RL1: Tino Specht on Working For National Geographic, Red Bull and Adidas Outdoors

Watch Tino's videos and get the full show notes at redefinedlife.com/1

Tino has successfully combined his passion for whitewater kayaking and video production to create an amazing life for himself while lifting up the people around him in the process.

Coming up in the world of whitewater kayaking, Tino was often told "there is no money in kayaking."  Undeterred, he continued to hone his paddling and video skills on the best whitewater rivers in the world and surround himself with mentors who could guide him on his untraditional path.

Tino's award winning personal project "Unknown", a series of video profiles on upcoming stars in the whitewater world, is a prime example of Tino's hard work, dedication to his craft and generous desire to highlight the achievements of those around him.  More recently, he has been working on a new series, Legends.  The first Legend he profiles is none other than our guest on episode 2 of the Redefined Life Podcast, Jeff Shapiro.

By setting up shop near Santiago, Chile, he was able to make a name for himself competing in a market full of opportunity and primed for expansion.  Tino billed his company, Nomade Media, as an adventure media provider.  Eventually, the hard work paid off as he has earned the attention of clients like National Geographic, Red Bull and Adidas Outdoors.

Tino's generosity and skills as a paddler, cameraman and editor enable him to get the shots nobody else could.

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In this episode Tino shares:

• What it's like to paddle a kayak over an 80 foot waterfall.
• How he deals with the fear of working with high profile companies like Adidas and Redbull at age 26.
• How making a career out of your passion can help you succeed.
• A roadmap for how to start learning video production.
• How storytelling impacted the success of his videos.
• The benefits of making genuine connections with people.
• How a network of mentors can help you in unexpected ways.
• How to constructively deal with feedback.
• How to become a "sponge for cool".
• How he overcame nerves on his first project with Redbull.
• The benefit of knowing exactly what your client needs.
• How a strong vision helps overcome self doubt.
• How personal projects lead to working with Redbull in Latin America even before he could speak Spanish.
• How add-ons can powerfully separate you from your competition.
• How to impress your clients.
• How he created his ideal work environment.
• The most important thing to do when starting a media production company.
• How starting a business in a foreign country can help you beat the competition.
• What he thinks of backup plans and how to make yourself resilient.
• The dark side of entrepreneurship.
• Why it's important to learn how to camp.

People/Companies

Mauricio Ramos, Photographer - 500px

David Hughes / Patagonia Study Abroad - http://patagoniastudyabroad.com/

Eric Parker, Photographer - Website,Facebook

Shifted Cinema - Website

Places

Cascada de las Animas Resort, Santiago, Chile

Music in this episode: I Dunno by Grapes