Filmmaker John Holod

On Rocky Mountain Roll

John Holod, award-winning Travel Adventure filmmaker, marks two decades as a producer with the release of his high definition The Great Rocky Mountain RV Adventure—Part One. You could call him the Poster Boy of the RV world.*

Before he exchanged his guitar for a film camera in 1990, John enjoyed a varied career that included stints as a country musician and wildlife guide.

Part One of his Rockies film travels from New Mexico to Yellowstone, while Part Two—to be released next year—continues from Yellowstone across the Canadian border to Jasper.

To catch a clip of John Holod’s Rockies’ films go to: http://www.rvadventurevideos.com/videos.php

His early films were mostly on North America and Europe—often on a motorcycle—until he hitched his career to the Recreational Vehicle Industry a decade ago. His RV films include the most popular RV destination—Alaska—and the Atlantic Coast—north and south— the Gulf Coast and Baja California.

John shows his films on our travel adventure circuit as well as  RV conventions and shows. He appears at many of these venues across the country where he meets his many RV fans who watch his RV filmic adventures, ask questions, and buy his DVDs. (Working with Questar’s Albert Nader, John sold more than 4,000 America’s Scenic RV Adventures packages —6 DVD’s in each case)—in a short stint, mostly at Sam’s Club.)

His films and his role as an RV goodwill ambassador have won him a number of industry awards.

John at start of his career.

For on-the-road transportation to make and show his films, he drives a 20-foot RoadTrek Motorhome with a Mercedes diesel engine loaned to him by its Canadian manufacturer.

While John may be the upfront man for their enterprises, he says he could not do it without the help and support from his wife, Jodie Ginter, whom he calls “my CEO.” Jodie often fills in for her husband when the RV and TAC show schedules  collide.

Asked about his filmmaking career, he said:

“It’s been a great ride. I’ve gotten to do and see things most people only dream about. With a camera in my hand I was able to experience things I could have never done if I was on a regular vacation. I’ve met wonderful people all over the world and traveled more than 600,000 miles across North America in RVs in the past 12 years alone.”

Techie Stuff

John Holod shoots with a Canon XL H1 HD camera, using DV tape. A 300mm lens can be screwed onto the camera lens to give him great close-ups, which is particularly important while filming wildlife.  He uses Sennheiser mics for on location audio.

Pinnacle is his choice for editing—on a Hewlett Packard computer. For on-location shoots he uses his computer in the RoadTrek RV to make preliminary film cuts. “Getting rid of the bad stuff at the start saves time when I get back to my home studio,” John said.

At his shows, John goes directly from his computer into the auditorium projector, which provides a beautiful 1080i HD picture.

(* Holod is not alone in choosing a profitable travel-connected niche for his filmmaking. Travel Adventure Filmmaker Clint Denn specializes in shooting cruise ship films around the world. While both these specialties aren’t exactly recession-proof, they still offer more show dates and box-office appeal than many of their colleagues enjoy.—Editor)