It Is Only The Beginning

It Is Only The Beginning

October 12, 2013

October 7th was the first day of the tour.  Austin Texas….. it is a pretty awesome town.  It is similar to San Francisco but more Space and less hills.  It has that fun city feel with people all around.  But it is way to hot and humid for a California kid like myself.  There is also no ocean near Austin so that right there drops it down a full 2 points in my book.  They do have a nice lake so they get a point back for that. All in all it is definitely a place worth visiting.

Tulsa Oklahoma was the second stop on our tour.  Total 180 of Austin Texas. We went to Oral Roberts University, a small private Christian school with an enrollment of less than 3,500 students.  The students that we met made us all feel very welcomed and the trip worth it.  I met a girl name Lauren who was literally the female version of me.  Has the same aspiration for photography and had that go after it mentality on life.  Everyday is opportunity to do something great and exciting, why not take advantage of it?  Who knows you might just meet a life long friend or make a memory that will last forever.

It is now October 12th, only 5 days out but it feels like it has been weeks.  Living on a tour bus is a completely different lifestyle than what I’m used to.  Everyday has a surprise awaiting, some good and some not so good but they have all made this experience so much more exciting.  From a blown out tire to walking down the aisle behind an olympian in an MMA fight. The mystery that lies ahead every day gives this joyful feeling that I’m living and not just breathing.  The best part is that I get to share this experience with 5 other guys.  I will introduce a few of them and the rest later. There is Kash from Houston Texas.  He is the founder of Besomebody, former GoPro and P&G employee. He started besomebody as a personal mantra.  On his blog he explains how it came about.

He started using the hashtag #besomebody years back in 2009 while traveling the globe building some of the worlds biggest brands, businesses and causes.  It came to life through the people he met, the stories they shared, and the universal truths that connected the two.  Over the past 4 years it has grown from one man’s mantra, to an active blog, to a passionate community, to today, the most diverse and inclusive social media-driven Movement in the world (www.besomebodyblog.com for the complete story).

Then there is Mike from Nashville Tennessee.  He is Kash’s right hand man. Kash and him probably spent the most time together while on this tour so far.  He sits shoty on the the bus making sure Kash stays entertained while driving across the country and is also the backup driver.  Mike is a good people person and is very motivated.  If we get done working at 1am then he won’t go to bed till at least 2am.  He will take that last hour to make sure he gets his workout in. Mike has a dream to one day document the lives of professional athletes.  Waking up when they wake up, and do everything they do from workouts to meals.  He stays in tip top shape so that he is always ready for that phone call.

I spend most of the time while we are on the bus editing and going over videos with Andy.  Andy is a BMX rider from Milwaukee Wisconsin.  He is the other video guy and him and I work together capturing the tour. There is a lot that goes into making a video and the more we shoot together the better we will be at complementing each others work.  It has definitely been a pleasure working side by side with him so far and excited to see what we can develop together as a team.

One of the coolest parts of my job is that I’m a pilot.  I get to fly around a phantom quad copter by remote everywhere we go with a GoPro on a gimbal attached to it.  It took some getting use to and I still have a lot more time to become great at it, but until then I will try not to injure anyone to bad.

Last night I got to film my first MMA fight and meet Henry Cejudo.  Gold medalist in the 2008 Beijing olympics at the age of 21 (youngest american wrestler to win a gold medal).  He is now 26 and has such an inspiring look on life.  Every time he fights he donates a good amount of his earnings to the make a wish foundation.  Talking to him personally before and after the fight was an honor.

There are somethings in life that don’t come easy.  Going after that girl you can’t seem to get out of your mind, going to school and pulling all nighters studying for that dream job, training to run your first marathon, or working as hard as you can to perform great in your sport or whatever it is you do.  It won’t be easy and if it was then the that feeling that you get when you reach that goal would not feel the way it does.  You have to give up certain things.  It takes time, commitment and sometimes even a large risk but if it is something that you truly want and love then go for it.  Always push yourself and always go after your passion.  You owe it to yourself to make your life the life you dream of….. Besomebody!

-greg