Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Meet the Million Dollar Crew: Andy Lewis

13/02/2020

Community

Feb 13, 2020

Andy Lewis, also known by his notorious nickname @sketchyandylewis, is a man with no shortage of hair-raising stories.

Andy enjoys long jumps off cliffs, slacklining and performing in Super Bowl halftime shows with Madonna (excuse me, what?!) ... Thats right, you may remember him from Super Bowl XLVI when he introduced the mainstream media to slacklining. Andy is a pioneer in this sense, and hes also a GoPro OG whos known for tricks and stunts that leave your knees weak and palms sweaty. It's no surprise where his nickname comes from.

From the GoPro HD days to now, Andy has brought GoPro along for all of his insane adventures and been awarded multiple times for his GoPro submissions, but he says nothing compares to being selected for the GoPro Million Dollar Challenge. We caught up with Andy to find out more about he ended up hanging out on a net hundreds of feet up in the air for his Million Dollar Challenge submission.

GoPro: When did you first start using GoPro?

Andy Lewis: I first started using GoPro in 2005, and I have used every HERO camera released. For me, GoPro is an essential product to filming anything at a professional level. The hand-mounted cam, selfie stick, POV and drone use of GoPro is part of everything I do, always.

GoPro is literally the main tool I use to collect media and share my adventures. It's also the main part of any featured commercial or TV show I am a part of. Its a household name now, and for good reason, as GoPro has supported endless events, fundraisers, sports and athletes-including me over the years. And now, being in the Million Dollar Challenge, it feels lovely to see a company giving back!

What's your day job?

I own a business, BaseJumpMoab (BJM), that takes people tandem base jumping. This is my new day job! I've been creating a platform to introduce base jumping to everyone!*

I developed this company specifically to help encourage, inspire and expand people's mindsets. So far, it's been a special and memorable experience to people who have dreamed about BASE jumping, who want to challenge themselves to face fear or who are just looking try something new.

I started BJM in 2018, and we've had over 100 tandem BASE jumps already. And to capture the memories, we use MAX to film all our jumps as a company standard.

What inspired your awarded clip?

On the day this was filmed, we went out to "the net" to do the "ceremonial opening" of net-jumping season, which is only a few weeks long. The first jumps of the net every year are very special, and only the most special people on the planet get to be a part of these first jumps. This year, there were two nets: one from me, and one from GGBY Fest designed and built by Ryan Jenks.

We opened both nets with a tandem BASE jump-a dream I have had for years. My partner, Aleta French, and I got to be the first ones to jump the big net, and we recorded it with MAX and HERO8.

When I opened the second net, I watched as Ben Dicko flew through the hole with Sylvan Christensen, and then, Ryan Jenks BASE jumped afterward-all filmed with the MAX.

We also rigged rope swings, zip lines, cowboy hot tubs and a handful of other amazing things to kick off the season. All of this is in support of slacklife! Doing things for fun, because you love it. The GoPro Million Dollar Challenge is for sure a really delicious icing on an already amazing cake.

What GoPro were you using + settings?

MAX in 360 mode, capturing 6k 30fps, mounted on a 4-foot collapsible stick.

What are you going to put the earnings toward?

In short, the earnings will go back into the cycle of amazing stunts and support the fun projects that we love to build. I am going to try to split the earnings accordingly between all the people who helped this come together-the riggers, the stunt men, the camera men, the camera owners, the gear owners, the designers and, of course, try to pay myself a bit, too.

As a crew, we definitely worked really hard this year and focused on designing stunts and collecting brilliant imagery and video. There is always more than one person behind making this true magic happen. Without the work of a community, these shots would never exist.

Would you participate again in the future?

120% YES; its one of the best contests in the year!

What are you most excited to create more content on: HERO8 or MAX or both?

Both! I love each camera for the different styles of media they create, but HERO8 and MAX are strongest when used together. They are like a superhero team.

