I’ve made a living out of Google Maps and I love it. Why or how you ask?
My name is Richard Gill, I founded Go Virtual UK last year which is specifically devoted to creating Street View virtual tours for local and national businesses. After trying to make it as a standard Photographer / Cameraman for the BBC (plus other big media names) and independently over the course of 6 years I found myself penniless , depressed and exhausted. Then, through sheer luck I was employed to create / update virtual tours for Google UK. 5 years later I’m still going, currently on the eve of my 5th tour with Google.
Every job has pro’s and con’s; literally the only one I have with being one of Google’s official Street View Photographers is that we can’t do it year-round because of the rubbish UK weather. Last year I couldn’t stand the idea of looking for another soul-destroying temp job over the Winter period and therefore founded my own Street View brand to tie me over, Go Virtual UK. Since it’s launch 7 months ago I have created 16 virtual tours which has generated over 103,000 organic views for my clients… screw what it pays, those views are what it’s all about in my opinion. It means more to me that through Google’s Ipsos study, I am encouraging business growth for my local and national economy.
Bringing it back slightly to Street Viewing for Google; because I’m on tour with them around the UK and Europe 8 months of the year I’ve been to thousands of places and left reviews for several listings over the past 5 years (on my private Google account, not this account), and again the sheer number of people viewing my reviews and photos warms me up inside, to think I’m helping people around the world make an informed decision on whether to visit a place that I once was. It’s amazing!
I think the future of my brand is bright; never in a million years did I think my brand would reach the milestones its had after just 7 months. It’s been brutally hard work but worth every tear, sleepless night, hungers strike and restless emotion. Currently I’m in the process of generating my first 360 video, the football (soccer) association in the UK has started to take notice of my work, as has an investor, and I’m looking to take on a young graduate to cover my virtual tour projects whilst I’m devoting my time to Google this Summer. Comparing that to the 6 years of disappointment and heart-ache I had between University graduation and industry employment I can only thank Google for helping me to have a purpose in life; in an industry I now have 5 years of field-experience in (combining my Street View career, my GVUK brand and contribution to Local Guides), I think my purpose will only grow as I return the thanks to Google and help its platforms to reach new heights using my own experiences. Which in turn creates a brighter technological future for the world.
