[Opening shot of a foggy San Francisco morning, office workers grab coffee, dog walkers pass Ocean Beach and commuters cross the Golden Gate against a misty sky. The scene is accompanied by upbeat, jazz music.] Narrator (in a playful voice): "Our story begins 28 years ago with an ordinary boy named Dante and his parents on Missouri street.” [Shot of a dusty family photo book opening to pictures of baby Dante with chubby cheeks] “And before long two new faces, Thane and Holden, join the family.” [Montage of brothers building backyard forts, having water gun battles, Bounce House birthdays and making new friends. Classic folk song plays.] “Little does 9 year old Dante know that his city life is about to be turned upside-down…” [Plane engine roars, cut to wide drone shot of a tropical coastline on the Big Island of Hawai’i. Breezy ukulele plays with rich Hawaiian singing.] “Island wonders lurk around every corner from flowing lava and giant manta rays to hidden black sand beaches with ancient spirits.” [Shots of Dante’s new hobbies: catching geckos, boogie boarding, playing tennis/soccer and Gamecube-ing. Five years pass as you see the boys aging and getting more tan.] “In a twist of fate the Bay Area beckons the family back for Dante’s high school years. One summer he is convinced by his old friend Griffin to tag along to a magical camp in the woods” [Montage of hectic Capture the Flag runs, propelling objects at targets, listening to nature, storytime under the stars, and making things by hand. Camp songs echo in the background.] “Two summers in Augusta‘s Cedar 5 teach Dante important lessons about friendship, leadership, awareness and wonder. “He doesn’t know it yet but in 11 short years he’ll have the chance to offer the spirit of these lessons back to Augusta campers.” [Timelapse of Dante in college, discovering passion for filmmaking and moving to work in LA. Six years pass as he travels the country meeting others and making nature documentaries.] "This summer, let the adventure begin. Join Dante on a journey of discovery, courage, creativity and endless enchantment. Band together to unlock the forest’s secret knowledge." [The screen fades to black, leaving only Augusta's logo and the words "The woods are waiting!"]
Well that’s the quick trailer for the movie of my life so far. Want to watch it? Or even better, do you want to be a part of it!? I’m beyond thrilled to be returning to Camp Augusta as a first year counselor. My two summer sessions in Cedar (2011-2012) created so many cherished core memories that I’ve carried with me over the years. Anything from racing mountain canoe cars downhill, guided sauna meditations, to discovering a dormant crafty talent is possible at Augusta. My first tattoo at 21 was actually inspired by my time at Augusta combined with the camp t-shirt design!
Picking up where the trailer left off, I moved out of California for college to attend George Washington University in Washington D.C. Fun fact: My freshman dorm room was two blocks from the White House! Initially studying international affairs, I soon realized the diplomat career path was not for me and by chance I entered an intro to documentary film class. Within my first two weeks of that class I knew 100% I wanted to tell real stories about real people. From then on I put all my creative energy into making videos. During the last half of college I made videos for the Smithsonian Association, a short about art student final exhibitions, a mini-doc on street art gallery owner, and interned for a small nature documentary production studio in Los Angeles. After graduation I moved to LA to work fulltime as a nature and conservation video editor/cinematographer at the studio. For six years, I traveled around the country, filmed nature refuges, interviewed scientists and documented wildlife behavior to help people connect with our natural world. Over the years I have collected many wild travel stories that I enjoy sharing (ask me about getting chased off an Alaskan beach by fur seals!) Since leaving that job in May of 2023 I have refocused on visiting friends scattered around the US, spending more time with family, taking more pictures, and seeking inspiration for my next long term video project. This summer I’m so excited to share my love of exploring the unknown and storytelling with you all.
Bonus DVD trivia: My top 10 favorite activities:
- Street photography with my film camera
- Making new friends and learning about their passions
- Watching + talking about movies (not at the same time). What’s your favorite?
- Traveling, both alone or with loved ones (23 states and 16 countries so far!)
- Digging through dusty bins of clothes to find cool $3 t-shirts or pants
- Playing all types of games: board games, card games, videogames or D&D
- Two words: Ping Pong
- Journaling: seeing my thoughts change over time while preserving memories/emotions
- Recommending, both offering and receiving: food, books, movies, music, art, anything!
- Moving around: playing with my dogs, hiking, surfing, longboarding, buttboarding
And here’s the top 10 experiences I’m excited for in Summer 2024!
- Teaching the campers new skills + seeing them discover new passions!
- Helping my team score a point (or 100) in Capture the Flag!
- GWE (IFYKYK) ♂️
- Taking photos/videos of campers having a blast at Augusta
- Sleeping under the stars with my cabins
- Fostering Wish, Wonder and Surprise each day ✨
- Being silly in costume (learn to juggle??)
- Sharing tasty warm meals after a full day of activities
- Crafting objects together as mementos of camp ️
- Listening, learning, laughing and growing as a community
That’s it for this script, thanks for reading and I can’t wait to get to know you this summer. Let’s make it one to remember!
With gratitude,
Dante
