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Declan is for the kids I Photo by Ricky Twohill

Declan sent over this edit to us, so we decided to sit down with him and get to know this local Queens filmer a little better. Gregg over at Chapman introduced us, and my first impression was that Declan seemed nice enough of a dude…in a word: Genuine. We talked for a bit and it was refreshing to meet someone who just liked to go skate with his friends and aspired to go to film school. He’s a positive dude who truly appreciates the opportunities and people he surrounds himself with. Get to know him better for yourself in our interview below.

Name: Declan Mulligan
Age: 24
Hometown: Babylon, NY
Current Location: Bayside Queens
Stance: Goofy
Years Skating: 12-13 years

What’s up Declan! How’s 2016 treating you so far?

Ayyy, so far so good. Just got back from a trip with some homies to Columbus and Pittsburgh. It was definitely an awesome time. 

Tell us a little about the Early edit. Who’s featured in it and how did the project come about?

Early is a collection of footage from over the past year or so from journeys my friends and I have taken. My good friends Dylan Drew and Ricki Twohill both have parts, and the homies section features Mat Camanelli, Tristen Maldonado, James Sayres, Jake Matthews, Eddie Kellermann, and Jason Kinzel. All Long Island dudes, all incredible skateboarders.

You filmed it using a Canon 6D correct? Why use that rig with the popularity and ease of iPhone edits these days?

Yeah I use a Canon 60D. Don’t get me wrong, I do use my iPhone somewhat and mess around on Instagram, but there’s something so timeless and classic about hitting the streets with a good group of friends with an actual camera in hand. No disrespect to people making full edits with iPhones though.

What do you think of big budget productions like We Are Blood or adidas Away Days?

I totally understand why skateboarders take the opportunities handed to them if a big company offers them a chance to get paid to skate and travel the world, but I personally don’t like the feel of big budget skate videos with red cameras or whatever super high tech equipment being used. There’s a certain vibe and energy within independent and low budget skate videos that’s very relatable and inspiring.

If you could put together your ideal video of full parts from anyone who would you pick and how would you envision that video?

Damn… that is an interesting question haha but I’d choose Vincent Alvarez, Dylan Rieder (Rest in Peace <3), Jake Johnson, and John Rattray. I picture this video being really raw with a very creative approach.

What was your biggest influence to get into filming skating?

Things sort of happened naturally, just growing up with a local crew of friends skating around wreaking havoc. Eventually we invested in cameras and here we are today, just documenting our shenanigans and skateboarding. But I always enjoyed the Static videos, and I think Zero’s New Blood was my first skate DVD haha so thy definitely gave some inspiration.

You work at Chapman Skateboards in the shipping department also. What’s it like working there?

It’s pretty dope man, it’s interesting to see that side of the skateboarding industry for sure. I grew up down the block from Gregg Chapman so he definitely had an impact on what skating has become for me. He used to have a small skate shop in Babylon which was the best hangout spot!! So many good times there.

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Working around skateboards all day let’s you see some of the best graphics out there I Photo by Chris Miller

You drive out there from Queens, so you get to see a lot of different parts of NY. What are of NY do you think needs more coverage?

There are tons of spots on Long Island, but it is just few and far between compared to NYC where you can skate a few blocks and find tons of good shit. The LI skate scene is very overshadowed by the city scene, but there ain’t too much going on out there compared to NYC so I guess that’s on us haha..

What’s in the works for you…Any new video projects on deck?

Yessir, always trying to get out there and keep capturing these moments. Just released a new edit entitled “Home” which is on my YouTube channel as well. It doesn’t have much New York footage, mainly from road trips to Charleston, Columbus and Pittsburgh but there’s a few Long Island clips in there!

Who’s an underrated NY skater that people should keep an eye out for?

Basically all my homies out of Long Island haha, they’re all extremely talented but if I’m dropping a name I gotta say my good friend Ricki Twohill. Him and I have been on countless amounts of missions and he never disappoints. Rick always puts in work!!

Sounds good. Finally, any thank you’s or shout outs?

Much love to Gregg and Glenn Chapman, Chris Miller, NY Skateboarding, Ricki, Colin, Fidel, Dylon, the rest of the Long Island homies, and my girlfriend Kayla.