Originally posted 10/02/2011
but reposted due to original post being hijacked.
Millions of people know Aaron
Goodwin as the down to earth investigator on Travel Channel’s Ghost
Adventures but he’s more than the ideal choice to act as live bait in
some of the world’s darkest and most haunted locations. While the paranormal
has become a big part of Aaron’s life, his real passions lie with storytelling,
film making, and art. In fact, that’s how Aaron spent his time at Scarefest. He
had a table he shared with artists Adam Michaels and Christian Gabriel. Zak
Bagans, lead-investigator on Ghost Adventures, had an
adjoining table where he was promoting his new book but Aaron’s focus was
clearly on his creative ambitions.
Watching Aaron from a distance,
you can see a perpetual, genuine smile on his face as people stopped by the
booth. While he doesn’t mind talking about Ghost Adventures, his
face really lights up when he’s asked about his “Big Steppin’” gear, part of
Aaron Goodwin Collections, or the art projects. When asked about plans for
expanding Aaron Goodwin Collections, Aaron says “Oh, yeah this is just the
beginning. There’s tons of paintings, like 15 paintings and it’s just gonna
grow and grow and grow and soon the movie I’m writing is coming out about my
nightmares which Adam’s painting. Christian and I with this have something
special coming out we’re not talking about yet but it’s gonna be big. Yeah,
just going and going. My goal is to make art huge and get more people
involved.” How does he plan to do that? “Right now I’m just working with them
[Adam and Christian] but we have something big we’re planning with people
you’ll see it’s coming up. It’s all top secret right now.”
Looking at Aaron, you wouldn’t
immediately think of him as being as creative or as dedicated to the creative
arts as he is. So how did he end up at a booth at Scarefest with two other
insanely talented artists? Aaron grew up on the west coast and is originally
from Oregon. In high school, he played sports and spent time with friends.
During his senior year, he started to write shorts, took a writing class
outside of school, and developed an interest in film. One day he saw an advert
for extras that were needed for “Fox Fire” and signed up. He was able to watch
the film making promise and was intrigued with how similar shooting a film was
to solving a puzzle. Scenes are shot out of order, reshot from different
angles, and edited together at a later time. This experience inspired him to
learn how to shoot and edit. Upon graduating, Aaron moved to Las Vegas where he
became a freelancer in production, worked as a production assistant, and
learned all he could as he worked his way up the ladder. After about four years
working in the industry, he began filming bands and creating music videos for
local musicians pro bono. Donating his time and skill allowed him to build up
his portfolio and build his professional network. As his reputation grew,
paying jobs started coming his way and his career was taking off. He never
forgot his roots and still does what he can to promote independent artists.
For the most part, Aaron taught
himself everything he knows, though he admits he unofficially audited a few
classes along the way. It was while sitting in on one of these classes he met
Nick Groff who would later co-found Ghost Adventures Crew with Zak Bagans.
Aaron says, “One night as I was in a class I didn’t pay for I asked the teacher
how to get into the field of film better. He told me to look at the guy behind
me and help him out on his projects. I turned to Nick and for 10 years now we
have been working on projects for fun and business.” Since the age of
seventeen, Aaron’s made over eighty demos and shorts while honing his craft.
Eighteen years later, he’s still doing what he loves.
Prior to working on Ghost
Adventures, Aaron worked as a cameraman for various projects all over Las
Vegas. He was a camera man for UFC fights, was hired to film red carpet events,
and worked on his own personal projects. Aaron has a special place in his
affections for Indie films and those who create and work on them. “I have
always had a passion for Indie films and working with many different artists.
Whenever I had a chance I helped anyone and everyone out. This is also how I
got to see how tough the industry is. Some awesome talent is never seen because
of money or just never having the shot to be seen or heard.” Working on Ghost
Adventures has exposed Aaron to fans worldwide. He uses his popularity
to introduce independent artists to people who would otherwise never have heard
of them.
