The Boonafide Experience
The Boonafide Experience
E: 35 David "Sandman" Doran Esports & Concert Photographer
This week's episode highlights a deeply rooted Halo fan. I found out about him through Twitter on just about every Halo post I saw, and felt compelled to check him out! He tells his story and passion for photography not only in Esports but concerts as well. This is a true passion story, where taking a bet on your craft always pays off. I'll let him tell the rest of the story :).
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Good morning, and welcome to the boonafide experience podcast. I'm your host, Kyle, or as many of you call me boona, or you follow me on social media is at boonafide gaming. Welcome back to episode number 35 of the podcast, we have crazy to think we've come this far. If your first time here on the show, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking some time to check this out. What I do here is what what this podcast is about is about gaming and eSports gaming content creation, really, I mean, it's all kind of, you know, meshed into one. What I do here is I gather people from all over the industry, regardless of their traits, I tried to get as many different personalities, many different jobs, many different talents as I can on here to show that this is there is so there are so many opportunities in this world of gaming, content creation and eSports. And I think really people a lot of people don't recognize. So I hope these stories, my goal is for these stories to resonate with you. My goal is for these stories to make an impact. My goal is for these stories to lift you up past your current belief system of yourself to go tackle whatever it is that you like doing. And know that if you love gaming, and you have a particular trait, if you just have passion for the game, you're going to find your trade and you're going to find your way here. With that being said, this episode this episode is dedicated none other than Mr. David Duran, Mr. Sandman himself is a halo eSports photographer. I say Halo because that's his passion. He does eSports photography in general for a lot of different scenes as well as content photography, as well as concert photography. But you know, since I obviously can't tell his story for you, because you just saw me butcher that to hell right now. I'm gonna go and let him do that for you. And we're gonna go ahead and hop right into the show. David, how you doing this evening? I'm doing good, man. How you doing? Fantastic. doing fantastic. Thank you. Thank you for coming onto the show. I know we've kind of been exchanging messages back and forth. It's been a little bit of a challenge. But here we are. Glad to have you on man.
David "Sandman" Doran:Thanks, man. I'm happy to be here. Yeah, thank you for the opportunity.
Kyle Warren:It's you know, I think in a content and now that we're all stuck at home, people are like really thirsty for any type of content like they can get in such a it's such a big market now. So it's cool that we get to do this from the comfort of our own home.
David "Sandman" Doran:And it's convenient. It's very nice.
Kyle Warren:Absolutely, man. So welcome on to the show. You know, this is the bonafide experience for those who have purchased tuning in and this is David, aka Mr. Sandman, kind of tell us a little bit about yourself.
David "Sandman" Doran:So my name is David. I go by Sandman and the gaming community online. I am a 27 year old, professional concert and eSports photographer. I've been a photographer in the gaming industry for about five and a half years now. I've been half year six years have worked with teams, tournament organizers, concert venues, sponsors, like all kinds of different things. I love Halo. Halo is my favorite game of all time. That's kind of what got me into the entire thing. But I mean, that's kind of that's kind of me, man. I'm really summed up as just as a photographer who loves Halo and and just loves to try and help out his favorite scene. Like that's kind of me.
Kyle Warren:Yeah, dude. And that's, and I've, you know, I've I've kind of I kind of stumbled my way into the scene a little while ago. And like, like, I wasn't while although we didn't connect, like, on every post mainly run Halo, because obviously, you know, I love to, like I was see your name. So you in the comment section like who is this guy? Like, you know, and like, it was a it was fascinating to see some of your work man, like, I'm curious to see is like what I guess like before Halo, like yes, photography. So passion was, was this this whole thing, still a passion prior to getting into the gaming world.
David "Sandman" Doran:Uh, so Originally, I wanted to be a filmmaker. I had just graduated high school, I had no plans for college. And I was just I love movies. I love cinema. So I was like, I want to make movies or write screenplays and do that whole thing. And so I sold my whole like, all my DVD collection, I ate like a meal a day, the whole typical kind of like, starve yourself to get whatever. Yeah. And so like, I don't know, like four or five months later, I bought my first camera, which I still have it today, I still use it. And I wanted to make movies. And then I realized that to make movies. It takes a team. And it's and it's very difficult to gather like a large group of people to have that collective, you know, creative experience. So I was like, I don't want to do it anymore. It was just it was too It was too much of a struggle to gather so many different people to do it. So, oh, eventually I was like, Oh, I guess I'll just start taking pictures. I don't have to I don't have to have a team for it. I can just do my thing and create my own process. And I've always been into eSports. And then I found out that there were like local esport events here. So I just decided I'm going to go take pictures and just see what happens. And nothing really happened. Nothing came from it. I didn't like have a good joy of it by any means. It wasn't till 2015 called duty X Games where I was like, I'm gonna go to that I'm gonna go to the X Games and photograph it and then that is what I was like, Yeah, I love it. I love doing this way more than trying to become a filmmaker. While I still love movies and film and I still love studying it and reading about it. I just realized that I was not meant to make them. Okay, it's much more on the photo side of things.
Kyle Warren:That's badass, man. I mean, that's, that's cool. I got so I got to ask like, you know, you're you're you're a diehard Halo fan. You know, which one? Which one? Did you grow up playing? Which one did you begin playing?
David "Sandman" Doran:So I grew up I hated Halo. What? Yeah, so I hated Halo as a kid, because I was like, I was like a big Sony guy. And it was like a blind hatred thing. It was like, I like Sony Xbox Sox.
Kyle Warren:Yeah. And we don't really see any change from that happening, right? I mean,
David "Sandman" Doran:it's the same. Yeah. Yeah. So I think my cousin brought over Halo one. And we played it, and I was like, This game sucks. And, yeah, and then like, years later, I was like, in middle school, or I was in elementary school. And my sister's friends brought over Halo two. And I was a cocky kid. And I just wanted to like say, even though I didn't like Halo, I just wanted to say that I'm better than you guys. You guys suck. Yeah, as like a young kid would Yeah. And we played and I got destroyed, didn't know what I was doing. So then I had then I, you, my friends would always play like the halo two campaign we never had online at the time. Um, and I started to get really into it because I didn't want to be bad at something. I was like, it was the first time I ever I didn't want to be bad at something that strive me to work towards something. Yeah. And then my mom got me my first Xbox in 2007 for Christmas, and then Halo three is what I grind it online for the first time Halo three is the game that was my online experience for Halo, and it's what was what got me addicted to it. To this day, and without it I don't think I would even be a photographer because of the people that I met through the experiences while playing Halo three online.
Kyle Warren:That's fantastic, man. I think we share it we share similar story like it's like I think, for me, you know the my first was the I was the C campaign. You're like, I remember being so young. We're on the same age. I'm I'm 28 and I remember when Halo c came out, I couldn't even hold the controller in my hand it would that that big old Doom the new controller the controller Yeah, I was gonna do controller. Yeah, that thing was massive. And I like but I remember like this inset like this just obsession to like, want like I was willing to struggle through like my hands being too small to play this game because it just had you know, especially back in Halo one like games were built for campaign games are not built to fire like they are today. So that campaign is a bro is a fucking grind.
David "Sandman" Doran:You know? Nobody I touch on Legendary. It's not a joke. It's not a joke. It's not
Kyle Warren:you know, my I think my buddy and I just did a co-stream where we played I think right when we got the library it literally took us to like a whole a whole broadcast to get to the library. Oh my gosh, yeah.
David "Sandman" Doran:I'm not fucking cool too. Well, we I mean,
Kyle Warren:like we're we're would you consider like a halo Boomer? Like, we haven't played the halo campaign legendary and probably like 1012 years, you know, so it's a little bit rusty. But that's, that's awesome, man. Like, what was your? What was your first Halo event that you got to photograph?
David "Sandman" Doran:Um, so I was watching MLG. I've been watching since 2007. Halo MLG. I went to my first event and oh nine obviously wasn't a photographer at that point. Yeah. So then it was Indianapolis. 2015. It was a pgl event. It was h2 a. That was my first event. I didn't know what I was doing. I didn't know anybody in the scene. I was completely like, irrelevant. I guess that word as we'll start? Yeah, yeah. As we all start, yeah. Um, I and I drove 15 hours to Indianapolis in my like, beat up car, I hit up. Bravo and Tashi, who they were both worked at 343 at the time, and I just said, Hey, can I just shoot your event? I didn't know. I didn't know if I needed permission to do it. So I asked anyway, even though I probably could have gone in and just done it. But I wanted to make the connections with 343. And people, you know, I wanted to build the connection in the relationship because I didn't want to just do it, quit move along. I actually wanted to grow inside of this industry. So I reached out to them and they're like, Yeah, man, you can you can shoot our stuff. Just if you can we have your pictures too. I'm like, yeah, yeah. Yes. The developer of Halo wants to use My Pictures even though at the time I was, I barely knew what I was doing with my pictures. Yeah, you can have.
