Paul Martin Rodriguez[1][3] (born December 31, 1984), also known by his nickname P-Rod, is a Mexican-American professional street skateboarder and actor.
Rodriguez has won a total of eight medals at the X Games, four of them gold, with the most recent first-place victory occurring in Los Angeles, California in July 2012.
I'll tell you a good story about Mr. T. I believe it was 1988, every year there was a Christmas Day parade in Pasadena [California, US]; I was probably about three-and-a-half, four years-old—I loved Mr. T. He had the cartoon out at the time and all that....
[15] At age sixteen, Rodriguez then rode for City Stars,[7] a company co-founded by professional skateboarder Kareem Campbell in Los Angeles, U.S.[16] Despite being an amateur at the time, Rodriguez earned the last part in the video Street Cinema, which is an honor typically bestowed to an esteemed professional of the team.
[17] Rodriguez explained in 2014 that he was initially opposed to Campbell's use of the Jackson 5 song "I Want You Back" for the first half of his part, as it had been used for Guy Mariano's part in the Blind Skateboards video Video Days, but conceded that at the time he "was oblivious to the statement he [Campbell] was trying to make by choosing that song.
The period also influenced Rodriguez's musical taste, as he commenced listening to artists like Jay-Z and Nas due to the time spent with Campbell.
Rodriguez explained in February 2013: "I specifically remember that I knew I wanted to quit and I felt like I could at least show enough respect and tell them before they spent all that money to print up my boards.
[7][20] Rodriguez explained in a 2013 interview that he was asked to join the Girl team by Eric Koston, whom he called his all-time favorite skateboarder.
[11] In February 2013, Rodriguez identified his debut professional signature skateboard with Girl as his favorite deck graphic of all-time.
[19] In a July 2013 radio interview with Big Boi on Los Angeles' Power 106, Rodriguez confirmed his departure, which had already been widely speculated.
[10]The design for his Nike signature shoe was first leaked onto the Internet at the beginning of the year,[27] leading to an intense degree of discussion among consumers, described by the Ripped Laces website as "hate/skepticism.
"[28] The corresponding advertisement featured Nike SB team member, Theotis Beasley, and was produced by the Wieden + Kennedy agency.
[29] In a promotional day-in-the-life photo diary for the Hypebeast website, published on December 16, 2014, Rodriguez revealed that his personal skateboarding park is scheduled for a remodeling process.
[30] At the beginning of 2015, Rodriguez joined the Glassy Sunhaters sunglasses brand, co-owned by fellow professional skateboarder Mike Mo Capaldi.
(Rodriguez explained in the video with Mountain that the Flywire grips around the foot in the event of a significant fall during the act of skateboarding.
A Target representative stated in the press release, "Paul is an amazing competitor and is the perfect personality to add to our program.
With so many accomplishments and a promising future ahead of him, Paul is a natural fit for Target and we’re proud to have our brand represented on his skateboard."
The final video also featured professional skateboarder, Manny Santiago, and was directed by Nigel Alexander, a long-time friend of Rodriguez.
The series, produced and directed by professional skateboarder Steve Berra, was released on a weekly basis on the company's YouTube channel.
[11] In the second episode, entitled "mASTA of disASTA", Rodriguez prepares to compete against Tom Asta in the Battle of the Berrics competition.
[45] The fourth episode of LIFE follows Rodriguez, together with close friends Heath Brinkley (photographer and filmer), Justine Schulte, and Carlos Zarazua, as he visits New Orleans, U.S. for the opening of hip hop artist Lil' Wayne's skate park in the wake of Hurricane Katrina—the skate park is called the "Truckstop" and is located in the Lower Ninth Ward area.
Transworld SKATEboarding selected Rodriguez for the thirtieth position of its "30 Most Influential Skaters of All Time" list, released in December 2011.
In response to the selection, Rodriguez revealed that Koston and Andrew Reynolds are two professional skateboarders who he considers as influential in a career sense, due to their "longevity", "the impacts they've had", and the degree of respect they have garnered.
[53]The Primitive company consists of a retail store in Los Angeles that specializes in footwear, an apparel line, and a skateboard deck brand.
[13] Following the eventual success of the retail outlet, the company commenced its apparel brand, which was a part of the founders' original plan.
[32] Together with action sports filmmaker Josh Landon and professional US skateboarder Mikey Taylor, Rodriguez cofounded the Saint Archer Brewing Co., a microbrewery that is co-owned by people who are also the brand's "Ambassadors.
[56] In a June 2014 interview, Rodriguez asserted that he is a "young, beginning entrepreneur who's learning the ropes of the game," before revealing the philosophy that has benefited him over the course of his career: "find people that are just as passionate at what they do as you are about what you do.
[60][61] In an April 2013 interview, Rodriguez described himself as a "certified workaholic", and stated that skateboarding and fatherhood are his primary concerns in life.
[9]Rodriguez has stated in an interview with the NetworkA media channel that he holds aspirations for a serious acting career following his time with professional skateboarding—he revealed that he admires the work of Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, and Edward Norton.
[62] In addition to Bruce Lee, Alexander the Great, and Jesus Christ, Rodriguez is also influenced by rapper Tupac Shakur, and revealed in February 2013 that a skateboard deck graphic featuring Shakur would be a worthwhile design: "I'd like to get that photo of Tupac standing on the wall with his shirt off and he's got the Thug Life tattoo and the glock in his waist band and a blunt in his hand.