About Me
Who am I?
Well, as stated on my homepage, I am an elevator enthusiast who takes photos and videos of elevators. This hobby is something a lot of people have not heard of, and to some people, it may come across as "unusual" or "weird," but it's really no different than other hobbies and interests. Ever since I was a kid I have been fascinated with elevators.
I currently am a student studying computer engineering, so my interest with elevators is more on the electronics/engineering side of things. I enjoy learning about how elevators work (both mechanically and electronically) and I use that knowledge to create my content. In addition to just making elevator related videos, I use this channel as an outreach to others. There are many enthusiasts out there, and I have connected with a lot of people through my YouTube. I have also teamed up with another YouTube channel (elevaTOURs by Dieselducy) and am supporting the same mission that channel is by doing good for others.
My Story
Let's head back a while to the early 2000s when I was a young kid. I was growing up in the Chicago suburbs. Even at this age, elevators were a regular and frequent part of my life. Some of my most vivid childhood memories are riding elevators around my hometown. Some of the elevators I can distinctly remember: Barrington Library, Macys Hawthorn Mall, Deerfield Park Plaza, and a few others. Some of these elevators have been replaced/upgraded, and some are still how I remember them.
A few years later, my family moved to St. Louis, Missouri. My interest in elevators had not really progressed at this point. It wasn't until I was introduced to a website called YouTube that my interest in elevators really spiked. I had discovered this channel named "Dieselducy" which consisted of somebody filming videos of elevators. I thought this was the coolest thing ever and was glued to this channel. Remember this channel name as it is very important later.
I was so inspired by this channel I wanted to start making my own videos of elevators for me to watch (a YouTube channel wasn't an option for me at this point). Since I was a kid with no money, the only thing I could afford was a cheap mp3 player with a voice memo feature. So really early on, I would go to the malls in St. Louis and get audio recordings of the elevators.
Then, that Christmas, I was gifted my very first video camera! That meant I could go make my own videos of elevators (and I did exactly that). Most of my videos were at malls and parking garages and that was good enough for me!
Now, lets move up to 2017. At this point, I had learned a lot about elevators (different models, button types, and more about how they work). I decided to start my elevator YouTube channel (STL Elevators). By this point I had upgraded my camera significantly and wanted to start sharing elevators I saw in St. Louis! I had a few previous videos that I had shot with my phone, and with those uploads, my channel was started. At this point I had become pretty good friends with the owner of the "Dieselducy" channel, and also began editing the videos for that channel along with my own.
Little did I know what starting STL Elevators would do for me. This channel has allowed me to see some amazing elevators, meet new people, start new friendships, and travel this beautiful country to see new places. However, one of the most satisfying things about this channel is the good I see my content doing for other people. Tagging along and participating in Dieselducy's fan/autism outreaches really show me how my content (and the content I produce for that channel) enhance other people's lives. I am continuing to work hard to produce high quality, entertaining, and informative elevator content, and I want to thank everyone who has helped me get to where I am and is supporting what I do!