How a work visa led to billions of views in slow motion
In short: In 2010, Gavin Free and Daniel Gruchy started a YouTube channel for a very practical reason: to secure a work visa. Today, that project, The Slow Mo Guys, has amassed over 2.2 billion views by capturing the world in high-speed detail.
Gavin Free's career is defined by a mastery of high-speed cinematography. After joining Green Door Films in 2006—the first European production house to utilize Phantom digital high-speed cameras—Free gained the technical expertise that would later define his digital presence. This technical background allowed him to transition from a data technician and camera operator into a prominent internet personality and director. His early professional experience included working on music videos for artists like U2 and The Chemical Brothers. He also contributed to the 'Everybody Hurts' charity single.
In 2010, Free co-created The Slow Mo Guys with his friend Daniel Gruchy, whom he met while working at a local Waitrose. While the series is now a global phenomenon, its origins were driven by the need for a work visa. The channel uses Phantom high-speed cameras to film various objects and stunts, a technique that earned the duo a Webby Award nomination in April 2016 and a win at the 2016 Streamy Awards for Cinematography. The duo's watermelon crushing episode even appeared on The Tonight Show in 2012. They also appeared in various YouTube Rewind videos between 2013 and 2017.
Beyond slow-motion experiments, Free has been a prolific figure at Rooster Teeth. He joined the Achievement Hunter gaming division in 2008 and eventually served as the company's creative director starting in October 2015. His versatility spans from acting in films like Lazer Team to directing seasons of the machinima series Red vs. Blue. His influence on digital media is evidenced by the massive scale of his work, with The Slow Mo Guys alone reaching over 14.2 million subscribers as of February 2022. Free's acting credits include roles in the animated series X-Ray and Vav and the film Hot Fuzz. He also provided voice work for the series RWBY.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Gavin Free
- Also: Wikidata — Gavin Free · CC0
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