Meet Cole Pates

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cole Pates.

Cole, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am who I am today because of the world of action sports. I grew up as a skater in a small town in Eagle, CO. All I did was skate and I became obsessed with the culture. As my interest in the skating community grew so did my aspirations, first as a skater than a photographer and videographer.

Has it been a smooth road?
No, not at all… Feeling like I wouldn’t be able to survive doing what I love put me in a really difficult place. 

Bouncing from contracted work in every aspect of the photography industry just to make sure I was able to do what I really loved. On top of trying to make it work, School took up a lot of time and made it really difficult to travel and make the connections I needed to be successful in the industry. It’s a real hustle to do what I love and make sure all of the work I produce has an impactful response on my community.

We’d love to hear more about your work.
As a content creator who has been put through the ringer in all aspects of the industry, I have been able to gather the skills needed to do a lot. I specialize in action sports and travel social and long term content.

Because of my background growing up in Colorado I have developed a niche in the snow/action sports industry with follow cams. This is the act of following people in the halfpipe or going off jumps with a camera in my hand to get intimate in the moment feeling. This has allowed me to push my creativity and add my own style on creating content.

Personally, I like the feeling of being scared and understanding how the athlete is feeling. Sometimes it’s easy as a few lifestyle shots for a specific product and other times its hitting 100 ft jumps holding a camera realizing that what I am doing is not the safest for a filmer or photographer.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I think the action sports industry is still evolving and trying to find its specific path. There will always be people shooting content its just a matter of time before we are all able to take the risk out of the situation. Drones will really come into play and probably take the spotlight with the ability they provide.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.colepatesmedia.com/
• Phone: 9704015003
• Email: colepatesmedia@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colepates/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/colepatess
• Other: https://vimeo.com/colepates

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