Popular Mechanics recently did a profile on GoPro and founder Nick Woodman. Woodman has created an incredibly popular camera and line of accessories right under the noses of big digital camera companies.
“Our goal was to create a celebration of inspired humans doing rad stuff around the world.” In fact, Woodman is, to an extent, underselling the GoPro effect. The 8-year-old company not only has celebrated the antics of those inspired humans, it has also created a virtuous circle of video reinforcement that defines and motivates the culture of extreme sports. Woodman—a wave rider, race-car driver, mountain biker, and snowboarder—lives the lifestyle his indestructible cameras capture.
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It’s unlikely that the HD Hero would have emerged from a digital-imaging company. The industry’s leaders were busy trying to stuff more bells, whistles, and megapixels into shiny cameras for the masses. No matter how obsessively he looked, Woodman could not find a camera he could transform into a tough-as-nails rig that would work in any kind of action.
Read more of Guts, Glory, and Megapixels on Popular Mechanics
