Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

The War in Ukraine: How One GoPro Creator-Turned-Humanitarian Dropped Everything to Aid Refugee Efforts

20/05/2022

Tragedy is often accompanied by triumph, on scales both big and small. As the world observes the war in Ukraine unfold, stories of heroes stepping out of their comfort zone and into the chaos offer us hope and remind us of the good in the world.

We were fortunate to talk with one of these heroes, someone who says he broke down in tears and knew the only way to help was to get a one-way plane ticket to Poland. That's what Max Rantz-McDonald did nine weeks ago when it became clear that Ukrainian refugees and neighboring countries needed help.

Max is a longtime member of the GoPro Family, as is Benjamin Ortega who is one of many who joined Max to aid his efforts in Poland. We say this because that's how Max's incredible story got on our radar, and yes he used some GoPro to film his journey, but we're not here to talk about GoPro, we're here to hear from Max-read his story below.

GoPro: What prompted you to take on this incredible effort?

Max: I have a good deal of experience in humanitarian crisis response around the world, most notably in Nepal when the devastating earthquake struck in 2015-video recap here.

So when the war started in Ukraine, my mind started racing, wanting to help people. It was day three of the war, and I had seen enough. My girlfriend Nicole walked into the kitchen and saw me in tears and said, You're going to help arent you?

I feel I was in a lucky position that, at that moment in time, I could drop what I was doing and with Nicoles support, cancel my upcoming projects and head straight to the Ukrainian border. I couldnt sit at home in Los Angeles and watch this unfold. How could I answer my future kids questions when they learn about this in history class and ask me what did I did to help?

Were you joining another organization, or did you set out to do this solo?

My intention from the start was to head out solo and find out what was most needed. I wanted to get a first-hand impression of the realities of what was going on and not rely on the news (I trust certain outlets but I needed to see it for myself). I had a fair idea of how I thought I could help, as I had done in Nepal, but until I saw for myself and talked to those affected, I wanted to hold off.

Mike Savas and I had set up an Org called Adventurers for Change, which we worked under this umbrella in Poland/Ukraine. I put up a few Instagram stories to let my community know I was going over and asked to be connected with anyone on the ground who could be helpful-straight away I got connected with a dozen very helpful individuals, most of which I am still in touch with today.

The model I wanted to use was transparency through social media. I would show people on my Instagram the realities on the ground and what people needed. In turn, people internationally would donate to a GoFundMe I set up and I would buy the aid needed locally and get it into their hands asap (this also helps the local economies that are under strain).

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Max Rantz-McDonald (@livetothemax)

--

Considering restrictions, how did you travel to the location and where were you stationed?

I found traveling to Poland wasnt that hard, so I jumped on the next flight I could. The difficult part was when I landed in Warsaw it was impossible to rent a van (which we wanted to transport refugees), so we got a small car and headed for the border.

I wanted to visit every border crossing and see what the situation on the ground was. We took photos, collected peoples contact details (to be able to find out about any developments once we were gone) and dropped off the small amount of aid I was able to bring over from the U.S. As the majority of refugees were crossing into Poland at that point, finding accommodations along the border was impossible, so we slept in the car for the first three nights.

How long in total were you on the ground in Ukraine, and do you plan on going back?

During my first stint, I was there for over a month. I then had a project I couldnt put off any longer and went to Dubai for a week, which felt very strange. One of the first people I let know was Hugh Evans, Co-Founder and CEO of Global Citizen, an amazing advocacy organization that I have worked with in the past. The organization puts on huge concerts around the world to raise funds and awareness for certain causes. I texted Hugh and let him know.

This developed into producing an event called Stand Up for Ukraine, Pledging Summit in Warsaw with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, Prime Minister Trudeau of Canada and President Duda of Poland. The event took place in an 18th century palace and, through the engagement of the biggest names in the music industry and pressure put on governments, $10.1 billion was pledged in aid, grants and loans for Ukraine. More details here

Can you tell us some stories about the people you met and how those encounters went?

