A biographic profile of cinematographer and former profesional skateboarder, Greg Hunt.
Speedway Magazine
July 2018
Photography by Mike O’Meally, Ryan Allan, Arto Saari, Chris Johnson, Gabe Morford & Greg Hunt
Greg Hunt’s films are amongst the most significant skateboarding videos of the last twenty years. His work is uplifted by authentic depictions of our culture’s most endearing figures which can only be achieved through genuine companionship. Anthony Van Engelen, Heath Kirchart, Dylan Rieder and Jason Dill to name a few of those Greg has provided a near-biographic documentation of. However, Greg’s position as one of skateboarding’s finest cinematographers is predated by a short tenure as a pro for Stereo Skateboards – and his time in front of the lens is integral to his story behind it.
Hailing from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Greg moved to San Francisco the day after his 18th birthday where he became embedded in the EMB crew. A first-hand witness to the pivotal scene of the Justin Herman plaza; Henry Sanchez, Javontae Turner, Mark Gonzales christening the plaza’s gap and progression ad infinitum. Initially flow for Real Skateboards, after befriending Jason Lee he gained a spot on the original Stereo team – his first exposure to filmmaking after observing Jason and Chris Pastras make A Visual Sound [1994] which lead to Greg shooting his own Super 8 segments for Tincan Folklore [1996].
Greg’s time in the spotlight peaked with an interview in Transworld’s March 1998 issue although shortly after finishing shooting for it he began to sway from professional skateboarding. Stereo’s team shifted, sales declined and the brand struggled to ‘redefine themselves’ but amongst these factors, Greg’s age played on his mind: “I honestly can’t remember if it was an immediate change of heart, or if it was building over time, but things were a lot different back then. There wasn’t much money and more importantly pro skateboarders were all pretty young. Nobody was over 25 and definitely nobody was over 30. I was 23 and unfortunately I felt I was already sort of old,” laughs Greg. “I didn’t have a lot of confidence in that way and controlling my life was a bit outside of my grasp. I was still a little immature too so I was frustrated.”
By the time that 1998 edition of Transworld went to print he was ready to move on. “I wasn’t as excited about skating for this team and even about being pro at this point. I was older and feeling like I didn’t have much opportunity anywhere else. I didn’t have any back-up plans for skateboarding. At the same time I was really into cinematography so I just thought: “I’m just going to quit and do this instead.”
F.G. 