Who We Are
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About Us
Though the father-son team at the core of RapidNadion has been shooting video of their model fleet since the first digital cameras came on the market, it wasn't until 2009 that the company came into existence. With over 5 million views to its name, the team was invited to join the YouTube Partner Program, and the brand "RapidNadion" was launched the following Spring. Today, the team can claim over 18 million views across more than 70 videos.
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Why "RapidNadion?"
The brand name "RapidNadion" is a bizarre label for any outfit - even a niche one like this. And sites like YouTube, Twitter, and even Facebook don't provide a convenient place for expounding on the origins of a strange brand name, so this is an often-asked question that's gone unanswered for a long time. Until now. Michael explains:
Why "RapidNadion?" In short, it's a holdover from my college days, when I was a die-hard Star Trek fan (unlike the me of today, who is ... still a die-hard Star Trek fan. But I digress ... ). A "rapid nadion" is a fictitious subatomic particle, and I suppose my teenage self thought it evoked a sense of mysterious danger or something, and so it became my username for everything social, from AIM to MySpace (anyone remember AIM or MySpace?) to ... YouTube.
By the time Dad and I had hit 5 million views, the username couldn't be changed, so we embraced it as our brand name. And now we're the mysterious, dangerous subatomic particles of the online scale model video scene. Or something.
Why "RapidNadion?" In short, it's a holdover from my college days, when I was a die-hard Star Trek fan (unlike the me of today, who is ... still a die-hard Star Trek fan. But I digress ... ). A "rapid nadion" is a fictitious subatomic particle, and I suppose my teenage self thought it evoked a sense of mysterious danger or something, and so it became my username for everything social, from AIM to MySpace (anyone remember AIM or MySpace?) to ... YouTube.
By the time Dad and I had hit 5 million views, the username couldn't be changed, so we embraced it as our brand name. And now we're the mysterious, dangerous subatomic particles of the online scale model video scene. Or something.
The Team
Willie (Father)
Willie is a lifelong woodworker, a licensed USCG captain, and a veteran of more than 45 years on the water. When not busy building in the shipyard or operating the fleet's boats for a shoot, he can be found racing on his sailboat, cooking up some chili, or re-purposing yet another electric motor.
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Michael (Son)
Michael is an actor and voice artist who splits his time between several New England stages, a lawbooks-on-tape recording studio, and the RapidNadion editing suite. When not so engaged, he can be found writing, sailing, or geocaching ... and clumsily photographing it all.
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Jim (Video-1)
Technically the second-unit director of photography but known by the less-cumbersome handle "Video-1," Jim brings a steady hand, a nice camera, and a smiling face to the shoots more often than not. If you're watching a video and there's a smooth optical zoom push-in, you can bet it was Jim's work.
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Where We Film
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Eastern Long Island, NY
The North Fork of Long Island in Eastern New York provides the backdrop for most of our videos. The many protected harbors and hidden creeks offer ample protection for our tender fleet, as well as breathtakingly gorgeous background scenery. Summer is our busy season, but the winter months offer some unique opportunities for steam and ice to coexist in a visually-interesting way. Most of our Titanic sinkings also occur in winter. Limited filming has also taken place in Norfolk, VA and Boston, MA.
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