Gavin Free
Gavin David Free (born 23 May 1988) is an English actor, director, cinematographer, and internet personality. He is best known for his work at Rooster Teeth—where he formerly served as creative director—featuring in many of their projects, including the Achievement Hunter gaming division. He directed season 7 of Red vs. Blue, as well as its miniseries Relocated.
Gavin Free | |
|---|---|
Gavin Free at RTX 2016 | |
| Born | Gavin David Free 23 May 1988 Thame, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation(s) | Producer, director, cinematographer, actor |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Known for | The Slow Mo Guys Achievement Hunter Rooster Teeth |
| Partner | Meg Turney (2013–present) |
Free is also known as the creator and co-host of the YouTube-based web series The Slow Mo Guys,[1] alongside his friend Daniel Gruchy. The series features slow-motion footage of various stunts and experiments, garnering as of February 2022[update] over 2.2 billion views since its launch in 2010. In April 2011, the channel was voted the winner of YouTube's On The Rise program. In September 2012, their episode involving crushing watermelons was featured on The Tonight Show. Free has appeared alongside Gruchy in the annual YouTube Rewind series from 2013 to 2017. Free was nominated for a Webby Award in the Best Web Personality/Host (Online Film & Video) category for his work on The Slow Mo Guys on 5 April 2016.[2]
His acting roles include Woody in Lazer Team and its sequel, Vav in the animated comedy series X-Ray and Vav, and Scarlet David in RWBY. He is also known for his slow motion cinematography work for films,[3] including Hot Fuzz (2007), Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011), Snow White and the Huntsman (2012), and Dredd (2012).[4] Free has also worked on slow-motion footage for the BBC show Top Gear.[5] At the 2016 Streamy Awards, Free won for Cinematography.[6]
Early life
Free was born in Thame in Oxfordshire[7][8] where he attended Lord Williams's School.[9]
In 2006, he joined Green Door Films, the first production house in Europe to use Phantom digital high-speed cameras as a source of slow motion, working as a data technician and camera operator. He has worked on adverts and music videos for U2, Enter Shikari, Klaxons, Kasabian, The Chemical Brothers, X-Press 2, and the "Everybody Hurts" charity single.[10]
Free also worked at his local Waitrose, where he met Daniel Gruchy.[11]
Career
Red vs. Blue and Slow Mo Guys: 2009–2010
In 2009, he was hired by Austin,-Texas-based Rooster Teeth Productions to direct the seventh season of their machinima series Red vs. Blue. Free also directed its mini-series Relocated.[4][12][13][14][15] He acted in Rooster Teeth's comedy mini-series Captain Dynamic[16][17][18] and began appearing in Rooster Teeth Shorts the same year.[19][20][21]
In 2010, he created The Slow Mo Guys along with friend Daniel Gruchy in order to get a work visa.[22] The Slow Mo Guys consists largely of various objects being filmed using Free's Phantom high-speed cameras. As of February 2022[update], their YouTube channel has garnered over 2.2 billion views and 14.2 million subscribers.[23][24] In April 2011, the channel was voted the winner of YouTube's On The Rise program, which highlights up-and-coming YouTube partners on the homepage. In September 2012, they were featured on The Tonight Show.[25][26][27] In February 2013, Free announced that The Slow Mo Guys had been picked up by Rooster Teeth and that further episodes of the series would be released on Rooster Teeth's website, as well as the series' existing YouTube channel.[28]
On 23 February 2015, Free and Gruchy created a partner channel to The Slo Mo Guys, The Slo Mo Guys 2, as a channel for "laid back 'out of labcoats' content that doesn't fit on the main channel"[29] As of February 2021, the channel has 41.8 million views and 831k subscribers.
