Welcome to The Elevator Channel, a travel-based YouTube channel covering some very unique topics. Through my videos, I combine my love of travel with my many interests. These include elevators, aviation, hotels, car washes and much, much more. Since establishing my YouTube channel in July 2008, I've had the privledge of sharing my adventures through thousands of uploads.
So... why elevators?
Some of my earliest memories involve riding the elevators at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Jefferson City, MO. When I was very young, I loved the thrill of riding up up nearly 10 stories in a glass-backed elevator. It seemed almost magical, and my parents were happy to bring me there. But, as I continued to grow up, I almost forgot about elevators entirely. Fast forward to 2008... I was in high school and on a trip to the the Tan-Tar-A resort in Osage Beach, MO. My friend and I decided to explore the hotel a bit and ended up racing in the elevators in the main guest room building. We had a lot of fun, and it put elevators on my mind for the first time in a while. When I got home, a chance YouTube search made me aware of a whole community of people posting videos of elevators. The idea of uploaing content was pretty novel to me at the time. I thought it would be fun, so on my next trip to the Lake of the Ozarks, I shot some videos of my own on an old Nokia flip phone. These videos started to get views, and I started to talk and meet with others shooting elevator videos as the years went on.
While elevators themselves may have started my journey on YouTube, the friends I made along the way have kept me going. The experience has been extremely rewarding, and I am grateful that I can still share my adventures all these years later. I still find elevators to be mechanically interesting, but my favorite part is using elevators as a gateway to travel to new places and explore buildings I'd never otherwise enter. I have a particular soft spot for vintage elevators - from the 1970s and earlier. They are some of the most unique and fun to film. As time has gone on, I've shifted my focus to other areas while still continuing to post elevators.
Aviation
I am a self-described airline nerd, and I love shooting videos of travel by air. My trip report playlist documents dozens of my trips all over the country.
I have a big interest in the transportation industry in genreal, and you can find plenty of videos by rail, road, bus, and more.
Hotels and Vacation Rentals
Lodging is a big part of the travel experience, and another big personal interest. I love touring unique properties and showing what they do well... as well as what they don't.
Car Washes
Car washes are another interest that dates back to when I was growing up. I always enjoyed when my mom would take me out to go through a car wash... and I never grew out of it. Car washes are fascinating machines, with so many different designs and variations. They're a lot of fun to film. Sometimes I do videos on my own from the inside of the car, and other times I bring along a friend so I can get footage from outside. If you own a car wash and would like me to swing by, please contact me using the details below. I mostly film within 100 miles of St Louis, but as often as I travel, there's a chance I may be in the area if you are located elsewhere.
