Partnering with Skate Nottingham for the third ‘Skateboarding In The City Festival’, Skate Bylines are delighted to present ‘First Light’ — a talk aimed at encouraging new creative voices in skateboarding.
Skateboarding offers multiple creative avenues outside of the act of skateboarding itself. Writing, photography, videography, art, design and brand building are all woven into skate culture. But even for those with the strongest creative itch to scratch, knowing simply how and where to start can be difficult. As part of Skate Nottingham’s ‘Skateboarding In The City III’ festival, Skate Bylines are hosting ‘First Light’ which hopes to inspire skateboarders in undertaking artistic pursuits.
‘First Light’
📍 The People’s Hall, Nottingham
🗓️ 26th September 2025
🕰️ 2:00pm — 3:30pm
Chaired by Farran Golding and featuring Sam Ashley, Lizzie Heath, Alexis Lewis and Joe Allen, ‘First Light’ aims to demystify the workings of creative culture and skateboarding media by providing a face-to-face connection which can be so vital in addressing the boundaries of entry. A panel of prominent figures and fresh faces in skate media will share how they got a start in their respective disciplines and talk about themes and curiosities generated by you, the audience.
Named after the Sidewalk Magazine column which introduced emerging talent to the wider UK scene, ‘First Light’ is an opportunity to spark creative passions in an environment that encourages accessibility. We encourage you to participate by suggesting a question or topic to help guide the conversation via the form below. (even if you can’t make it, as we’ll be publishing a recap of the event afterwards.
Register for a free ‘First Light’ ticket here and you can explore the full Skateboarding In The City programme over at Skate Nottingham.
About the panellists
Farran Golding (chair)
Journalism (writing, documentary, podcasting) and digital media
Portrait by Chris Mann; wallride by Reece Leung courtesy of Vague Skate Mag
Farran Golding, 30, is a freelance journalist from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, now based in Manchester, who works with publications, organisations and brands in the USA, UK and Europe. Farran is the senior correspondent for New York skate publication, Quartersnacks, the associate editor of Closer Skateboarding, the founding editor of Skate Bylines and a tutor in multimedia journalism at Manchester Metropolitan University. His writing has appeared in magazines including GQ, Free Skate Mag, Vague and The Skateboarder’s Companion. In addition to writing, Farran produces video and podcast features and creates self-published photography zines highlighting local skateboarding culture in West Yorkshire. He got his start in journalism over ten years ago after meeting Sidewalk Magazine editor Ben Powell at his local skatepark.
Projects by Farran Golding
• ‘It Feels Like You’re Both Getting The Clip — A Reappraisal of Fisheye Videography’ (feature writing and interviews, Quartersnacks, 2024)
• ‘Alexis Sablone and Converse Have Made the Next Iconic Skate Shoe’ (feature writing and interview, GQ magazine, 2023)
• ‘Favorite Spot’ series (concept and video editing, Quartersnacks, 2020 – present)
• Now and Then — A history of skateboarding in Wakefield, West Yorkshire (design and creative direction; coauthored with Ben Powell, 2025
@farrangolding • www.farrangolding.com
Sam Ashley
Photography and print media
Sam Ashley by Davy Van Laere
Sam Ashley, 46, is the photo editor and co-founder of Free Skate Mag, Europe’s premiere skateboarding publication. Originally from Manchester, Sam worked as a staff photographer for prominent British and European magazines including Sidewalk, Document and Kingpin. He co-founded Free alongside writers Will Harmon and Arthur Derrien, which is operated from London, and celebrated it’s tenth year of publishing this summer.
Projects featuring Sam Ashley’s photography
• Dougie George for Free Skate Mag (photography, 2025)
• ‘Azzurro with Mauro Caruso’ (photography, Free Skate Mag, 2027)
• Sam Ashley Interview: “I think things are moving in the right direction.” (interviewee, Slam City Skates, 2020)
• Work: Sam Ashley (interviewee, Grey Skate Mag, 2016)
@samualashley • @freeskatemag • www.freeskatemag.com
Lizzie Heath
Art and illustration
Portrait by Will Jivcoff, illustration by Lizzie Heath
Lizzie Heath, 32, is an illustrator and manga artist living in South-East London. She creates humorous comics about her daily life surrounded by friends and skateboarding. She has worked on boards and clothing for renowned UK brand Lovenskate and with publications including Skateism. In addition to being an illustrator and print maker, Lizzie has self-published three comic books including Welcome To Palestine, focused on her time volunteering with SkatePal. In 2023, an exhibition of her work was held as part of Vladimir Film Festival in Croatia.
