Meet the Million Dollar Crew: Steven Donovan
19/03/2020
Mar 18, 2020
Over the last two years, we've watched Steven Donovan push the envelope with 360 content, leaving us and thousands of others watching and rewatching his seamless loops.
Known as the 360 wizard, over the last year Steven chased opportunities across the U.S., hustling to build his portfolio while working odd jobs to make ends meet.
And the result? Not one, but FIVE of Steven's clips made it into this year's HERO8 MAX Million Dollar Challenge video. We were especially curious about one clip: The insane rope swing off of El Capitan. How does one find themself swinging off a 3,000 foot granite monolith?!
Stepping outside of his comfort zone in more ways than one, Steven put himself in front of the lens for a change to get this clip and took a leap of faith-literally.
GoPro: Swinging off of El Cap ... supes casual. What went into making this shot happen?
Steven: I turned down this swing almost exactly two years prior because it absolutely terrified me. I didnt have too much regret not doing it since Im perfectly content capturing the stunts and dont feel a particular draw to scaring myself for the adrenaline rush. Swinging off the top of El Cap is truly a once in a lifetime experience, so when I got a second chance at it, I had a feeling it was something I shouldnt pass up again.
I was pretty anxious the week leading up to it and barely slept at all the night before, but as soon as I clipped my harness into that rope, (most) of that anxiety went away and I felt pretty calm about the whole thing. As soon as the swing was in motion, I had this intense wave of euphoria and felt a huge weight come off my shoulders for having done it.
Ive never felt the need to prove myself doing these stunts, but I think part of that has always been out of fear. I didnt feel the need to prove myself to any of my friends that were there, but to prove to myself that I could over come this huge mental block that had my brain telling me I was going to die if I did this swing.
What GoPro were you using settings?
I knew I wanted to capture every angle of this moment to relive forever so having the MAX with me iss my number one choice. I usually shoot in the highest capture quality of 6k at 30fps.
It was kind of last minute that I decided to get the foot cam angle, which I got by loosing up my shoe laces and putting my mouth mount underneath the laces, then tying them super tight. I figured my leg was like an extended self that still left one of my hands free to hold the rope. So this time, I shot in HERO mode using the Max SuperView digital lens at 1080p 120fps because I knew Id want to slow that short free fall down as much as possible while also maintaining a very wide angle view to capture everything.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Steven Donovan (@es_dons) on Jan 30, 2020 at 1:33pm PST
--
Not once, but twice you've now made it into Million Dollar Challenge videos. How does it feel to be a two-time Million Dollar Challenge awardee?
Being featured in the Million Dollar Challenge last year rocked my world and completely changed my life.
I didnt necessarily change my life and my routines, but it gave me the support to keep doing what I was doing, upgrade to a van from a little truck I was living out of and helped me to stay focused on capturing the content I was truly passionate about instead of whatever would put food on my plate.
Did you put a lot of pressure on yourself to keep topping up your content?
Subconsciously maybe, but I wouldnt call it pressure. Its just a natural fascination for coming up with new creative angles which are pretty endless when it comes to the MAX. Ive really dove into 360 the past couple years and feel like Im only scraping the surface with what kind of creative shots are possible.
What are you going to put the earnings toward this time around?
Pretty much the same as last year and just pour all the winnings back into this lifestyle to keep adventuring and living on the road. Now that I have the van of my dreams, Ill probably spend some money on getting new tires, shocks, solar and other upgrades to the van. I have also spent the past few months investing in my own business venture by creating a custom 30-foot carbon fiber pole with a manufacturing company that I will have for sale soon.
What's next?
I take life one day at a time and like to keep my schedule open for those last minute adventures that always seem to find me, but I also want put more effort this year into planning bigger trips and getting my own business up and running.
Any tips you'd give aspiring videographers or your younger self?
ORGANIZE YOUR FOOTAGE, seriously, organization is something I struggled with for years and still struggle with a bit, but I've gotten so much better at. The bigger file structure the better-folders are your friend.
