With tree-trunk forearms covered with skin ink and a head as shiny as Mr. Clean, Jason Ellis brings an accented attitude with aggressive and sometimes bizarre opinions, making him skating’s own Howard Stern.
Minus the hair, of course.
If Guinness is Australian for beer, than Ellis is Australian for Hardcore. Skating since the 80’s, “The Aussie” has taken no prisoners on his quest to conquer some of the most challenging ramp sets engineers can craft.
Between paranoid rants, on his skate radio shows, about super-intelligent primates trying to make Earth a true planet of the Apes and cursing Partridge Family members and in-line rollerbladers, Ellis takes time to talk about the sport with co-hosts “The Illusionist” and Jason “Mayhem” Miller, who brings martial arts skills to the crew.
Jason Ellis is himself a bit of a multimedia production, leading a band called Taint Stick in between skating expositions, sporadic rolls in movies, and trying to free our world from our simian masters. Best known for his vert skating successes with Team Quest, Ellis is also an accomplished motocross champion.
Born Down Under, Ellis has a trademark twang to his tough-talking skate radio show, embracing the typical Outback down-to-earth attitude and love for challenge. Growing up in hilly Australia bred him for tackling any terrain, be it made by Nature or man. Motorcycle oil runs in the blood, and motocross has also seen the acrobatic exploits of “The Aussie’s” younger brother, Lee.
Jason Ellis set the world record for the highest free-fall onto a ramp measuring 70 feet, making him not only a media personality whose voice narrates the biggest events in extreme sports, but a figure of global proportions in the annals of history. His has become such a household name in the world of skateboarding, that you can actually play him as an avatar in the popular video game, Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland, or THAW.
Various brands have tripped over their feet to sponsor the enigmatic Ellis, including Monster energy drinks, Red Dragons, and DC Shoes. Naturally enough, the skateboard giant also skates under the banner of Ellismate, his own line of skateboard decks and completes.
His colorful zaniness conceals a fine touch with the media. Ellis is also in many ways the Howard Cosell of extreme sports, spending as much time behind the mike as in front of the camera. He is the only host of Faction’s skate radio shows to have previous broadcast experience, including announcing the X-games between from 2002 to 2006 and hosting the Gravity Games in 2004.
If it’s badass, Ellis is into it. The Aussie is a huge fan of UFC fighting, especially Chuck Liddell, training under the legendary champion Kit Cope. But with all his tough-guy image, Ellis is well-liked throughout the industry, counting many extreme sports luminaries as personal friends, such as Tony Hawk and Jesse Fritsch, as well as motocross star Carey Star and his wife Pink.
The Jason Ellis Skate Radio Show happens for four hardcore hours every weekday afternoon on Sirius Faction radio, as well as another six hour slot, Monday through Friday, when the Aussie appears on Sirius Octane.