Kyle Warren:Dude, that's been nasty.
David "Sandman" Doran:It was extremely exciting. And it was the first jump and like I knew who Bravo was that time so I'm like, I'm talking to the coach or triggers down like this is insane. And I got to see walshy and golden boy and me all these people that I've followed on Twitter for so long. And I don't know, it was a it's an experience I'll never forget because even like back then I fanboy even like amateur players that I followed. Even pros talent, you know, personalities. Even now I tell people all the time, I still fanboy over everybody. Whether you're whether you're an amateur player, a Semi Pro talent, community membership in the crowd, like I still am all about that.
Kyle Warren:There's a there's a, you know, part of Part of me wants to keep some of this in the podcast. Like I edited it out a little bit. But you know, we're all kind of experiencing this this this life at home, so Oh, yeah.
David "Sandman" Doran:Yeah, but it's a good dog.
Kyle Warren:Yeah, I mean, yeah, he's a good she's a good girl. Dude, that's, that's cool. Man. in you, you touched on a point that I was gonna I was gonna ask you about anyway, like, when I was reading through your website, you know, like, you mentioned, like, you've driven cross country with like, barely nothing, but like, do these events, like, you know, I think it's important to highlight the fact like, for people that are like trying to get into the scene, it's just like, you know, this is what it kind of looks like, you know, like, selling all your shit to like, buy something that you really love and to like, go. Like, if you really are about it, man, there's no expectation like, and it's, I think it's just a cool thing that you that you have the drive to do that and you literally had no guarantee of anything in return. And I just think that's something that's missing a lot with this society. You know, like, it's a lot of people come in with this deserving expectation versus like, a man, I just want to go take some pictures, because it's my favorite sport. Yeah,
David "Sandman" Doran:that's all it was for me at the time. Like, I think, yeah, I'm trying to think so don't don't get me wrong. Like, I feel like at times there was that I deserve this.
Kyle Warren:Sure. I mean, we had a
David "Sandman" Doran:self worth, but you know what I mean? Yeah, absolutely. Um, but it was always like, I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna stop this, like, I'm not gonna have something stopped me or get in my way from doing it. Like, I used to get a lot of flack, I understand it. Now. Like years later, I understand. Now, five years later, back then I was like, leave me alone. Let me do my thing. But back then, I was always told, like you need to quit going to events and working for free and, and, you know, if you're shooting pictures of people, you need to charge them for the stuff and all that and I understand where they're coming from. And I understand that it could potentially hurt the industry. But at the time, I was like payloads in a weird spot. I wanted to get as many eyes on the scene as I could. I wanted to contribute to my community that I was very passionate about. So I said, I don't, I don't care about making money right now. I feel like those opportunities will come eventually. So I'm just going to drive myself to the events, fly myself to the events, shoot my pictures, give them to people if they want. I share an album after every event, because I want it to be kind of like a collective experience of we get to look back on it. And a what a David shoe, I wonder if David got this with me. I wonder if Debbie got that. Oh, my God, David, look where you got that. And it's a very proud feeling that people admire as much as they do when it's just, it's just just some dude, taking pictures of them, you know, it's nothing, it's nothing crazy. And it's, it's humbling to know how much it means to people. And the bunch of friends that I've made through the scene, and the industry is like, way more than I've made in school or in my work life at home. So I owe it a lot.
Kyle Warren:I mean, you you touched on, you touched on a good point, though, man. Like, it's sure like, like, it's important, like you gotta eat, you gotta like, you gotta like, you're gonna put food on the table. And eventually you want to live a little bit more of a comfortable life and you did prior to when you're struggling but at the same time there what I don't think this is just a complete assumption, but from what it sounds like the some of the some of the talking heads that were giving you advice was just like, they didn't really know what the true motive was of like, man, we need to lift up this scene. And that is more important than me getting I'll make it work, you know? Yeah. And that's more important. The there's a much larger thing at stake than like me making a paycheck or a couple hundred bucks. I'm not sure I've literally no clue what photographers charge. But like, you know, making X amount of dollars per event is more important that it's less important than what that actually means to people,
David "Sandman" Doran:especially when it was coming from like a scene and this is no this this is no like jet Halo. But it at the moment, Halo wasn't a big esport like it was big. It was it was there had momentum and momentum. Yes, yeah. But it wasn't like a tier one esport by any means. And it wasn't like orange or just feasting, you know, trying to get in and throwing money at content creators and things like that. So my mindset was, I'm not going to hurt the industry, because it's not like I'm going to other games and just working for free and getting in the way of other photographers. I was the only person Hungerford Halo for the past five years. So, I just kind of said, hey, it's just gonna keep my spot and my space and I'm just gonna keep shooting the people I love to shoot,
Kyle Warren:and what I mean, and the relationships are also more important than the actually, like, it's like, that's, I think, cuz you, you, you, you mentioned that in the beginning, it's like, you know, I, I think I share the same sentiment looking up the Bravo and like, look at the Taj, and it's like, these people are like spearheads in the community and like, getting to, like, just literally get engaged with the DM is probably fantastic. You know, like,
David "Sandman" Doran:it feels like an accomplishment. I mean, it's, it's like, these people that you know, or you've heard of, or just know, by title, and then even responding to you with? Yeah, uh, yes, is enough for me to like, Oh my gosh, like, I am incredibly motivated to do this now. Because it's not just me being it's not me being ignored, or me being stuck in like a circle of my own. I've been welcomed into it. And I've grown into it, which then has given me opportunities and other things. And that's exactly what I wanted. Kinda
Kyle Warren:was probably it's probably part of it, it's probably part of the journey to get there.
David "Sandman" Doran:I mean, there's all there's all these different goals and different, like, things that I wanted originally, and it didn't work out. But I was like, that's okay. I'm still gonna keep going. And maybe something else will happen. Or maybe it will happen eventually. But
Kyle Warren:yeah. That's awesome. It was it was probably. So I want to I want to rewind a little bit, you know, you mentioned you know, going to school, going to high school going to, you know, like, did you did you go to college? Did you finish college? Like, well, if so, was your degree in?
David "Sandman" Doran:So I actually didn't go to college at all My sophomore year of high school. Um, yeah, sophomore year high school, my mother passed away. So then when my mother passed away, I had to move to Florida with my dad through he was. And that's actually how I went to an MLG event. And after that, I just kept moving from there to Oklahoma, Florida, Oklahoma, back and forth, going to different schools. And then eventually, I moved back to Florida finally after like, a third time, and I finished, I finished high school, like a year early, I just caught up with credits and finished it out. And I didn't really know what I wanted to do in regards to school because I didn't know where I wanted to live. And I had no talent, I just was playing Halo Reach at the time, like every day, Halo four, or whatever it was. And I was like, Well, I'm gonna go back home to Oklahoma and just see what happens. And I'm not gonna I'm not gonna think about school. I thought about it at one point, but when I was going back home, I just as I'm just gonna get a job and just find myself essentially, because like the past when my mom passed away, when I was 16, that three ish four years, were just kind of me figuring out what Who am I what am I trying to do? And that's kind of when I stumbled across the whole filmmaking thing and photography thing. So no, no college, gy school diploma. I've got a job back in 2012 at this car dealership, that's where I work now been there eight years, or seven years. But that's that job has allowed me to go to all these events. Because it's I've worked my way through the ladder and now job, which has allowed me to pay for flights and hotels and stuff. So without that job,
Kyle Warren:I wouldn't be out of it. Right. It's it's but but i think it's uh, you know, I think it's, it's fantastic. It's like I didn't, I went to college. I didn't finish college. And I'm probably not going to go back to college. Because it's not something that like, I got, I don't want to read things in a book. I want to go experience it. You
David "Sandman" Doran:know, I don't think I have the mic. I don't think the motivations there. Like, I can read online, but I don't think I could just sit in a classroom. I guess no one can now but I don't think I could just sit in a classroom and head down. Read it. No, it just feels so colorless to me, and I just can't do it. I don't know.