Other than that I think its really important to just trust in the process. Its so easy to get discouraged in the beginning and think youre ready for your big break, when youre really not. Dont wait for the opportunities to come to you, go after them as hard as you can because all of a sudden your big opportunity will come to you, but if youve been in the same place all along waiting for it you wont be ready and it will pass you up. In my own case, I always dreamed of shooting professional action sports but never had the access to pro athletes, so I shot whatever I could so that I could master becoming a pro at my own craft behind the camera.
With that being said, if you want to shoot action sports, youre not going to get there by shooting weddings. I got offered a full-time video job with benefits making swim training videos, but I turned it down to go out west and work seasonally. I cleaned toilets and carried peoples luggage up stairs for four summers in National Parks so Id h
LINK: | https://gopro.com/en/gb/news/million-dollar-challenge-creator-steven-d... |
See more stories from gopro |
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet Appoints Santiago Solanas as CEO to Lead Next Era of Growth and Innovation
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet and Veritone Reach Agreement to Distribute, Transact and Monetize Media Archives
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
01/05/2024
Release Rundown: What to Watch in May, From I Saw the TV Glow to Power
Owen (Justice Smith) and Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine) develop an eerie connection to a supernatural TV show in Jane Schoebrun's I Saw the TV Glow....
01/05/2024
Celebrate May the 4th With Special Star Wars' Playlists, Audiobooks, and More
Spotify's Star Wars celebrations are in full Force starting today, and this ...
01/05/2024
Spotify's New Hardcore Gardening Playlist and Brain Dead Collab Will Rattle Greenhouses Everywhere
All around the world, millions of Spotify fans love listening to hardcore punk m...
01/05/2024
THE CALL FOR THE FIFTH PRESIDENTIAL EMPLOYMENT STIMULUS PROGRAMME (PESP5) FOCUSED ON THE AUDIO-VISUAL INDUSTRY, IS OPEN.
THE CALL FOR THE FIFTH PRESIDENTIAL EMPLOYMENT STIMULUS PROGRAMME (PESP5) FOCUSE...
01/05/2024
QTAKE Pioneers Live 3D Stream to Apple Vision Pro
QTAKE, the leading video assist and on-set collaboration software trusted by professional filmmakers worldwide, launched a new cutting-edge feature at NAB 2024....
01/05/2024
LA County Opens Entertainment Business Interruption Fund Grant Program for Small Business, LAEDC Offers Updates
In HPA's ongoing focus on providing input and insight from city and county g...
01/05/2024
Trailblazing AI Storytelling by Empowering Storytellers: Curious Refuge
HPA Newsline had the opportunity to speak with Caleb and Shelby Ward, founders of Curious Refuge. Caleb and Shelby were participants in the 2024 HPA Tech Retrea...
01/05/2024
Supporting Global Air Traffic Modernization through Managed Services Infrastructure
L3Harris works with air navigation service providers who efficiently manage air ...
01/05/2024
Q&A with Scott Alexander, Aerojet Rocketdyne's new Missile Solutions President
Scott Alexander, Missile Solutions President, Aerojet Rocketdyne...
01/05/2024
Comcast: More Than Half of Viewers Frustrated About Finding Content
NEW YORK Just over half of U.S. viewers are frustrated over their ability to be able to find content to watch on TV according to Comcast....
01/05/2024
Bally RSNs Go Dark On Comcast Systems
Bally Sports Regional Networks were taken off Comcast's systems on April 30 when their existing distribution agreement expired and Diamond Sports Group was ...
01/05/2024
NXTGENbps powers Molinare's Notorious DIT
NXTGENbps battery solutions are designed to replace diesel generators and offer silent, emission-free power for various applications in film, TV, outside broadc...
01/05/2024
Elodie Ichter Joins Light Iron as Senior Colorist
Light Iron, the post-production creative-services division of Panavision, is excited to announce that lodie Ichter has joined the company's artist roster a...