Rooster Teeth and Achievement Hunter: 2012–present
Free joined Achievement Hunter (a video gaming division of Rooster Teeth founded by Geoff Ramsey and Jack Pattillo) in 2008 as a contract host before becoming one of the main six hosts in 2012. He is one of the most prolific employees on the site, regularly appearing in their Let's Play series of videos, its podcast Off Topic,[30] and tutorials of how to get achievements and find easter eggs in video games.[citation needed]
In May 2013, Free began starring as a "lab rat" in the Rooster Teeth series Immersion, replacing Geoff Ramsey and Gus Sorola. In Immersion, Free must test video concepts in real life alongside friend and co-worker Michael Jones.[31][32][33] He was a contestant in the second season of Rooster Teeth's gaming show The Gauntlet in 2013.[34][35] Free has had two cameo appearances in Barenaked Ladies music videos for their songs "Odds Are" (2013) and "Did I Say That Out Loud?" (2014). In the latter video, he is portrayed as accidentally lighting himself on fire when trying to play a song for his domestic partner Meg Turney, which subsequently goes viral.[36][37][38] Free and The Slow Mo Guys co-star Daniel Gruchy appeared in YouTube Rewind in 2013, playing themselves being pulled by an RV, itself a nod to Breaking Bad, while an explosion goes off behind them.[39][40] They both returned for the YouTube Rewinds from 2014 to 2017.
Free began starring in the Rooster Teeth animated superhero comedy web series X-Ray and Vav in November 2014.[41][42][43][44][45] He voiced Vav alongside former Achievement Hunter employee Ray Narvaez, Jr., who voices X-Ray. The season was renewed for a second season, which premiered in July 2015.[46][47] That same year, he appeared in Rooster Teeth's murder mystery comedy series Ten Little Roosters as a fictionalized version of himself and was a contestant on the improvised comedy series @midnight on Comedy Central.[48][49][50][51]
In 2015, Free and Rooster Teeth co-founder Burnie Burns hosted multiple episodes of the hypothetical scenario series Million Dollars, But..., in which each person comes up with a typically difficult scenario; for example, having to date Adolf Hitler for a year — which the cast comically re-enact — for which they will be given a million dollars. The pilot episode premiered on 21 May 2015, with the series continuing on 9 July 2015.[52][53] He was a reactor on the web series YouTubers React in August 2015.[54] Free became the creative director of Rooster Teeth in October 2015, replacing Burnie Burns who was then promoted to chief creative officer.[55] However, he stepped down in early 2016, wanting to "dedicate his time in 2016 to The Slow Mo Guys."[56]
In 2016, Free starred as Woody in Rooster Teeth's science fiction action comedy film Lazer Team.[57][58][59][60] The film was released theatrically on 27 January 2016.[61] It received mixed to positive reviews from critics at film festival showings and upon its release.[62][63][64] He joined the voice cast of the anime web series RWBY as Scarlet David for its third volume.[65][66]
On 5 April 2016, Free was nominated for a Webby Award in the Best Web Personality/Host (Online Film & Video) category for his work on The Slow Mo Guys.[2] At the 2016 Streamy Awards Free won for Cinematography.[6]
Personal life
Free has been in a relationship with Meg Turney since 2013. As of March 2019, he is now a permanent resident of the United States.[67]
On 26 January 2018, an armed man broke into the couple's Austin home armed with a handgun, firing one shot while the two hid in a closet and contacted authorities. The suspect was confronted by police in the driveway and after an exchange of gunfire was killed by one of the officers. The gunman, an obsessed fan of Turney's, had driven 11 hours from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to the couple's home. He was reportedly resentful of Free's fame and relationship.[68] Free and Turney were unharmed in the incident.[69]
Filmography
Web
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–2009 | Red vs. Blue | Jones (voice) | Also director of season 7 and Relocated |
| 2009 | Captain Dynamic | Gavin | |
| 2009–present | Rooster Teeth Shorts | Gavin | |
| 2010–present | The Slow Mo Guys | Himself | Also producer and editor |
