Karl Watson

Karl Watson (born September 22nd, 1976) is a regular-footed professional American skateboarder, skate video director, and author from the San Francisco Bay Area.[2][3]

Karl Watson
Personal information
Full nameKarl Watson
EthnicityAmerican
Born (1976-09-22) 22 September 1976[1]
Richmond, CA, U.S.A
ResidenceOakland, CA, U.S.A
Sport
CountryUSA
SportSkateboarding

Early life

Watson was born in Richmond, California and raised in San Francisco.[4]

Skateboarding

Karl Watson was given his first skateboard on Christmas day in 1987.[5] Three years later, Watson received sponsorship, at the age of 13, and at 17, while still at McAteer High School, Watson turned pro for Clean skateboards.[3] Watson's first sponsor was Dogtown skateboards and his first full skate video part was in DTS, The Video (’91).[6][7] The first time Watson's name appeared on a board was with his second sponsor, Think Skateboards, with the Missing Children deck, featuring Watson alongside Nick Lockman, Sam Smyth, and Shawn Mandoli.[8] Released in 1995 on Profile skateboards, Watson's first solo deck graphic was a based on an "afrocentric" stick-figure scene Watson appropriated from a work of art his mom had hanging on her wall.[9] Additionally, Watson released a deck with a popular graphic for Mad Circle skateboards depicting a man with dreads.[9]

Watson is known for his laid back skate style.[10]

Watson's first signature skate shoe was released by IPath Footwear in 2000.[3] Throughout his career, Watson skated for Mad Circle Skateboards, Organika Skateboards, and Blind Skateboards.[11] In 2008, Watson directed Zach & Walker's Concrete Jungle with Matt Daughters for Organika Skateboards.[12]

In 2005, Watson worked with Keith "K-Dub" Williams and Adjoa Murden in advocating for the construction of a skatepark in Oakland, a successful effort that would become Town Park skatepark.[4] Watson also worked with Williams on the Hood Games, a mixing of hip-hop and skateboarding culture.[13]

In 2018, Watson and Nick Lockman founded Maxallure.[14] The team founding team consisted of Watson, Lil Dre, Jonathan Perez, De Marquis McDaniels, Tafari Whitter, and Marcello Campanello.[15]

Writing

In 2017, Watson collaborated with illustrator Henry Jones, writing a children's book: My First Skateboard Book.[16] Watson's book introduces children to the world of skateboarding.[17][18]

Personal life

Watson is a father and a pescatarian.[11] Watson had a tumor on his Pineal gland.[11]

Watson currently manages the Adidas flow team.[19]

References
  1. "Karl Watson Profile < Skately Library". skately.com.
  2. Smith, Jonathan; Harris, Zach (12 December 2017). "A Pro Skater Has Written the First Good Skateboarding Book for Kids". Vice.
  3. Whiting, Sam; Writer, Chronicle Staff (2000-06-22). "Skateboard Central / A new park opens in Milpitas, but the mecca remains Pier 7". SFGate. Retrieved 2019-06-10.
  4. "Oakland skateboarding mecca a beacon for East Bay youth". The Mercury News. 2016-04-14. Retrieved 2019-06-10.
  5. Mary (2010-02-07). "Skater world: an interview wit' pro skater Karl Watson". San Francisco Bay View. Retrieved 2019-06-10.
  6. "Dogtown Skates". TransWorld SKATEboarding. 2002-05-14. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  7. "Not the New Venture Video (91), Part 1 Plus Greg Carroll Interview". TransWorld SKATEboarding. 2014-09-03. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  8. "Think, Missing Children AM deck". bobshirt.com. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  9. "Karl Watson and Prof. Neftalie Williams continue the conversation". Pushing Boarders. Retrieved 2019-06-05.
  10. "Speakers 2018". Pushing Boarders. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  11. "Vice Versa: Karl Watson". TransWorld SKATEboarding. 2009-12-15. Retrieved 2019-06-05.
  12. "Organika Skateboards - Zach & Walker's Concrete Jungle (2008) < Skately Library". skately.com. Retrieved 2019-06-10.
  13. Swan, Rachel. "Hood Games and Pipe Dreams". East Bay Express. Retrieved 2019-06-10.
  14. "Maxallure Skateboards Launch Party". www.thrashermagazine.com. Retrieved 2019-06-05.
  15. "MAXALLURE -- Skateboard Company". The Berrics. Retrieved 2019-06-05.
  16. "'MY FIRST SKATEBOARD' -- Karl Watson & Henry Jones Interview". The Berrics. Retrieved 2019-06-05.
  17. Watson, Karl (2017-09-22). My First Skateboard. ISBN 9781641364157.
  18. "Readers meet writers at the festival's free outdoor fair". SFGate. 2018-04-19. Retrieved 2019-06-10.
  19. "Karl Watson and Prof. Neftalie Williams continue the conversation". Pushing Boarders. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
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