Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Shane Reynolds. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Shane, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
I feel like there’s too much negativity in the world that’s compounded in the media and even more online. The mission statement for my production company, Color Earth, is “Bring a positive light to the darkest corners and the world will shine.” This means that for over 20 years I have traveled the world producing, shooting, and editing content that shows the bright side of misunderstood places and the wildlife within them. That requires going to countries that most Americans fear (e.g El Salvador, Saudi Arabia, etc), looking for ways to immerse into the natural gifts that they offer (surfing, diving, etc) and wrapping it into an inspiring visual package to educate and inspire others to follow. The same goes for getting up close and personal with misunderstood animals (sharks, snakes, etc) to show how connected we all truly are. So my FAVORITE project has been this lifelong mission of getting far enough outside of my comfort zone that it becomes comfortable…making it possible to push even farther.
Shane, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
When I first dove into the world of professional production, I had a couple of unusual yet game-changing opportunities in the late 90s. The first was shooting an American pop singer in the Philippines who was touring leprosy colonies to comfort the suffering…and we ultimately learned about a cure, and two kids were adopted by the producer. The second gig was shooting refugee camps in Albania/Bosnia during the Kosovo crisis…and we ultimately found and followed a funny guy from New York who quit his banking job to tour the camps with a clunky TV/karaoke machine just to provide a moment of fun and entertainment in an otherwise joyless place. These countries and cultures were stunningly beautiful, too. So I was inspired to continue on this path of finding unique “diamonds in the rough” and sharing them with the world. After sifting through the dark and ugly sides of “marketable” content I found that there was endless amounts of adventure, beauty, and inspiration that was going untapped. So my personal goal was to tap into as much of it as I possibly could, and my professional goal was to somehow get paid for creating visual representations of these experiences that were worthy enough to give viewer the same incredible feeling I had.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I started off wanting to do a little bit of everything, but in the late 90s of production you had to pick one thing. When I started Color Earth in 2022 I did the one-man-band thing out of necessity. because I was working in such a small market in Northwest Florida, aka LA (Lower Alabama). But I established a mobile production model that led to hosting, producing, directing, and editing my own show for Travel Channel (Not Your Average Travel Guide) and. Nat Geo Wild (Shane Untamed) shortly after that. With my 40s looming, I was thankful to be able to work with larger crews on more established shows with bigger names attached. But when drones started getting more common (around 2012), I pivoted to more of a specialty camera role and marketed myself less as a production company and more of a contractor that could handle multiple roles on set (drone + underwater, gimbals + VR, etc). But my biggest pivot came about 5 years ago when I had to decide if I was going to be the old TV guy unwilling to change, or if I was going to embrace vertical shooting and the new styles of social media. I thankfully chose the latter, and now my life is constantly evolving in ways that keep me so inspired that it feels like I’m just getting started. In many ways it’s come full circle, as I do so much on my own again, but the community of talent I find myself connected to and collaborating with these days makes it a whole new world. And I’m here for it.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I think non-creatives believe that the respect and admiration they have for artists are non-reciprocal. But the grass is ALWAYS greener. I learned in my 20s that my health was directly affected to the work I was doing. So doing my own thing wasn’t a brave choice, it was simply my only option. If I didn’t choose it I would be dead by now. But my brothers, for example, are more than capable of such a lifestyle, and they live it to the fullest. What non-creatives don’t understand about creative people is that they MUST create, and that need never stops, sometimes to a fault. So when we look at people that can clock out at work and literally shut that part of their brain down, allowing them to travel, to be fully present with their family, give back to communities, etc. believe me, there is a deep envy I have for that. So I think it’s all a matter playing the hand we are dealt in life the best way we can, and finding gratitude for the game.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.colorearth.tv
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colorearthpro/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ColorEarth
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colorearth
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/ShaneReynolds
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@colorearth2o
Image Credits
All photos taken by Romona Robbins of Romona Robbins Photography