| 2013 | The Gauntlet | Himself, Contestant | Season 2 only |
| Chris Hardwick's All-Star Celebrity Bowling | Himself | Episode: "Nerdist vs. Rooster Teeth" | |
| "Odds Are" | American Football player | Music video | |
| 2013–2015 | YouTube Rewind | The Slow Mo Guys | |
| 2013–present | Immersion | Himself | Seasons 2 and 3 |
| 2014 | "Did I Say That Out Loud?" | thatguy21 | Music video |
| Ten Little Roosters | Gavin Prime / Gavin Two | Mini-series | |
| 2014-2015 | X-Ray and Vav | Vav (voice) | Based on characters created by Lindsay Jones and Jordan Cwierz |
| 2014–2016 | Happy Hour | Himself | |
| 2015 | YouTubers React | Himself | 3 episodes |
| RWBY | Scarlet David (voice) | Volume 3 | |
| 2016 | Crunch Time[70] | Gavin | Episode: "The Big Sleep" |
| Day 5 | Morgue Raver | Episode: "Cognitive Dissonance" | |
| The Eleven Little Roosters | Gavin III[71] | ||
| 2018–present | The Super Slow Show | Himself | Also producer and editor. A YouTube Original series, not to be confused with YouTube Red Original Series. |
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Let's Play Live: The Documentary | Himself | Documentary |
| Lazer Team | Woody | ||
| Reunited | Newscaster 2 | Short film | |
| 2017 | Lazer Team 2 | Woody | |
| 2018 | Blood Fest | Himself |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014, 2016 | @midnight | Himself, Contestant | 2 episodes |
| 2015, 2018 | The Late Late Show with James Corden | Himself | 2 episodes[72][73] |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Trials Rising | Himself |
Non-performance credits
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Top Gear | Slow Motion Cinematographer, 1 episode[74] |
| Hot Fuzz | High speed camera | |
| 2011 | The Good Cook | Cameraman[75][76] |
| Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows | Phantom download technician[77][78] | |
| 2012 | Snow White and the Huntsman | Slow Motion Cinematographer[79] |
| Dredd | Slow Motion Cinematographer[80][81] | |
| 2016 | Red vs. Blue | Phantom operator[82][83] |
Podcasts
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2009–present | Rooster Teeth Podcast | "Best Gaming Podcast" at the Podcast Awards (2012 & 2013) [84] |
| 2014 | Internet Box | Guest (Episode XX) |
| 2015–present | Off Topic | Achievement Hunter podcast |
| 2020–present | F**kface | Achievement Hunter podcast |
References
- ^ Spangler, Todd. "A gunman broke into the home of 2 YouTube stars, fired at least once, and searched their home while the couple hid in a closet". Business Insider. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
- ^ a b Cavassuto, Maria. "Michelle Obama, Netflix Among 2016 Webby Nominees". Variety. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
- ^ Rooster Teeth (1 September 2013). "Game Time -- Burnie & Gav Play Halo 4 Ricochet". YouTube.
- ^ a b . Supanova.com.au. Archived from the original on 13 October 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ^ "RT Podcast No. 235". Rooster Teeth. 9 October 2013. Retrieved 23 February 2014.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "The Slow Mo Guys Win Cinematography - Streamy Awards 2016". YouTube. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
- ^ Free, Gavin. "Gavino". Rooster Teeth. Archived from the original on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
- ^ Rooster Teeth (5 September 2009). "Secret Door". YouTube.
- ^ "On your head! Slow-mo film becomes YouTube sensation". Thame Gazette. 11 March 2011.
- ^ Free, Gavin (7 March 2010). "Follow up to last journal". Rooster Teeth Productions. Archived from the original on 2 February 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
- ^ Foster, Alastair (15 April 2016). "How the Slow-Mo Guys have amassed 7.5 million YouTube subscribers around the world". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
- ^ Shaffer, R.L. (19 August 2010). "Red vs. Blue: Recreation Season 7 DVD Review". IGN.
- ^ Rooster Teeth (16 March 2010). "Red vs. Blue Reconstruction 3". YouTube.
- ^ "Gavin Free in Red vs. Blue". YouTube. 3 July 2013.
- ^ Whittaker, Richard (1 May 2013). "Rooster Teeth Marks Tenth Birthday With Fireworks". Austin Chronicle.
- ^ Rooster Teeth (26 February 2009). "Captain Dynamic Episode 1". YouTube.
- ^ Rooster Teeth (25 March 2009). "Outtakes". YouTube.
