I watch ninjas.
Every year there are more video ninjas out there exploring the nooks and crannies of the world with their cameras in hand. They lug cameras to shoot transcontinental documentaries. They view the dingy, ephemeral world of the backpacker as a medium for creative expression. They document the love and the pursuit of travel that inspires us to dig deeper at home and abroad.
Here are 11 channels I will be watching closely in 2011.
But I got my eye on you too.
Lonely Planet TV
Lonely Planet TV has been a mainstay for travel videos for years and the LP YouTube channel is a great way to connect to awesome content. You should watch Lonely Plant because of the steady influx of travel content that makes its way to the channel. With nearly 250 uploads already you probably have some catching up to do.
Josh Leo
Josh’s travel videos are well produced and down to earth. I especially like the content he has created from Turkey and his view of the bone church of Kutna Hura. It is videos like this; simple, fun and in the interest of curiosity, that I like best about Josh’s style. Whatever he has planned for 2011 i am sure it will be awesome.
Wanderlusts is a young family of true vagabonds that have traveled to Africa, South America and Asia producing great videos. What started as a 2 year honeymoon over 40 countries is now a way of life as their Youtube channel continues to evolve and their journeys take them in new directions.
Emil Kaminski
What can you say about Monkeetime, Emil’s YouTube channel and the massive body of travel videos it entails? It is ballsy, brash, compelling, funny and ingratiatingly addictive. Emil’s propensity for bad mannered backpacker antics and his love of video collides into an impromptu adventure that is a lot of fun.
Joshua Morin
I really enjoyed Josh’s Egypt series we recently featured. Beautifully shot and well edited, I was immersed in each installment. His clean images and professional quality are indicative of a culture on Vimeo that embraces a higher standard of video. I look forward to seeing what else he can pull out of his hat in 2011.
Reel Water Productions, a Seattle outfit responsible for the kick ass series The Season, are redefining what adventure sport video can look like. By telling compelling stories and utilizing inventive camera techniques they set the beautiful,natural back drop of their videos in stark contrast to your typical kayak or mountain bike video.
Anthony & Elise are the kind of cute couple that give you the warm and fuzzies. They have also been vlogging their way across The globe for a year or so, filling a YouTube channel with travel videos. Currently in Kathmandu, I imagine we can expect fun and uplifting content from them for some time to come.
You can count on Mark Shea’s vids to be educational, professional and shot with an eye for detail. As The Overlander Mark creates video guides that feature locals sharing their hometown secrets and a first hand account of countries. Mark’s chops as a filmmaker are apparent and if you haven’t subscribed to his YouTube channel by now you need to head there are you are done tweeting this blog.
Life in Reverse
I just got wise to the Life in Reverse boys and their surf / video journey. So far I am impressed by every aspect. The production value and story are great, not to mention they are shooting editing and uploading from the road. I expect fantastic things from this Life in Reverse in ’11.
What can I say, the content produced by Vice, whether under the Vice Travel banner or not, is fucking rad.