We met some amazing people, like the lady that created the city next to Chernoble and had to evacuate tens of thousands of people when the nuclear disaster struck. We looked after her in one of the refugee centers we created in the center of Warsaw, and then paid for her flights to Germany. We are currently supporting her son with funds in Ukraine.

We also had a lady in our car that had a 4-week-old baby and another that was going to give birth at any moment. We put both of them up in Airbnbs so they could have some privacy.

The reaction we got when handing out $125K worth of supermarket gift cards was also an amazing experience. It gave people the dignity of choice, where they could go in and buy the items themselves, as opposed to taking their food as handouts from a cardboard box, and this was extremely impactful.

I met people that had walked for days to get to Poland and had to leave their 18-year-old sons at
LINK: https://gopro.com/en/gb/news/max-rantz-mcdonald-team-ukraine-love...
See more stories from gopro

Most recent headlines

10/12/2025

Sound-Alike Commercials Are Part of Sports' Soundtrack

Sound-Alike Commercials Are Part of Sports' Soundtrack Johnny Cash for Coca-Cola is the latest in a long litany of sonic approximationsBy Dan Daley, Audio ...

10/12/2025

Immersive Sound Is Logical Next Step for Sports Venues

Immersive Sound Is Logical Next Step for Sports VenuesSound-systems suppliers are sanguine, but the market has its challengesBy Dan Daley, Audio Editor Wednes...

10/12/2025

The Romans Built Arenas for Immersive Sound 2,000 Years Ago

The Romans Built Arenas for Immersive Sound 2,000 Years AgoThe historic Arena of Nimes in France is still in use todayBy Dan Daley, Audio Editor Wednesday, De...

10/12/2025

SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Audio Workshop Hits on Immersive, Virtualized, and Next-Gen Streaming Workflows

SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Audio Workshop Hits on Immersive, Virtualized, and Next...

10/12/2025

SVG Summit 2025 Technology Exhibits Preview: Audio Spotlight

SVG Summit 2025 Technology Exhibits Preview: Audio SpotlightBy SVG Staff Wednesday, December 10, 2025 - 8:21 am Print This Story | Subscribe Story Highlig...

10/12/2025

SVG Europe Audio: Listening to the Sounds of Powder and Ice at Milano Cortina with a Behind the Scenes Tour of OBS and NBC's Audio Set Ups

SVG Europe Audio: Listening to the sounds of powder and ice at Milano Cortina wi...

10/12/2025

Advancements in Audio Technology: Capturing the Atmosphere of Live Sports

Advancements in audio technology: Capturing the atmosphere of live sports By David Davies Tuesday, November 25, 2025 - 09:27 Print This Story Although wor...

10/12/2025

Everything Smelled of Popcorn: The Art of Bringing the Complex Sound of Esports to Fans With Sound Supervisor Matt Gilbert

Everything smelled of popcorn: The art of bringing the complex sound of esports ...

10/12/2025

2026 Sundance Film Festival Unveils 97 Projects Selected for the Feature Film and Episodic Program

Top L-R: Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!, Hanging by a Wire, Broken English, Buddy C...

10/12/2025

You're in Control: Spotify Lets You Steer the Algorithm

For the first time, Spotify is giving users the power to steer the algorithm. Gustav S derstr m, Spotify's Co-President, CPO, and CTO, shares the vision beh...

10/12/2025

L3Harris to Produce Additional Solid Rocket Motors for Precision-Guided Artillery System

L3Harris' new contract for Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System Insensitive ...

10/12/2025

US Space Force Expands Offensive Space Programs Through L3Harris Foreign Sales

L3Harris Meadowlands system has been designed with an open architecture software system that allows for more flexible and efficient software updates. This capab...

10/12/2025

Football Shifts TV Viewing Towards Ad Supported, Nielsen's Q3 2025 Ad Supported Gauge Finds

During this interval, streaming comprised the majority of ad supported TV (46.4%...

