I'm a filmmaker from Portland, Oregon and I love to travel, learn (anything, really!), take photos/video, and am always on the lookout for a fun adventure.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I've learned that the best part of travelling isn't seeing the top 10 tourist sites, it's meeting the people who live somewhere - the stories, personalities, etc. I think the best way to really experience a place is to genuinely engage with people, and that can happen either through hosting or being a guest.

Hosting is a way for me to experience travel even when I'm here at home, and being a guest is (I think) the best way to experience and learn about a place as it really is. To me, that's the best part of travelling!

Interests

I'm lucky that my job lines up with hobbies (well, sometimes!). I love to make films that tell stories, and in this area my work as a filmmaker/cinematographer lines up perfectly with that. It's given me the chance to travel, interview, and get to know places in a way that many people can't.

I also love to snowboard, wakeboard, hike, ride motorcycles, explore new places, meet people and hear their stories, and eat good food! (Did I mention how much I like trying great new food??)

• film making
• dining
• motorcycles
• movies
• traveling
• socializing
• cycling
• hiking
• surfing
• scuba diving
• snowboarding
• wakeboarding
• food
• people
• diving
• scuba

Music, Movies, and Books

MOVIES: Memento. If you haven't seen it, you should really stop reading this and watch it right now. One of Christopher Nolan's first films before he was big, and when I first discovered it I ended up staying up most of the night because I just had to watch it a second time. Also, Raiders of the Lost Ark. I grew up on Indiana Jones and have probably seen that movie over 30 times. No regrets.

Others: Fight Club, The Departed, Anchorman, Gladiator, 500 Days of Summer, Shawshank Redemption, Good Will Hunting, and the new Star Wars coming out in December (I'm an eternal optimist here... don't let me down, Abrams!!)

MUSIC: Everything, if it's good, I don't care if its rap or country or hip hop or alternative. Though I'm a sucker for anything by Nate Ruess (Fun., The Format, etc.), Bleachers, BORNS, Vance Joy, Death Cab, Explosions in the Sky, Sigur Ros, Twenty One Pilots, Lorde, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Tallest Man on Earth, Jack Johnson... ok, I give up. I can't narrow this down anymore. BUT - if you haven't heard Emilie Haynie's album - check that out right now. He's a producer that finally decided to record his own work, and the whole album is a story, and he cast different musicians to play different roles depending on the song. Brilliant stuff.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

One of my favorite experiences was a 2 week motorcycle road-trip with no lodging plans or reservations. Just whatever I could fit on my bike, a tent, 2 wheels, and the open road. I made friends from all over the world and camped all along the Pacific Coast in Oregon/California and then through the Sierra Nevadas on the way back home. I never realized how much fun (and how freeing) travelling could be without hotels and reservations. As much fun as everything about that trip was, the best part was definitely all memories and friends I made with people I met along the way. Hence... why I'm here on couch surfing!

Teach, Learn, Share

Passionate about filmmaking and cinematography - happy to teach and share stories, tips, and tricks! You can check out my website www.dcegla.com

I love to learn anything and everything.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Crazy stories, a love for adventure, and hopefully some good laughs!!

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, China, England, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Mozambique, Nepal, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Panama, Scotland, South Korea, Taiwan, United States