Jake Brown

Jake Brown (born 6 September 1974) is an Australian skateboarder who specialises in transition skateboarding. He began competing in 1996 and regularly appears as a contestant in the X Games contest events. Brown has also successfully skateboarded the "MegaRamp" structure, on which he is the first person to ever perform a 720-degree rotation without grabbing his board as of September 2013. As part of the announcement of Brown's departure from Blind, the company's brand manager Bill Weiss stated:

Jake Brown is one of the most dynamic, positive and genuine skateboarders I have ever met and been lucky enough to call my friend and I wish him nothing but the best on his next adventure. I cant wait to see what Jake’s got up his sleeve next.

At the April 2013 X Games event in Brazil, Brown completed the first ever 720-degree ollie in the "Big Air" event on the MegaRamp structure, and repeated the feat during the same year at the X Games event in Barcelona, Spain. before appearing in the sequel, Skate 2.

2007 X Games fall On 2 August 2007, during the Summer X Games 2007 Big Air section, Brown fell onto the bottom of the ramp below. The impact was so violent that Brown's shoes flew off of his feet and landed several feet away. Brown's injuries included a fractured wrist, fractured vertebrae, bruised liver, bruised lung, ruptured spleen and concussion. After several minutes of unconsciousness, Brown walked off the ramp surface with assistance.

Following the accident, Brown appeared on the television programs Larry King Live, The Today Show, Shockwave, Most Daring, Destroyed in Seconds, and MTV. Following his recovery, Brown then won the gold medal in the Big Air event two years later at X Games L.A. and then defended his title in 2010. Real Life Pillage, Spitfire Wheels, and Independent Trucks.

Company owner Brown officially founded the Laced clothing company in 2012 with Smolik, but the brand has appeared in public since 2010. Laced is described as "a brand that lives by the wisdom that everyone and everything is connected ITS NOT A RELIGION ITS A REVOLUTION." Laced worked in partnership with Homeboy Industries, a company that provides opportunities for ex-gang members according to the motto of "Jobs Not Jails," and Warning skateboard shop—both are based in Los Angeles.

As of September 2013, the Laced team—called "Messengers" on the brand's website—consists of Brown, Smolik, and professional skateboarders Sean Sheffey and Damian Bravo, while the company is based in San Diego, California, US

Awards Transworld Skateboarding magazine named Brown the "Vert Skater of the Year" for its 2005 awards ceremony.

Influence Brown has received praise from successful, longtime skateboarders such as Way and Bob Burnquist. In August 2013, Way stated:

It's not about how hard he [Brown] can fall; he's one of the guys out there that's innovating. He's progressing the sport. He's on the cutting edge in that small group of guys that moves the meter ... He's someone that matters to this sport. The entire world of skateboarding respects Jake ... Jake is one of the few guys on the skate ramp that I look up to. He's one of those guys that motivate me. He's a guy that I look to and think, "What's Jake doing?" That's inspiring. Jake is one of the most innovative guys I've ever seen on the ramp ... He's a guy that matters to the progression and the relevance of the sport. He has global respect amongst the industry.

Burnquist, who owns one of the two permanent MegaRamps in existence as of August 2013, provided additional praise:

Even if Jake Brown hadn't won any X Games medals ever, and he does, he has six and a couple golds, it doesn't matter because he's a giant in skateboarding. He's one of those guys that's not just a competition guy, he progresses. He's been one of my favourites for a long time. His approach to skateboarding, his style, his personality, he's just unique. There's no one like him.