10/12/2025

Bitcentral Names Venture Capital Exec Rick Arnold to Board

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. Bitcentral, a provider of production, asset management, playout and streaming workflow solutions, has named technology veteran Rick Arnold...

10/12/2025

TV Tech Announces Winners of 2025 Best in Market Awards for M&E Tech

TV Tech is delighted to reveal the winners of the 2025 Media & Entertainment: Best in Market Awards....

10/12/2025

AIMS, VSF, AMWA, EBU To Hold Inaugural IPMX Testing, Certification Event

BOTHELL, Wash. The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), the Video Services Forum (VSF), the Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA) and the European Broad...

10/12/2025

DirecTV Launches Peacock Games

In a notable example of how pay TV operators are integrating streaming services into their lineup and using those services to retain or attract subscribers, Dir...

10/12/2025

Chaos Brings Real-Time Rendering to Maya and Houdini

Today, Chaos builds instant feedback into the viewport, connecting Maya and Houdini to Chaos Vantage's real-time path tracer. Artists can now assess 3D asse...

10/12/2025

Smeup doubles capacity with Cubbit under a new agreement...

Smeup, a key partner for companies engaged in digital transformation, today announced the expansion of its adoption of Cubbit, the first geo-distributed cloud s...

10/12/2025

Mediagenix Strengthens Its Security Posture with ISO 2700...

Mediagenix, a global leader in smart content solutions to profitably connect the right content to the right audience, today announced two significant milestones...

10/12/2025

HDR10+ Technologies Unveils HDR10+ ADVANCED Dynamic Metadata Technology

BEAVERTON, Ore. HDR10+ Technologies, LLC has announced that they will soon begin the licensing and certification of devices, content, and services that support ...

10/12/2025

SMPTE, EBU, ETC Publish Report on AI's Impact on the Media

SMPTE has joined forces with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) to publish an updated report on AI and its impact o...

10/12/2025

Clear-Com Appoints Kris Koch as New Director of Sales - N...

Clear-Com is pleased to announce the appointment of Kris Koch as Director of Sales - North & South America. In this expanded leadership role, Kris will oversee...

10/12/2025

Mavis Camera Launches Film Kit Unlocking LUT Workflows an...

Mavis today announced the latest version of Mavis Camera (v7.4), a major update to its professional iOS camera app, headlined by the launch of Film Kit - an opt...

10/12/2025

Creamsource Taps Industry Heavyweight Markus Zeiler as Gr...

Creamsource, renowned for its Vortex series of cinematic lighting, is laying the groundwork for its next phase of growth with the addition of Markus Zeiler as G...

10/12/2025

Digital Alert Systems Introduces DAS3-DC-PS DASDEC-III DC...

Digital Alert Systems, a global leader in emergency communications solutions for media providers, today announced that the DAS3-DC-PS, a new DC power supply opt...

10/12/2025

Riedel and Racing Electronics Announce Strategic Partners...

Riedel Communications today announced it has formed a strategic partnership with Racing Electronics, a premier provider of motorsport communication equipment in...

10/12/2025

GALSNGEAR Announces 2026 Leadership Retreats on East and...

#GALSNGEAR is launching two signature leadership retreats in early 2026, designed to equip women in media, entertainment, and technology with the tools to lead...

10/12/2025

CVP Launches Global Price Guarantee for Seamless Internat...

Providing worldwide customers with total confidence through transparent, all-inclusive pricing CVP, one of Europe's leading suppliers of professional video...

10/12/2025

Securing the Future of Broadcast TV in the U.S.

With the Federal Communications Commission working on new rules for the deployment of NextGen TV, next year promises to be an important one for both the future ...

10/12/2025

Former Charter CEO Tom Rutledge to Receive Cable Centers Bresnan Award

DENVER Tom Rutledge, director emeritus and former president and CEO of Charter Communications, will be honored with the 2026 Bresnan Ethics in Business Award by...

