This weeks featured fellow travel video blogger is Benjamin O Jenks of AdventureSauce.com . I first learned about Benjamin a couple months back when a friend of his emailed me a link to his most successful video to date. At the time, they contacted me and a bunch of other people in attempts to make this video that he had been working on for 2 years become a viral video. To date he currently has 136,000+ views with many of those being in the first week. Not a bad effort if I do say so myself seeing as how my most successful video currently sits around 21,000 views.
Since then he has been a video making machine and has started on a new adventure hitchhiking around the states and currently has 33 videos for your viewing pleasure. This is a travel video blogger you might not of heard of yet as he is just new to the scene but you will definitely hear more about him soon.
Who: Benjamin O Jenks
What: www.AdventureSauce.com Twitter: @BenjaminOJenks
Facebook: Facebook.com/AdventureSauce Youtube: www.YouTube.com/AdventureSauce
Vimeo: Vimeo.com/AdventureSauce
You should watch: Extreme Mountain Biking in Banff: Why you should too!
1. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your website and what got you motivated to start traveling? How did you get the travel bug?
My Nana took me, my retainer, and my fanny pack to Portugal when I was in the sixth grade. She snuck me on a senior citizen tour (the groans were audible when “A KID” walked on the bus). They loved me by the end though, even though I was destroying them at Bingo. I learned the fun of travel.
2. Of all of the people I have interviewed so far you are the newest to the game (your Adventure Sauce YT Channel was created only 5 months ago), yet you have 900+ subscribers 205,000+ views and 26 videos. What is the secret to your success? Spill the beans.
I put a lot of time into one video. It took me about 2 years to make my first video. It is quick, easy to watch, and inspirational.
If I was starting out now or if I had a channel and I wanted more viewers, I would come up with and execute a viral video.
Then I created the conditions where I must succeed at this… there are no other options. I went all in. I took money out of my 401k (retirement fund) and I spend my days making videos as I travel.
3. Why did you decide to work with video in your website and blog?
I was born to make videos. My brain just notices beautiful shit, wherever I go. I want to share this beauty with the people that miss it.
4. People that know me know that I have issues with videos made from still photos only, however you have lots of success with a video made from stills being your most popular video ~ thoughts?
When you get over that, Cailin, you will be a better filmmaker. :) The more you focus on making the best videos… the better. For my video with only stills, photographs told the perfect story.
(Editors note: ha! if that’s what you think…. ;) not gonna happen, to each his own. Not saying I don’t think they are not awesome but they just shouldn’t be considered the same thing or equal to a real video with moving image, it needs its own category. )
5. Aside from yourself, do you have any favourite people that make travel videos? Anyone that has inspired you or whom you just enjoy good content from?
No one has blown me away. Though I do inspire to be as relaxed in front of the camera as Anthony Bourdain one day.
My favorite video is my hitchhiking stop motion video. Many of these people are very special to me, even though they all zoom by in less than 163 seconds.
Nope. I was always the guy with a camera around my neck wherever I went though. The years of training my “eye” has definitely helped. The lack of experience seems to help my mission to make really inspirational videos in my own style. I don’t see establishing shots… I see beautiful moments.
8. Do you have any tips for other people who are wanting to start making travel videos?
Yes. Start now. Don’t worry about making perfect videos. Just make videos as soon as possible.
9. What equipment do you use? Camera? Editing program? Type of computer?
I carry all my equipment in my backpack. I use a Nikon D5100 and a GoPro Hero. I have an HD video camera in my glasses as well (for hitchhiking videos). I edit my videos with Final Cut Pro X and use a Macbook Pro.
10. Vimeo or Youtube?
I’m going to vote Vimeo, even though I have yet to explore it fully. I can tell that is where my crowd is.
11. What are your best tips to give people to promote their own videos?
12. How long do you suggest a video should be 2min? 10min? A good length to keep people watching but not bore them?
Shoot for 2 minutes. A little longer, if things are interesting. Be ruthless though and not enthralled by your own images. (It helps to make a video, and then go back to it in a few days… when your creation “high” is over).
Not a lot. I like to dive into shooting a video and develop it as I go.
14. Music is often a difficult thing to find for videos, do you have any sites that you recommend for people to get free music from?
ccMixter and Magnatune.com are the sites I use the most. I’m very picky about my music.
No. It sucks. Finding a place to do voice-overs has been the biggest challenge. I usually will sit on a street somewhere and do them.
16. Do you think you will continue to make videos once you stop traveling? Will you ever stop traveling?
I will be traveling for 5 years and I have no idea what will happen in this trip. I know I won’t be the same person when I finish though. I will finish too. I want to join a community I love and invest in it down the line.
17. So far most of your travels seem to be based in North America, do you see yourself going elsewhere in the near future?
Yes. I want to go everywhere.
18. Do you think hitchhiking will always be a part of the way you travel?
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