This week, we’re taking the opportunity to feature one of the incredibly talented content creators who will be joining us at Overland Expo PNW in Redmond. Aaron King, who you may know as @deepsnap, is an adventure photographer and filmmaker who drives around the western parts of North America, capturing stunning landscapes and wildlife. His unique style and captivating videos have garnered him more than a million followers on social media. In addition to the success of his personal video content, Aaron was the creator of YouTube’s 2020 Super Bowl commercial and has done commercial work with dozens of major brands. In his seminar, “How to Make Your Travel Films More Cinematic,” attendees will see firsthand why Aaron’s filmmaking is so successful and will be fortunate to gain insights into how to improve their own video creation. This session will take place on Saturday morning at 10 am in the Storytelling Pavilion. Attendees can meet Aaron, check out his rig, and have a sip or two of tasty Grumpy Bear Coffee in the Creator Area throughout the weekend. To learn more about Aaron’s background and what drives his tremendous success, read below for our Q&A.
Overland Expo: Tell us about your rig:
Aaron King: 2008 Toyota Sequoia, which I built for sleep, work, and food.
I focus more on enjoying my morning coffee than I do hard-core off-roading, so the majority of the build was on the inside, where I stripped out the seats, built a new floor, slide-out kitchen, and enough space for a thick and springy mattress, which I sleep so much better on than previous temporary solutions.
It has about 140K miles and runs like a champ.
Overland Expo: What is your all-time favorite campsite?
Aaron King: There is a spot in Jackson Hole that I love. I woke up here on my third night of living in my car. I had no idea where I was since I drove in after dark. It’s not much of a secret, but you get a great view of the Tetons, and I’ve had some crazy wildlife experiences there, including a Grizzly surprise for me during a shower last year. Lots of great memories with close friends and new friends.
Overland Expo: What’s your go-to overlanding meal?
Aaron King: I’m a creature of habit, and avocado toast with eggs is something I look forward to every day. My slide-out kitchen has been upgraded with a Camp Chef Grill and I can fry some eggs and toast pretty fast. I’d cook more steaks on the cast iron, but I’m not trying to get another bear to break into my rig.
Overland Expo: How did you get started with Grumpy Bear Coffee?
Aaron King: I love coffee, but I can only drink decaf because caffeine spikes my blood pressure too much. I started curating my favorite decaf coffee from around the country and was creating a lot of mini films making coffee.
There are not a lot of good decafs out there, and I wanted to provide a craft option. We have a blend that comes in decaf, half-caff, and regular.
My background is in branding, and a high school buddy of mine imports and roasts coffee, so we partnered on a blend that I thought would be perfect to launch. It’s a mix of African and Latin American beans.
There’s also a very intentional newsletter, a film festival and I’m working on a pilot of a film called “Grumpy Bear”.
My mission is to help people feel like they are a part of something, no matter where they are.
Overland Expo: What is your best silver lining story?
Aaron King: Overlanding is my silver lining.
I’ve had two major life events since 2020 that really pushed me to where I am today.
I lost my 7-figure business due to lockdowns and ended up moving into my Sequoia and driving around trying to figure out what I’m going to do after losing it all. That gave me the freedom to adventure and begin to practice photography again. It was hard, but I saw more in the first four months than many do in a lifetime.
While I was gaining more passion for creating and getting into filmmaking, I found out I had a tumor in my leg. It took two months to find out if it was cancerous or not.
While agonizing over the looming diagnosis, a new level of freedom and urgency was unlocked in my filmmaking and I started stepping in front of the camera in a different way. A couple of videos went viral and I added 500K followers in a couple of days and have continued to connect with people who seem to be dealing with something or just need a break in their day.
I thought I lost everything because of COVID, but instead, I gained everything and could never imagine living life this way just a few short years ago.
The tumor also pushed me to launch Grumpy Bear Coffee instead of putting it off as a “one-day” goal. I just made it all happen and don’t plan on looking back.
There was no cancer, and I got it removed this past winter.
Lots of adversity, but I wouldn’t be where I’m at today without it.
READ MORE: Upgrade Your Overland Education at Overland Expo PNW
Overland Expo: What is an area of overland travel that you think you have nailed?
Aaron King: I like to focus on all the little details that keep me on the road for longer stretches of time – months. It comes down to how I organize my vehicle, capturing photos from the driver seat, always getting a “shower”, making coffee and just making sure the memories are rich and last a lifetime.
I’m a horrible mechanic. I want to learn a lot more about electrical and cars in general, there is a lot I’d like to do, but I’m still a beginner in that area. If I could weld, I would build everything I could think of. I stick to carpentry for now.
