How Exploring Nature Became My New Filmmaking Career After 12 Years
Filmmaker & Content Creator
21k+ Subs
@StoryDrivenHobbies
6.4 million views
110 Videos
4.96k Subs
@StoryDrivenThomas
250K views
32 videos
450 Subs
@StoryDrivenNature
100k views
1 video
BFA & MFA
Screenwriting & Film Production
New York Institute of Technology
3x Winner
Best Wedding Videography
12 years
I Started Making Nature Travel Films After 12 Years of Filming Weddings
Before I ever started filming weddings I was a full-time content creator/YouTuber. I started making YouTube content in 2009 and more consistently around 2010/11. My first channel that took off was my aquarium channel @StoryDrivenHobbies. Eventually I became interested in filming events. For 12 years, I made my living as an awarding winning event filmmaker. I got to travel to the world, film celebrity events, and was even the Director of Photography for a Documentary called Travel & Truth in Ghana West Africa.
For my event work, I was fortunate enough to win and be nominated for awards from several prestigious magazines, and I'm proud of the career I built. But toward the end of 2025, I decided it was time to retire from weddings and try something different.
One of the things about being a wedding filmmaker (or a freelance filmmaker in general) that people probably don't think about is how much time you spend sitting behind a computer. I was filming about 30+ weddings a year and while I was at the wedding between 8 - 15 hours. Editing them took about 40 hours+.
Over the years, I became less active, and wasn't taking care of myself as well as I should have. So in 2024 I started hiking and I immediately fell in love with it. So I started thinking about what it would look like if I could combine my love for filmmaking with my growing interest in exploring nature.
From Wedding Films to Travel Films
That's why I created my YouTube channel @StoryDrivenNature and my love for creating travel films began.
Even before I started filming weddings I was always bringing cameras on family vacations.
Looking back at old footage of my family, one of the things that stands out to me is how quickly time passes.
Our daughter grew up faster than I expected, and I'm glad I have those memories recorded.
I made a film about a trip to Cumberland Island, Georgia, with my wife and daughter. It was my first time visiting the island in years and their first time experiencing it.
This trip was the main reason I wanted to create a channel where I could visit beautiful nature destinations, travel with my family, document my experiences, and also share those places and experiences with people who might want to explore them themselves.
Sometimes that might mean traveling to a Caribbean island and spending several days exploring rainforests, waterfalls, and botanical gardens.
Other times, it might mean discovering places right here in Georgia that I've lived near for years but never visited.
I still get to do what I've always enjoyed: tell stories, meet interesting people, and document experiences worth remembering.
The biggest difference is that now my filmmaking is also giving me a reason to get outside and explore more of the natural beautiful our world offers all around us.