Kyle Warren:That's a great way to put a man I've never heard someone say like that. It's just it's, you know, I think there was one class that really motivated me to actually not go to school like that. My Oh, really. And it was it wasn't like, in a bad way. But it is in this thing of like, you know, we're moving towards this generation where it's just like, it doesn't really matter what it says in your piece of paper, it matters more of the job. Can you do it? Yeah. And you know, are you able to adapt? Are you able to build relationships? Do you have soft skills with people? I'm like, No, I'm naturally I've always had those. Like, I'll just like, go try it try like I like video games. Like,
David "Sandman" Doran:that's the thing though, too, right? Because like, I feel like I swear because I've never even had the best social skills but I feel like just learning social skills would have been enough to just in life then college because like I could have made better connections. I could have just talked with people I could have been more outgoing just to seize opportunities and and but instead you know, and that there's nothing against college not knocking it by any means. Like if that's your thing, that's cool because I admire people who can stick it out and get their masters or all that stuff. Without I do not I do not have The discipline or the patience anything to do it so I mean major props to those people not my thing. Well
Kyle Warren:yeah, I think it's just it's fantastic that we're moving it's it's it's like this inclusive thing where it's it's still required for definitely certain positions like I see a therapist and like I would really hope that she has a master's degree
David "Sandman" Doran:I understand that
Kyle Warren:there's certain things that definitely like I still warrant that but I love that because it You used to be this like, you had to go to college and get a degree or else you will never be successful in anything. I mean, and I just think with the boom of the internet and with with everything that's happening like especially now i mean it's it's proven that like you can literally do what makes you happy you don't have to do this and don't want it.
David "Sandman" Doran:Yeah, I agree. No, there's so many just different avenues now than just college or military like there's so many different more avenues I think the internet and content creators and eSports and YouTube and just even Instagram influencers take anything anything like the Internet has given way more opportunities to people than I think anybody ever would ever imagine. So it's
Kyle Warren:just like we couldn't predict what would have happened this year like no one could have predicted what happened when the internet boom Do you don't mean like no no one I think knew.
David "Sandman" Doran:I think a lot of people at the time of the internet were just thinking it's gonna be like a messaging system that you could get information from like a digital book now it's it's progressed so much I mean now we're having you know, a video call here you can talk to anybody you want around the world you can play games people around the world I can get any information in a matter of seconds. Like it's crazy. Yeah.
Kyle Warren:Yeah, like my designer his works in the UK and it's just like, you know, we have discord calls at like, you know, like usually it's either like early in the morning or it's like really late at night because it's like
David "Sandman" Doran:how do you work that with the time zones and stuff
Kyle Warren:you know, why don't work with him as like it's not as it's not as heavy because we did like part of might not like he did this branding as well but like part of my twitch channel branding like we really really really went in like I just I made a massive investment right on the beginning and so it was like a two month project for him and I remember the first discord call it I had no money was every even exchange like we had like a three hour four hour conversation It was like five in the morning all the time. But um and at the same time he was almost trying to talk me out of the sale with some of the stuff I'm like brother I don't think you understand like I don't intend on doing this twice like I'm like let's just let's do it right let's do it let's let literally everything but that just goes to show like the it the the hustle the determination but also like I can have I can literally have a phone call with what used to pay have to pay long distance minutes on cell phone. I found a landline. You know what I mean? And not only do I get to do it he can share his screen with me he could take payment over this he could do it's just it's just what a world we live in. You can
David "Sandman" Doran:literally live in your room. Yeah, literally. Yeah,
Kyle Warren:yeah. My my gaming area and my it's that is that is my bed, you know? Yeah, yeah. I got it. So I got asked when you when you when you saved up enough money to buy your first camera. What was that one? first camera?
David "Sandman" Doran:It was a Canon Mark three, five D I called her Elizabeth. I don't know why I just like the name Elizabeth. I called it Elizabeth. Uh, I got it like a spy or something like I had ordered online and I actually got in trouble with my bank. Because it was it was expensive. And they tried to like cancel the order, like three times and I was like, No, I'm real. I'm buying it. It's not like a bot or anything. But I bought it it was a really expensive camera. And a lot of people were trying to say don't do that because you know, typically when you first start you get an entry level camera. I said I don't want to do that. Because I feel like I was like well I understand and the equipment isn't everything. But I didn't want to be behind in that aspect. So I wanted to have I wanted to act like I belonged in regards to how professional my gear was. I know that's not it's kind of dumb because the gear doesn't matter all the time. But look at your webcam look at my webcam. Yeah.
Kyle Warren:I literally just bought this I
David "Sandman" Doran:live very it's a very beautiful webcam.
Kyle Warren:What's actually not a webcam it's a a 6000
David "Sandman" Doran:even better airless camera even better.
Kyle Warren:Yeah, I just bought it we actually I wouldn't I wouldn't even judge yourself too much in that it's definitely like there's definitely a certain mindset around that and I if people are just buying it just to buy it to make themselves feel better. Like I think that's more of who that statement is targeted towards because I'm very similar. Like when I buy something like especially when I don't know anything about it. Like I want to get something that for me. I know that it's not going to break because the last thing I want to learn how to do is troubleshoot it when I just spent $600 on this camera that I don't know how use and I got to fix it? Like it's not what oh, I just want to take pictures. I just want to buy a computer like I just like Same thing with the graphics. I don't have to buy that twice. I don't have to go get a lesser design from someone and then have to go to spend double the money again to get what I have. actually wanted in the first place, that's kind
David "Sandman" Doran:of my mentality on, I was like, I don't want to have to buy two three times and I don't want to have to buy something that's a lesser version of what I have now. And then end up buying a better camera even later on down the line, I still use my camera like I still use that it's my first body and then I bought a newer one like last year, like the other newer version. Um, but I still use it as a secondary camera and and it's still works and it still goes strong and it's still a great camera. That's badass, man. That's about
Kyle Warren:it. How old How old is that can reset like you've been doing for about five years?
David "Sandman" Doran:Oh, yeah, it's like five years old five, six years old. It's got some got some scratches.
Kyle Warren:I'm sure Yeah, a little bit
David "Sandman" Doran:of weird there. Oh, yeah, man. It's concerts especially really wear him down. Being in crowds and or just pushed for by random people who are having a good time.
Kyle Warren:I was gonna add That's funny. Mitch says actually where I was going to transition. Next is the concerts like you do. eSports you do concerts? You know what? Kind of give me a little bit of history about some of the concerts you've been at or that you've gotten a photograph?
David "Sandman" Doran:Uh, so my first concert was it was corns 20th anniversary. Yeah. First No, yeah. No, that's what I'm saying. I've always been apparently I've always been on the mentality of don't like, don't go small. The first have to start start big at every point. I don't. Yeah. But I kind of got lucky with that. Because I was in New Orleans shooting my first car or my second car event. And my sister was friends with the opening band of suicide. She's friends with someone in Suicide Silence. And she's like, hey, you're here in New Orleans the same time as the car event? Like you go or concerts are? And I was like, Can you get me in there and my sister called called him and got me a photopass and I got to go in. I left I didn't even shoot championship Sunday of the Cordova I literally I left I was I'm gonna go do this concert because who knows if that's ever gonna happen again. Right? And vo Suicide Silence and corn it was just them because corn was playing their first or they're playing their entire first album from beginning to end. Wow. And after that man I shot Slipknot that's my probably my favorite one just because one of my favorite bands. Yeah talk Metallica twice. See when I've shot a lot but now that I think about it and they're not like popping. But I've shot a lot and a lot of stuff. A lot of the ones that are really important to me like I shot Paramore. I've always been a big Paramore fan. hailstorm, Parkway drive Killswitch Engage like a ton of really big names man that I never thought in hell that I would ever photograph especially Metallica twice.
Kyle Warren:Yeah, that's huge man,
David "Sandman" Doran:a kid a kid from Midwest City, Oklahoma that probably no one's ever heard of getting to photograph. Probably the most famous rock band of all time. Like that's Yeah. I don't know. That's I'll take. I'll hold on to forever.
Kyle Warren:Oh, 100% I gotta I gotta ask Have you ever either had a drive to or have you ever had the opportunity to like try to shoot a tool concert? Have you ever been able to do that?
