The Berrics
| Skatepark, website | |
| Founded | December 7, 2007 |
| Founder | Steve Berra, Eric Koston |
| Headquarters | 2535 East 12th Street Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Website | theberrics |
The Berrics is a private indoor skatepark owned by professional skateboarders Steve Berra and Eric Koston. It is also a website providing content filmed in the skatepark, as well other skateboard-related media. The facility's name is a portmanteau of the owners' names (the "Ber" of Berra's surname and the "ric" of Koston's first name).
In an interview with Pop magazine, Berra revealed that prior to the launch of The Berrics, he had been offered a million-dollar deal to direct a film based on a screenplay that he had written. Due to filming commitments for his skateboard deck sponsor, Alien Workshop, Berra declined the offer and later commenced work on The Berrics concept following a period of reflection:
All I wanted to do is I knew we have this hook because there were a lot of kids that always would ask Eric and I about our building. “Someday I’ll come to your skate park,” everywhere, all over the world.
That was minimal exposure of it. I realized we were on to something, like a Studio 54, and I was sitting there one day as I was skating and I think it was Andrew Reynolds that I’d seen do a heel flip backside tailslide on the ledge. It was so perfect and awesome. I never left Nebraska mentally to a degree, like I’m still a fan of anyone who skates incredible, ends up just skating.
Berra and Koston both purchased a building for the skateboarding facility with their own funds; one of the key initial goals for the Berrics facility was to provide a setting where skateboarders could practice their tricks to avoid spending that time in street-based environments in California, where skateboarding is illegal in most spaces.
Following the website's inception in late 2007, it quickly grew and, according to The Wall Street Journal, in January 2009, the Berrics attracted more unique visitors than the websites of every major skateboard magazine, as well as ESPN.com's action sports section.
Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory was inspired by the Berrics and, in 2012, Dyrdek challenged the Berrics crew and lost, thus having to erect a statue that portrayed the inspiration that he had derived from the Berrics facility.
On February 11, 2011, a press release announced a partnership between the La Jolla Group (LJG) and The Berrics. The Berrics was the first skate category for the LJG, as the company had previously only worked with surf and moto brands. Berra stated in the press release:
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