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A little bit of Hollywood in Leesburg
Riding the roller coasters, climbing the structures and filming people on the rides is all in a day's work for Ken DuPuis and Joey Walker.
Through their jobs at WaterView Media, a company they started in 2005, DuPuis and Walker film almost everything from amusement parks to documentaries of local personalities. (DuPuis even had a short stint filming a movie for HBO, "Jekyll Island," in 1998.)
“Amusement parks are a niche we have,” DuPuis said.
The two recently returned from a three-week trek to film eight parks nationwide. “We've been labeled the roller-coaster guys.”
It's a fitting name -- DuPuis says he was the first to mount a camera to the front of a roller coaster. His first assignment involved capturing a well-known celebrity enjoying a ride.
“In 1988, I was asked to film Tom Cruise on Magic Mountain at Six Flags in California,” he said.
Later, DuPuis moved to Leesburg and met Walker over some filming equipment.
Walker had gotten in touch with an equipment rental company for a job he was working on, but DuPuis had rented the item he needed. The company arranged for Walker to pick it up from DuPuis.
“It was like a baby in a basket,” DuPuis recalled about Walker showing up on his doorstep.
From then on DuPuis and Walker have worked together, DuPuis hiring Walker for some jobs and then in 2005, they formed WaterView Media.
While they still have a large share of the amusement park filming market – recently shooting the Tony Hawk rides for Six Flags -- the two have also made strides in filming local documentaries.
They recently shot a documentary titled “Take This Hammer,” about Bob Gordon, a Round Hill man who renovates Civil War-era stone walls. The hourlong film won the bronze for the 29th annual Telly Awards Hobby and Crafts documentary category. The Telly Awards honor broadcasting media companies.
DuPuis and Walker say they love what they do because “the industry lets us live on an island and travel in for jobs,” Walker said speaking of being away from the hustle and bustle of Hollywood in quiet Leesburg.
“This is such the opposite of Hollywood,” DuPuis said. “But we have thrived here. The shoots are straight up Hollywood-style. It is awesome having a little bit of Hollywood in Leesburg.”
Walker said his favorite part about the job is being able to see everyone else's jobs on a regular basis because of the different subjects they shoot, from the FBI to operating rooms to musicians.
DuPuis said one of his favorite subjects to film was Alice Cooper.
“I expected this weird, wild guy, but he was a dad, a golfer and one of the nicest guys I've met,” DuPuis said.
The jobs DuPuis and Walker accept take them down many different paths. They market themselves as an entertaining bunch and the yin to the yang of each other.
“I am old-school and Joey is youthful, fresh ideas,” DuPuis said.
“We both have our own talents,” Walker added. “And we're fun.”
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