Impressive, the company itself hasn’t been around for that long. Everyone knows that GoPro cameras undergo tons of rigor to live up to the expectations of lifelong supporters, and consumers.
It is truly amazing to see what the company, GoPro Inc., has done in just over a decade. Nicholas Woodman started the company following a 2002 surf trip to Australia. In his mind he wanted to capture high quality action shots of his surfing. The biggest dilemma was that amateur photographers could not get close enough to surfers that wanted to hit the big waves. Professional photographers had to be surfers to get the right shots, which often meant very few would qualify.
At the beginning, Woodman initially raised money for his company by selling bead and shell belts for what we would call “pocket-money”. This was done right out of his Volkswagen VW van. Woodman had the innate ability to market his products, he started selling straps and parts for surfers. By 2004, Woodman’s company had sold its first camera system, which still serves as the core aesthetics of the HERO HD camera.
Many adore and get inspired by the history of GoPro. Now here are 10 Things that will surely impress you!
1 – In May 2013 the Guinness World Records
2 – Directors and Filmmakers are preferring GoPro cameras due to its extremely high stream-rate making it indispensable as a POV camera. According to Michael Bay, there were crates of GoPro cameras on the set of Pain & Gain
3 – The GoPro was originally created for surfing and getting the gnarly pro camera angles. That is where the name comes from.
4 – After two failed start-ups, Nicholas Woodman was tired of losing other people’s money. He decided to fund his own company by selling beads and shell belts out of the back of his VW van.
5 – Nicholas Woodman and his wife donated 5.82 million shares to the Jill & Nicholas Woodman Foundation in 2014.
6 – In 2014, GoPro is worth in excess of $3.1 billion USD.
7 – In 2012, the company sold 2.3 million cameras and grossed $521 million USD.
8 – GoPro is now looking to turn itself into a media company. GoPro has an app on Xbox
9 – The motto that drove Woodman to fame was originally on his mother’s refrigerator panel;
“Life shrinks or expands according to one’s courage.” – Anais Nin
10 – As of September 2014, GoPro had 869 full-time employees. Since the initial public offering, the company has grown in staff to substantially respond to the demand in the market.
Featured image via GoPro
