A conversation with Jesse St. Louis

Meet Jesse St. Louis, an actor who traded movie sets for real adventures. What started as filming a few hikes to help his acting career turned into a full-time passion for exploring wild places from hidden waterfalls and caves to the peaks of the Himalayas.

Since then, his adventures have been featured by BBC, Nat Geo, and Outside TV, and he’s built a community that follows him for his energy, and love for the outdoors.

In this chat, Jesse talks about the moment that changed everything, a few of his closest calls, and what still keeps him chasing new experiences after all these years.

Enjoy it!

I was surprised to read that you actually started out in acting, classical theatre and TV. What pulled you into that world in the first place?

I started making horror movies with my friends back in middle school on a VHS camcorder. That led to me joining the lighting crew for the theatre in high school and when I saw the actor's performances, I thought, "That looks like fun and I think I can do better than them!" It became a passion to learn the craft of acting and throw myself into different roles.

Then somewhere along the way, things totally shifted. You went from scripts and sets to slot canyons and waterfalls. When did you realise you wanted to focus more on real-world adventures and start building your channel around that?

When I first moved to Los Angeles in 2014, my professional acting career had started to blossom. I became a member of SAG-AFTRA through my appearance on a TV show and also a member of AEA, which is the stage actor's union. A producer friend mentioned that in order to help get an agent in LA, I should build up my social media following and should especially have a YouTube channel. I was a late comer to social media and really how no idea where to start with YouTube. I began by just documenting some common hikes that my wife and I were doing around LA. Everything changed one fateful night in Malibu when I had climbed down a waterfall right before sunset and continued downstream. I ended up having to climb back up that waterfall with no ropes or gear, alone, in the dark and when I reached the top felt so pumped up and more alive than I'd ever felt before. I realized that instead of chasing an acting career, playing fictional characters living fake, interesting lives, I could actually live an interesting life and chase real adventures.

You’ve got this knack for finding spots most people would never even know exist; hidden waterfalls, sea caves, natural slides. How do you actually find them? Is it hours of Google Earth and research, chatting with locals, or just following your curiosity until something cool shows up?

Yes, it's all of the above. Research, exploring, talking with other adventures and sometimes just getting outside with no expectation can lead to unforgettable encounters.

I came across that story about you narrowly escaping a flash flood while exploring those hidden caves in California, that must’ve been terrifying. When things suddenly turn real like that, what’s going through your head? How do you balance instinct, fear, and still try to capture what’s happening? Looking back, what would you say are your top three most risky situations you’ve found yourself in?

When things turn bad I find that remaining calm, embracing the moment and focusing on the next step is crucial to making it through the situation. Top 3 risky situations would be: getting altitude sickness both in the Himalayas and in Colorado. The Colorado situation was way worse as I was puking and blacking out due to brain swelling. Exploring a cave in New Zealand that involved complicated rope work to rappel across a ravine above a raging underground river, land on a chockstone boulder and then ascend back up the other side. I'd say the most recent event was in Washington State, on a 5 day backpacking trip into the Wilderness, we climbed up an ice field without crampons and then hit a boulder patch. While ascending some boulders, a massive one let loose and caused me to somersault backwards nearly getting crushed by the boulder and a few feet away from falling into a crevasse.

You’ve said you want to “see as much of the world as you can”, what keeps that drive alive after so many years of exploring?

Everytime I go somewhere new, I find unexpected places and things to explore. Even after living in New Zealand for 26 months, there's still more new adventures to be had.

You clearly put a lot of care into your visuals and clips, what’s your usual camera setup when you travel?

If I'm not concerned about weight or being underwater, I'll bring my DSLR, a Panasonic Lumix G85 with Rode Video Micro microphone. Lately I've been using my Gopro Hero 11 black for most things because it's light and durable.

I imagine you come home with hours of footage, how do you organise and edit it all? Do you ever go back and rewatch your old adventures, or once they’re posted, you move on?

I organize it by date and location.  Editing is definitely a long process, but I've found the best hack to help with editing is to use a mouse that has programmable buttons to use for shortcut functions.

I’ve seen your work pop up in so many places, BBC, Nat Geo, Outside TV, Insider, etc, and you’ve even won contests like Beat Monday and Ultimate Mountain Moments. That’s pretty amazing, congrats! What have those milestones meant to you?

It's nice to be recognized for my work and get exposure so that I can hopefully inspire others to live a more adventurous life.

I’m imagining you are not gonna stop anytime soon, what’s next for you? Any upcoming projects or dream destinations?

I've recently moved back to Southern California after 6 years away, so I have a long list of local adventures to keep me busy. A dream adventure would be to tackle the Great Himalaya Trail, 6 months trekking across the high passes of Nepal.

For people who want to explore more, even just locally, what’s your advice for starting to live more adventurously?

The best thing to do is focus on getting in better shape, learning new skills and trying new experiences. Embrace the unknown and step out of your comfort zone, with the help of a friend or mentor if necessary.

And finally, what’s the most unforgettable moment you’ve ever captured on camera?

There's been so many over the years, but one that sticks out the most is a mother orangutan with a baby wrapped around her neck, swinging through the trees in Malaysian Borneo. It was just a glimpse for a few seconds, but it was a powerful image that reinforced my understanding of why protecting this planet is so important. We need to fight not just for the future of humanity but also for the next generation of endangered animal species, as well.

Thanks to Jesse St. Louis for taking the time to chat and share a glimpse into his world. You can follow more of Jesse’s adventures in his Instagram and YouTube.