community
Dec 17, 2018
Throughout every year, the team at GoPro gets to work with our friends over at Videomaker Magazine - ensuring they have a chance to put our products through the paces so they can share their impressions with their readers. We see them in-person at tradeshows and when we do big launch events. We correspond regularly on email. We are big fans of the work they do to empower their audience with encouragement, inspiration and information about the tools that enable them to go out and make videos.
Videomaker's HQ is in Chico, California, placing them at the doorstep of one of the worst wildfires in history, affecting the entire team and leaving a significant portion of displaced. We invited Videomaker to share their story with us, with words, with footage they were able to capture from fire zone, and with information on how we can all support their recovery.
Words By Sean Berry of Videomaker
This extra-long fire season has left Northern California devastated. The Camp Fire burned through Butte County and destroyed the entire town of Paradise. Evacuees have been displaced and the road to recovery will be long and hard.
The Camp Fire is officially the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California's history. It ignited November 8th, 2018, and wasn't fully contained until November 25th. In its nearly three week lifespan, the fire killed 85 people and destroyed almost 14,000 homes, leaving the entire community of Paradise displaced all across Butte County, California, and - for some - the country.
Paradise was a peaceful and beautiful town before the fire; there was no better name for such a place. After the fire, the tranquil town is almost unrecognizable. Videomaker, a magazine media company which focuses on video technology and technique, is located only 15 minutes from Paradise. They went to Paradise before the evacuations were lifted with a few GoPros to document the destruction:
The footage is hard to watch knowing what the town used to be. During the time of our shoot, many Paradise residents had not yet confirmed whether their homes had survived the fire. The evacuation orders are now being lifted in phases, but many are still unable to return. Unfortunately, even after all evacuation orders are lifted, much of the community will still be left homeless with nowhere to go.
360 video offers a unique perspective
It's no surprise that the Camp Fire has attracted the attention of both local and national media outlets. Professional and amateur journalists alike have done their best to record the devastation of the fire using everything from cell phones to camcorders to drones and even law enforcement body cams. All over the web, photos and videos document the destruction and recovery efforts and animated graphics give context to statistics about the fire.
But despite this extensive documentation, nothing can convey the emotional impact of this historic fire quite as well as immersive 360-degree video. 360 video gives viewers the ability to look around the scene and focus on specific areas of interest, making it especially well-suited communicating the deep and lasting impact the Camp Fire has had on the town of Paradise. We hope this perspective will emphasize the community's urgent and on-going need for assistance.
The fire may be out, but the crisis has just begun
The Camp Fire has left a huge housing crisis for Butte County and surrounding areas in its wake. 14,000 homes were destroyed in the fire, leaving tens of thousands homeless. Officials have declared a state of emergency in their homeless shelters, and federal funding is needed to help temporarily house the evacuees.
Butte County already had a homeless problem before the fire with about a homeless population of around 2,000 prior to the fire, with half of them not using the emergency shelters and transitional housing. That's according to a report by the Butte Countywide Homeless Continuum of Care. Now, the number of homeless has skyrocketed.
Jennifer Griggs, the Continuum of Care coordinator, said that after the fire not only did all of that vacancy rate get swooped up right away but now it's even more of a challenge to find any type of housing for anybody, regardless of their housing status prior.
Simply put, there's just not enough housing in Butte County to house the Paradise evacuees. The number of people seeking housing in the county has greatly increased since the fire and it seems nearly impossible to find options. Many have had to camp in make-shift campsites around the county, one of those places being a Walmart parking lot in the nearby town of Chico. FEMA is helping put evacuees into hotels and giving out money out for rental housing, but there's simply nothing out there to rent.
Its a heartbreaking situation that currently has no clear answer.
A long road to recovery
There are efforts to rebuild the town of Paradise, but it will undoubtedly take years. But many of the residents can't imagine living anywhere else, but there are some that are wary to return because of the high fire danger of the area. The question on many people's minds is whether or not it's safe to rebuild in Paradise - not to mention the trauma and healing process that prevents many residents from wanting to rebuild.
California has been stricken by severe drought for years. More frequent and more powerful wildfires have become the norm in the state. Nevertheless, there are ways to rebuild Paradise will make the town much safer and resistant to fire. More escape routes can be built, fuel breaks can be made and buildings can be created with more fire-resistant materials and design features.
