Good News York EP. 172 | feat. Mike Giannattasio
In this episode of Good News York, host Noah Chrysler sits down with Mike Giannattasio — local community activist, sculptor, fabricator, and lifelong skateboarder — for a wide-ranging conversation about art, community, and what it really takes to build something meaningful from the ground up in Syracuse, New York.
Mike breaks down his mission to develop a community-driven DIY skate park in Syracuse through his Kirk Park Initiative, explaining the full process of working alongside the city, local artists, and the skating community to design and physically build the kind of space that skaters actually want. He talks about the fundraising efforts behind it — including an exciting skateboard art gallery show at Stay Fresh Gallery and a skate trivia night at Salt City Market — and why he believes Syracuse deserves a world-class skate destination just as much as the cities surrounding it.
Beyond skating, Mike shares his impressive background as a professional sculptor and fabrication manager at Syracuse University’s School of Architecture, where he oversees shops, labs, and hundreds of students through finals season. He takes us through his journey from the Bay Area to Chico State to Syracuse, the public bike rack installations you may have walked past a hundred times without knowing he made them, and the story of how his fabrication work ended up installed in the Sacramento International Airport.
The conversation also gets philosophical — Mike reflects on skateboarding as a creative practice rather than a sport, the discipline and presence it demands, how picking it back up helped him lose 35 pounds, and the rare kind of cross-generational community that forms around a skate park. If you’ve ever dismissed skating as just a hobby, this episode will change how you think about it.
This is a conversation about passion, place-making, and what it looks like when someone truly loves their city.
🌐 Good News York: www.goodnewsyork.com
🎙️ Produced by Click Stream Studios: www.ClickStreamStudios.com
🙏 Sponsored by Ads On The Go — want your brand rolling through the streets of Syracuse? Ads On The Go puts your message on mobile digital billboard trucks, bringing your ad directly to your audience wherever they are. Learn more at www.getadsonthego.com
Chapters:
0:00 – Intro & Welcome
1:04 – Mike Introduces Himself & the Kirk Park Initiative
2:34 – The Skateboard Art Gallery Show at Stay Fresh
3:08 – Silent Auction & Raffle Details
4:01 – Sponsor Donors & Event Highlights
6:11 – Does Syracuse Have a Skate Park?
9:34 – Syracuse Is Being Left Behind
9:56 – What Makes a Good Skate Park?
14:39 – Mike’s Background: From California to Syracuse
16:28 – Custom Bike Racks Around the City
20:01 – Mike the Fabricator: What He Does at SU
25:26 – The Sacramento Airport Birdcage Story
30:38 – Skateboarding & Creativity: You Have to Be Present
33:32 – Skateboarding Is Not a Sport
37:14 – Lost 35 Pounds Just From Skating
40:24 – Skate Trivia Night at Salt City Market
40:30 – Outro & Sponsor Mentions
