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DIY America

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DIY America
GenreDocumentary
Created byAaron Rose
Directed byAaron Rose
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes12
Production
Executive producersfor BlackLake Productions:
Jon Barlow, Arlo Rosner
for Sidetrack Films:
Jared Moshe, Ravi Anne
for WKE: Bill Davenport, Janice Grube, Aaron Rose
Running time2 – 5 minutes
Production companiesBlackLake Productions
Sidetrack Films
Original release
NetworkWieden Kennedy Entertainment
ReleaseDecember 2009 (2009-12) –
May 2010 (2010-05)

D.I.Y. America is a 2009 web video documentary series by director Aaron Rose which premiered on December 1, 2009, on Wieden Kennedy Entertainment's website.[1]

Subject Matter

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The series is a documentary based exploration into the American subcultures of skateboarding,[2] graffiti, street art, punk and hip hop, focusing on topics like creativity and perseverance.[3]

D.I.Y. America was assembled using additional footage shot, but never included, in Beautiful Losers.[4]

Episode list

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# Title Original air date
01"Skate and Create: Part One: Being an Outsider"December 1, 2009 (2009-12-01)
Skate and Create explores the strange hybrid of skateboarding and creativity. The first episode of part one explores the fundamental basics of this connection, speaking to skate/music/film icons such as Tony Hawk, Thurston Moore, Jason Lee, Shepard Fairey, and others. The second half gets into the subject of "Outsiderness" and how both skateboarders and artists find a surrogate family based on their mutual alienation. Featuring Andy Jenkins, Harmony Korine, Chris Johanson, Larry Clark and Chris Pastras
02"Swoon"December 8, 2009 (2009-12-08)
The camera follows Swoon around her native Brooklyn one afternoon as she puts up pieces in the street and talks about her work.
03"Skate and Create: Part Two: Perseverance"December 22, 2009 (2009-12-22)
Part 2 of the Skate and Create series focuses on the steep learning curve in skateboarding and how it affects creativity. Skateboarders and creatives such as Tommy Guerrero, Ray Barbee, Geoff McFetridge, Thomas Campbell and others talk about the idea that "falling down" is okay.
04"Skate and Create: Part Three: Terrain"January 12, 2010 (2010-01-12)
Part 3 of the Skate and Create series explores "the skaters' gaze"—the way a skateboarder looks at the urban environment in a completely different way from others: to be experienced rather than just be used. Includes interviews with musicians Ian MacKaye and Thurston Moore, pro skater Tommy Guerrero and Fausto Vitello (founder of Thrasher magazine).
05"Os Gêmeos"January 26, 2010 (2010-01-26)
This episode meets with Os Gêmeos, identical twin brothers from São Paulo, Brazil. Stylistically, Os Gêmeos are heavily influenced by the cryptic art of the São Paulo–based pichação (graffiti) movement as well as American hip-hop, which the twins grew up with in Brazil. The brothers have gained international fame, displaying their work in exhibitions in major cities in the U.S. and Europe, including Deitch Projects in New York and Tate Modern in London.
06"Skate and Create: Part Four: Artists"February 9, 2010 (2010-02-09)
The fourth installment of Skate and Create talks to and about the wide range of visual artists who have spawned from skate culture. We talk about the artistic temperament and how it applies to being a skateboarder, as well as different applications of creativity in graphics, painting, and other forms of fine art.
07"Skate and Create: Part Five: The Photographers"February 23, 2010 (2010-02-23)
This episode features three generations of skateboard photographers in the trio of Craig Stecyk (1970s), Glen E. Friedman (1980s) and Tobin Yelland (1990s)—the latter also happens to be the show's cinematographer.
08"Skate and Create: Part Six: Selling Out"March 9, 2010 (2010-03-09)
Craig Stecyk, Damon Way, Harmony Korine, Tony Hawk, Fausto Vitello, Ray Barbee, Tommy Guerrero and Chris Pastras give their opinions about selling out in the skateboarding community and how skateboarding has gone from an underground scene to a mainstream affair.
09"Graffiti: Part One: Roots and Drive"March 23, 2010 (2010-03-23)
Craig Stecyk, KR, Todd James, Sleezer, ESPO and Earsnot talk about the history and spread of graffiti, as well as what motivates them to create graffiti.
10"Graffiti: Part Two: Legal vs. Illegal"April 6, 2010 (2010-04-06)
Artists Sace, Abhor, Amaze, Deadcat, Sleezer and Earsnot talk about legal versus illegal graffiti.
11"Graffiti: Part Three: Broom and Brush Brigade"April 20, 2010 (2010-04-20)
Part 3 of the Graffiti series highlights the graffiti removal crew from San Francisco's Department of Public Works.
12"Graffiti: Part Four: Public Spaces vs. Private Space"May 4, 2010 (2010-05-04)
Graffiti artists ESPO, KR, Craig R. Stecyk, Barry McGee, Amaze, Earsnot, Sace and Shepard Fairey discuss public spaces versus private space.

References

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  1. ^ "BlackLake and Therapy Deliver 'DIY America'". Videography. December 21, 2009. Archived from the original on January 3, 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-07. Wieden Kennedy Entertainment (WKE) is a broadband channel (Web distribution platform) that goes live Dec. 1 […] DIY America is made up of Webisodes from three to five minutes in length about art, inspiration and creation from BlackLake Productions, which tapped Therapy to handle editorial and finishing duties.
  2. ^ "Individuality, Creativity, Aggression". Flux Action Sports. Retrieved 2010-01-07. The piece is evidently a start of a series focusing on how skateboarders and skateboarding culture has always had a creative mission, focus on self-expression and drive for individuality. They speak to many influential people whose perspectives were changed by skateboarding and ended up making a life and career out of creativity.[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ Drew Stewart (December 30, 2009). "D.I.Y. America Ep 2". Hometown Heroes Am Skateboard Tour. Retrieved 2010-01-07. The familiar faces from Beautiful Losers speak to one of the great benefits of skateboarding: perseverance. Like mama always says, 'if at first you don't succeed, try, try, again.'
  4. ^ Shelley Lee Jones (December 8, 2009). "DIY America 'Skate and Create': Series exploring the American skate punk ethos". HUCK Magazine. Archived from the original on 2011-02-05. Retrieved 2009-01-07. The episodes feature interviews and excerpts from the Beautiful Losers documentary that never made it to the final edit.
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