Steve Berra began his skateboarding career in Omaha, Nebraska at the age of 14. In 1989, Steve Berra met skating legend Tony Hawk

Tony Hawk

Anthony Frank "Tony" Hawk , nicknamed "The Birdman" is an American retired professional skateboarder and actor. Hawk gained significant fame for completing the first 900 as well as his licensed video game titles distributed by Activision...

 in Nebraska. The two forged a friendship over their love for all things skateboarding. At the age of 18,Berra quit his affiliation with Blockhead to turn pro for and start Birdhouse Skateboards

Birdhouse Skateboards

Birdhouse Skateboards is a skateboard company formed by ex-Powell Peralta pros Tony Hawk and Per Welinder in 1992....

, along with Hawk, Jeremy Klein

Jeremy Klein

Jeremy "Playboy" Klein is a professional American skateboarder.Klein rose to prominence as one of the original riders for Steve Rocco's World Industries. He switched to Birdhouse Skateboards team. After being one of the first pros on Birdhouse, Jeremy retired from Birdhouse in 2008...

, and Willy Santos

Willy Santos

Willy Monolato Santos is a Filipino-American professional skateboarder born in Subic Bay, Philippines. He has been skateboarding for 19 years. He currently resides in Poway, California but grew up in Mira Mesa. He attended Ericson Elementary School from kindergarten...

. While with Birdhouse, the 23-year-old Hawk counseled Berra on many things, leading to his initial forays into acting.