GoPro Captures My Attention

A few weeks ago, I was flying back from Vegas on a Sunday and (shockingly) didn’t have the energy to do anything more than watch TV on the Virgin America flight. I stumbled across one channel that just played a bunch of GoPro content on loop — and I watched it the entire flight, all 90 minutes. I don’t have Cable TV at home and rarely watch shows, so this was unusual for me. I couldn’t stop watching. There were some clips that covered extreme sports that aren’t in my core interest areas, but the rest of the content was captivating.

I was reminded of all this again as I read the news today about GoPro going public soon. It’s a darling story from many angles. It will be a multibillion dollar outcome and done so without venture capital. It’s also morphing into a content company, built on top of the technology they put into their HD cameras. I think everyone gets that, or will eventually.

For me, the cool part about the company and technology is that its enabling individuals to capture more videos and from vantage points unseen before. Then, all of that raw footage needs to be spliced and stitched together by a storyteller, set to music, in the right order. The results can be moving. The video above is just one example — a primatologist who has devoted his life to rescuing and rehabilitating injured or lost/orphaned orangutans. There are so many more. One of my favorites is a story about a couple who fell in love in South Africa while trying to rescue injured Cape Vultures. Stories so moving, only possible now because we all get to see the world from a different point of view.

After this flight, I subscribed to the GoPro YouTube Channel (707 videos) and often watch it via AirPlay when I’m home and trying to unwind for a bit. It’s often better than anything I remember from TV or on Netflix (though Bourdain’s show is awesome). Anyway, if you have a favorite GoPro link from YouTube, please do share it here. I want to make sure I see it.