Cameron Downey

My experience at Camp Film Fest 2025!

I recently had the privilege of attending Camp Film Fest in Austin, Texas with my Rig Designer co-founders Michael and Anthony. What an amazing experience it was. Honestly, I came into it expecting to struggle to make connections (being a software guy at a film festival). But on the very first night we arrived I happened to meet THREE other software engineers. It felt nice to throw around programming terms with people who actually understood what I was saying. And even beyond this, there were so many good people at this festival. People like me who maybe hadn't spoken to others who truly understood their language in a long time. Before the final event of the festival, I stood outside the venue in awe as I looked out over the crowd. I knew the names of an astounding number of them, and they felt very familiar despite us having met less than 48 hours ago. We all had our own reasons for attending the festival, but I was most excited to see Yes Theory’s panel held by Thomas and Ammar. When the time came for it I couldn't keep the smile off my face. These were creators I had only ever watched through a screen, and yet they've had such a profound impact on my life. I love everything they stand for - optimism, empathy, openness, and pushing the limits of your comfort zone. They discussed some of their most notable projects, some of their insecurities, and even sang happy birthday to Ammar. By the end of their panel, I had shed a few tears. It's strange because I'm not an outwardly emotional person, but it felt like some walls had broken down within me. Everyone then exited the theater, and Michael suggested we stick around outside of the venue to see if Thomas and Ammar would come out and take pictures with anyone. I agreed but didn't think much beyond that. I was still regaining my composure, and I figured that they would likely be busy or that my chances of meeting them would be slim in the crowd. But sure enough, I caught sight of them exiting the venue in somewhat of a hurry. I turned to Michael, who simply said "Let's go up to them". My mind tends to go blank in these kinds of situations, so I wasn't really considering how we would approach them or ask for pictures or anything. And yet Michael ended up catching Thomas's attention and initiated a conversation, telling him that Yes Theory was part of the reason we went skydiving last year. Anthony also caught up and probably noticed that I hadn't said anything to Thomas yet, so he told him how much of a fan I was. I'm not sure exactly how it happened, but I imagine Thomas noticed my lack of composure, as he then turned to me and started to hug and reassure me in the way that a family member would. I was honestly shocked. This person that I admired so deeply knew me as nothing more than a fan, and yet he made me feel like we had known each other for years. We exchanged a few words, but I was too moved to hold much of a conversation. I think we all shook hands afterward (though I really don't remember clearly), and Michael, Anthony, and I moved away to make space for other people to meet him. It's hard to put into words how meaningful this was to me, and the logical part of me wants to judge myself for behaving so emotionally or for posting about it at all. But the fact that it makes me uncomfortable means it's probably exactly what I need to do. Nearly all of the good things in my life are a result of the people around me, and I feel like I should become more accepting of and open with my feelings. I truly am so grateful to have had this entire experience, and I'm so fortunate to have people like Michael and Anthony in my life who give me the pushes I need. * This post was crossposted to instagram.com/camadowney

Visiting Glacier National Park and seeing the northern lights!

Hey designers! As you may have noticed, many of the photos used on this website and as part of our branding are out in nature. However, you may not have known that these pictures were taken in Glacier National Park, Montana. Here's a little backstory on that if you're interested! If you know me, you probably know that I love nature. Who doesn't, I guess? But I'm particularly quite fond of pristine lakes and rivers, rocky mountains, and alpine landscapes. Pretty much everything you can't see a whole lot of in Florida. So when I first started learning about national parks and discovered Glacier around four years ago, I was awestruck. Anyone who knows a thing or two about national parks probably understands why. It immediately became a top item on my bucket list. It took me a while to get around to it, but earlier this year I decided that I would finally make a trip happen. I gathered Anthony and Michael (fellow Rig Designer co-founders) along with a few others, and we flew out in August. After a couple of days of adjusting our sleep schedules and exploring the beautiful city of Kalispell, we made our first multi-hour drive into the heart of Glacier. Long story short, Glacier is amazing. It's the most incredible place I've seen in my life. The sheer scale of the scenery from the Going-to-the-Sun Road is almost unbelievable. But there's one unexpected memory from this trip that takes the cake for me. At the end of our weeklong vacation, we were out driving late to do some astral photography. We had an early flight back the next day and decided we would simply stay up through the night. We eventually came across a large clearing in a low-traffic area—essentially wilderness with very little light pollution. It was quite serene (though in all honestly we were a bit spooked). After a few minutes of preparing Anthony and Michael's cameras, we set up shop outside of our parked rental car. It took a little while for them to tune their camera settings to the environment. But around 20 minutes into the session, they began getting some beautiful shots. I found my excitement level rising with each new photo. At some point, we also began to notice a strange green haze in the sky. We could only faintly see it with our own eyes. I had an inkling of what it might've been, but didn't think too deeply about it. Our session soon ended and we strapped in for an hour-long drive back to our Airbnb. We ended up making a few short impromptu stops in some more clearings, but aside from that, our trip was over. We planned to spend the rest of the night/morning watching movies. We only had around 10 minutes left in our drive when I heard Michael suddenly exclaim from the back seat, "Oh my god, that's the northern lights!" I looked to my right and there it was. Elegant streaks of green and pink light dancing in the sky. I never even considered the possibility of seeing the northern lights on this trip, but that too was an item on my bucket list. And it was amazing. I will absolutely be taking any opportunity I can in the future to see this sight again. I've attached some of my personal photos from this trip. Full disclosure: I don't actually own a dedicated camera yet. These pictures were taken on my iPhone, and this fact became painfully obvious during our astral photography session. I'll have Anthony and Michael post their pictures from the trip for comparison soon, and hopefully we can share some insight into the various ways a dedicated camera can elevate your photography and videography. See you in the next one!