David "Sandman" Doran:So I have had an experience with it. I tried. Maynard James Keenan is very strict. Oh, yes. photos and videos. So I was denied access for that one. I was really bummed because I was like, Oh my god, this is a tool. Who knows if they're ever gonna talk? And I still went. It was a great show.
Kyle Warren:Per usual. I mean it Oh, yeah. It's cool. Oh, yeah.
David "Sandman" Doran:I was I was pretty bummed. I didn't get to shoot it. But
Kyle Warren:it was still cool to watch them. You know, the reason why I asked that number one, because I'm a that's literally my favorite band of all time. But yeah, I recently got to go see a while I've seen them four times. I got to seeing you there for the first show. I actually saw I'm a little about me. I'm about seven years sober. So I just got out of rehab. And thank you, man. I just got out of rehab. And it was like a week before like my kinda like discharge date at the sober living apartments, those living in and like, yeah, you can't go to concerts. So you're at three months. I'm like, well, in three months, I'll be leaving and moving into my buddy's house and like, Well, you can't go I'm like, Well, I'm gonna go, you know, like it. And they're like, okay, you just don't have a place to come back to when you get back. And I'm like, okay, whatever, dude. But it was, it was one of the best show like they literally played 30 on my very first show of in history, and then I got to go two years later, and then they opened with no quarter, which is something that they've never, they've probably played that handful of less than 10 times live. And, you know, the last one I got to go to last two actually got to go to my first VIP experience right when the new album dropped. Oh, in San Antonio. And that was just, I remember feeling so lucky to even get a ticket. It's kind of like the way electronic sales are these days where it's like you're so lucky to even get something like Literally blocked off my calendar working like right when they want us I'm like I was literally hovering over that thing to like get the ticket. And it wasn't expensive.
David "Sandman" Doran:It was about 500 But honestly, not too bad though. For VIP though. Yeah.
Kyle Warren:It's really not you know and like 340 for Metallica for seat so exactly that's really that's actually not bad. And you you got you know exclusive merge that you can buy you know you got the backpack that had the show date printed on it. You got all the you got all the things you got the hoodie that no one else can buy and the pins and you got 20% off merge. And then what was the the bread and butter of that was you got access to their soundcheck and it was it I get goosebumps when I talk about it because now it's you mentioned mentioned Maynard being really petty and really strict because Yeah, what they do is they do a soundcheck without the VIP members where Maynard is there. And then they do a soundcheck and Maynard leaves, really. And so then and then the one that we get to experience Mainer doesn't interact with any audience members. This is not his thing. He's never done it. He hates interacting with crowds. Like it's just he's that's just who he is. You know, and oh,
David "Sandman" Doran:weird, man, even to this day.
Kyle Warren:He's He's such a weirdo, but like people, it doesn't matter. He just it? Did people just accept it because they liked it. You know? Yeah. Um, but I'll tell you getting to hear the fear. inoculum even without meaning singing with all the lights on with an empty stadium just hit so much different. Like, imagine what that's like. The acoustics are completely different.
David "Sandman" Doran:Yeah. Because you're not like crammed in a billion people or anything. That's cool.
Kyle Warren:It was it was just in the end. You're literally I mean, now you got good tickets for VIP. We're literally right where you were when you were doing the soundcheck but it was just like, literally feeling the wind coming from like the bass and the and just watching them just in their own element and kind of just laugh and just it was just such a cool, you know, experience and then when they took a group picture of course without manner you know, he wasn't there. But listening to Adam Jones I was said I fanboy. I didn't know what to say. Like I just people were talking to him because I think they had done VIP and they've met him before but I'm just sitting there like like this is a god amongst men, you know. And I remember him saying that when they were played their their inaugural like when they played their initial fear inoculum tour in LA, Eddie Van Halen showed up there. And during that show, two things happen. He they forgot the song halfway through, which is very unlike tool, but it was the first time ever playing it live and his string broke in the middle of song and getting and then he goes backstage and Eddie Van Halen was there and it was just so cool getting to hear Adam Jones who I like look up to as like a God. He's just like, I'm sitting there in front of my idol when my string broke. And I literally forgot a song and it was just it was such a human experience. And that's
David "Sandman" Doran:kind of a kind of a crazier story now with obviously Eddie Van Halen passing and stuff that's crazy.
Kyle Warren:And that you remember that picture on social media that he took with those two chicks? And they had no idea who he was? Yeah, have you remember that?
David "Sandman" Doran:I do remember that.
Kyle Warren:Yeah, that was that same show, but it was just a magical thing. I got to go see him again in Austin, you know, literally three or four months later before COVID happened and it was just anyway I reason why i say that i i get carried away with tool. Oh, dude.
David "Sandman" Doran:I love talking about music. so
Kyle Warren:brilliant, man. It but the there was a rehab center I worked for where one of the texts was a very similar to you like on the side he did concert photography. And he's like, I got the privilege to shoot for tool because I of course I asked them shit and and he was like, Maynard makes every photographer sign a waiver that says if you use flash and any part of the concert, he has permission to throw any object he wants at you. And every photographer literally has to sign that and it's in that exact writing.
David "Sandman" Doran:Okay, so you I mean, usually there are like waivers, not all the time. But sometimes there are waivers that you have to sign and everybody's is different. Sometimes you can't post them on social sometimes you can, it's all different. But I would love to have that one. Right? I will throw something at you use flash. That's amazing.
Kyle Warren:Right? Well, that's just like, I mean, that's just the energy that I hope to be able to attain one day where I can say that and give absolutely zero Fox and people are just okay with it.
David "Sandman" Doran:I just wrote I want it and then like one day, I'd love to have him sign it. Like I didn't use the flash on you. Yeah, but I just think it'd be super dope if you sign this piece of paper. How many people were at your VIP?
Kyle Warren:Oh, it was probably about I'd say about 100 people, you know? Yeah, between 50 and 100 people and it was and I got to meet some time again like meeting people there. Like I get to meet one dude who then I got to see at the Austin tour again, like Yes. Because you know, like that, like, especially in Texas, like if they're anywhere in Texas. This guy's gonna be there. So it was it was a it was a very close tight knit group. And then we got food afterwards and they kind of served us it was it was nice experience. And then you know, of course they have I mean, of course the experience was the experience and you've been to a tool show. You can't take pictures even as as a as a fan. I'll say we'll throw your ass out with no exceptions and no more.
David "Sandman" Doran:Because it's such a visual experience. And I just don't know. It was real. I was really bummed. Well, I like it. I was just happy to see tool because I never thought I would. I would never even thought I never thought I would even see tool. Yeah, let alone Just get it out.
Kyle Warren:But at the same time, they're like, I really vibe with with the way they are with their or with their ethos with you know, like, I would much rather experience it than recorded on my phone, because I'll tell you any conference ever recorded on my phone, I have never gone back and watched it. I haven't. And even if I have, it's just like, and this is shit, quality
David "Sandman" Doran:chatter now you're like, Man, it's taken up, like seven gigabytes of memory, I have to delete it.
Kyle Warren:It's fucking terrible. You know? So I'm just like, it's like an addiction where I want to do it. But at the same time, I'm just like, you know, man, like, let me they're all about the vibe. They're all about the story. They're all about literally entering into your soul. And I'm just like, you know, man, I paid this much money. I'm here. Let me let me do it anyway, you know,
David "Sandman" Doran:I look at it to almost kind of like a movie theater. Like on like, I get arguments of people all the time. They say they don't, they don't think of it as a big deal if movie theaters closed because they can watch it at home and stuff. But it's like, I'm so distracted by this phone, at home. So when I go to a movie theater, I turn it off, I put it away. I'm not distracted by it for two and a half hours. I'm zoned in. It's the same thing with concerts. Like, whenever I'm done shooting, I usually just go sit in the back and I just, I just experienced it. I just watched how the fans react. And I watch how like, what the band does. You know, sometimes random things happen at concerts, they'll do something even they don't do it every other concert. Yeah. Because you know, most time everything's like scripted for the most part. Yeah. So every show is consistent. But it's an this concert, man. It's really sad. Like, it's like what you said earlier, I can't remember exactly what you said. But you said whenever you were in the VIP in the in the stadium was empty and you felt the wind from like when they're playing. Like that feeling is amazing. I I never when I was a kid I never really did. I never went to concerts. I was terrified because I didn't want to get pushed on. Yeah, I was terrified. My sister was like, the hardcore. Like, she ma she two steps, she was everything she was in it. And, and she took me to shows and I'm like, I'm not good. I weigh like 110 pounds, I'm terrified. I'm gonna get hurt. I was really scared. Then photographing shows the past like seven years. I got to be behind the barricade, so I wasn't getting pushed. And then the more I did it, the more I became comfortable with the fact that like, they're all just here to vibe and have a good time. Just like me, they love this band while I'm here, you know, that's why we're all here. And over time, it's just, I just love it now I love the feeling of when the lights go black. And then you hear music and the band's walk out dude, it's such a it's such a fucking experience that I'm mad at myself for missing out on as a kid now but I'm happy I get to experience it now is like a teenager to adult.
