Mike Boisvert – The Skate Nomad

Mike is a ripping skater who is on a journey to skate in every country around the globe. He documents it all on his Youtube Channel with beautiful filming. Bill Danforth would be proud (& jealous)! Check it out…

Where are you at currently?

Hey, my name is Mike. I’m from Montreal and I’m currently in Thailand Bangkok.

Why did you take off on this journey?

I started this journey because I love traveling and learning about new culture. And with skateboarding in and in the local experience. They show you the local stuff and I love it. So mixing skateboarding with traveling is always been a passion of mine.

How many countries have you visited so far to skate?

I have visited 39 countries to date, and I’ve been twice to many countries and three, four, five times to some as well.

How many countries do you think you can skate?

I think you can skate in every country because, you know as a skateboarder, you don’t really need a skatepark. You just need a piece of concrete. So I think you can skate every country and even North Korea and stuff.

Are there some skateboarders everywhere?

I think so, but maybe there’s a place there are none. I don’t know yet. I have never seen a place with no skaters.

How do you pay for your journey?

I mostly do YouTube video (@TheSkateNomad), which I earn money from the ad revenue. I’ll also do affiliate marketing and I have a sponsor now, a new sponsor. I haven’t announced that yet but they pay me monthly. It’s a festival in Montreal, Mississauga it’s called Jackalope (Fest). Also, I work on donations, people donate to me and yeah that is how I make money.

Do you work everywhere you go?

I don’t work like a traditional job. I do my YouTube video and I do my skateboarding stuff, so that’s my job. So yes, I do, but not in a traditional way.

What are your next destinations?

So my next, this nation after Thailand, will be Borneo Island which is a big island with three countries. I will do those on this island. After that, I go to the Philippines and then got Taiwan Hong Kong & China. I will try. And then Australia, US for the first time, I’m pretty excited. Then a little bit in Canada and go back to Brazil.

How often do you check in back home with your family and everything?

Yeah, I’ve been home only one time in the last two years and a half. I’m not really close to my family and friends but we sometimes we message on FaceTime. So it’s like I’m there. I like to do my own stuff far away.

How long does it take you to edit one of your video pieces on YouTube?

Uh it depends which project. Sometime it can take me up to 25 hours because I do it all on my phone. Which the process takes a long time and I like to make a good job. So with the subtitle and stuff, it takes me sometimes 20 hours, a small project can take me seven hour. You need to a thumbnail and you description so it’s like around minimum 10 hours I would say.

Are you more focused on YouTube now rather than other platforms?

Uh, yes I am of course. Because I like to create a long story to create a real experience. On Instagram, it’s super short, you know, a 30 second video. You cannot really experience anything. And when I want to tell a good story I have to make a long video and that is what I like to do. Also, that’s how I make money. So, with Instagram, I don’t really make money. It’s just for more for fun and connecting with other people. YouTube for the win, for sure!

How can people help you on your journey?

Well, if you want to help me you can watch my videos. This the biggest thing you can do for me and if you really want to support me because the thing is pretty expensive to do, and I’m not super rich, you can donate to me.

I will start a Patreon account soon and I also have a brand called Layover. You can buy my product, which helps. Yeah, that’s pretty much it. For my videos, subscribe, like, comment and this really helped me because it boost the algorithm to show to more people and give me more money at the end.

Thank you for what you’re doing and thank you for interviewing me. I like the concept of Concrete Disciples that shows every skate park. We have a similar goal, just spread the STOKE. So, thank you for having me. Peace Out!