The Look: Rory Kramer's Dare to Live

Following is an excerpt from DCBLOG's Pulse for The Challenge XXX Episode 7 from 

earlier today, reposted in the interest of readers who don't want to scroll down.

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

If you're one of those who got to stick around after this past week's Challenge, then you got to see something that hasn't been on much on MTV's 10 Spot until last year: a music-themed show. Last year, the channel welcomed its first high-profile music series in several years in the live performance show Wonderland, and next weekend its iconic series Unplugged will return with pop star Shawn Mendes taking the stage. And this past week's VMA's helped usher in the countdown to the return of an old friend, as next month, Total Request Live - TRL - will be revived for the YouTube generation from the same iconic studios in Times Square that hosted its original incarnation starting in 1998.
   This past Tuesday, I added my 23rd non-Trifecta MTV show to the list in a show executive produced and hosted by someone who loves to live wild and takes advantage of every moment to its fullest. And it also features that same inspirational element that was also the calling card of the show's producers, and one I enjoyed years ago and was written in one of my past Look posts, The Buried Life.

Rory Kramer has become one of the most in-demand people in the visual portion of the music industry. After having struggles with depression and overcoming all types of adversity, he found a solstice in pursuing what he does best and what he loves doing: combining his passions for video production, music and thrill seeking, as well as celebrating life and all it can offer. MTV's presser describes Rory as "a professional life liver who dedicates his time to capturing life's precious moments," and he has established himself as a leading music video director as well as an all-around good guy, too. I also have respect for him from having watched the videos he's helped out with.
   Renowned in the industry, those like Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Avicii and others have sought Rory to film them at major festivals, concerts and helping to direct official music videos with everyone he has crossed paths with. This includes The Chainsmokers, where Rory was there at the beginning of the rise of Drew and Alex from an up-and-coming EDM act early last year to one whose lyric video for "Closer" garnered nearly 2 billion views as that song with Halsey catapulted them to worldwide stardom and the success they've had ever since. That off-the-wall style has helped to build a strong fan base for Rory who appreciates his work and his journey.
   Dare to Live aims to capture that passion for music and thrills with his unique filming style, as he will take some of music's top artists off of the stage and into an outrageous, thrill-seeking adventure that's designed to take those he gets to meet a chance to get out of their comfort zone and enjoy the moment with him. If you think that The Challenge freaks out many of MTV's most well-known home grown stars, then wait until what Rory has up his sleeve with those he calls his friends. At the same time, it also brings music fans an intimate look at the musicians off-stage, some who have grown astronomically into superstars in the past year or so.

In the opening of the pilot episode that aired last week, Rory talked about what has brought him here: "Who am I? I’ve been trying to figure that out for the longest time. I’m someone who was lost in life, who struggles with depression, and realized I needed to change my life. So I quit my job to pursue making videos and now I’m free. I’m a professional life liver. I’m a son, brother, uncle, and a friend. I’m out of control. I’m the guy from the Avicii video. I’m someone who can eat an ice cream cone in eight seconds. I’m doing what I love, traveling the world, capturing moments for some of the dopest musicians. But the best part? I’m gonna take them on these crazy adventures wherever we are."
   The opening hour of this four-week mini run (two airing back to back each week) featured two really awesome pairs of siblings who have had success, both a few years ago and the other fairly recently. First, Rory came to the South to meet up with the group who made "Black Beauties" a pop-culture staple thanks to its presence in the Mannequin Challenge videos, Rae Sremmurd. Instead of asking people on the street to stand still for 30 seconds to the beat of their #1 joint, Rory took the brothers, Swae and Swil, to the wilderness where they got to hang out with friends of a different sort: crocodiles and then going for a ride in an air-boat in the swamps of the South.
   Then in the back-end, Rory flew to one of Johnny Bananas' favorite hangout spots, Lake Tahoe, to hang out with Krewella, a female EDM duo from Chicago and of Pakistani descent. There, sisters Jahan and Yasmine faced a bigger task than what the guys in Misissippi had to take on: cliff diving into one of America's greatest natural wonders. And if the task of having to face a creature was one thing, then having to dive into the water is another, especially when Britni's now-ex Chuck recently got injured doing that earlier this summer while she was on Dirty 30. This was so scary that one of the girls even plugged their nose when they took the dive... they survived that task easily.

Also slated to join Rory for their moment are Shawn Mendes, Martin Garrix, Iggy Azalea, Steve Aoki, newly-minted VMA Best New Artist Khalid, and the TCS guys as they mark a year since "Closer" made them stars. And at this past week's premiere party, the Biebs even surprised the big man as he now joins the MTV family. And along with Siesta Key, this isn't the only new MTV show which I will be planning to live tweet and/or follow this fall, and we'll be explaining which new shows I plan to watch in these installments of The Look when their time comes around soon.

- I AM DC