01/05/2024
CJP presents live mo-cap demos at MPTS
CJP Broadcast Service Solutions, systems integration, production and content digitisation specialist, will feature live motion capture demonstrations at the 202...
01/05/2024
Media Links Partners with Sunteq for Representation in S...
Media Links, manufacturer and pioneer in Media over IP transport technology, has partnered with Sunteq spol s.r.o., a leading reseller located in Slovakia to st...
01/05/2024
Dot Group Showcases Enhanced Data Management and Sustaina...
Dot Group, a leader in cutting-edge data management solutions and the premier European reseller of critical Broadcast supporting IBM technologies, will demonstr...
01/05/2024
Glensound shows the latest in IP audio at MPTS
Glensound, industry leader in high quality audio systems, is showcasing the latest additions to its extensive portfolio of networked audio products at MPTS. Aud...
01/05/2024
Hitomi Broadcast to demonstrate ST2110 MatchBox at MPTS
Hitomi Broadcast, a leader in audio/video alignment and latency solutions, will be demonstrating advancements in SMPTE ST2110 workflows ensuring broadcasters ha...
01/05/2024
Leading UK vendors join in the CABSAT 30th anniversary ce...
Taking a leading role in the 30th anniversary CABSAT exposition (Dubai World Trade Centre, 21 23 May), the GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland pavilion will fe...
01/05/2024
NXTGENbps Powers Notorious DITs Green Energy Initiative w...
NXTGENbps, a pioneer in green energy solutions, proudly announces its partnership with Notorious DIT, a leading provider of digital imaging technology services ...
01/05/2024
Videosys Broadcast Brings Pan and Tilt To Coverage Of The...
As Cambridge celebrated its double win over Oxford in the 2024 Boat Race, behind the scenes celebrations were also taking place at Videosys Broadcast to mark th...
01/05/2024
Live After 5' summer concert series returns to downtown Raleigh
A popular - and free - summer concert series is coming back to downtown Raleigh! WRAL is proudly partnering with Downtown Raleigh Alliance for its Live After ...
01/05/2024
Cadent Launches Performance TV To Boost Omnichannel Ad Results
Cadent said it launched Performance TV, designed to increase the effectiveness of campaign by combining the reach of traditional linear TV with the targeting of...
01/05/2024
Eric Johnson, KOMO Seattle Anchor, Sets Retirement
Eric Johnson, anchor at KOMO Seattle, will retire as of June 6. Johnson anchors the 5 and 6 p.m. weekday newscasts and writes/produces/hosts Eric's Heroes,...
01/05/2024
T-Mobile Dials Deeper Into Ad Business With Retail Network (NewFronts)
T-Mobile said it is expanding its advertising business, creating an in-store retail media network and adding Plex, the video streaming platform for its footprin...
01/05/2024
Samsung Ads Expands AI Tools To Target Streaming Viewers (NewFronts)
Samsung Ads said it was introducing new opportunities for advertisers to use data about its viewers to target viewers across the full marketing funnel at its Ne...
01/05/2024
Samsung TV Plus Swings for the Fences With Streaming Sports Channels (NewFronts)
Samsung's ad-supported streaming platform Samsung TV Plus is putting more sports in its lineup with free channels about baseball, golf, hockey, auto racing ...
01/05/2024
Dan Rather Documentary Offers Open-Book' Look at Newsman
Rather, a documentary about famed newsman Dan Rather, premieres on Netflix May 1. The film looks at his rise to prominence in TV news, including his work coveri...
01/05/2024
Ken Wayne, KRON San Francisco Anchor, Retires Next Month
Ken Wayne, evening anchor at KRON San Francisco, is retiring after 33 years in Bay Area television. He was born in Marin County, started his journalism career a...
01/05/2024
Jeff Blaszak Promoted To Senior VP at ShowSeeker
ShowSeeker, the company behind the Pilot cloud-based order management system, said it promoted Jeff Blaszak to senior VP of business operations and strategy....