Kyle Warren:Well, I think though, like at the same time that kind of frustration not wanting to do that probably makes you appreciate it on a deeper level. Absolutely. Do you know? I mean, in a way you can almost kind of thank yourself because it's just like, Damn, like I get to experience this. There's a there's a level of gratitude. And there's just this like, great appreciation for it because I'm same way man.
David "Sandman" Doran:You know, it never goes away either the feeling of like I said like, no lights go black. Now. Every lights go black crowd freaks out, they walk on stage lights come on, and they start playing and it's just Dude, it's everyone at that more at that point is connected and it sucks ass that COVID has taken that away. Yes.
Kyle Warren:Yeah. Oh, exactly. Man. I mean, you know, it's there's a lot of things that I've enjoyed having COVID like, Come Make me like I hate commuting to work. I hate I don't like doing it. Like I don't I don't like dry like I live in Austin says like, I don't like driving in Austin. Forever. But you know that those events? I mean, yeah, I
David "Sandman" Doran:yeah. Because it's, it makes living your normal life worth it? Yeah. I look forward to these moments. Yeah,
Kyle Warren:it was it says incredible, man, you know, and I just, yeah, you're right. And even even now, like, I just started to get it. My first I'll give it like my first ever eSports event because I never really got to experience eSports event when I was growing up like I my family didn't really like it was still like, you know, you're going to play with a bunch of strangers on the internet like it is on the internet. Everyone Internet's out to get you and it's weird. And we don't ages there was just not a whole lot of support there. And so like, I didn't actually go to my first event until 2017 2018 it was the MLG Gears of War and Halo five New Orleans event. That was no Yeah,
David "Sandman" Doran:dude, that was a good one.
Kyle Warren:That was my very first event I went to I literally traveled solo stayed in an Airbnb by myself, you know, and, uh, I mean, and even getting now that like, I just started to get into the scene. I'm just like, damn it. Now they took it.
David "Sandman" Doran:Yeah. Like, I got a taste and then they ripped it away from me.
Kyle Warren:That's right. That's right. But I guarantee you when we start when I'm not I don't like using the phrase like when things go back to normal what I say when things like transition to whatever normal is going to look like. Like I cannot wait the
David "Sandman" Doran:Absolutely, it's gonna I think it's gonna. After being like after what the whole year basically, yeah, everything's been canceled and whatnot. I think having that time off is gonna make people really appreciate it even more. I think whenever the first big event where everybody can go back to and it's all safe. I think it's gonna it's gonna be extra special. Yeah, that's fantastic. Yeah, it's probably gonna be probably gonna be like really booming. Oh yeah.
Kyle Warren:Oh yeah, dude. I mean, well, I think eSports has done his job during COVID This has been as painful as it's not be at these events. This is where, in my opinion where eSports has really gotten the opportunity to make its mark because there's a good couple months, we're sports we're not happening. It's like eSports is gone. Right? Exactly. So it's a shitty thing but it's also a really good thing for the bigger for the greater, greater good. I think. I think they've done a really good job of getting enough eyeballs and enough attention that like when things start going back to you know, where we start meeting in person. Like I think it's gonna take off man
David "Sandman" Doran:like it's already has to tell you the truth like I mean events are always gigantic in general, but now like that we've it's been taken away from us and we know what that feels like now and it's like it's just it's gonna get it's gonna become very massive. Yeah. Oh, sure. With all those games that are out right now with games that are coming out in the future,
Kyle Warren:dude, I think we're like finally ending the drought of this like gaming that like this this game this like content drought like I you know, I think like Call of Duty is like the start of like, where things start to get good. Like, we got black ops Cold War coming out. And it's well, we had cyberpunk coming out on the 19th. Whenever the fuck Halo decides they're going to give us a release date.
David "Sandman" Doran:I mean, give me a crumb, bro. Yeah.
Kyle Warren:Yeah, I actually made a tweet today where it was just like, I listed all the dates of the new consoles, the new games, and he's just like my buddies. Like, if I saw like, even like a whisper from the halo account, is like, you know, that's all we need to make this week. Perfect. You know what I mean?
David "Sandman" Doran:I think I saw a tweet from somebody else too. And they were saying like, I don't know something similar, but they were like, man, I really hope that we get some halo halo infinite news soon. And then they go to the account and it's like a like, like another toy reveal or something. And I'm like, Oh, my gosh,
Kyle Warren:was it was the artist drawing and that was snakebite? Yeah.
David "Sandman" Doran:I was just like, Oh my gosh, man, just give us something. Give us a date when you're going to announce the route like the multiplayer.
Kyle Warren:Right? Exactly.
David "Sandman" Doran:Just give me something to look forward to instead of me, waiting in my room wondering and getting my hopes.
Kyle Warren:Right. I mean, I've kind of become numb to it. Like I just literally, I've almost kind of desensitized myself to I've kind of like, guarded myself from the halo Twitter account. I haven't needed it but like, I've got I've emotionally I've guarded myself because I'm just like, you know what? until there's actually news I'm gonna focus on other things that make me happy. I'm gonna flick because I just you know, because I bought just about every single piece of merch, every single toy like I got the hoodie. I got the Mega Bloks I got the you know, like, I got I got the toys like, emerge. Give me the game, bro. Exactly, exactly, man. So you mentioned I met you a little bit earlier kind of stuck this in there you were you were shooting a con event like had like, I know Halo is kind of your primary thing. What other eSports you know, events? Have you gone to like a kind of like, let's bring this back to the photographer here.
David "Sandman" Doran:So caught. Okay. So funny thing. So cod is actually I don't like to say this because it makes me feel like I'm like, making myself a celebrity. But cod is what blue is like what got me noticed by people in the beginning. Because I didn't even know is gonna happen. I took pictures of pros. I said, Hey, I took these pictures. I tagged them. And then they retweeted them. And there's like 3000 retweets on them. And then I have like a billion designers in my dm MIT homes, ask us them, and then they would use them. And then they would tag me that it's my pictures. And then that's what gave me a lot of following. And then, but I wasn't even like the biggest cod guy by any means. Which Halo wasn't doing much. And I wanted, I was like, I'm gonna go to Cod. They're really big right now. Yeah. So I've shot a shot. Only two cod events. Wow. I've shot a billion Halo events. I've shot three Gears of War events.
Kyle Warren:I saw that on your profile. Yeah. Here's one of my favorites, man.
