If you haven’t had the good fortune lately of experiencing an extreme and adventurous POV video in one of your news feeds, you’re missing out. GoPro, a fast-growing, U.S.-based camera company, is revolutionizing the way people capture life experiences and see the world.
Take this lion safari for example:

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In 2002, Nick Woodman, GoPro’s 38-year-old CEO, created a waterproof wrist camera as a way for amateur surfers to photograph their antics riding waves (at the time, only their professional counterparts were professionally photographed). The tiny, portable device became affectionately known as “GoPro.” After selling initial GoPro models out of his van to surf shops all around California, he later raised enough capital to create a smaller, more technologically sound product.

A budding entrepreneur, Woodman later used his GoPro to hone his video-making skills on the Formula One racetrack. While event staff tried to charge him $100 for a rental and recording fee, Woodman kept recording… and the rest is history.

Today, the GoPro brand has risen to impressive heights with professionals and novices alike. It has secured high-profile athletic sponsorships with such legendary surfers as Kelly Slater, and remained a favorite among countless content creators on YouTube. It’s even being used for research and fieldwork at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography in La Jolla, CA.

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Last November, 60 Minutes ran a segment on the rapid rise of GoPro and reported on some interesting tidbits. For one, GoPro has achieved nearly the impossible by attracting a self-promoting tribe of brand enthusiasts who are so passionate about their footage that they tag GoPro for the world to see and learn. GoPro has also made the filming of extreme adventures and sports, normally an expensive activity, affordable and accessible. GoPro’s cameras come on average with a $400 price tag and are used by network news programs like 60 Minutes for its efficiency and immediacy.

What’s also noteworthy is how the brand’s been embraced by consumer culture and elevated the way people connect and interact in the age of digital gadgetry. It stands in contrast to the inaccessible, exclusive nature held by some early-entry gadgets.
GoPro videos quickly go viral and become commercials for the brand itself. Even Woodman is amazed on a daily basis to find out how users are using their GoPro in creative ways. “I feel like in a world where we all try to figure out our place and our purpose here, your passions are one of your most obvious guides,” he told Forbes.

What’s next for the brand? Let’s start with a Super Bowl teaser ad that led to this full length video below:

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