I love the clear, crisp and stable footage from the HERO8 for POV shots, BASE jumps, underwater imagery and shots that HyperSmooth 2.0 helps with. I also love HERO8 for getting still frames from high-res videos because I can turn the frame rate up and have many options for the best single moment captured.

With MAX, I love the cinematographic dynamics it offers. MAX can create a full movie out of one stunt. It almost feels like you are recording more than just the stunt, and it shows because it can be edited it in all different ways-unlimited, really.

I find that I like to use MAX most on a selfie stick or extension pole to maximize the range of image being captured. For tandem BASE, there is no better camera to film with than the MAX. Being able to Reframe the videos, use the pivot feature and zoom is truly an amazing boost to video capture in general.

Anyone you would like to thank for making this dream a reality?

Always thank and appreciate your land management services, like BLM and SITLA.

And thank you from me to all these people and more: @AtairCanopies, @BASEJumpMoab, @Sterlingrope, @GibbonSlacklines, @sylvanslacks, @thehomiehome, @aleta_ventures, @spencerseabrooke, @verjanfpv, @hownottohighline, @BenDicko101, @danwalsh, @BurnerDaddy and @ggby_fest. Without you, The Slacklife just simply wo
LINK: https://gopro.com/en/gb/news/million-dollar-challenge-creator-andy-lew...
See more stories from gopro

Most recent headlines

06/10/2025

France Tlvisions Wins Prestigious 2025 EBU Technology & Innovation Award in Groundbreaking Collaboration with Dalet

France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...

04/09/2025

Monumental Sports & Entertainment and Dalet Win Prestigious 2025 NAB Show Project of the Year Award

Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...

07/08/2025

Tata Motors & Dolby Bring Dolby Atmos to Harrier.ev, Redefining In-Car Entertainment Experience

July 8 2025, 22:30 (PDT) Tata Motors & Dolby Bring Dolby Atmos to Harrier.ev, R...

15/07/2025

Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Sam Feder, the Filmmaker Behind Heightened Scrutiny

By Lucy Spicer One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival...

15/07/2025

A travs de una nueva colaboracin, usuarios de DiDi en nueve pases de Latinoamrica podrn acceder a Spotify Premium

Spotify une fuerzas con DiDi, la app l der en servicios de movilidad, delivery y...

15/07/2025

Invitation for South African filmmakers to submit films for the 98th Annual Academy Awards (Oscars) International Feature Film category

The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...

15/07/2025

L3Harris Showcases Counter-Drone Capability to British Soldiers at VANAHEIM

L3Harris put its CORVUS-RAVEN counter-small UAS capability into the hands of soldiers at VANAHEIM, showcasing its ability to provide passive signal detect, enha...

15/07/2025

Netflix Leads Streaming Growth in June on the Strength of Multiple Big Titles in Nielsen's 50th Report of The Gauge

Netflix Viewing Up 13.5% vs. May, Represents 42% of Monthly Gain for Streaming ...

15/07/2025

Amagi Names Sangeeta Chakraborty as Chief Revenue Officer

SAN FRANCISCO and BENGALARU, India Sangeeta Chakraborty has been named chief revenue officer at Amagi, a cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) technology pro...

15/07/2025

ATSCs New VP of Standards Development Touts 3.0s Global Potential

As part of its mandate, the Advanced Television Systems Committee the U.S. organization tasked with developing advanced broadcast TV standards promotes ATSC 3.0...

15/07/2025

QuickLink Launches StudioPro Proton and StudioPro Fusion...

QuickLink, the leading global provider of multi-camera video productions and remote contributions, announces the launch of two innovative control panels Studi...

15/07/2025

DPA Microphones Welcomes Chris Kontopanos

Chris Kontopanos has joined leading high-quality microphone solutions manufacturer, DPA Microphones, as the company's new Regional Sales Manager for the Mid...

15/07/2025

Magnifi Brings Seamless AI-Powered Solutions to Revolutio...

Magnifi by VideoVerse, a global leader in AI-powered video automation, has launched a major platform upgrade built to simplify live and archival video editing f...