10/12/2025

Cadent Acquires YouTube Measurement Firm VuePlanner

NEW YORK Novocap's Cadent has acquired VuePlanner, a YouTube video ad planning, optimization, and measurement company in a deal that will help Cadent expand...

10/12/2025

Avoid Playlist Conflicts: Scheduling Back-to-Back Special Playlists

In preparation for the madness of March, here are some important reminders for scheduling back-to-back Special Playlists. The first Special Playlist MUST end b...

10/12/2025

VEON's Rising Capital Markets Profile Strengthened by Inclusion in Key Global Indices

10 Dec 2025 VEON's Rising Capital Markets Profile Strengthened by Inclusion...

10/12/2025

VEON Recognized for JazzCash, Kyivstar and Jazz at the World Communication Awards 2025

10 Dec 2025 VEON Recognized for JazzCash, Kyivstar and Jazz at the World Commun...

10/12/2025

Tribeca Films to Release the Independent Documentary Film Beam Me Up, Sulu by Timour Gregory and Sasha Schneider

December 10th, 2025 TRIBECA FILMS TO RELEASE THE INDEPENDENT DOCUMENTARY FILM...

10/12/2025

Sky extends partnership with the Ladies European Tour for a landmark 30th year

Wednesday 10 December 2025 Sky extends partnership with the Ladies European Tour for a landmark 30th year Sky and the Ladies European Tour (LET) have announce...

10/12/2025

Walk-on if you love the darts: James Maddison, Luke Littler and Big John star as Club 180 opens before 2026 PDC World Darts Championship

Wednesday 10 December 2025 Walk-on if you love the darts: James Maddison, Luke ...

10/12/2025

Rohde & Schwarz presents world's first RF power sensor with 0.80 mm RF connector for gapless DC to 150 GHz coverage

Rohde & Schwarz presents world's first RF power sensor with 0.80 mm RF conne...

10/12/2025

2026 Starts With a Swoon: Kim Seon-ho and Go Youn-jung Lead Can This Love Be Translated?', Premiering January 16

Back to All News 2026 Starts With a Swoon: Kim Seon-ho and Go Youn-jung Lead C...

10/12/2025

'Berlin and the Lady with an Ermine' Arrives to Netflix on May 15

Back to All News Berlin and the Lady with an Ermine Arrives to Netflix on May 15 Entertainment 10 December 2025 GlobalSpain Link copied to clipboard THE N...

10/12/2025

From stand-up to Foxtrot: Comedian Michael Fry revealed as fourth contestant for Dancing with the Stars 2026

It's out of the frying pan and into the sequins for comedian and actor Micha...

10/12/2025

Documentary film on the extraordinary life of Patrick Lydon, pioneer of social inclusion and disability, to premiere on RT

Born That Way airs Thursday 18 December on RT One and RT Player Born That ...

09/12/2025

2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Pam Oliver, Sideline Icon Who Redefined the Role

2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Pam Oliver, Sideline Icon Who Redefined t...

09/12/2025

SVG Summit 2025 Technology Exhibits Preview, Part 2

SVG Summit 2025 Technology Exhibits Preview, Part 2By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S. Tuesday, December 9, 2025 - 7:17 am Print This Story | Subscr...

09/12/2025

SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Cloud Production Workshop Spotlights Live and Non-Live Workflows in the Cloud

SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Cloud Production Workshop Spotlights Live and Non-Live ...

09/12/2025

Next-Generation Content Protection: Multi-Technology Security is Integral to Combating New Threats

Next-generation content protection: Multi-technology security is integral to com...

09/12/2025

CBS Sports Provides One-of-a-Kind Production' for UEFA Champions League Crossover Event

CBS Sports Provides One-of-a-Kind Production' for UEFA Champions League Cro...

09/12/2025

Spanish Professional Basketball League Relies on NETGEAR AV, MAM Tech for Seamless Production

Spanish Professional Basketball League Relies on NETGEAR AV, MAM Tech for Seamle...