Lee, Pastras and Stereo Preview "Sound" at Nine Star LA

Jun 04 2007 / Los Angeles, CA

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The Stereo Sound Agency previewed its new film "A Journey Through Sound" at Nine Star in West Los Angeles Sunday night.  Co-Founders Jason Lee and Chris Pastras were on hand, as well as team member Zack Wagner and team manager Kevin Lewis, who took part in a demo along with Pastras prior to the 15-minute screening.  Another demo took place after the screening by Nine Star skaters.

The full line-up of Stereo, including Lee and Pastras, appear in "Sound," which will be released later this year.

The continued success of the relaunch of Stereo has kept the industry buzzing, and the Stereo skate team likes being part of the comeback.  "I always wanted to ride for Stereo,." said Wagner.

PHOTO GALLERY    Check out photos from the screening of Stereo's "A Journey Through Sound" at Nine Star in LA. Jason Lee and Chris Pastras were among those there... Photo Gallery: Check out who was there >

"When I was 17 Stereo was my company and when they came back I was psyched," Team Manager Lewis added.

Stereo was founded in 1992 by Lee and Pastras who were both pros at the time.  Stereo became known for street art with a '50s-'60s vibe.  Some ideas were event pulled from early men's magazines.

After initial buzz and success with Stereo, Lee decided to step out to pursue acting full-time in 1996, going on to costar in films like "Mallrats" and "Chasing Amy." Pastras stayed on and ran Stereo until 2000 when he shut the company down and pursued interests outside of skateboarding.

In 2003  Lee and Pastras decided to re-launch Stereo Sound Agency with a new group of skateboarders.  And while they became busy with the company, they also kept going with their respective personal careers.  For Lee, that meant landing a hit show on NBC in 2005 with "My Name is Earl" and continued movie roles, including this summer's "Underdog," in which he voices the title character.

Pastras has also kept a full schedule including leading Stereo, working with street fashion company WESC and doing on-air work for FUEL TV.

But both Lee and Pastras remain passionate about Stereo.  

 “The heart and soul of Stereo is the design and art,” Lee siad Sunday night. “Our ultimate goal to become a lifestyle brand rooted in skateboarding.”  
 
 And while skateboarding is becoming more popular than ever Lee added, “Stereo has the image of an independent film company vs. a major studio.”  

Because of his involvement in "Earl,"  Lee currently doesn't skate (insurance reasons) and can't have the day-to-day duties running Stereo.  But he is involved at the executive level with Pastras.  Lee also provides creative input and even designs a skateboard once in awhile.  

So what's in the future for the company?  Lee would like to see a retail store or two for Stereo at some point.  This would help drive the lifestyle vision Lee and Pastras have for it.