- ^ Marks, Chris. "Cast and Crew - Captain Dynamic". Rooster Tooths.
- ^ Rooster Teeth (23 May 2013). "RT Shorts: Slow Mo Love". YouTube.
- ^ Rooster Teeth (2 August 2009). "Mixed Messages". YouTube.
- ^ "Gavin Watches Slo Mo Love". YouTube. 7 November 2013.
- ^ White, Alan (24 October 2014). "How The Slow Mo Guys Took Over YouTube". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
- ^ "Giant water balloon exploding in super slow-motion – The Feed Blog". CBS News. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ^ White, Alan (24 October 2014). "How The Slow Mo Guys Took Over YouTube". BuzzFeed.
- ^ . NBC. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
- ^ "The ultimate slow-mo splash". itv.com. 6 October 2014.
- ^ Free, Gavin (29 September 2012). "Jay Leno". Rooster Teeth.
- ^ "Rooster Teeth · the Slow Mo Guys". Archived from the original on 11 April 2013.
- ^ "The Slow Mo Guys 2 - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ^ "Off Topic: Creative Director, Here - #0.2". AchievementHunter.com. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
- ^ "Rooster Teeth · RT Podcast No. 187". Roosterteeth.com. Archived from the original on 1 February 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
- ^ Rooster Teeth. "Immersion: Split Screen - Behind the Scenes". Rooster Teeth.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Rooster Teeth. . Blip.tv. Archived from the original on 11 April 2015.
- ^ Rooster Teeth (27 October 2013). "The Gauntlet - Season 2 - Episode 3: King of Halo". YouTube.
- ^ Rooster Teeth (10 November 2013). "The Gauntlet - Season 2 - Episode 5: Portal 2 Puzzle". YouTube.
- ^ Ramirez, Ramon (18 July 2014). "Here's the exclusive premiere of the latest Barenaked Ladies video". The Daily Dot.
- ^ Barenaked Ladies (25 June 2014). "Behind-The-Scenes of 'Did I Say That Out Loud' video shoot". YouTube.
- ^ http://roosterteeth.com/archive/?id=8177[permanent dead link]
- ^ "YouTube Rewind: What Does 2013 Say?". YouTube Spotlight. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
- ^ Rooster Teeth (14 December 2013). "RT Life - Gavin is on set at Youtube Rewind". YouTube.
- ^ "Exclusive Interview with Jordan Cwierz and Lindsay Jones of X-Ray and Vav!". BubbleBladder. 11 December 2014.
- ^ Rooster Teeth (4 December 2014). "X-Ray & Vav - Episode 1: X-Ray & Vav Rise". YouTube.
- ^ Connor MacRae Media (16 July 2013). "X-Ray and Vav Entrance at AH panel RTX 2013". YouTube.
- ^ Rooster Teeth (20 November 2014). "X-Ray and Vav Livestream". YouTube.
- ^ "X-Ray & Vav: OFFICIAL TRAILER". YouTube. 6 November 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
- ^ "X-Ray & Vav Season 2 Intro". Rooster Teeth. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2015.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Rooster Teeth Drops 'X-Ray & Vav' Season Two Trailer". Tubefilter. 13 July 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
- ^ Rooster Teeth (11 November 2014). "Ten Little Roosters - Episode 2: And Then There Were Eight 4K". YouTube.
- ^ Rooster Teeth (24 December 2014). "Ten Little Roosters - Episode 8 - And Then There Were Two & One 4K". YouTube.
- ^ @midnight (14 May 2014). "WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014". Comedy Central.
- ^ @midnight (15 May 2015). "Burnie Burns, Gus Sorola, Gavin Free - Bad Cosplay - @midnight w/ Chris Hardwick". YouTube.
- ^ Rooster Teeth (16 July 2015). "Money Mouth & Delayed Climax - Million Dollars, But... Episode 3 in 4K". YouTube.
- ^ Rooster Teeth (3 September 2015). "Bloopers & Outtakes #2 - Million Dollars, But..." YouTube.
- ^ Fine Brothers (2 August 2015). "YOUTUBERS REACT TO FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S 4 TRAILER". YouTube.
