Hello everyone, I’m going to try and share a quick update like this once per week, so you can see what’s happening inside the Academy (when there’s something worth reporting). Over the last week I’ve been building and updating a couple of courses: - New course for beginners: a full starter course for creators who are just getting going - choosing a camera, super basic settings, and a simple setup workflow. - Big DaVinci Resolve course updates: - 30+ new lessons added to the Colour Editing section - 10 new lessons added on Fusion (titling + transitions) - A quick note on where the Resolve course is at: - The Academy is still in Early Access, and it’ll stay that way until the Resolve course is complete (the structure and written lessons are being built now, and I’ll add the video lessons once the entire academy is built). - If Skool allows it, I’ll honour the Early Access price for life for current premium members. You’ll also notice some of the new Resolve lessons are marked with **. That just means they’re not 100% polished yet, they might be missing a small piece, or a detail needs fine-tuning to match Resolve perfectly. I’ll be tightening those up as I add the screenshots. There’s already plenty to learn in the new content, and I’m excited to keep building this with you. See you in the Academy, Jake

I've made some updates to the DaVinci Resolve course over the past few days. I'm working through the colour workflow (its a big one and theres a lot to cover) - due to the amount of work that needs to go into it I took a break and finished up the EXPORTING part of the course. Now you can export in the right quality for the right platform. As an additional bonus theres 2 new downloadables for Resolve in the Resource Vault: 1. The UCA Pre-made Project - A blank canvas with a pre-made organisational structure and pre-made timelines set up so you can jump in straight away. 2. Export Presets - Theres so many different options and settings when exporting through DaVinci Resolve, so i've made it simple. Download and import the presets to get cinematic exports, as well as my custom built bulk export for reels (vertical clips), which exports all of the individual clips as individuals instead of one large clip. This is just the start - much more to come. Comment if theres anything you specifically want to see in this course. Jake

Stoked you’re here. I built The Underwater Creator Academy to be the one place I wish existed when I was learning—clear, practical, and easy to follow. I’m a self-taught underwater photographer/videographer, and over the last decade I’ve made every mistake, tested a ton of gear and workflows, and figured out what actually moves the needle in the water and in the edit. This community is where I’m putting all of that into a simple path you can follow—whether you’re just getting started or you’re already shooting at a high level and want to sharpen your edge. What’s coming (and what you can expect) Step-by-step lessons covering the full workflow: camera basics → in-water technique → storytelling → editing → export + delivery Practical guides on settings, lighting, composition, movement, and getting stable/intentional shots underwater Post-production breakdowns (color, pacing, sound, exports for different platforms) Challenges and prompts to keep you creating consistently A place to ask questions, share your work, and get real feedback from other ocean creators How to get the most out of the community 1) Introduce yourself (keep it simple—what you shoot, your level, and your goal) 2) Post your work, even if it’s rough—progress happens fast when you get eyes on it 3) Ask questions early and often (no gatekeeping here) 4) Be generous with feedback—what you notice in someone else’s work improves your own Most importantly: this isn’t about being perfect. It’s about getting better every week, building confidence in the water, and creating ocean stories that actually land. Really excited to have you here—and I’m keen to learn alongside you too. Let’s build something epic together.

Hello everyone — and a big welcome to all the new arrivals to the community. Early Access to DaVinci Resolve for Ocean Creators (and the rest of the Underwater Creator Academy) is officially live. Right now you’ll get: - 68 lessons already available, taking you from downloading DaVinci Resolve all the way through to exporting finished films - 50+ photo presets inside the Resource Vault to keep you busy until the Lightroom course drops - I’ll also personally welcome you, giving you a direct line to message me anytime via the Skool platform - here we can talk anything within the course, I’ll provide direct feedback and tips to help you improve Because this is Early Access, membership is currently $15 USD/month. - When the DaVinci Resolve course is complete, it will increase to $20 USD/month - When the rest of the Academy is fully built out, it will move to $25 USD/month If you’ve been meaning to level up your editing (or finally learn Resolve properly), now’s the best time to jump in. Important: make sure you download the Skool app so you can learn on the go — it makes it way easier to get lessons in between dives, travel, and work. Also don’t forget to introduce yourself in the ‘introductions’ part of the community! Any questions, reply to this post/email and I’ll help you out.

Resource Vault is the members-only download hub for premium users. Inside you’ll find the exact assets used across the courses — things like Lightroom presets, LUTs, PowerGrades, templates, and sample media — so you can follow along with the lessons and practise the workflows even if you don’t have access to the ocean or a full shoot. Everything in the Vault is designed to save you time, speed up your workflow, and help you get consistent results faster.