The sponsorship landscape is- by its nature- a competition for roster slots and acclaim, measured by the metrics of likes and units shifted.
With the talent level mushrooming and the marketing oasis visibly shrinking for many, the world of being a sponsored Amateur skateboarder has never been more ruthless or exacting.
It takes a rare breed of skateboarder to turn heads across skateboarding’s societies (of which there are several today), but Filipe Mota is not just coming up- he’s blowing up.
It is sometimes said in the world of sponsored skateboarding that the Amateurs are in awe of the Pro’s and the Pro’s dread the ever-more-prodigiously-talented new Am’s knocking on the van door.
With Filipe Mota knocking on professional skateboarding’s door in a big way, there is probably good reason to feel the winds of change blowing.
Having already pretty much already immortalised himself within skateboarding’s pantheon through a single earth-shaking trick, the 18-year-old from Minais Gerais is tipped by many as the Next Big Thing to happen to street skating worldwide.
His kickflip frontside bluntslide on the notorious Hollywood High proving-ground handrail that ended his Daydream part ( which he'd previously frontside hurricane’d for his 2022 Welcome To- part for the same team) put down a generational gear-shift of ability, much like Tom Penny did around 1996. That’s the thing about fixed-star spots in the skateboarding universe: anybody is free to step to them in order to measure their gift against the rest.
Currently lying 37th in the World Skateboarding Ranking and contending within a Brazil team which is unsurprisingly bursting at the seams with talent (six in the WSR top fifty men), Filipe knows that now is the time to put the hammer down in every facet of the professional skateboarding world as it lies before him in 2025.
We sat down with one of the hottest names in our world right at this moment to talk balance, difference- and holding the door open for the next new wave.
Ph: Bailey Schreiner
What have you been doing since we last saw you at OQS Budapest?
Since the last WST I’ve been street skating a lot, filming another part for Primitive, just trying to learn new stuff, get as much footage as I can and just finish this part.
Ph: Oliver Barton
How do you balance filming with practicing for contests?
Training for contests definitely helps me for street skating, too, because it brings you that confidence you need, like if you know you have the trick on lock at the skatepark… you can take it to a different place.
Ph: Bailey Schreiner
What’s the trick you've done so far which has meant the most to you?
The most memorable trick I’ve filmed was for sure the kickflip front blunt- that was the trick I practised the most. It was more like a mental battle than the actual trick itself… I think I did it fourth try, so it was more of a mental thing... but practising that at the skatepark definitely helped.
Ph: Bailey Schreiner
Who are you skating with on a day-to-day basis these days?
I usually skate with either Paul (Rodriguez) or Yuto- those are the type of people that it helps a lot being around because I looked up to them, either seeing them skate contests or through video parts.
Ph: Kenji Haruta
What tricks are you feeling right now?
My favourite tricks right now would be switch flips or nollie flips- it’s been years that I’ve been trying to get them consistent. I do them every day.
Ph: Bailey Schreiner
Do you have a favourite skater, currently?
I don’t really have one favourite skater, I have a couple- Carlos (Ribeiro), I love watching him skate in person and whenever he’s around we always have a good time; and Yuto- I always liked his skating and the trick selection he has. I think it’s different, too.
Ph: Atiba Jefferson
Is there any difference in approach to skating events versus filming?
For a contest, you’ve got to practice a lot of different tricks. You gotta make sure you have all your tricks locked in. It’s really hard because you have to have the lines, too- you’ve got to be consistent with the lines. It helps, though, because if I’m ready for a contest then I’m also going to be ready for the street, because if I’m practicing I know that I will have every trick I need comfortable, so whenever I go to a street spot I’m not going to be struggling.
Ph: Bailey Schreiner
In which direction do you see skateboarding progression going in the coming years?
I think that skateboard progression in the next few years will be, like, a crazier trick but not necessarily on a thirty-stair rail. Even contests have started to get smaller obstacles- I think they used to be bigger. I think (progression)’s going to upgrade the tricks, not the size of the obstacles. It’s more interesting watching that, because you always see different tricks.
Ph: Jeremiah Arias
Brazil blazed the trail for Latin America in skateboarding- but who’s next?
I think the next South American country that’s going to blow-up in skateboarding is going to be Peru. That kid Deivid (Tuesta) and Angelo Caro both have gnarly tricks- they’re up there, for sure.
Ph: Bailey Schreiner
Where has skateboarding taken your life so far?
My dream since I started skating was to come to the US and skate with my idols, and I was able to do that. Now I’m around the best skaters every day- and a lot of industry people who have done a lot for skateboarding, too.
To be in this position is really satisfying, because skateboarding has taken me exactly where I want to go. It changed my whole life; not just mine- my parents’, too.
I’m really grateful for everything skateboarding has done for me; I hope that my being here can inspire people to see that it’s possible and risk it all, like I did.
I want to give back to skateboarding what skateboarding gave to me.
* Copyright: Bob Sanderson