Jamie Thomas was born on October 11, 1974, in Florida, USA. He grew up in Dothan, Alabama, but also spent time in Atlanta, Georgia, and Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, due to his father’s work as a nuclear engineer. At the age of eleven, Thomas discovered skateboarding in Palm Beach Gardens, which sparked a lifelong passion for the sport.

In 1991, Thomas won a skateboarding competition in Panama City, Florida. The following year, he left Alabama and moved to San Francisco, California, to pursue a professional skateboarding career. During this time, he was sponsored by Thunder Trucks, Spitfire Wheels, and Vans and rode as a flow rider for Real Skateboards. Thomas turned pro for a short-lived brand called Experience before joining San Diego-based Invisible Skateboards.

Thomas gained prominence after relocating to Southern California in 1994. He graced the cover of TransWorld SKATEboarding magazine and filmed video parts for Spitfire Trucks and Invisible Skateboards. However, it was his collaboration with skateboarder, artist, and owner of Toy Machine Skateboards, Ed Templeton, that truly solidified his legacy.

The Toy Machine skate video “Welcome to Hell” (1996) became one of the most influential skateboarding videos of the 1990s, showcasing Thomas’s raw talent and fearless approach to street skating.

In the Zero Skateboards video “Thrill Of It All,” Jamie attempted what would be known as “The Leap of Faith.” This jaw-dropping trick involved an “ollie melon” over an 18-foot, 8-inch drop down a handrail at Point Loma High School in San Diego. Although he didn’t successfully land it, the attempt garnered significant attention and cemented Thomas’s reputation as a daring skater.

In 1996, Jamie Thomas founded Zero Skateboards through skateboard distributor Tum Yeto. Zero became a powerhouse brand, known for its edgy graphics and influential team riders. Thomas also started Fallen Footwear in 2003, creating skate shoes that resonated with the skateboarding community. Unfortunately, he announced the closure of Fallen Footwear in January 2017.

Throughout his career, Jamie Thomas has been sponsored by several iconic skate and related brands, including:

Zero Skateboards (his own brand)
STRAYE footwear
Thunder trucks
Spitfire wheels
Bones Swiss
Mob Grip
olloclip
Active Ride Shop
Official headwear

Jamie Thomas Skateboarding Videos:

Jamie Thomas: Misled Youth Skateboard Video

"My childhood....god God, I wish i could go back to the exact moment I watched this for the first time and relive the feeling of getting so hyped up and going out to skate with my friends at the street spots before hitting the skatepark. The early 2000's were another time, man."

"I used to watch this part to get hyped up and skate with my homies."

"Damn Jamie Thomas' video part brings back memories. I would watch his and Adrian Lopez part before skating. I believe this video still holds up to this day."

"My favorite skater of all time  love the fact that Tony Hawk introduced us to such a great group of skaters that have built upon the foundation of skateboarding"

"Jamie Thomas was going BIG before going this big was necessary. One of the very few back in the day that hit handrails that big, a true pioneer of the sport."

"This is easily my favorite part of all time. Its like... the citizen kane of skateboarding. timeless AF"

Jamie Thomas: Dying To Live Skateboard Video

"I still don't know how Jamie never got the Skater of the year award. It's a shame."

"My idol growing up as a teen, still remember my first board being the platinum jamie thomas smith grind"

"VHS versions different."

Jamie Thomas: My War Skateboard Video

"Even though Jamie already had an untouchable skate legacy and was closing in on 40 years old, he still waged an epic battle for his Cold War ender—a trick that is gnarly by any standard."

""You don't bounce back when you're 40. You just bounce." So true, man. So true."

"HE FILMED HIS OWN PARTS
HE FILMED THE OTHERS PARTS
HE EDITED ALL THE VIDEOS
HE GAVE HIMSELF LAST PART
HE IMPOSSIBLE 5050'D CLIPPER.

JAMIE THOMAS, THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND"

"Jamie you just put the biggest smile on my face bro! I am 33 and just stepped back on my board after 12 years off! Skating is awesome, you rock dude!"

