Today we’d like to introduce you to David McGowan.
David, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve been a filmmaker for the last 35 years. I was nominated for an Academy Award Best Documentary Short Subject for a film called “Mark of the Maker” in 1991. I began my career as an electrician on “The Blues Brothers”. I worked the Joliet prison and Dixie Mall scenes. When the film format collapsed in the 1990s I had to learn computer editing which was a huge hurdle for my career. In 2000 with new digital camera and editing system I decided to devote my business to environmental and conservation films. Our first project was filming all life, from bacteria to bats, in caves in the Hoosier National Forest. We filmed in over fifty caves, sometimes living underground for days at a time. Traveled to Uganda for a client, Envirovet, to film wildlife veterinarians working with mountain gorillas and lions. Spent 3 weeks in a dugout canoe for a project in Venezuela for the Field Museum, ended up at the foot of Angel Falls, drank spit beer made by the indigenous people. Recently produced a film about bats in National Parks; Acadia, Devils Tower, Escalante, and Yosemite. Had to climb Devils Tower to look for bats in the cracks of the cliff face. It’s been a wonderful yet challenging career.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest challenge was adapting to changing technology. It’s hard for youth to understand just how difficult it was to learn computer editing when before computers you actually had to cut and splice film. But once I mastered it, I never wanted to go back. Technology has offered miraculous tools for the modern filmmaker that only someone who had struggled with the old ways would understand.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Ravenswood Media – what should we know?
Ravenswood Media specializes in nature, wildlife, environmental, and conservation issues. I planted our flag in that ecosystem 15 years ago and never wavered. It is how we are defined. I’m very proud to be a part of something that I passionately believe in even though it’s been a tough ride. Not many people could ride out the brutal ups and downs of this narrow niche. Our programs are built from interviews and we don’t use narrators.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Stubbornness. Perseverance. Welcoming attitude to new people and ideas.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ravenswoodmedia.com
- Phone: 312-356-9099
- Email: mcgowan@ravenswoodmedia.com
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