Player Profile: Derek Scull
My how time flies! I’ve been writing this blog every week since February 2022, and it’s been a whirlwind of typing and writing and interviews and highlights and pictures and more writing. I don’t even know if anybody even reads these weekly columns, and I rarely see comments down below, but I feel like I’ve made some impact on our disc golf community, and I look forward to continuing this blog in 2023.
I have covered a wide range of topics this year, and it felt appropriate to finish off the year by highlighting the man behind Gatekeeper Media, Mr. Derek Scull. He and his team have risen quickly through the media ranks and established himself as a top-quality producer. Derek took some time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions for me, and I’m happy to share them here.
Derek grew up as an Army Brat and was born while his father was stationed in Germany. He bounced around a few other places, and it was his dad who actually introduced him to disc golf. Derek recalls, “I technically started playing in 2003 when my dad bought my brother and I some Innova starter sets. It was nothing more than a casual park game to me until I moved to Lancaster in 2013/2014. I started playing in weekly doubles after getting an invite from my buddy and coworker Kurt.”
Derek has a rich history and passion when it comes to working in video production. “I started as an intern for some NHL games when I was 15”, Derek says. “I took all the video classes I could in high school. Then I went to University of the Arts in Philly for a communications degree with emphasis on documentary filmmaking. However, my senior year I changed to a narrative focus so I could follow my true passion as a director of photography. I’ve always had a way with a camera. Composition and stability have always come easy to me.”
The story of how Gatekeeper came to be is an interesting one, and it’s probably not how you would have imagined it. Derek says, “Gatekeeper Media started as an idea in a south Philly Brewery that we were going to be a commercial video company. We owned a drone and Chris had just gotten his FAA license. We did a few gigs for nonprofits, musicians, businesses, etc. Fast forward to when my previously mentioned buddy Kurt asked if we’d be interested in doing the flyovers for the new course they just installed. Once we spent the day at the course with him flying it, he asked if we wanted to film their first B-tier. We said why not and kind of caught the bug.” It is amazing how disc golf can seep into every aspect of your life, and in this case, become a career. It was a ‘right place, right time’ kind of situation that was a fortuitous synergy of two passions for Derek.
We know the name, but who are the people behind Gatekeeper? “As for the core team, we have me and Chris as owners and co-founders, Isaac as catch-cam extraordinaire, and Nick who is a player and camera person. We have PJ who works remotely as well. Everyone wears a lot of hats. And then we have a network of various other contractors between editors, photographers, and even writers!”, Derek says. As with any successful endeavor, it takes a team of like-minded people to handle all the complexities of churning out quality disc golf content.
It is formula that has brought Derek success. So much so that they were courted to fly down under to cover their national event. Derek says, “The Australian Disc Golf Championship was an absolutely fantastic experience! The friendships that were made down under are some that I will value for a very long time. I lived in Australia for a summer when I was 15, so it was surreal to be able to get to a point where I was able to get me and the team there for work. I would recommend the trip to anyone, it’s not as scary as you hear. We look forward to working with the Australian Championship in the future!” No, the discs don’t hyzer in the opposite direction down there either. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out that coverage for both the FPO and MPO divisions.
With so much success already, what does the future have in store for Gatekeeper? When I asked Derek, he said, “Truly and honestly it is to keep making consistently great content for everyone to enjoy. Also, finding new opportunities to help grow the market! I absolutely love crossover content, so I plan to offer much more of that moving forward!” It certainly feels like we are just getting started in Disc Golf Media, and there is no limit to where Gatekeeper will head next.
With so many production teams out there, you may think that it’s an easy job. But it is quite the opposite. However, if you are considering giving video production a go, Derek does have some advice to share. He says, “Find your niche, commit to not being afraid to make the content, and be consistent. So many people can get stuck because they don’t think they have the right equipment, so they don’t even start. Well, to challenge that, I filmed an entire 18-hole round on an iPhone and edited it with nothing but an iPad. Both the front and back nines can be found on our Patreon if you care to view! Also, understand you won’t get a million views right away as well. You must earn your audience’s trust.” Indeed, this is great advice. I also produce disc golf content on YouTube, and I don’t have anywhere near the success of Derek and his team.
It seems like this is just the beginning for Derek and his crew, and we should all be so lucky to have Gatekeeper Media in the disc golf world. Now go sign up for their Patreon exclusive content!