David "Sandman" Doran:Yeah, I was. That was cool. And that was cool too. Because it was over. It was over it was for UGC and I love all the guys over there. Like, yeah, they're one of the only people that's ever given me an opportunity in the beginning and still do. And I would do anything for them because they're just a bunch of great people. And they really random I want to touch on this too. When I shot my first year's event for them, they flew me out to new Atlantic City took a picture at the it was like the end shot or took a picture and I walked up to the stage I was like, Alright, I think I did a good job. And they like rush the stage and and like was hugging me and thanking me and saying what I did was a great day. Job and like, I'm not an emotional person by any means, or like a sentimental person. But I like broke down I just sat on the theater stage like tears I was it was such a experience and did have that validation and, and thankfulness that I kind of was looking for. And I finally get it. Like two three years in it was really cool. Um, but I've also shot smash events for them, they give me that opportunity. I've shot Rocket League in a funny sport to watch, dude. Okay, so funny story. I'm not a rocket league guy, or I wasn't a rocket league guy. A friend of mine sent me or sent a client my way. And I don't get to work with many teams. And this team asked like, Hey, we were sent to you by this guy. We want you to photograph us at DreamHack Dallas, would you be interested? I was like, Yeah, I don't know anything about I don't know anything about Rocket League, but I'll do it. And they offered me six different jobs, six different events. So CES, Hearthstone, and Rocket League, but for five or six different events, but I had a full time job, I can only have two weeks vacation, so I can't I have to minimize it and work with that, even though I've taken off without telling them trouble for a couple times. But I accepted to. I accepted the Rocket League Dreamhack Dallas event, and I accepted the Rocket League World Championship in New York, New Jersey. And they will and then the team that I shot for won the world championship. And I was like, Oh my god, I'm a lucky charm. That was a moment. I'll never forget. First time ever working for a team they lost horribly and Dreamhack Dallas, two months later to go win a World Championship and I got to experience that live and be a part of something. I mentioned how when I shop for UGC, for Gears of War that I got the feeling that I was wanted, and I've that I did a good job. And that gave me that work that I did with vitality, which is an Inquisitor in an entirely French organization. I didn't under I could not understand the players. Yeah. Their management team was amazing. They were super kind. And it was the first time that I felt I was a part of a team. I was part of something and that was amazing. And we worked with them again, or their Counter Strike Team and then COVID hit and we were gonna I was gonna work with them for like three more events and the code. But yeah, man, I've done Rocket League. And that's what got me onto it. Now I'm a humongous Rocket League fan, a rocket league Halo gears, Counter Strike. random little fighting games at dream hacks that are their fighter and Tekken. But other than that, I think that's it for the most part. Like I'm forgetting a gigantic one. Oh, Liga legends.
Kyle Warren:Yeah, I'd say
David "Sandman" Doran:I photographed two events for esport media, amazing guys as well. And they gave me the opportunity to photograph and LCS and I was like, holy shit. This is like the cream of the crop. esport I'm photographing this dude. And I rented like a$10,000 lens. So I could reach and man it was it was awesome. It was so dope.
Kyle Warren:That's sick, man. I mean, and you mentioned UGC, like you. I actually had a guy guy Spencer blaze on here. I had I had him. I had him on a few weeks ago. That was actually actually one of my one of my top episodes, man I love he's a blast, dude. Those guys are just fantastic. He's got charisma just everywhere. Oh my God. He's so freakin cool, dude. And I'll tell you man, like the ability to break down Gears of War as an esport to a viewer is not an easy thing to do.
David "Sandman" Doran:Like it's very fast paced. I can bear I was watching it for the first time that I was having like a hard time because like I don't think I couldn't hear the casters at one point. I was just watching it and it's so fast and I don't understand like the little intricacies against it ever. Yeah, but man they they do break it down like him all out. Oh, yeah. Exactly. was in there too. Like they're they're incredible at what they do to break down that game.
Kyle Warren:Yeah, because it's kind of To me, it's very, it's obviously not the same type of game, but it's in that sense is very similar to Overwatch. Like when I watch Overwatch I got no fucking clue what's going on either, bro. That is that game literally gives me a headache. Yeah,
David "Sandman" Doran:I can't I can't track all the different characters and all the abilities going on as well as the objective like it's too much on screen at one time. It's chaotic. Oh, bro,
Kyle Warren:it's nuts. Dude, it's nuts. I mean, yeah.
David "Sandman" Doran:Enemy like the basic like game type of what they using gears. I was like, Oh, okay. Yeah, yeah, it's still fast paced like Overwatch in a sense, but I can understand the objective more. And I understand like what a player is doing. Yeah,
Kyle Warren:Overwatch, you cannot tell what anyone is doing. Not and people
David "Sandman" Doran:like I'm not trying to hate on it. But I can't see what's happening for the 30 minutes that's going on
Kyle Warren:in it at the same time when you're trying to normalize this like if we can understand it, and we enjoy video games like how are you going to attract The common person whose name may not necessarily be a gamer who may be a sports fanatic, like what? That's me is not going to sell.
David "Sandman" Doran:I think Rocket League ism is perfect cars 100% easy, super simple to understand and look where it's at now.
Kyle Warren:I remember someone told me when I was first when we were actually playing Halo together, he's like, dude, let's play some Rocket League man. Like we're I think we're getting shit on Halo. And he's like it let's just play some Rocket League is hanging out like what is that? He's like, it's like, it's like RC cars, but with soccer and I'm like, fuck is that rolling?
David "Sandman" Doran:Like an arcade game or something? Yeah,
Kyle Warren:but it was like I suck at it for me. It's a fine wine. I have no desire to even try to get good at that game but as a sport to watch it that you're right. It's a fantastic crossover because it's it resembles you know, the normal soccer sport it has its has Yeah, yeah, it's fantastic, man. It's fantastic. It's cute. He what messes me up is the is the is the fit like the measure robber you insane. This is like the physics of like, like rotating your car and like the like, getting it like like to go it just that is and that's what you need to win. And I I'm just a bot like going in reverse on them that
David "Sandman" Doran:when I was when I was working with vitality, I'm just like sitting there watching the players. I don't know what Rocket League is. I'm trying to learn while I'm there. And I'm just like, How the hell is he doing that? And then I go home. I go home like Monday of the event. I downloaded off the game pass ad.
Kyle Warren:I tried like this. I'm gonna do what they do. And I'm just, dude, I can't even get the car off the ground like they can. It's such a high skill level. It really is. I mean, that's what that's what is fascinating about them. You look at gears you look at Rocket League you look at over I mean, there's just these high, high high skill ceilings, you know, Halo, it's weird. It's like it to me, it's like it's almost like kind of cat. It's a lower skill ceiling. But like, as far as the mechanics but like, it's so centered, like, like, if you cannot communicate as a team like it just it is so centered around teamwork. I agree. But I mean, Halo five kind of brought an interesting element to it. Like where it brought some more individuality to it.
David "Sandman" Doran:You know, flashy players came out of that. Yeah. And trippy San all ton of people who, yeah.
Kyle Warren:Yeah, wouldn't would have never made it in classic, you know, like,
David "Sandman" Doran:I really don't think that I mean, I don't think they would Oh, that's no disrespect to them. It's just, hey, look, I've gave them a way to shine differently than a typical player would. Yeah.
Kyle Warren:I think it's fantastic. I mean, you know, you sound like someone you sound like some someone very similar to me, where it's just like, it's a, if I was a very cool evolution of it, like it's still very different. It's, you know, I'm a, I'm a classic Halo guy, I love me, nothing will hold a candle to two and three, those are nostalgically, like, like sacred for me. But like, to me, Halo was a good step in the right direction towards like, what the current meta of just eSports in general is like for the Zoomers, and for these young guns, like because it's, it's got to go past this dinosaur movement man. Like, you know what I mean, and like I just I, you know, like I would,
David "Sandman" Doran:I'm weird about it. I'm weird about it. So like, I respect Halo five for what it is. But as a 27. I'm old, I'm not that old. But I'm old in my mind. But I, I love Halo three, like playing Halo three on PC. Feel like I would be fine with even something like that. Like if I ask that as compared to like, if you play it on console, and it feels like you have like cinder blocks around your feet. But I understand people not wanting to play a much slower Halo game. But I mean, for me, I mean, I'll always be like I, I will always be no sprint, faster movement speed. Gotcha. I understand where people are coming from within. And honestly, at this point in my life, on a casual Halo fan, I'm like, I'm a casual Halo player. Just because I have so much other stuff going on. So at this point, I just want the community beat the community to be happy. Yes. Such a Yeah, I'm sure you see it on Twitter all the time. There's a lot there's a lot of toxicity in regards to that the debate between Halo games and very tiring and very old. But at this point, I just want people to enjoy a Halo game. Like for overall the most part of people I know not everybody will but right. Goodness, man, I just want people to happy playing Halo
Kyle Warren:again. And I actually said that to my buddy. I'm like, you know, I could hate the game. But if the community vibe around it, and it was together, I would just have to sit there and take that l you know what I mean? Like that, to me, that means more than like, like, yeah, cuz I'm like, I'm a casual player, but hardcore fan. You know?
David "Sandman" Doran:Like, I still get it. I'll get sweaty sometimes, like, play with me or a buddy. But yeah, I'm a casual fan. And I you know, I'll leave the good decision makings to the to the community members that do grind it every day. And I'll be like, you know, I'll voice my opinions here and then, but I'll leave the battle to them. That's right. I'm sure autographed the events and see all my friends again and play a good time.
Kyle Warren:Yeah, man. Absolutely. I got a i got i gotta ask you something you've been doing recently. His reaction videos on YouTube, kind of tell me what got you into that.
