Last year, GoPro put $1 million up for grabs for any filmmaker(s) who could show off their newest camera in action. This awesome video goes behind the scenes with one of the winners, as he explains how he won the challenge and a lot of money.
The challenge went like this: GoPro crowdsourced clips for its highlight reel for the then newly released HERO7 Black. They put $1 million on the line, and anyone who was selected got a cut of that money, with the number of selections capped at 100, guaranteeing at least $10,000 for each filmmaker who made the cut (they eventually chose 56 winners, working out to about $18,000 per filmmaker — quite the nice payday). You can watch the full highlight reel below:
Chris Rogers, featured in the top video, was one of those winners, and it's very interesting to hear his perspective. Knowing his abilities and unique perspective, he knew he had a good chance of winning one of those spots, and thus, he looked at the entire process as a calculated investment, knowing that even if he lost, he would have some great footage he could monetize in other ways. It's a very entertaining and informative watch.
I liked that. Nice if him to share and a good message. If you believe in yourself, put yourself into it.
Ignoring the competition and prize, the advert makes me want to buy a GoPro, and it reminds me of a lot of stuff that I want to do while I'm still young enough.
They're selling experience, as opposed to things.
What creativity and courage in making this movie. Well done.
So was it 18k per clip or per filmmaker? The way he was explaining the process made it seem like each clip. Either way, it's a nice payday in addition to his monetization and such.