15/07/2025

Telestream IBC 2025 Showcase Powers Friction Free Scalabl...

Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, will preview its latest innovations at IBC2025, Stand 7.B21. This year's showcase highlights how...

15/07/2025

IBC2025 elevates attendee experience with seamless GVB tr...

IBC2025 is set to transform the onsite experience for its global attendees with the launch of a pioneering new feature: full integration of Amsterdam's GVB ...

15/07/2025

ASB GlassFloor Ignites Beats N Buckets with Game-Changing...

Music, sport and technology collided in spectacular fashion as ASB GlassFloor powered the debut of Beats N Buckets, Germany's first Basketball meets Hip-Ho...

15/07/2025

The Collectv Names Industry Leader Peter Russell as new M...

The Collectv, the Emmy award-winning broadcast solutions and workflows consultancy - and winner of Broadcast Tech's Team of the Year is delighted to announc...

15/07/2025

SipRadius builds in security and performance for IP conne...

SipRadius, the expert in secure, low latency media transport, will showcase how broadcasters and media companies can take control of fragmented IP workflows at ...

15/07/2025

beIN ASIA PACIFIC Enhances Broadcast Distribution and Int...

Appear, the global leader in live production technology, today announced its strategic partnership with beIN ASIA PACIFIC, a leading multi-platform sports media...

15/07/2025

Broadpeak to Reveal Pioneering Solutions to Scale Monetiz...

Company marks 15 years of innovation at the show Broadpeak, a leader in streaming and monetization at scale, will return to IBC (Hall 1, Stand F83. RAI, Amster...

15/07/2025

Hitomi Broadcast Demonstrates MatchBox Everywhere at IBC2...

New software solutions extend trusted timing measurement across broadcast, venue, and professional AV applications Hitomi Broadcast, the market leader in audi...

15/07/2025

Telycam Unveils Elgato Stream Deck Plug-in for PTZ Camera Portfolio

SHENZHEN, China Telycam has added control options for its portfolio of pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras with a new plug-in for Elgato's Stream Deck family of con...

15/07/2025

Chyron LIVE Completes AWS Foundational Technical Review

MELVILLE, N.Y. Chyron said its Chyron LIVE cloud-native live production solution has successfully completed the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Foundational Technical...

15/07/2025

Xumo Expands Smart TV Portfolio With Westinghouse Launch

PHILADELPHIA The Xumo streaming platform joint venture between Comcast and Charter has announced the nationwide launch of a new line of Xumo TVs from Westinghou...

15/07/2025

Chris Kontopanos Joins DPA as Regional Sales Manager

LONGMONT, Colo. DPA Microphones said Chris Kontopanos has joined the microphone solutions provider as its new regional sales manager, Mid-Atlantic....

15/07/2025

SES Successfully Prices 1 Billion Dual-Tranche Bond Offering with Strong 5.5x Oversubscription

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO OR TO ANY PERSON LOCATED OR RESIDENT IN THE UNIT...

15/07/2025

Live From MLB All-Star 2025: FOX Sports Aims To Capture Chatty Players on the Field and at Bat

Live From MLB All-Star 2025: FOX Sports Aims To Capture Chatty Players on the Fi...

15/07/2025

Live From MLB All-Star 2025: From Live Event Coverage to Studio Shows, MLB Network Covers the Gamut in Atlanta

Live From MLB All-Star 2025: From Live Event Coverage to Studio Shows, MLB Netwo...

15/07/2025

Live From MLB All-Star 2025: FOX Sports' Francisco Contreras and Tom Lynch on the Tools That Will Impact the Broadcast

Live From MLB All-Star 2025: FOX Sports' Francisco Contreras and Tom Lynch o...

15/07/2025

Live From MLB All-Star: FOX Sports' Production Is Bigger Than Ever in Steamy Atlanta With UmpCam, FlyCam, Drones, and More

Live From MLB All-Star: FOX Sports' Production Is Bigger Than Ever in Steamy...