David "Sandman" Doran:So yeah, so I did it like a year ago. And I got I was pretty consistent with it. I was like, editing wasn't crazy. Um, nail sucked. I did it myself. I ended up stopping because I think there just wasn't anything coming out. There's no movie trailers. Yeah, it goes back to me just like in movies. And I watch trailer. This is weird, but I watch trailers for fun. Oh, no kidding, I think I think yeah, I think trailers are just kind of like a, they're a different experience in the movie, sometimes like it gets kind of boring. And also kind of brings you back to being hyped about the movie when you first saw the trailer. That's how I feel about the end game and all those. I watched those all the time and remember what it was like to first see him. So I watch a lot of trailer reactor people. And I mean, they're just talking, they just react to it. And they talk about it. I'm like, Well, I like movies. I like movie trailers. I like pop culture and Avenger movies and Batman and all this and I can do that. Oh, yeah, I dabbled in it like a year ago. And I started it back up like a month ago. I did like three or four videos last month or, and, you know, whatever. And I stopped and I just did one like the other day over the Mandalorian special look of season two, which I wasn't even going to do it because I knew it was gonna only be like a minute long. Like, I'm gonna react to something that I've we've probably all seen anyway. But I wasn't looking at it from that mindset. I was looking at it from like, I just want to try and be consistent. Yeah. And I was like, I haven't done one in a while. I love I love the Mandalorian let me just do it anyway, even if I have already seen most of the footage it shows and it only shows a little new. Uh, but yeah, it's just one I've been into. And then my buddy Alex Who? alpaca on Twitter. He does like, he's been doing all my thumbnails. Like, he DM me. We've been best friends for like five years now. But he DM me, he's like, why didn't you ask me to make you a thumbnail? This is this is the guy who designed for optic hundred thieves phase and yeah, like I've seen him. I've seen him around. Yeah, he's a really cool guy. He's one of the most talented people on the planet that I know, on anything he does, and it annoys the hell out of me. And if you ever do this, he'll love it. But yeah, he's like, why didn't you ever hit me up for thumbnails? I was like, I don't want to bother you, man. Like, I don't want to I don't want to be that guy and use my friends to get like, you know, thumbnails or whatever. Because I know you're a designer. Like I just you're my friend. And that's what I you know, yeah. Yeah. And so he offered to do it. And every, like, every time I have a video about Hey, like, I need like, I'll send him like some stills from the reaction and then it'll make it and give it to me that night or the next morning and the man that's kind of what it's been about, but just it's just a fun thing to do. just stuck in my room. movies coming out in theaters, but yeah, yeah, just something to do some.
Kyle Warren:I cuz I cuz I watched the Mandalorian one, you know, like a little bit early today. So I was I was curious to like, watch what got you in that because you're like, you. I mean, you love eSports you love pop culture. Like you love the photography love movie. It's just like, it's cool to kind of hear the full picture of like, like, who like who is Davey I mean, and
David "Sandman" Doran:still trying to figure that out to man even 27. Like, I think I was having it kind of is but it really was about the same time when I had the slump when we were originally going to do the podcast. And and then I got COVID and I was at a friend's house and then from then even kind of now I've been having these like weird existential feelings of Who am I? Because I if I'm not photographing a concerts or eSports, then Sandman doesn't exist. And then I'm just David. And then I'm like, Who's David? And it's very existential and weird, but I took a lot of pride and this is gonna sound really lame. I apologize. I took a lot of pride in being Sandman. Like,
Kyle Warren:I was actually gonna ask you that. Like, why would it like what what is them? And how did that come about? Like, like, Where did that come from?
David "Sandman" Doran:It came from a variety of things. So in middle school, I love Metallica. I mean, that's interesting, man. I uh, I slept a lot. And then there's the kind of the final nail in the coffin was the anime Naruto? I don't know if you watch anime.
Kyle Warren:No, I don't watch anime, but I know I know. I'm on Twitter enough to know about Naruto.
David "Sandman" Doran:Okay, so there's a character in the show called Gara of the desert, and he controls sand and manipulate sand. That's his ability. And I was like, Dude, this guy is the greatest thing I've ever seen in my life. And everyone calls him like, you know, people would make videos calling him The Sandman. And so then I made my Xbox gamer tag. It was dumb. I made it sand assassin. Hmm. I spell assassin wrong. Sounds like this is dumb. I don't like this and then eventually I just changed it to like it. Sandman I and that was it. And then over a period of time I never really like it didn't it didn't stick with me as much as it does now, in regards to how much I care for the name but whenever I was like into Halo three going into reach people would always confused me with the montage Sandman. Gotcha. And I felt awful about it. Because I was like, dude, everyone thinks I'm this guy. And I'm not that I never post as I'm by any means. But then I felt bad. Like, I'm just this Sandman. And this guy's the cool montage Sandman. So whenever I became a photographer and entered my way into the halo community as my own kind of Sandman, it was cool that I had that. Like, I created my own sand. I don't it sounds so weird. I created my own Sandman that people knew and and were friends with and appreciate it. And Sandman was a much cooler person and David is. So I don't know. Yeah, it's a weird thing. I'm really like, attached to the name. Very Sure.
Kyle Warren:Well, sure. I mean, like, like, and I don't I like I think that's cool. Because I think it's something that a lot of people as content creators struggle with is like, coming up with their name. And like having that actually mean something you don't like, with me, like, like mine. Like I have a very sick, like a very interesting story of my life. You know, boonah was like something that my mother used to call me as a kid that I was always so embarrassed about. I never would let her call me that in public. I was so like, I was so nervous about getting made fun of like, and I didn't, I didn't like it. And so I would only let her call me that in the house. Like when we're at home.
David "Sandman" Doran:Where does that come from? Like that? Like?
Kyle Warren:I don't know. She just said she's made it up. You know, I mean, it's just fascinating how that happened. I think part of it was because I called balloons like balloons as a kid. You don't I mean, I don't, I think it was like, some sort of weird combination around that, where she just, that's what she called me. And, and I was like, you know, man, I was creating my brand. I was like, the word like, the couple my values are like, you know, I want to be genuine. I want to be authentic. Like, because I know, people it's it's hard to, like, find authentic people on the internet. Like, it's, it's everyone's been on the front. Everyone's always throwing their best shit out there. No one knows who the real person is until you have conversations like this or like, you know, like, get to know people. And so I was like, You know what, the word bonafide by itself means genuine and authentic. So I said, Ah, why not? Just, why not just be authentic and be who I was always afraid to be? Yeah, you know, as a kid,
David "Sandman" Doran:man. I like that a lot. That's dope. Yeah. Know, what it meant to I meant to ask you,
Kyle Warren:and when it when it hit it just it was like, Yeah,
David "Sandman" Doran:that's it. And it's yours. Yeah. Like, no one else is gonna have that or make that and so it's, it's personal to you, but it's also like, no one can take it from you.
Kyle Warren:Ah, oh, I like that. And everyone always fucks up and just calls me bonafide. I'm just like, okay, that's fine too. Like that, does it? It doesn't matter. You know, I've gotten bona fide Bona Bona Fie like you know, like, it's like, it's, you know, it's funny man. But I think it was some people struggle with is the is just like the like, Who am I besides like, Kyle, besides David, like, you know, what's this? What's this stage character? What's this image that I'm trying to present? And I mean, I think it's, I think it's kind of normal to go through that because I'm going through a lot of like, this existential, like, Who am I like, there's a lot of like, there's a lot of internal like things I'm going to walk through. And I just think now, to tell you the truth, man, it's a beautiful time to do it. Because the world is literally stood still. And we are literally getting to deal with ourselves. It's really just a giant Moment of Reflection. It is a man brother, like, like, I'll tell you, there's some shit inside that like does not sit right with me. And it's just, it's kind of hard to do. I don't have any like mindless activity to pat like to go out and do it and
David "Sandman" Doran:to distract myself and to kind of what the events were for. All right. So now when your left is kind of ending still your mind wanders the entire time. And that's sometimes it's good. Yeah, sometimes it
Kyle Warren:tortures he has a very awful place to
David "Sandman" Doran:lie. Yeah, that's funny joke with a good friend of mine. It's my like, my best friend, actually, um, we talk about it all the time. But we watch, we'll watch the office or Parks and Rec to, like, get us out of that mindset that you're mentioning. Like, even though we've seen it a billion times, it's just something that it's just something weak. I don't know. We just it makes us laugh and it's funny and then we love it and watch it all the time. So now whenever we're like, we're in that mindset and just need to kind of snap out of it. We watch Parks and Rec in the office. It's really random but it works. How's good minds the office?
