder charges . Stoked: The Rise and Fall of Gator is a documentary which chronicles Rogowski's personal successes and private failures. The film includes interviews with fellow skating legends Tony Hawk, Stacy Peralta, and Jason Jessee. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gator Rogowski, Tony Hawk, (more)