15/07/2025

Live From MLB All-Star: FOX Sports Director Matt Gangl and Producer Pete Macheska Break Down Their Production Strategy at the Front Bench

Live From MLB All-Star: FOX Sports Director Matt Gangl and Producer Pete Machesk...

15/07/2025

TV SIM builds for the future with high efficiency transmitter from Rohde & Schwarz

TV SIM builds for the future with high efficiency transmitter from Rohde & Schwa...

15/07/2025

News Corp Authorizes New $1 Billion Stock Repurchase Program and Intends to Accelerate Pace of Buyback

News Corp Authorizes New $1 Billion Stock Repurchase Program and Intends to Acce...

15/07/2025

Netflix Announces the Start of Production of 'Los secretos de la cortesana'

Back to All News Netflix Announces the Start of Production of Los secretos de l...

15/07/2025

Harmonic to Showcase Breakthrough Video Streaming and Broadcast Delivery Innovations at IBC2025

Harmonic's Hybrid, AI-Powered and Live Sports Streaming Innovations are Key ...

15/07/2025

The Next Level 4099 CORE+ Instrument Microphone

The well-known and well-loved 4099 has been completely revamped. It features amazing CORE+ technology, which eliminates distortion and extends dynamic range, a ...

15/07/2025

Comscore Partners with HyphaMetrics to Launch Advanced Person-Level Audience Measurement and CTV Program-Level Reporting

Comscore Partners with HyphaMetrics to Launch Advanced Person-Level Audience Mea...

15/07/2025

All Ireland Football semi-finals and Tailteann Cup Final draw large audiences to RT

Peak audiences of over half a million tune into both Kerry v Tyrone and Donegal ...

15/07/2025

PROTON Announces Production Facility Expansion Ahead of IBC2025

PROTON Announces Production Facility Expansion Ahead of IBC2025 posted: 15/07/2025 Proton Announces Production Facility Expansion Ahead of IBC2025 Alongs...

15/07/2025

Deadline Extended - Create a Project G-Assist Plug-In for a Chance to Win an NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPU and Laptop

Submissions for NVIDIA's Plug and Play: Project G-Assist Plug-In Hackathon a...

14/07/2025

L3Harris Secures Contract for Royal Moroccan Air Force C-130 Fleet Upgrade

The Royal Moroccan Air Force hosted a C-130 award ceremony with L3Harris Technologies President of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Jason Lambert a...

14/07/2025

Nielsen launches CTV Ad Spend Data into its UK Ad Intel product

UK launch set for September, following on from recent US and Germany releases London - UK, July 14, 2025 - Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, da...

14/07/2025

Telycam Unveils Elgato Stram Deck Plug-in for PTZ Camera Portfolio

SHENZHEN, China Telycam has added control options for its portfolio of pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras with a new plug-in for Elgato's Stream Deck family of con...

14/07/2025

Nominations Now Open for Best of Show Awards at IBC2025

The awards are open to IBC2025 show exhibitors and offer a valuable platform for companies to raise awareness for the new products and solutions they will be la...

14/07/2025

Clear-Com Expands Arcadia Central Station with Updates In...

Clear-Com is excited to announce a significant expansion of the award-winning Arcadia Central Station with new software updates. Together, these releases dram...

14/07/2025

Daktronics and Grass Valley Announce Strategic Partnershi...

Grass Valley and Daktronics today announced a strategic technology partnership that unites Grass Valley's live production expertise with Daktronics' lea...

14/07/2025

Veset Partners with swXtch io to Deliver Cloud Multicasti...

Cloud playout solutions provider, Veset, and swXtch.io, provider of cloud-based multicast and reliable networking solutions, are partnering to deliver multicast...

14/07/2025

Tintri Supercharges Global Partner Programme with Powerfu...

Tintri , a DDN subsidiary and leader in AI-powered data management solutions, today announces a game-changing and award-winning refresh to its global Partner P...