Lizzie began skateboarding in 2016 and it wasn’t long until the colourful world of skateboarding started to inspire ideas for her characters and stories. During Pushing Borders in Malmo, 2019, she met Nick Sharratt of The Palomino Club, following a panel about DIY culture in skateboarding. After The Palomino began stocking her zines, Lizzie’s work came to the attention of Vague Skate Mag co-founder, Guy Jones. She has since provided cover artwork for Vague and illustrates a regular feature, ‘Comics Corner’.
Projects by Lizzie Heath
• Debris: Spotters Handbook (illustrator, 2024)
• ‘Master of Camouflage’ signature capsule for Lovenskate and Lucy Adams (concept and illustrator, 2021)
• Riding With Legends (illustrator and designer, 2022)
• Vague Skate Mag cover (illustrator, 2020)
Alexis Lewis
Brand building and design
Portrait by Leo Sharp courtesy of The Skateboarder’s Companion; noseslide by Ike Coleman
Alexis Lewis, 24, is the founder of PETTICOAT., a Bristol-based skateboarding brand and community project dedicated to creating space for women and LGBTQIA+ skaters. PETTICOAT. produces DIY, screen-printed clothing and skateboard decks, with the long-term goal of opening a unique venue in the heart of Bristol to support vert skateboarding and community events.
Alexis discovered skateboarding at 14 after seeing Tony Hawk and the Birdhouse team at NASS Festival, sparking a lifelong passion for vert skating. Years later, while studying Music Business and Event Management, she developed PETTICOAT. as her final university project, a concept that has since grown into a movement built on inclusivity, creativity, and DIY culture.
Projects by and featuring Alexis Lewis
• Petticoat Skateboarding (founder and creative director)
• PETITE.(videographer and editor, PETTICOAT, 2024)
• STOCKWELL. (videographer and editor, PETTICOAT, 2024)
• ‘Push: Alexis Lewis’ (interviewee, The Skateboarder’s Companion, 2024)
@ay.lew • @petticoat__ • www.petticoatskateboarding.com
Joe Allen
Cinematography and video editing
Portrait by Jack Lovell; noseblunt by Erin Cooper-Jones
Joe Allen, 29, is a videographer based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. Originally from Sheffield, Joe started filming after moving to Leeds for university in his early twenties and subsequently became a productive figure amongst Leeds’ active community of skate video makers.
Joe draws inspiration from the craft of independent and full-length videos produced filmmakers in Europe, America’s East Coast and skateboarding’s “non-traditional” crews and brands. His work has been featured by Vague, The Skateboarder’s Companion, Grey Skate Mag and Skate Jawn. His 2023 project Passing Places, a thematic skate video depicting rural, industrial and coastal areas of northern England, was created for LEEDS2023 Year of Culture and showed at Vladimir Film Festival.
Joe learned how to use a Sony VX1000 by watching YouTube tutorials by Beagle and has since made skate videos working wide range of gear from budget DV minicams to HD cameras.
Projects by and featuring Joe Allen
• Safety Net (videographer and editor, 2024)
• Troubleshooting (videographer and editor, 2023)
• PÉTANQUE (videographer and editor, 2021)
• ‘Tech Support: Troubleshooting with Joe Allen’ (interviewee, Vague Skate Mag, 2023)
More media insights
“Why does this story matter? Why is it relevant to the current moment and that publication? Why are you the person to tell it?” — Cole Nowicki, Ian Browning, Josh Sabini, Claire Alleaume, Norma Ibarra, Greg Navarro and Alex White share insights on pitching stories to skate magazines ans brands from a variety of creative perspectives and backgrounds in ‘Making The Big Leagues’.
“Alexis Sablone speaks at the Guggenheim Museum a year after launching a signature shoe there … The days of university-educated skateboarders crowbarring former pro-skater Ocean Howell’s quote about skateboarders being Love Park’s “shock troops of gentrification” into their assignments are long gone. Now, a wealth of academic material exists around skateboarding.” — Brian Glenney delivers a primer on scholarly studies of skateboarding in ‘Wicked Smart’.
“Where Can I Pitch A Skateboarding Story To?” — A continually updated resource of contacts for publications who are open to pitches.
Explore a range of stories across skateboarding media and in wider circulation with our Journalism Library.