Associate Editor Aileen Mack joined Dockwalk in July 2018. She is a graduate of the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. If she’s not at a concert or coffee shop, she is lost in a book, movie or a YouTube rabbit hole. Email Aileen at aileen@dockwalk.com.
Not only do crew have to keep the yacht in outstanding condition and provide seven-star service, they juggle countless tasks to create an unforgettable experience, which can include a movie as a parting gift. But to provide this memory, a crew member works through the night to edit it in time. When he got the opportunity to film a charter and edit the video, former deckhand Callum Johns came up with the idea of Your Charter Movies, a service as part of his company Orca Media that launched in 2023.
Following four years in the marine industry, he took a leap to join yachting, flying one-way from the UK to Nice. After working on a couple yachts, Callum felt he had more to offer and wanted to create something from his experience to support fellow crew. So he went home to develop a plan to combine his love for yachting and content production — and Orca Media was born.
Specializing in content creation on the water, Orca Media offers bespoke services, including photography, videography, marketing and charter movies. “Utilizing the experience of my team and I in the marine/yachting industry, we provide a well-rounded and knowledgeable service as we adopt their specific needs,” he says.
The team works with the crew to help capture and craft an invaluable parting gift. To ensure adaptability and flexibility, there are two main production options: the Orca Media team can join the charter to capture and edit the footage, or train and support the crew while editing the footage from their state-of-the-art studio in the UK.
“As a business that originated from yachting and works within the industry daily, we understand that charter guests, crew and yachts have high privacy policies / requests, to which we respect with the highest standards,” Callum shares. “We are compliant with NDAs, use secure VPN systems, encryption systems and other means to ensure everyone’s data is kept safe.”
The “edit only” option leaves the filming to the capable crew already on board and they provide a list of shots, camera settings and other details so crew can film each day, upload the content via a secure system and the team edits the video remotely, guaranteeing it’s done by drop off day. They also work with yachts to honor bespoke requests, which has previously included the team filming the onboarding process and holding an induction course to show the crew how best to capture content before disembarking.
Of the yachts who have used their services, Callum says, “we have seen increased crew tips, repeat charter bookings, increased crew productivity and maintained hours of rest. Our goal is to relieve the crew of additional work while adding value to the guests’ experience.”