Ghost Adventures hasn’t only grown Aaron’s network exponentially, it has given his creative muses more material to work with. For example, one of the episodes of Ghost Adventures was filmed at Bobby Mackey’s Music world in Wilder, KY. The hauntings at Bobby Mackey’s are so notorious the location has been nicknamed “Hell’s Gate”. For a year after filming there, Aaron was plagued by vivid, terrifying nightmares. While most people would either seek therapy or quit their job, Aaron did neither. Aaron is glass half full sort of person and found a positive in what seemed like a negative. “For about a year now my nightmares have been so vivid it’s almost like I’m being told a story. So instead of doing nothing about it, I have written them all down. Now I’m having moments in my dreams put on a painting. The dreams I have are in great detail and never stop telling me a story… After all 12 paintings are done it will be an outline of the movie. This movie/nightmare is a whole new look at Vampires and how they were.” He has asked artist Adam Michaels, who he met at First Friday (A monthly art event in Las Vegas) over two years ago, to paint the series of twelve paintings.
Adam isn’t the only artist Aaron is collaborating with. Aaron is also working on several projects with Christian Gabriel, another artist he met at First Friday. Christian has already painted several pictures for Aaron based on stories he’s been told about Aaron’s dreams, experiences, and his visions he sometimes gets. For example one painting, Cowboy From Hell was inspired by a Ghost Adventures filming lockdown in Tombstone Arizona. Aaron says about it,
“When I was in Tombstone Arizona I always imagined a vampire cowboy walking the streets killing people in his path. As I sat on the road there, I could almost see the past and the future of this town and the hell that went on there. A year later, I met Christian and with my thoughts he turned it to a vision through a painting. With his style of art I couldn’t wait to see what could happen.” Aaron says he has some huge projects in the work with Adam and Christian but declined to elaborate. He prefers to build the suspense and relishes the big reveal, something his fans have come to expect and love.
Aaron is different than most
other “celebrities” out there. For starters, he doesn’t view himself as a
celebrity. He’s very down to earth and has a huge heart. Instead of looking for
ways to self-promote, he works to promote other people and give them a chance
to shine. It’s through his generous disposition that he earns the attention and
respect of those around him. Aaron is very passionate about art because he
views it as “a way to express yourself in so many ways… the art I have and the
art that is made for me all say something.” Right now Aaron has been working
only with Adam Michaels and Christian Gabriel but he will be working with more
artists as time allows. His goal is to make art huge and to “have a team of
artists to help me change or help something in the world”. He hopes his efforts
will make a lasting impact on the art world.
While art is one way Aaron shares
the stories of his visions, film making is another. Film making is his first
love and is what he will do until he dies. He is working on three movies he
hopes to shoot one day. He has done four music videos and looks forward to
making many more, preferably for the independent bands whose talent are hidden
on a local level. In five years he sees himself behind the camera working with
a thirty million dollar budget on his second film. Right now, Aaron carries his
camera with him everywhere because he never knows when something worth
recording will pop up. While touring around for Ghost Adventures,
Aaron films v-logs to share with his fans. One of his most amazing projects is
“Views from a Plane” which is a compilation of footage shot from his airplane
window over many journeys. He has a natural eye for capturing the most
beautiful images nature has to show us on film.
As if Aaron wasn’t busy enough,
he has a website where he showcases all his creative endeavours. A Goodwin
Collections is “one of my dreams I have had for 10 years.” The site is
constantly growing and includes his signature “Big Steppin’” apparel and stickers,
postcards and calendars of his still shots, “Views from a Plane”, and his
collaborative pieces. People are encouraged to check back often as new items
are always being added.
Aaron is a multi-faceted, creative man. His positive outlook allows him to see potential for creativity everywhere he goes. While Ghost Adventures may have made him a house hold name, it does little to define who he is as a person. Ghost Adventures might be something he’s doing right now but long after the show ends Aaron will be working with artists and musicians as well as bringing his own ideas to life. Unlike many celebrities, Aaron is incredibly personable and is easy to be around. He’s open and honest and surrounds himself with positive and gifted people. He’s kind to his fans and keeps in touch with them on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media. He’s the type of man that people genuinely like because they know he’s not being nice just to sell products. He’s being nice because he is nice. He works hard to meet his goal and when he can he helps others reach theirs. Aaron is someone to watch because he will be one of the few to actually make a difference in the world rather than just talking about doing so. He is after all more than just live bait to lure out spirits.
For more information:
https://agoodwincollections.com/
https://www.artofchristiangabriel.com/
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