R.A. was born, quite literally, into the entertainment business. His grandfather, Bob Beattie, was in another country filming an episode of Wide World of Sports on RA’s birth date. So, an ABC camera crew went to the hospital, captured RA’s first day on video. Bob Beattie coached the U.S. Ski Team, and his name has been synonymous with skiing since the 1960s. After coaching, Bob commentated the Olympics, Wide World of Sports, and ended his career with his own show, Ski World, on ESPN. R.A. grew up playing in production trailers at ski races, hanging out with camera crews, and watching B-roll with his father and grandfather. He developed a passion for TV at a young age, but ski racing wasn’t in his blood. He was a fisherman at heart, growing up in Aspen, Colorado, and fishing on Woody Creek, which ran through his family’s property, right next door to American legend Hunter S. Thompson.

He attended Full Sail University and mastered the technical side of film and TV production. He became obsessed with filmmaking and traveled the world through his late 20s. He was on the ground floor during the conception and development of the fly-fishing film industry. R.A. has produced some of the most successful fly-fishing media of all time. His has been honored with over a dozen industry awards. His films perform at the top of the sales charts year after year.