Meet the Million Dollar Crew: David Rauchenberger

Nearly 28,000 HERO10 Black clips from 131 countries were submitted for the chance to be featured in the fourth annual Million Dollar Challenge highlight reel. Ultimately, 62 creators made the cut, earning $16,129.03 a piece.

This series celebrates the stories and the creative processes of these talented creators. We hope these behind-the-scenes looks inspire you as much as they did us. 

The Million Dollar Challenge is just as much for the extreme as it is the serene, and this next highlighted creator falls in the latter category. Not to downplay the shot, we absolutely love David Rauchenberger’s eye for composition and flare for creativity in his awarded clip, but there is something extremely peaceful about a 2.7K 240fps video capture of falling leaves in ultra-slo-mo. 

We caught up with the student from Austria who says it was his dream to be highlighted in a GoPro video. Check it out below.

GoPro: You were just awarded $16,129.03 USD! Congrats! What do you plan to do with your earnings?

David: Thank you! Part of the money I'm going to save and another part I will spend to discover the world! Also, I will probably invest in some more projects ... I would love to do something with you guys!

When did you first start using GoPro?

I actually can't really remember when it was exactly. I was doing parkour and freerunning in my (even) younger days, and there was always some cool dude who brought a GoPro. Ever since then I've been in love with GoPro and the fascination to capture extreme sports moments. I later borrowed a HERO4 from my uncle, and he let me keep it :)

What inspired your awarded clip?

I wanted to do some crazy. Something unique. Something thought outside the box. So I had this idea of a very fast rotating camera that captures me doing a flip in super slow mo. And as there was a lockdown going on in Austria at this time, I had the time to create the “MDC-Machine” which kept growing and growing and growing :) Worth it!

What shots are you excited to chase on HERO10 Black now that you've seen the final video?

Thousands of ideas! I want to travel the world and capture its beauty every form I can think of!

Watch the HERO10 Black Million Dollar Challenge reel here.