Interview with Danny Mac

When were you born and where did you grow up?

I was born in 1994 in Washington DC, moved to Los Angeles with my family in 2006 so I grew up a bit on the East Coast and more formative years on the West Coast in Venice, Santa Monica, and Malibu.

Tell me your skate story – when you started skating, different phases what influences, memories of spots/ramps when your a kid, teen,...

I started skating when I was 8 years old or so, my older brother got a skateboard and we were skating in our alley behind our house, all over DC and we would go to Vans Skatepark at this mall called Potomac Mills until more public parks opened and it got shut down. After that I'd skate freedom plaza but I was never really all that good at ledge skating or street so I just bombed hills in my neighborhood of Mount Pleasant in D.C.

When I moved to California in 2006 I started riding soft wheel cruisers around and I fell in love with speed. Once I found out I could go faster on a bigger board, I got on and some slide gloves and started learning the basics. James Kelly and SkateHouseMedia were my biggest inspirations to mob down hills, I still remember the first time I skated Tuna Canyon and how awestruck I was when I realized how good James was at the time. Then is when I realized I needed to be sending myself down hills on a regular basis to feel that free feeling of flying down a hill at 45- 50 mph.

What have you been up to lately?

As of lately, I've been working at Arbor Venice by the Venice Pier as I've been for the past five years. I've also been skating Tuna Canyon twice a week for the past four years. As well as other canyon roads in Malibu, but Tuna is definitely my favorite!

Favorite 3?

Foods: My homemade Bolognese, Fish Tacos, cheeseburgers

Bands: Future Islands, The Doors, New Order

Activities: Skateboarding, Trying new foods, Painting

People: I don't like playing favorites.

Dreams: To be able to skateboard downhills full time and have a pro model for everything I use, board, trucks, wheels, helmet, and gloves.

Movies: Sorry To Bother You.

Places I've been: Chile, Spain, Mexico when I was young. Most recently- Hawaii and Northern California.

Places I want to go to: North Carolina, Granada Spain (Sierra Nevadas of Spain), and Tahiti.