Kyle Warren:Oh, yeah, dude, that like going back to the very first season that the office like a doodle it's kind of it's kind of funny because now especially as we as a society like we're we're a lot of things are not okay, now that there were okay then and so watching the office, like backed by Tim's like, oh, if this would have aired 22 one like
David "Sandman" Doran:they would have
Kyle Warren:they would have gotten canceled so fast. All the little nuances that just
David "Sandman" Doran:yeah. would have not even gotten past season one. No, no and hell, man.
Kyle Warren:No. So that's mine, but also kind of my little pastimes are like, there's a couple trilogies and sets of movies that I really like. And I know you'll appreciate it. One of them is, you know, Star Wars. You know, the other one is Lord of the Rings. Oh, and the other one is the Dark Knight Trilogy,
David "Sandman" Doran:you know? And 33 perfect.
Kyle Warren:I don't really buy any more movies, I bought the matrix because I do love that one. Like I, I I that was the only addition that I made to my new set, but it's just like, that's kind of like what I'll do to like, go zone out of this like, cuz it's just, it's just as complete and other disconnect from reality. There's no or even close to being true.
David "Sandman" Doran:Basically grab like the three best trilogies of all time. So you grab the right ones?
Kyle Warren:Yeah, I mean, I can end they're timeless. That's why they're the best.
David "Sandman" Doran:Only never. frickin Return of the King still looks like it was made yesterday. And thank you.
Kyle Warren:Yeah, that was very similar to Star Wars back in the 80s. You can say the same about Lord of the Rings film back in the early 2000s. Like it was just so ahead of its time.
David "Sandman" Doran:Just know what they were doing using like actual, like orcs like people dressed in costumes. It was like CGI, and yeah, man. It's just It looks so good. Especially even when you look at it compared to like, the hobbits and stuff like it. It
Kyle Warren:looks. I was just gonna say like, if the hobbit had been released before Lord of the Rings, or if we never had Lord of the Rings, it was just the Hobbit, I would have really enjoyed the Hobbit. Yeah, but when we have Lord of the Rings over here, it just, it doesn't even it doesn't even care.
David "Sandman" Doran:If you put them both on a shelf and look at them evenly. It's like
Kyle Warren:go with Lord of the Rings. Put it this way. I just got a new 4k blu ray player and I had that I got I got the Lord of the Rings collector's edition for the 4k set. And I saw the hobbit for the same price. I'm like, I don't think I'm gonna get that one.
David "Sandman" Doran:Especially 4k. Like I seen like, two towers is my personal favorite. Yes, I just love Helm's Deep Helm's Deep and like my favorite thing of all time, and I love treebeard Yeah. So seeing like the Battle of Helm's Deep and 4k. I like greatest thing of all time. I haven't gotten it yet. So I'm sure I'm pre order. It's not gonna be here till December 1.
Kyle Warren:Okay, so I'm actually waiting on it. So it's it went, I'll tell you, I'll circle back with you tell you Oh,
David "Sandman" Doran:yeah, please, please. I love I love two towers so much.
Kyle Warren:It was actually the book I stopped to read. I didn't finish the book, but it was like I got through the second book. And then I just figured out it in like reading so I you know, I just I don't I don't like reading bro. Like,
David "Sandman" Doran:you're not alone. I hate
Kyle Warren:it, man. It's been it's been an absolute treat. David, I want to I want to kind of want to kind of wrap things up a little bit here. Like, you know, something, I something I always continue to ask myself and I like to ask. Some of the people in the audience like is, you know, like, you're 27 you're kind of like, we're in this middle of a pandemic, like, you know, photography site here. I mean, obviously, you're going to continue photographing events, but you know, what is it that you want to be when you grow up, man? Like, what is it that like, what is kind of like you're like, man, like, when does the rest of my life kind of thing?
David "Sandman" Doran:A man you asked me like 20 years ago, it was like the president united states. irresponsibility. Oh, I think I had to choose like right now. I've really it's kind of weird. I never thought about it. But I think I still want to be in the, in the esports scene. Yeah, I want to be whether it's a photographer, I'd love to work in just a production. Like, like, team like I love I love working with like stage like people who work with like the lights on stages and stuff. Like I want to be a part of that process and, and helping other photographers not have crappy light. at events, I think I think I still want to be in eSports 100% I want to make I want to make my mark on it. That makes them whether it's with photography, or just general production. And if 343 is hiring. I want to work on Halo, my favorite game of all time. That was actually the original goal. When I went to Indianapolis. I was like, Oh, this is the plan. I'll meet them. I'll shoot for them. I'll shoot for them some more and then they'll hire me. Didn't have an hour worked out. It's okay. You know, I'm only 27 there's time.
Kyle Warren:Yeah, play time earlier.
David "Sandman" Doran:But I don't know probably sports stuff still. No, I definitely don't work on my day job anymore.
Kyle Warren:Bro. backs. Excellent. You know, I'm kind of kind of final question here, man. Like if you had like, say someone's kind of in your similar spot when you first started out. Like if there's any piece of advice that you would give someone who's kind of just coming into the scene, wanting to get into eSports I mean, primarily photography kind of in any shape or form. Like what What advice would you give someone
David "Sandman" Doran:don't talk about it be about it. Like don't don't say you want to do it, do it even even if like even if you think you can't whether it's to get go to an event, get a camera or anything just do it man don't don't let money or or anything stop you. Like just make the sacrifice and do it because most time it'll pay off because people people like to see that initiative to see you care enough to use your own money use your own car use you know, risk your own stuff to go and pursue your dream. So yeah, I think just an about it instead of talking about it. 100%
Kyle Warren:something a lot of people struggle with today. I
David "Sandman" Doran:I do it as well sometimes. Yeah,
Kyle Warren:yeah. It's fantastic man. Now Dude, it's been an absolute pleasure. Where Where are you the most active on social media if someone were to follow you, where would you want them to go first and where all your other social channels
David "Sandman" Doran:definitely on Twitter man at David Sandman with two s's. So David S and and Sandman. I'm on Instagram as well. Same name David Sandman YouTube for trailer reactions it I think it should David Duran. I don't I don't know how to work YouTube. So David Duran, which is my last name, but yeah, those are the three main ones mainly Twitter. You can follow me on David Sandman on
Kyle Warren:Twitter. Fantastic. I'll put some I'll definitely put the links below you know so way when people are checking this out was on YouTube or on Spotify or Apple they can they can have access to that but a pleasure brother.
David "Sandman" Doran:Thanks for having me. Man. I'm every time anybody ever asked me to do these, I'm incredibly humbled because I'm just some guy from Midwest City, Oklahoma. Taking pictures of his favorite game. Anytime anybody's interested in my story or my opinions and my outlook. I'm just grateful to be here, man. Thanks for having me.
Kyle Warren:Absolutely, brother. Amen. Have a fantastic night,
David "Sandman" Doran:Arizona. Okay,
Kyle Warren:y'all, thank you so much for tuning in to another episode of The bonafide experience podcast. If you did enjoy this episode, it would mean the absolute world if you gave us a thumbs up a like, subscribe, whatever platform you are on. All of those little metrics help get the podcast, spread it out far and wide to people who may need to hear it. If you have someone or relative grandson or son around, you know, I just almost said relative twice. Anyone who would get value out of this who's either wanting to get into gaming content creation is kind of struggling with their own competence, or to a family member who has a kid who wants to go into gaming, I would highly highly urge you to share this with them. It would mean the absolute world to me to make a difference in at least one family's life and one creators life to help them pursue their own passion. If you're not following me already, if you want to get some more info on me, I am My name is Kyle and you can follow me at bonafide gaming on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. I do stream on Twitch I have a very sporadic schedule but I predominantly stream Call of Duty, I will be streaming into black ops will be streaming some cyberpunk. And ultimately, when Halo infinite finally comes out, that is what I will be doing as well. We also just chat about some normal topics. So I'd love to see you in there. If you had a favorite part of the podcast. I'd love for you to mention that on Twitter or anywhere in the reviews comment review section. And I will shout that out. Y'all have a fantastic week and stay tuned for next week's episode.
David "Sandman" Doran:Peace.