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Part I of III - The career of an adventure filmmaker 
Each Year, I might have three expeditions, each one the trip of a lifetime." - Adventure filmmaker Michael Brown has stood atop the summit of Everest twice, tied into a solid wall of ice deep in the heart of a glacier, kayak surfed off of Easter Island, huddled in a snow cave he dug himself 22,000 ft up Mount Pumori, and traversed a Chilean rainforest so thick the team averaged less than one mile per day; all of which he did with a camera atop his shoulder. Michael has three Emmys and numerous other awards, including one from the prestigious Banff Festival of Mountain Films to his credit.
Filmmaking 101 Michael grew up in a family of filmmakers and was often taken along on shoots as free help. He credits his older brother Gordon with pushing him to get more involved, "He would put a camera in my hands even though I was intimidated by it." Though initially uncertain how proficient he was, Michael's talent was affirmed after seeing his footage in a National Geographic special. Not soon after, Michael and Gordon started their own company and made of television commercials. Michael soon found himself sitting out the open door of a helicopter with his feet resting on one of the skids below. Eventually he relocated to California where he once again forfeited a paycheck for experience and cut his teeth editing on an Avid system working for a PR firm. When the full-time editor unexpectedly left, Michael was ready to step up. Though the work was not as exciting as he would have wanted, he did have the opportunity to do some on-location work behind the scenes for a big Vegas show. No, rest assured, he was not involved in any way with the box office flop, “Showgirls.” Back in Colorado The call of the wild overtook Michael and he left sunny California for the snowy slopes of his home state, Colorado. The next five years of his life were spent working with an adventure film company in Aspen, traveling to the farthest reaches of the earth, coming home with amazing footage, and winning awards. Despite occasional harassment from friends, Michael keeps them all prominently displayed on a shelf next to his video editing station in his house. Tomorrow more about Michael's own company, Serac Adventure Films, what adventure means to him, and some of his favorite projects... DD-ExplorersWeb |