Ambassador - Chris Ray – DiamondBack Covers
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Diamondback Ambassador

Chris Ray

Outdoor

Brea, California

In the 1990s, before social media and cell phones, Chris Ray was a kid living in a bubble in the PNW. Skateboarding as we know it was a new phenomenon, and Chris and his friends were obsessed early-adopters who got their media fix from magazines. While shopping for clothes for the coming school year, Chris walked into a Zumiez and spotted a skate video on a kiosk television. He watched it on repeat until his aunt bought the thing for him, probably so they could leave, then he kept on watching at home. When a friend invited him to skate in a film, Chris realized that all he needed was a camera to get started himself. He grabbed an old one from his parents and barely gave the thing time to cool off. Chris became the camera guy and motivator for his friends as they chased their own dreams. Thousands of failed tricks, thousands of failed shots, and then one day his videos were good. At the age of 18, Chris received a check and film credit from a big skate brand and a fire was lit. Until then, he had no idea that his passion could be a career. It was a small world but Chris was happy to know it existed. His early success sparked a move to L.A. and his work started to win him a lot of attention. All those years, all those reps, and Chris was earning a name for himself. HIs list of clients grew to include legendary skater after legendary skater until he became a legend himself. Not just for the images off his camera, but for the person behind it. In 2022, Chris left his 11-year post as DC Shoes’ film director to co-found Motion Clubhouse which produces podcasts for Andrew Huberman and Rick Rubin. Like anyone who knows him, we’re proud to call Chris our friend.

Where’s your favorite place to go outside? Why?

Chris: I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and didn’t really appreciate it properly. It wasn't the best for a skateboarder but now I love getting out on the trails where the trees are big and there’s a bunch of shade.

Tell me about the toughest day you’ve had on the job. Any changes to the way you gameplan since?

Chris: My toughest day was the first job I had to work with with non-friends. My biggest fear is letting a client down and everything was going wrong on that one. It was a two-day shoot, the electronics were acting up, the director’s yelling, nobody around that I could trust to help me. That was my first experience delivering a disappointing result and it taught me that you can’t over prepare. If it can go wrong it will.

Anything that you always keep in your truck?

Chris: ​Always a tripod. Always light bouncers. Always a skateboard.

What’s next on your list?

Chris: Staying open to opportunities, even outside of skate. I’m really interested in filming a rodeo so I’ll get to work on that soon. I’ve been obsessed with Tacomas ever since watching Back To The Future as a kid so maybe I’ll scratch that itch and do something on the vehicle side.

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