Video Star
 

In 1991, Robert Hoovis tore his ACL (anterior cruciate ligament). In 1997, he tore it again. The culprit both times was skateboarding, Hoovis’ all-out passion since age 14. Inspired by other skateboarders’ videos, he picked up a camera while nursing himself back to health and eventually became the unofficial videographer Fort Myers’ surprisingly hot skateboarding scene. (It’s produced pros including Elissa Steamer, one of the all-time top female skaters.) He’s shot three movies, including FM2, winner of Thrasher Magazine’s Best Underground Video award in 2002. "I always enjoyed skateboarding videos," he says. "That’s the way [the sport is] communicated to the masses." Hoovis’ love of videography has even invaded his profession as wholesale manager for Storm Smart Industries in Fort Myers. After seeing his newest local skateboarding film, Paradise, his boss asked him to create the company’s commercials and employee training videos. And Hoovis, 39, still finds his way onto a skateboard. "Skateboarding is the only time I have no thoughts," he says. "It’s the only place I get that enjoyment, that thoughtlessness."