- ^ Burns, Burnie (27 October 2015). "Vlog for October 26 2015". Rooster Teeth.
- ^ Burns, Burnie (3 May 2016). "GusSorolaVERIFIED comments on IAMA person sitting 3 feet away from Gavin in an airport lounge AMA". Reddit. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
- ^ Takumi, Rie (18 March 2015). "'Lazer Team' drops first action-packed trailer". GMA News and Public Affairs.
- ^ Rooster Teeth (12 January 2015). "Lazer Team Behind the Scenes - Episode 3". YouTube.
- ^ Rooster Teeth (16 March 2015). "Lazer Team Official Trailer #1 (2015) - Sci-Fi Action Comedy Movie". YouTube.
- ^ Gross, Joe (25 September 2015). "Fantastic Fest 2015: "Lazer Team" will delight Rooster Teeth cultists". austin360.
- ^ Hullum, Matt (October 2015). "Lazer Team coming to theaters this January!". Matt Hullum- Roosterteeth.com. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
- ^ Weinberg, Scott. . Nerdist. Archived from the original on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
- ^ Donato, Matt (25 September 2015). "Lazer Team Review [Fantastic Fest 2015]". We Go This Covered. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
- ^ Corrigan, Kalyn (25 September 2015). "[Review] 'Lazer Team' Stands a Step Above Most Sci-Fi Comedies". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
- ^ Rooster Teeth (31 October 2015). "Chapter 2: New Challengers". Rooster Teeth.
- ^ Croswynd (1 November 2015). . Desu Daily. Archived from the original on 1 November 2015.
- ^ @GavinFree (19 March 2019). "Finally out of limbo. I never thought a small green piece of plastic could come with such happiness and relief. Law…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Farokhmanesh, Megan (13 February 2018). . The Verge. Archived from the original on 13 February 2018.
Christopher Giles drove 11 hours from Albuquerque to the couple's home in Austin, Texas, and his "sole intent was to cause harm to someone who resides there," according to a search warrant obtained by KXAN.
- ^ Reslen, Eileen (13 February 2018). . Cosmopolitan. Archived from the original on 24 February 2018.
- ^ Gaudiosi, John. "How These YouTube Content Creators Just Changed Hollywood". Fortune. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
- ^ Rooster Teeth (21 August 2015). "The Eleven Little Roosters Teaser Trailer - 4K". YouTube.
- ^ "Tyler Oakley/Jenna Marbles/Kandee Johnson/The Slow Mo Guys/Boyce Avenue". 21 August 2015 – via www.imdb.com.
- ^ "Helen Hunt/Ben Schwartz/Chris O'Dowd". 29 March 2018 – via www.imdb.com.
- ^ Dunkelman, Barbara (27 April 2015). "Barbara Dunkelman on Twitter: @GavinFree @RichardHammond lookit ur lil face". Twitter.
- ^ Rooster Teeth (7 August 2013). "Rooster Teeth Animated Adventures - Gavin's Secret Admirer". YouTube.
- ^ Hopkinson, Simon (2013). The Good Cook. Globe Pequot Press. p. 320.
- ^ The Slow Mo Guys (14 December 2011). "10,000fps!? - The Slow Mo Guys". YouTube.
- ^ "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) Full Cast & Crew". Internet Movie Database.
- ^ "Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) Full Cast & Crew". Internet Movie Database.
- ^ Twitter / GavinFree: @EricVespe That was the last. Twitter.com. Retrieved on 7 December 2012.
- ^ Twitter / GavinFree: @dancottle Dredd was the last. Twitter.com. Retrieved on 7 December 2012.
- ^ Rooster Teeth (9 October 2016). "Red vs. Blue: Episode 23: Immersion: Warthog Flip". Rooster Teeth. Event occurs at 8:39. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
- ^ "Immersion: The Warthog Flip - Behind The Scenes". Rooster Teeth. 12 October 2016. Event occurs at 6:23. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
- ^ "2012 Winners and Nominees". PodcastAwards.com. 7 January 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2015.