Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cameron Sabin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Cameron, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?

The idea for National Park Diaries actually percolated in my head long before it became a reality. The earliest “idea” that I can trace directly to what National Park Diaries would become actually came to me when I was in college. I was a Conservation Biology major and had come to develop a love for educating and teaching. I knew I wanted to do something that involved conservation education and helping people to understand the power of conserving our planet’s natural resources. So, I came up with this idea for a blog where I would tell “Conservation Stories,” but really took it no further than that. Fast forward a few years and I’m hiking in Croft State Park, in my home state of South Carolina. Admittedly, we got a little lost and stumbled upon a random cemetery in the middle of the woods. I was immediately intrigued. What was this place’s story? What was its history? How had humans impacted this landscape? So many thoughts went barreling through my mind and the idea of telling “Conservation Stories,” dormant in my head for so long, returned once again. Except this time, I wanted it to focus on State Parks – and I wanted to make it a video series. Surely, if Croft State Park had a place this interesting nestled deep in its woods, other State Parks around the country certainly had stories worth telling as well. Plus, I felt the “market” for stories about State Parks was underserved. And that’s how National Park Diaries almost started off as State Park Diaries – I even have a script written, sitting on my computer, for a story about Aiken State Park here in South Carolina! But, somewhere along the way, once again, the idea never came to fruition. Except this time, instead of sitting dormant in my brain for years, the idea evolved – and quickly. I had a brain blast, of sorts. All of a sudden, I had this epiphany, that, it’s not State Parks I should be focusing on, but National Parks. National Parks have National implications, and I felt that, by focusing on them, I could tell impactful stories that would allow me to explore the broader relationships between humans and their environment. It all came together at that point. A YouTube series that helped people understand the wonders of conservation, with stories told through the lens of National Parks. This too, was an underserved market. Most YouTube content that talks about National Parks only focuses on “how to” guides or vlogs, but I was interested in telling deeply researched, short form documentaries and explainers that helped visitors understand and appreciate why National Parks were so special in the first place, and again to explore the broader context of humans and nature. The rest, as they say, is history. National Park Diaries launched in March of 2021 and was really the culmination of several years of thinking I’d been doing on how to tell “Conservation Stories” in a way that best suited my interests and creativity.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

National Park Diaries is an educational YouTube channel that focuses on exploring the world of conservation through the lens of, mostly, National Parks. I create short-form documentaries and explainers that help people understand the broader social, cultural, political, biological, ecological, and geological landscapes that our National Parks and protected areas exist in. Essentially, I see National Parks as a way of exploring the broader human story and our place in the natural world. I’m not a filmmaker by training, and really, I see myself more as an educator. Filmmaking is the medium through which I’ve chosen to tell my stories, but at the heart of it all is really a desire to teach and to educate people about the power of National Parks, protected areas, and conservation more broadly. When I was first starting National Park Diaries, I noticed that there wasn’t really a lot of content that talked about National Parks in this way. I saw a lot of guides and vlogs, but not a lot of content that, from my perspective, really helped people understand why our National Parks were so special and worth protecting in the first place. I felt that, with my background, education, and approach to conservation, I could fill that “niche,” especially on YouTube. Ultimately, what I want people to take away from my videos is the ability to understand National Parks and protected areas on a deeper level, and hopefully, to be able to use that newfound knowledge in a way that helps protect our National Parks for the future.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

This isn’t something I necessarily thought I would find when starting National Park Diaries, but I’ve come to really value the power of self expression. At the beginning, National Park Diaries was purely an educational venture, but the more videos I created, the more of myself I put into them. At this point, I often find myself processing my own thoughts and feelings on National Parks and conservation while producing my videos, and have learned that these videos teach me as much about myself as I get to teach other people about National Parks.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think people have come to really trust the information I put out there with my videos. Obviously, I’m telling documentary-style stories, with a heavy reliance on facts and information. If my goal is to educate people and teach them, I have to make sure that I’ve developed a reputation as a reliable storyteller. I’d like to think I’ve done that, and set myself apart through a commitment to deeply researched stories and critical analysis. Ultimately, it’s about trust. Because I’m creating documentary-style content, my audience has to trust that I’ve put in the work to make sure the information I’m giving them is correct, and I have to trust that they’re going to think critically about that information and hold me accountable. It works both ways and I think my commitment to quality really resonates with my audience and has made me one of the go-to National Parks channels on YouTube.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/nationalparkdiaries/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-sabin/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nationalparkdiaries