Meet Hank Schyma, The Famous Houston Storm Chaser [VIDEO]
Hank Schyma is not just your regular rock star. He is more than just a band singer from Houston, Texas but also chases storm for mere fun.
Dramatic videos of tornadoes and other harsh weather events make it big on television. This is due to the reason that it is actually hard to shoot obtain actual footage. And this is what Schyma has been doing since 2000 aside from being the lead singer of a Houston rock band called Southern Backtones.
His interest with capturing storms and tornadoes started with his obsession with part in 'The Wizard of Oz' that has a tornado. And he confesses that he still has not come up with the solid reason why he wanted to pursue a career as a storm chaser.
The opportunity struck him when he became friends with Dr. Neil Frank, a meteorologist, when he was still a Channel 11 cameraman. Dr Frank served as his mentor and guide in the elements of weather forecasting.
Career Run As Storm Chaser
For 12 years, he has been able to capture 38 pictures of tornadoes, all up close. He also captures images of hurricanes and lightning. His own film documentary entitled 'The Monster Show' is set to be released hopefully by September.
Schyma earns by selling all his storm chasing footages to prominent cable networks like The Weather Channel. Local media affiliates also help him build up his credibility as most already gave him his own AKA Houston Storm Chaser as acknowledgement whenever his videos are used.
The Lifestyle Of A Storm Chaser
Schyma reiterates that the way storm chasers are portrayed in the big screen is different from what happens in real life. He has seen a lot of household items flying including a lawnmower but never did he see a flying cow.
When he is on the road getting ready for storm chasing, he listens to weather news instead of playing music in his truck, even if he is, ironically, a band leader.
Schyma's band was only able to release their first album entitled 'La Vie En Noir.'