Sam Larkins: Two years of filming for BNE 3
BRISBANE: A buzz is building for the highly anticipated November 27 launch of the full-length video BNE3 filmed by Pat Gemzik. Ahead of the premiere, Slabzoo caught up with Sam Larkins who is part of the incredible array of Brisbane talent that features in the video. In almost two years the collab with Patty G has pushed him creatively and technically and without giving any spoilers Sam let us know that he’ll be featured with the best tricks of his career to date.
Sam Larkins sweating at this years King of Coops.
It might seem like an eternity in the instant gratification era of social media, but Brisbane skater Sam Larkins has spent the last 18 months quietly stacking clips. Working with filmer Pat Gemzik, the 23-year-old has been hitting spots all over the River City for the Brisbane-focused BNE3 video.
His patience after nearly two years of filming is set to pay off handsomely. A buzz is building for the highly anticipated November 27 launch of the full-length video, in which Sam plays a prominent role.
"I can't wait for the full video to be out , hopefully everyone enjoys it!"
BNE3 not only features the best trick of Sam’s career to date ("you might have to wait and see that one, don’t want to give any spoilers" Sam laughed when asked what it was), but also highlights an incredible array of Brisbane talent.
Sam's pride in the vx1000 shot full-length film is evident when he speaks about his parts and the appearance of other Brissy big hitters including Luke Barrie, Mike Lawry, Jesse Brodbeck, Joey Cormack, Brandon Keir, Joel McIlroy, Trent Riley and more.
"It’s going to be such a good video," Sam said. "I'm stoked to be a part of it… Pat and I have worked really hard for this thing!”
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SAM LARKINS
The Facts
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Age: 23
Home town: Lives in Brisbane, Queensland
Skated since: He was 11-years old
Find him on insta: @samlarkins
Sam's sponsors
- Folklore skateboards
- FastTimes skate shop
- Thunder trucks
- Project Distribution
- Curb Crawlers
Parts/Clips Sam is starring in
- "BNE3" by by Pat Gemzik, 2021
- "Socialist Party" by Aaron Brown, 2021
- "Treasury" by Harry Pascoe,2021
- "Table Manners" by Harry Pascoe, 2020
Not a natural
So now that you know where Sam's currently at with his skating, let's take a trip back to the beginning.
Sam first picked up a skateboard about a year before he moved up from Bendigo in country Victoria as an 11 year old.
He wasn't a natural "I would say it took me a while to progress, I didn’t really pick it up that quick," he laughed.
It might have been a slow start, but he was soon hooked.
"I thought it was just so interesting and cool that you could make the board spin and move around just with your feet," Sam said.
"We also did a family trip to the states (USA) pretty much as I first got into skating. I saw a lot of different parks and people skating in new ways, which made it even more interesting in my eyes."
An American spark
Another American influence arrived soon after.
“I didn’t own a whole bunch of skate dvds when I was younger, but one I did get was called You, és, eh. It was a tour video of North America and I always thought it would be super sick to travel around in a van with friends and skate different parts of the world, so I guess that video sparked it for me,” he said.
Watch the video ‘You, és, eh?’ that got Sam Larkin hooked on skating
The Australian influence
Those influences might have provided an early spark, but it was Australian skateboarders that inspired - and continue to inspire - Sam to this very day.
“This is a long list (of early inspirations), but to keep it short I was always a big fan of Australian skateboarders, and still am,” he said.
“Dudes like Tommy Fynn, Alex Lawton, Dennis Durrant and Pat Gemzik would be some of the main guys I look up to. That list could be a lot longer too.”
“Dudes like Tommy Fynn, Alex Lawton, Dennis Durrant and Pat Gemzik would be some of the main guys I look up to. That list could be a lot longer too.”
Tommy Fynn also gets a shout out when Sam is asked about the gnarliest trick he’s seen in person.
“Damn that’s a tough question too, there could be a lot of things on this list as well… but when I was a bit younger I watched Tommy Fynn kickflip crooked grind down the eight-stair handrail 10 times in a row at Capalaba skatepark,” he said.
“It isn’t just one trick but to do that in a row down a rail of that size is pretty out of this world.”
Sam Larkins in a still shot from BNE3.
Hitting the streets
A mash of those influences has produced the skater Sam is today. Someone who is comfortable in a skatepark (where a nollie crooked grinds are his self-described best trick, and Bracken Ridge is a favourite hunting ground) but feels most at home skating street.
While he loves hitting the streets with a crew (“that’s probably the best part about skating for me”), Sam isn’t afraid to occasionally head out with just a few mates to knuckle down and focus on a trick. This came in handy when filming for BNE3, where Sam had to battle a few spots before finally nailing a make.
“There definitely has been a lot of times when I've gone back to spots to try and land something,” Sam said.
“There definitely has been a lot of times when I’ve gone back to spots to try and land something. In this project with Patty we have been back to spots seven or eight times just to land one trick.”
“In this project with Patty we have been back to spots seven or eight times just to land one trick.”
With BNE3 now in the can, Sam has a simple goal: continue to film more while he still can.
“They are so rewarding and I personally like the feeling of working towards something with a filmer, it is such a fun thing to do.”
Take a sneak peak of BNE 3
Advice to the next gen
And finally, for younger Slabzoo readers, we finish on the next generation of skaters.
Sam’s advice? “To have fun whilst skating and also to step outside your comfort zone and try new things at the skatepark. Learning new things, whether they were small or big, was always so fun for me.”
Any young up and comers to look out for? “Yeah definitely, again there are heaps of them getting around. Jack Lewis would be one of them - I’ve watched him skate since he was six years old. It's cool to see him a little older now and ripping.”
Thanks to Sam for sharing his story! Legend.