"Allways had the biggest respect for Jamie. He's so true to skateboarding. I grew up watching the Zero videos and he's absolutely killing it with the brands that he's holding down aswell with Black Box. I always gets super bummed when their teams is getting smaller and smaller, Mystery dissapearing and shit. People sell out, and teams disappear. But this dude stays put and keeps going. He is a living legend and a role model that people really should look up to."

"I'm 33 now. I've got more physical and mental ailments than I care to admit. I haven't been able to skate for the last few years as a result. I spent most of last night vomiting. I was literally almost dead of starvation (achalasia) this time last year. Almost all of my sk8 peers have all moved on to other things or places. I'm more likely to just crumble, rather than bounce nowadays. Still, I can't just stop something I did almost every day for nearly two decades."

"He was my idol while skating in the 90's I would watch Welcome to Hell over, and over, before skating. And Jamie's part always got me hyped!"

"Jamie Thomas has more heart than any other skater. Period."

"Jamie Thomas: 49 Tricks At 49 Years Old Skate Video

"Jamie takes a trip to Miami to skate Lot 11 & film 49 tricks for his 49th birthday.
Watch the behind the scenes edit coming soon.

Filmed by:
Vinny Dalfio & Dane Burman.
Guest trick: Dane Burman

Music:
Song: 'Portal' by Matt Costa
Album: Donde Los Terremotos
Courtesy of Dangerbird Records"

"it’s wild to me that some of the gnarliest skaters Thomas, Reynolds, Greco, whose bodies — because of the intensity of their skating — you’d think would not be able withstand the ravages of time and age, actually have had the longest skate careers of that generation, and it makes me so happy. Happy birthday, Jamie, still looking so damn good on a board; an absolute legend, and inspiration."

"I first knew of Jamie in probably 1996. He is and always will be one of the greatest skateboarders ever."

"Dudes almost 50 and Fucken shredding like bro that was insane we love you Jamie thanks for being such an inspiration"

"15 years ago, when I started skating, i watch zero and mystery videos. Definitely respect his profiles back then, but in these days at 49 years he real hero and inspiration. Its not just skating, this is really high level tricks for this age"

"After the career he's had, being one of the most prolific and ground breaking riders over the last 30 years; the huge drops, the insane rails, the numerous stunning video parts, the amount of gnarly slams taken, and being a front runner in raising the limit of what was possible to do, it's simply unfathomable that he can still skate this well at this age...What an inspirational skateboarder at 49 - and inspirational is almost too (fs) feeble a word to even get close to describing his contribution to skateboarding...Timeless style...outright daredevil, leader, pioneer, there aren't enough superlatives in language...Happy Birthday Chief! Big gap to Smith at 49 years old??,,, bloody hell Jamie!!! I can't help but hope there's one of these at 50 - but then again - I think he's somewhat earned his place by now already :) Thank you Jamie Thomas"

Zero Gravity, Jamie Thomas | EP 128 | Hawk vs Wolf

"A Deep Dive with Skateboarding Legend Jamie Thomas. Join us for an exhilarating episode as we sit down with the one and only Jamie Thomas, a true icon in the world of skateboarding. From pioneering tricks to founding iconic skate brands, Jamie has left an indelible mark on the industry. Known as the "Chief," Jamie Thomas is not just a skateboarder; he's a trailblazer. In this episode, we explore his journey from the early days to now as he films his final part."

 "As a skateboarder from Mississippi, me and my entire skate crew looked up to and respected Jamie Thomas immensely. He wasn't just someone from the south who became pro he was literally one of the best of that era. It was proof you didn't have to be from Cali or a big city to make it in skateboarding."

"I've never picked up a skateboard in my life and I find this podcast absolutely riveting. Thank you."

"Jamie Thomas is such a pillar in skating, not just because of his standout career as a pro skater but because of his business acumen, sense of aesthetic, and contributions to skating culture. The cherry on top is his soft-spoken humility.

It's interesting about how being bullied is sometimes the fire that either forges or breaks a human being. While bullying is bad, it also can ignite the kind of resilience it takes to land the Leap of Faith. If the Embarcadero crowd was like, "you got this" instead of barking after every trick, would we have Zero and Fallen and all the other video parts and things Jamie has created? Great interview. Loved it."

"Hands down, jamie Thomas is the true king of skateboarding, long live ZERO"

"Dude let's go THE CHIEF IS HERE"