01/05/2024
Great American Media Picks VideoAmp As Ad Currency
Great American Media said it reached an agreement with VideoAmp that will enable clients to use VideoAmp's ad buying measurement and data capabilities when ...
01/05/2024
NXTGENbps powers Molinaire's Notorious DIT
NXTGENbps battery solutions are designed to replace diesel generators and offer silent, emission-free power for various applications in film, TV, outside broadc...
01/05/2024
Amazon CEO: AWS has multi-billion dollar revenue run rate in AI already
Sales rose to $25bn during the first three months of 2024, up 17 per cent year-on-year By Matthew Corrigan Published: May 1, 2024 Sales rose to $25bn duri...
01/05/2024
Roku to Offer NBC Olympics Zone
NEW YORK NBCUniversal and Roku are teaming up to offer the NBC Olympic Zone on Roku, a new destination on the Roku Home Screen Menu. The dedicated channel wil...
01/05/2024
U.K.'s Freely Officially Launches
Freely the new streaming service backed by Britain's leading broadcasters BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 is now available through the next generation of ...
01/05/2024
Study: FAST Channel Growth Accelerates
NEW YORK A new report on free, ad-supported streaming channels indicates that their growth continues to accelerate, with the number of channels hours views and ...
01/05/2024
VuWall Unveils New Capabilities For VuStream 150 Video Encoder
MONTREAL VuWall has enhanced its VuStream 150 H.264 video encoder with new features and capabilities, including support for HDMI signals at resolutions up to 38...
01/05/2024
Samsung TV Plus Announces New High-Profile FAST Channels for Sports
NEW YORK At the IAB NewFronts 2024, Samsung Ads announced a new lineup of premium sports, music, family and entertainment content on its leading FAST service Sa...
01/05/2024
WAPA TV Celebrates 70th Anniversary As #1 Station in Puerto Rico
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO WAPA TV has announced that it will be celebrating its 70th anniversary on May 1 as the number 1 broadcasters on the island....
01/05/2024
Diamond Sports Group Renews Its Distribution Deal with Cox
SOUTHPORT, Conn. & ATLANTA Diamond Sports Group and Cox Communications have reached a multi-year renewal of their distribution agreement for the continued carri...
01/05/2024
Warner Bros. Discovery Networks Dropped by Fubo
As the NBA playoffs heat up on TNT, Warner Bros. Discovery and FuboTV have been unable to reach a new distribution deal. That impasse forced the vMVPD to drop T...
01/05/2024
Time for NAB Reality Check
Time for NAB Reality Check Andy Marken April 30, 2024 0 Comments Above image source - Allegiant, Summit Entertainment Great leaders don't seek...
01/05/2024
Dream Street Productions Switches Live Corporate Events with ATEM Television Studio HD8 ISO
Dream Street Productions Switches Live Corporate Events with ATEM Television Stu...
01/05/2024
lodie Ichter Joins Light Iron as Senior Colorist
lodie Ichter Joins Light Iron as Senior Colorist Brie Clayton April 30, 2024 0 Comments Acclaimed colorist brings global expertise on high-profile pro...
01/05/2024
SVG Digital Engagement Forum: Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAY
SVG Digital Engagement Forum: Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAY Catch up on the latest in streaming, interactivity, engagement and more from this inau...
01/05/2024
David Beckham Scores on the Cover of 'Queue' Issue 16
Back to All News David Beckham Scores on the Cover of Queue Issue 16 David Beckham on the cover of Queue. Krista Smith Director, Queue Entertainment 01 Ma...
01/05/2024
Haivision Celebrates 20 Years of Leadership and Innovation in Live Video
MONTREAL, CANADA - May 1, 2024 - Haivision Systems Inc. ( Haivision ) (TSX: HAI), a leading global provider of mission-critical, real-time video networking and ...
01/05/2024
MPTS. London. May 15-16, 2024
Wednesday, 15 May 11:35 The Gallows Pole - Creating a Workflow to Support the Creative Vision FilmLight sits down with the award-winning Residence Pictures t...