Glenn Evans – Part 1
Adventures and History
Episode 027
Glenn Evans is a Director of Photography and Adventure Cameraman specializing in filming TV shows about Hidden Treasure, Ancient Architecture, and Endangered and Exotic Animals. Glenn has filmed in 68 countries around the world for Discovery Channel, History Channel, Netflix, ABC, and many other networks.
Born in Oregon on a blueberry farm and leaving for California to work in the film and TV industry, the camera has been Glenn’s key to world travel and adventure.
Glenn Evans – Part 1 Takeaways
- Glenn Evans has a strong passion for filmmaking, adventure, treasure hunting, and traveling.
- Glenn cut his teeth in underwater filmmaking.
- Glenn got his big break on the Animal Planet show Aquanauts.
- Glenn was involved with Whale Wars and had amazing adventures.
- One of Glenn’s biggest accomplishments was his work on Jesus Strand: A Search for DNA in 2017.
Glenn Evans – Part 1 Quotes
- “They thought, hey, what better way to teach our kids how to do things well, especially when they don’t want to do them, than work on a farm.”
- “When I got out of school, I had this fantastic small documentary narrated by Ted Danson with my footage. This helped me start my underwater career.”
- “My big break was getting a job as a director and as the director of photography for this animal planet show called the Aquanauts.”
- “Honestly, I thought for a moment…that this was going to be it. Because when you land in that water, let’s say you’re just in your swimsuit and you’re in water that cold – you’ve got 7 minutes. And then you’re going to die.
- “I think it’s important to find something that really gives you a feeling in your heart, something that gives you goosebumps.”
Show Notes
What does Glenn do?
Glenn is hired and in charge of hiring a crew and travels to the middle of nowhere, whether it be the jungle, a desert, or the ocean. He works closely with the director and discovers how they are going to capture it for the audience.
There is a lot of creativity, photography, composition, and art. The goal is to get the job done in the most beautiful way possible.
Most of the work Glenn does is international, although he has spent some time in Alaska and Arizona.
Where is Glenn from?
He grew up in Oregon on a blueberry farm. His father was a professor, and his mother was a nurse, but they loved blueberries and wanted the hard work to help shape their children.
Where did he go to college?
He went to the University of Oregon for a few years. He was a telecommunications and film writing major. At the same time, he was filming movies too. It was 3D photography shots for toys that were being made for movies.
This helped push Glenn toward photography and videography.
He also went to Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, which was one of the leading adventure photography schools in the nation.
He was majorly into underwater cinematography.
What is Glenn’s connection to SGV?
Glenn has lived in Pasadena since 1996.
He came because so many of his friends attended the Arts Center College of Design.
What happened after school?
Glenn acknowledges a lot of filmmakers come out of school thinking they are the next Spielberg when they often have to pay their dues first.
Glenn started working at a rental house and spent as much time as he could around cameras and learning cameras. He was a production assistant, getting coffee and running cables.
But, he made sure to continue working on his own creative projects to the highest quality. He tried to find indie films that just needed a kid who knew all the ins and outs of camera work.
A big break for Glenn was becoming a director of photography for an animal planet show called the Aquanauts. Even when the show disbanded, by word of mouth, Glenn’s opportunity increased.
Another big break was working with Jeff Corwin from 2001 to 2010. Their working relationship ended when Jeff signed on with CNN, and Glenn wanted to see ancient ruins, the Great Wall of China, and other adventurous sites. He signed on with Whale Wars.
What was Glenn’s experience on whale wars like?
Glenn loved his experience, and it led to some pretty amazing, although terrifying, moments.
For instance, Glenn recounts a time when he was with a group trying to stop Japanese whalers. He has nothing against the Japanese, of course, but he needed to capture his ships, trying to deter the boats from whaling.
This led to Glenn and his crew being sprayed with water and hiding behind an iceberg for over 12 hours. In fact, two of his crew members were hypothermic.
At one point, Glenn truly thought he was going to fall into the water. If that had happened, within 30 minutes, Glenn would have died.
Being saved and the pain he felt in his feet will always be something he’ll remember from that excursion.
What other shows has Glenn done?
In addition to Whale Wars, Glenn was part of the Jesus Strand: A Search for DNA, which was filmed in 2017 and has been continually played on the History Channel during Easter ever since.
He worked closely with a theologist and a scientist who were trying to discover the truth about Jesus.
