What was the transition from owning/working at the famous Smith Street Tattoo Parlor to Spotlight like?
It was an easy move for me because I've known Charlie Roberts and Derrick a long time, and I’ve known Juan for a bit too. I was also lucky to be able to call Bob Roberts a friend and spend time with with him over the years. I never came to LA without spending a day with Bob.
The shops are very different. At Smith St., we really focused on trying to have an efficient shop for walk-ins, which are a much bigger part of tattooing in NYC than in LA. We also really kind of built a style based on boiling down designs to their essence and buttoning down every decision for what we thought made the tattoos look their best. For me, this was a great and necessary step for my tattooing, but in the end it was just a step. Spotlight is completely different - no rules and complete independence and autonomy - and it’s allowed me to break away from the routine so I didn't get stuck in that same groove.
What makes both shops similar?
I think because of their locations, NYC and LA, both shops have clientele from all over the country and the world for that matter. In New York, I regularly tattooed people from LA and the West Coast, and now here I regularly tattoo people from New York and the East Coast.
Different?
Almost everything else about the two shops is different. Ultimately Smith St. is famous, but Spotlight is legendary.
Name one good lesson that you learned from Dan Santoro.
I think watching Dan take off and do his own thing after doing so well at Smith Street helped lead me to where I am now. And the lesson is: you gotta be happy. Being successful is not enough. If you don’t feel like you can do your own thing then you gotta move on, no matter how busy you are.
How did the 5Boro series come about?
I think Mark Nardelli maybe was just interested in what we were doing at Smith Street and he wanted to have a little bit of that on his skateboards; so we did a series of pin-up girls for him. Then after I left and came to LA, Mark hit me up again to do some pro decks for him with more pinups. He’s a great dude and really easy to work with.
Any other connections to skating we should know about?
Other than spending almost all my time skateboarding when I was a teenager, I actually have an obscure connection to skateboarding with my high school band. We were called Kirk and the Jerks and we got a couple of our songs onto the H-Street videos back in the day.. the Hocus Pocus video and I think another one: ‘Hang On To The Dream’. Maybe some of you know that one…
What are your tips for tattooing pinups?
I think it’s the same tip for drawing or tattooing any particular image, which is you need to do it over and over. You need to look at lots of reference and you need to use that reference and copy it and then eventually something comes out of it that maybe you can call your own.
How do you know when a tattoo is finally finished in your eyes?
When I put the bandage on it. I guess it’s an intangible thing that differs from one artist to the next.
For me, it’s in the small details: eyes, fingers, etc… You know, crossing all your t’s and dotting all your i’s. That is all taken care of at the drawing stage really, so sometimes it’s as soon as I finish the drawing and I can see exactly what’s gonna happen all the way to the end.
But that's it really; you gotta have a good drawing and execution is secondary to that.
What do you do to develop a rapport with your repeat clients?
Be nice to them. It’s pretty simple. Listen to them, try and give them what they want, guide them when they need it. You know, make them feel like you appreciate their business and you care about their tattoo. Pretty easy.
How do you personally carry on Bob and Charlie Roberts’ Legacy at the shop?
It’s an honor to work at Spotlight and this place is legendary to me and tattooing as a whole. I feel pretty lucky to be able to work here. Bob was an innovator. I could never aspire to achieve what Bob has done, especially being surrounded by his stuff every day. Seeing the depth of his body of work is overwhelming. I’m just trying to learn everything I can from Charlie and Bob’s work, and I’m still always trying to get better.
Originally published in Issue 8 - October 2026