Erik Ellington and Jim Greco:
You cannot talk about Deathwish without starting with these two legends. Erick Ellington and Jim Greco were a huge part of Baker Skateboards when the brand was still young, and leading to the creation of Baker Boys Distribution.
Erik Ellington was born in Alaska, eventually moving to Arizona and California where he began his skateboarding career. In 1999 Erik went pro for Zero Skateboards, having standout parts in "Misled Youth" and "Thrill Of It". Later in his career, before Deathwish, he had an iconic part in the "Baker 3" video.
Jim Greco is a founding member of the Baker crew, with standout skateboarding parts in "Misled Youth", "Asian Goddess", "Baker Bootleg", "Baker 2G", and "Baker 3" before the beginning of Deathwish.
After 7 years on Baker Skateboards, Jim Greco, Erick Ellington, and Andrew Reynold start Baker Boys Distribution, which has distributed many brands such as Palace, 917, Shake Junt, Birdhouse, and of course Deathwish.
Deathwish Is Born:
In 2008, the video "Baker Has A Deathwish" is released, officially revealing Bakers new sister company called Deathwish into the world.
"Baker Has A Deathwish" was over an hour long and featured the entire Baker team and what became the Deathwish team. The video was a great promotion for the new brand as it was able to ride the coattails of Baker as an established brand.
The original Deathwish team consisted of Lizard King, Eric Ellington, Jim Greco, and Antwuan Dixon, later adding Slash and Furby to the roster.
Antwuan Dixon:
Antwuan Dixon burst onto the scene with iconic parts in "Baker has A Deathwish" and "Baker 3", joining the Deathwish team in 2008 and having the top selling board on Deathwish at the time.
Dixon had some run ins with the law but even held the top selling spot while still in jail. Unfortunately, Dixon's troubles with the law continued, leading to him losing his sponsors. Antwuan has recently resurfaced skateboarding after a lot of time, still having the iconic effortless style he is known for.
The Name and Logo:
The name for the brand came from the cult classic vigilante film "Death wish" starring Charles Bronson. The "Gang Sign" logo came from a symbol that the gang from "Deathwish 3" had worn.
In 2016, Deathwish Skateboards made a nod to their inspiration by having decks in the style of an old school movie poster in their "VHS Wasteland" series.
The typography was created by Mark Foster (AKA "Foss"), who is known for creating logos for Alta Mont and Heroin skateboards.
The Deathwish Video (2013):
After continuing to add talent to the Deathwish team, the brand released their first standalone video called "The Deathwish Video" in 2016.
The video featured parts from the OG Deathwish tea as well as new team riders including Furby, Neen Williams, Moose, and a standout last part from Jon Dickson.
Jason Momoa Has A Deathwish:
Erik Ellington and Jason Mom are actually good friends, having quarantined together during the pandemic and been seen hanging out on many occasions.
Erik Ellington has even made some very limited Momoa guest pro decks that he gifted to Jason, these decks are extremely hard to find.
Deathwish Skater Of The Year:
In 2016, an unknown up and coming skateboarder from Florida named Jamie Foy joins Deathwish for King Of The Road, where he establishes himself as a very talented skateboarder and gets added to the team in February of 2017. Jamie Foy went on a tear in 2017, dropping heavy footage with standout parts in am scramble, Ty Evans "Flat Earth" video, and his "Welcome to Deathwish" part.
Foy's year of heavy skating paid off as he won the most coveted award in skateboarding: Thrasher Magazines Skater Of The Year. In the cover he is doing the first ever front crooked grind on the El Toro 20 stair handrail. Jamie got another thrasher cover 3 moths later. Jamie Foy has basically become the modern face of the brand.
Modern Deathwish:
These days Deathwish is still holding it down with a stacked team of riders they have added over the years. New additions to the team include Jamie Foy, Jake Hayes, Pedro Delfino, Taylor Kirby, Victoria Rusga, and Julian Davidson. All these skaters can be seen in their latest video "Uncrossed" with heavy parts from everyone.
