STEPHEN VANDERPOOL

Well hello! Welcome! Thanks for coming by. If you have a minute, let me tell you a little about myself. But honestly, I won't be mad if you skip all this boring stuff and scroll straight down to the pictures.

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I was from Akron before Lebron made it cool. Born in a quiet suburb where Corn Country meets the Rust Belt, I spent my childhood wandering the woods and withstanding the winters of Northeast Ohio. From an early age, I was an avid reader. My first literary obsession was the Goosebumps series, which regularly kept me up past bedtime with visions of fantastical monsters and murderous ventriloquist dummies. As for films, I watched The Goonies and Star Wars so frequently the tapes broke--literally.

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Whether through writing or drawing or improvised cassette tape recordings, I was a storyteller from a young age. I purchased my first video camera at the age of 13, mainly for the purpose of recording Jackass-inspired shenanigans with my delinquent friends. When we eventually ran out of new ways to put ourselves at risk of bodily harm, I turned my energies toward narrative. My first films rarely had a script and were cut together by starting and stopping the recording on a VCR.

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I enrolled at nearby Kent State University pursuing a degree in English Literature with a writing minor. During my sophomore year, I had an epiphany. I was at my happiest while making movies; why was I not pursuing filmmaking as a career? I picked up Video Production as a second major and began to learn actual filmmaking and cinematography techniques.

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Immediately after graduation, I moved to San Francisco to work as a blogger and videographer for a tech startup. It was a good job, but after seven months working full time in an office, I needed a change. I headed to Orlando to help a friend with a film project and ended up staying for a year. I bought my first big boy camera--the Canon 5D Mark III. It was in Florida that I began shooting freelance and building a proper portfolio. 

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I moved to Los Angeles in 2013. I started my time in California by developing a fairly successful sketch comedy YouTube channel and picking up gigs as a corporate and event videographer. As I expanded my creative portfolio, I gradually transitioned into film and commercial work. I now work as a freelance cinematographer on a wide variety projects, though my passion will forever be narrative. 

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I love my life. I love what I do and who I do it with. I currently live in Sherman Oaks with my beautiful girlfriend and our chubby orange cat. Whether for work or pleasure, we're avid travelers. I enjoy hiking, backpacking, reading, beer, music and Mario Kart. Below you'll find some fun pictures from my life.

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