From making videos as a young kid at the age of 8 to continuing his hobby throughout the university, Antonio Varcasia turned his passion into a profession. An ‘addicted angler’, video producer and sportfishing journalist, he’s now combined his passions to form an impressive career with some rather ‘fishy’ cast members...
What motivates you?
If I had to choose one word it would be ‘passion’. There are many things that I like about my work, but passion is what makes me dream: it elevates my soul and inspires me to reach that step that nobody else has reached.
How did you get started?
I started making videos when I was a kid with my Super 8 camcorder and I continued with it as a hobby throughout the university. At one point I had no job and no money, so I had a choice: ask my parents for help or find a way to survive on my own. It was then that I decided to turn my hobby into a profession, and over the years my skills have improved and expanded into editing. I’ve developed a distinguishable style for my work that I’m proud of.
What is a typical day like for you?
When I’m making a documentary, my day usually begins very early: as with photography, the best times for filming are during the first and last hours of the day. I often make videos on sportfishing and my schedule on those days depends on when the fish are around! A lot of the time I have to film at night and sometimes in the rain. In fishing videos, the best things only last a few seconds, so you have to be ready, no matter if it’s raining or you’ve been waiting for 10 hours before something happens.
Tell us about your most memorable adventure. Where was it? What happened?
I have so many special memories, like the time I was isolated in the Nicaragua rainforest on New Year’s Eve and ended up making what would have been a 45-minute plane journey by boat, which took almost 24 hours and I had no contact with my family.
Most of my memories are of course related to fishing. I was in Guatemala for the XIII Baktun Maya, what some people in that time defined “the end of the world”. We spent a full day with the crew in the Maya city of Tikal in the middle of the jungle. It was an amazing experience and I’ll never forget the emotions of being in such a great place for history, culture and the memory of a great civilization. On the plane ride from Flores back to Guatemala City, after a memorable day spent wandering around Tikal, nobody spoke. I took a piece of paper and began to write down the emotions I was feeling, which I later sent to a musician friend of mine who turned it into a song - a special moment for me.
What kit do you usually need for your expeditions and projects? How do PELI Products help protect your kit? Which ones do you use?
I use DSLR and video cameras for filming, but also a lot of action cameras with electronic stabilizers. Most of them are not waterproof and most of my work is on the water so everything could be destroyed in just a few seconds. This is where PELI is great: I can go anywhere and be sure to come back with all my equipment still working. Almost all of
Antonio Varcasia, my video producer kit is protected by PELI, from my phone to my drones and all of my cameras. I love the PELI Air case and the model for hand luggage. As I film a lot in the dark, I also use PELI lights - I love the headlamps!
What advice would you give someone who is seeking the same line of work?
To follow your dream but also to work hard. Never copy. Come up with new ways to see and present your work, and also make it with passion. Never give up.
What’s your next adventure?
I have several on my bucket list. I would like to go to Iceland and also the Great Barrier Reef in Australia!
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