Veteran pro skateboarder Rob Dyrdek prepares for his next endeavor: an MTV reality show.

By Chris Connolly; Photo: Nate Bressler When Rob Dyrdek was just a scrawny teenager from Ohio, the things he could do on a skateboard opened doors for him. And once Dyrdek saw the light, he went after it with all the gusto and fearlessness that earned him a rep as one of the forefathers of urban skate culture.

Today, sitting poolside in his perfectly appointed Hollywood Hills home, it would be easy for Dyrdek, 32, to kick off his skate shoes and ease into a scab-free lifestyle. Instead, he's on his cell phone brokering an invitation to a friend's miniramp session, oblivious to the photographers and PR flacks milling around the house. Skate first, answer questions later.

"I still run from cops and security guards every day," says Dyrdek after hanging up. "In our culture, it's all about what you do in the streets. Fuck the TV shows, the shoes, the movies." Of course, those pay pretty well. Having already created two massive skate parks through his Skateplaza Foundation and designed his own line of DC Shoes, Dyrdek is writing and producing a film, Street Dreams (starring Paul Rodriguez in the lead role), about skate culture. "One day I heard that a Baldwin brother sold a script about skateboarding," says Dyrdek, referring to Stephen. "I said, ‘Okay, enough is enough. I have to do something about this.'"

If you're thinking Dyrdek's life sounds fit for a reality show, you should work for MTV. Rob and Big Black-a show from Jackass director Jeff Tremaine on the exploits of Dyrdek and his roommate/personal security guard, Christopher "Big Black" Boykin-will begin airing in October. Dyrdek and Big Black met during the taping of a sketch for the classic skate movie The DC Video when, tired of dealing with security guards, Dyrdek hired his own. "He's definitely more than just my client at this point," says Big Black. "I carry him home on my shoulder when he gets drunk. Of course, he can't carry me, so if I get messed up, it's pretty much over." We can't wait to see that on TV.

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