A quarter of Videomaker's staff was displaced by the fire, and many lost their homes. They've set up a fundraising effort to support their staff and former staf
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
13/11/2026
The UIM E1 Series wraps its third season this week with the Bombay Sapphire E1 Miami GP, Nov. 11-14, on Biscayne Bay at the Miami Seaplane Base on Watson Island...
13/11/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
13/11/2026
Singer-songwriter Benson Boone will headline entertainment for the Discover NHL Winter Classic between the Utah Mammoth and Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles St...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design has announced the Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone, a 7th order ambisonic microphone array that captures spatial audio for immersive video prod...
13/11/2026
SMPTE has announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infrastructure and communications technology for the Solutions Hub at t...
13/11/2026
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has announced the theme and program focus for the 2027 HPA Tech Retreat, which takes place Feb. 14-18, 2027, in La ...
13/11/2026
Football Manager 27 Touch is available on Apple Arcade starting today. The game ...
13/11/2026
MotoGP has announced a two-year media rights agreement with ESPN covering the Un...
13/11/2026
Apple Sports, the free iPhone app, has added the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to its lineup of supported sports, in time for Saturday's UFC 334. The...
13/11/2026
The NBA and Fanatics Studios, the joint venture between Fanatics and entertainme...
13/11/2026
ESPN held its annual EDGE Innovation Conference last night and offered up an ove...
13/11/2026
Regional sports network gives Ithaca College, SUNY Cortland students a platform to thrive
One of the biggest games in Division III college football will be pla...
13/11/2026
Studer-inspired 500-series PWM compressor unveiled
The HLabs range already includes a couple of Studer-inspired offerings in the form of the PRE169 and EQ16...
13/11/2026
Download Now!
To view the white paper, please enter the following details:
--
First Name* First Name
Company*
Country* Please select your countryA...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Blue Lucy, the workflow orchestration and integration platform for broadcasters, rights owners and localisation companies, today announced an integration with c...
13/11/2026
Krotos announces Black Friday offers on Studio Pro and Studio Max
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
First-year annual plans start at US$195.99...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
New 7th order ambisonic microphone with 108 MEMS...
13/11/2026
Meet the Berklee Student Setting Planetary Motion to Music With his compositional platform SoniKosmos, Javier Roqueni aims to make the universe the ultimate i...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Amagi, the media industry cloud company, today announced a partnership with Golden Times Media Technology (stock code 920021.BJ), a Beijing-based media and tech...
13/11/2026
CGI (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB), one of the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world, together with its Malaysian partner, Cedar ...
13/11/2026
SMPTE, the home for media professionals, technologists and engineers, today announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infra...
13/11/2026
iWedia, a global leader in connected TV software solutions, will present its software-first approach to DRAM optimization at Android TV APAC Summit 2026 in Bang...
13/11/2026
Beginning today, November 13, Apple HomeView is available for purchase at Apple Store locations, on the Apple Store online, and in the Apple Store app in select...
13/11/2026
From pediatric research to smart hospitals, AI is helping care teams spend less time on routine tasks and more time with patients.
Health systems and startups...
12/11/2026
Industry leaders examine how Dynamic Media Facility, Media eXchange Layer, and c...
12/11/2026
The junior Tar Heel is embracing the technical and creative challenges of live production while emerging as a leader and mentor in the control room...
12/11/2026
Gracenote, Nielsen's content intelligence business, has released its fifth a...
12/11/2026
RTL Deutschland will bring the NHL to free-to-air TV in Germany starting Nov. 30...
12/11/2026
Clear-Com supported On Air 2026, a 24-hour student-led broadcast connecting 45 u...
12/11/2026
uniqFEED has opened a Remote Operations Center (ROC) in Madrid, Spain. It is already operational, delivering virtual advertising for LaLiga matches. The ROC is ...
12/11/2026
Disney, ESPN and the NBA will present Dunk the Halls, the third real-time animated NBA game using Sony's Beyond Sports data visualization technology, on Chr...
12/11/2026
Van Wagner has launched Van Wagner RELAY, a digital platform for official athlet...
12/11/2026
Deal brings together two of the industry's most established graphics brands and significantly expands Vizrt's footprint in U.S. sports and regional broa...
12/11/2026
Euro TV Production GmbH of Austria has upgraded its outside broadcast vehicle with Lawo technology. The mc 36 Classic console in service since 2019 was replaced...
12/11/2026
Tagboard has launched Spark Resize, an AI-assisted tool now in beta that takes an existing graphic and produces a new version for a different aspect ratio or sc...
community 
