My Videos and Documentaries
When I tell people my story I invariably include something like this: “I was planning to be a documentary filmmaker, but I realized it’s hard to feed a family that way.” For me, it was part of a cool dream that didn’t work with my other life plans. But somehow I still managed to make a few docs and videos I’m really proud of. Here are a few of my favorites that I worked on as a producer, on-camera talent, director of photographer, and/or editor:
Shop Tours
I had the opportunity in the knife industry to tell stories of makers and creators. These were incredibly hard, incredibly fulfilling projects that became some of my favorite of all time. Advertisements, yes. But rich story advertisements.
Producing this project and being on camera was fantastic:
The following project is one of the last ones I produced, shot, and edited end to end. It was the most impactful project for me personally that I’ve ever worked on.
Back in the days before I had a travel budget for filming, I found myself headed to Boise, Idaho to visit family. I dipped off for a few hours while I was in the area to film with two of the most interesting knifemakers in the world. Sometimes time stands still as you shoot video. This project tapped into the “flow state,” where my mind, eyes, and hands relaxed and soaked it in. Maybe it was the Idaho mountain air. Maybe it was the Hawks. I’m not sure what made this project so special, but it is one of my very favorite I’ve ever done. Filming with Grant and Gavin Hawk Knives will remain a gem in my memory.
Long-form Ads
Knowing the fundamentals of documentary, then applying them to YouTube advertisements was a riot. Here are several videos that were essentially documentary films, wrapped in a product line.
The first one was a concept around an Altoids tin that I had imagined for years, but it took two tries to get it right. The first time we filmed, the video was deleted in a rush of trade show chaos. When we retaped a year later, the final result climbed to 1M views on YouTube. Not bad at all.
This next one was one of the most entertaining projects I’ve ever worked on. The crew made this one magical, and the final result hit 950k views.
When I saw the Microtech Giant Halo knife come through the shop at Blade HQ in 2012, I. couldn’t. resist. I started writing a script that was as utterly ridiculous as the knife itself. I designed the script as a parody of Edge Observer’s knife videos. I then recruited Andrew Gene, the Edge Observer himself, to narrate the script. Andrew graciously offered to process the color and compose the music as well. I wrote, filmed and edited. It was an exciting collaborative project that returned huge results. As of writing in 2014, this video has over 230,000 views on YouTube (2021 update: video is sitting at 1.2M views. It was my first video to ever hit a million views— what a feeling!).
Hit the panic button. That’s how this project happened at CRKT. A slight scheduling oversight meant that I found out we needed to film this Hi Jinx Video Overview a few days before our designer Ken Onion was in town. With only an hour allotted in his busy schedule to film, I opted for a multi-camera, talking head style interview that I knew I could build b-roll around. While this isn’t a cinematic masterpiece, and it certainly isn’t my most creative work, I arranged it to be functional within the constraints and limitations of the project. Many times the external factors surrounding a shoot determine the opportunities available during a shoot. The challenge is to be resourceful in order to create the highest quality end result.
I started working at Blade HQ in June 2012. The company took a chance on an unexperienced kid in college and I started throwing things at the wall to see what would stick and make us money. I didn’t know much about YouTube, knives or business, but I was obsessive about crafting a successful YouTube channel. After months of semi-failed attempts at making engaging content, I was getting frustrated. I hadn’t found my style within the knife community and I was simply faking it in search of success. Around this time, I decided to play to my strengths: get outside and get real stories. The Benchmade Griptilian Review I produced, filmed and edited was my first real success. It resonated with the audience and it rang true to who I am as a content creator.
When I started at CRKT, we were working on a product called the Hoist’N Lok. It was clear this product was going to need a video for explanation on how to use it and why it’s awesome. I volunteered to film the video guerrilla style to keep the budget low (and get out of the office!). We decided it was a fine idea to send me to Texas with the product designer and world class hunter, Russ Kommer, plus CRKT employee and hunting guru, Patrick Gottsch.
The College Years
When I arrived at Brigham Young University in 2009, I had a dream to make a documentary film. I wanted to travel somewhere exotic, meet exotic people and capture a compelling story. Little did I know that the next three years of my life would be swallowed in the preproduction, production and post production of a documentary film.
A Story About the Garifuna examines a Central American culture that is quickly assimilating into United States culture as they leave their roots and carry American traditions back to their hometowns along the Caribbean Coast. It was a three year labor of love that taught me to see the end from the beginning, finish what I start and choose my work carefully.
Lastly, the first documentary I felt really proud of was a story about Southern Utah University’s Alternative Spring Break trip to Mexico. I have a funny memory about this one: there was a premiere that 100 or so people were attending, and I was feverishly finishing the video project before the theatre filled up. I remember having to burn 5-6 DVDs to get it right. I literally walked into the premiere of the documentary 3 minutes after burning the final DVD. I don’t recall being particularly stressed at the time, but the hindsight anxiety of what might have devolved into chaos is crippling.