Tetra Media - Interview with Will and Isaiah

As an introduction to the community, for those who are not yet familiar with your ensemble, what is Tetra Media?

Tetra Media is our group of friends that skate and hang together. Some of us happened to get cameras, and we started to go street skating and film park footage too to put up on Youtube. We're all about good times and fun, and try to document the cool trips and seshes we have.

You guys seem to roll pretty deep to spots and whatnot. Who are the shredders, filmers, editors who comprise your team?

Well we ain’t really an official team, but a group of tight homies. The dudes in the mix, havin’ parts in the video are Roman Carillo, Timmy Reyes, Paden Johnson, Brett Heinis, Jose Lua, Jude Tidwell, Will Flores, Matt Heroy, Sammy Hasan, Adam Frisby, Anthony Dennis and Ronnie Bonilla. Our main filmers and editors are Isaiah Rendon and Ben Lee, also havin’ footy. Our photographers are Nana gentry, Rey Ruiz, Edmund Allaire (Goodtimes), Jesse Knight, and Kyle Mounsey. We continue to meet skaters and get others involved however we can.

As with many small business start-ups, there is a five year and sometimes ten year goal in mind for the company. Where would you like to see Tetra Media go in the next few years?

Not sure man, people come and go, and branch out different ways, but hopefully we can all stay in touch, keep making projects, and continue the passion we put into skateboarding. Always reppin’ the 210! Haha.

What is a standard turn around time for putting together a montage? As an example, describe the process for the Boerne montage.

Making a montage involves hard work and creativeness, it can be difficult at times because of the tedious editing process, issues with copyright, etc. Usually we will pick a day to spend at a park and try and get as many tricks there as a group, and at the end of the day Isaiah will upload the footy and begin to edit for the next few days. For Boerne we filmed there for two days to get all the homies in it, and with a huge amount of footy Isaiah had, he was workin’ on it for about two good weeks. It was also tough finding a long song to match with the skating. He had a problem with copyright on the music so he had to file a dispute and luckily it worked out.

You guys are currently wrapping up your first full length video, “In Retrospect,” premiering this fall (10.10.10) at Goodtimes. Collaborating with different types of people, scheduling, and deadlines can be overwhelming at times. How has working on this project differed from anything else you have worked on, be it through school or in the real world?

In Retrospect is definitely the biggest most stressful thing we have on our plate right now. Making montages and park videos can be fun, and give people something to watch while the full length video is in progress, but when you make a promo and build some hype, expectations are built and a timer starts. Time ticks down as you try to do everything you can. Lots of things gotta’ be considered when putting a video together, including dreadful technical stuff like aspect ratios, audio, loss of files, and color settings. On top of that are themes and editing of course. This video has definitely pushed us hard and given us the meaning of a challenge. It has taken more effort than any school work, but we've never been more interested and willing to complete such a thing.

While scrolling through the many pages of the Internet, you can find a lot of references to “In Retrospect.” People are either posting this on blogs, message boards, or social networking sites. How does the Internet play a part in exposure?

In the past decade the internet has become a huge source of advertisement and exposure, especially because of Youtube and Myspace. These sites are booming everyday. Putting our vids on Youtube and spreading the word through Myspace and skateboarding forums has really helped us get ourselves out there. The internet is a huge part of our exposure.

What motivates you guys to travel around this area of Texas and put in that much work into these projects?

Skateboarding is the passion we all share and the feeling of even just cruisin’ and havin’ fun can get anyone to hop on the board all day long. Its the combination of good fun and effort we put, to make a project. They say if you find a job you love, you won’t have to work a single day of your life. We're never working, only loving life as we know it. We're motivated by pure skateboarding and the great experiences of travel.

How have previous local crews, such as Ethiks, influenced your work and ability to push the level of skateboarding in the San Antonio scene?

Seeing others put together their journeys of skating, such as Ethiks and SA.Ten, has really inspired us to do the same and keep the train rollin’ here in San Antonio. Videos such as "Green Eyes" and "Changes" really bring out what skating is. Its in our hearts to push skating here and support the people who do. Anything to put S.A. on the map!

Out of all of the words in the dictionary and any source of languages you could choose from, where and why did you come up with the name Tetra Media?

Haha. The funny thing is I ask myself the same thing almost everyday. I mean the name is pretty random and if you grab a dictionary or look it up, it can be a prefix meaning the number four, a part of a chemical compound, or a wild fish (haha). When I look back at when we were younger and didn’t have any cameras or cars, we'd just go with what we thought sounded cool or good. As you could tell, not much serious attitude was given in the thought process, but I think that’s the mentality we should have towards skateboarding- positive, and be not too carried away with ourselves all the time. The way the name 'Tetra' emerged had much to do with the simple ways we lived as kids and the easy-going fun approach we took to skating. I guess the main point here is never forgetting your roots!

What advice do you have for other skateboarders in and around San Antonio to help promote their skateboard scene?

I would say the best way to promote anything is just being creative and original by reaching for the things that haven't been done. The advice I would like to give to any crew is to stay tight with your friends and have as much fun as you can together each day. It is a great feeling when you’re being productive as a group by just doing what you love doing together.

Any last words for the readers here?

Stay up San Antonio! All S.A. skaters keep on keepin’ on! Shout outs to Goodtimes Skateshop, and Evolution Skateshop for making this possible. Peace out!

(Words by Isaiah Rendon and Will Flores)