If you saw one viral video recently, it was this gonzo GoPro footage of drunken clubbers by a bouncer in London, Ontario on New Year's Eve. The video, which was shot in 2014 but only released to the public on YouTube a few days ago, highlights the types of cringeworthy behavior that you always suspected of kids who get shit-faced on a freezing winter night in a Canadian college town.THUMP got in touch with Peter Williams, the bouncer, hero, and reluctant star of the video to get the story.THUMP: What kind of reception have you gotten from the video so far?Peter Williams: The reception has been great! It feels good to get recognition for doing a good job. I also hope it's an eye-opener to bar-goers everywhere that bouncers have a very stressful job. Most of us do our absolute best to be patient with people and treat them the way we want to be treated when we go to a bar. Perhaps it will make people realize as well that if you act like a complete moron when you're in public, someday you might end up in someone's viral video.Can you give me a brief timeline of when you shot the video and when you posted it?
The video was shot on December 31, 2013 and January 1, 2014. I posted it on December 31, 2015, first as an unlisted video just to share with my Facebook friends. After it gained some traction I opened it up as a public video on January 1, 2016.Where did you shoot the video?
The video was shot at The Gatsby Soundhouse & Bar in London, ON. I am not still working there. The club has since changed ownership and been re-branded. I have since gone to school for veterinary medicine, grown my reptile business and also moved into other work within the security field.Have you shot any other videos like this?
I would often leave the GoPro running during a shift, so yes, I have amassed a large amount of footage. Some of which I have edited together for a number of months, sharing only with close friends.What inspired you to do it?
I had received the GoPro for Christmas a few days earlier and I thought why not get some use out of it as a body cam like a police officer. In the event of a bad fight or altercation, I could use the footage to prove my co-workers and I followed proper procedures as security guards.What's the worst night of the year to work as a bouncer?
St. Patrick's Day by far. The behavior of patrons is similar to what you see in my NYE video, however while a typical New Year's shift would be around 5-6 hours, people like to start drinking at about 8 AM on St. Patrick's Day. So that ends up causing security to be working 12-14 hour shifts with little to no breaks or down time. Although it's easy to become irritated working hours like that under those conditions, I usually found myself still driving home with a smile on my face.
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The video was shot on December 31, 2013 and January 1, 2014. I posted it on December 31, 2015, first as an unlisted video just to share with my Facebook friends. After it gained some traction I opened it up as a public video on January 1, 2016.Where did you shoot the video?
The video was shot at The Gatsby Soundhouse & Bar in London, ON. I am not still working there. The club has since changed ownership and been re-branded. I have since gone to school for veterinary medicine, grown my reptile business and also moved into other work within the security field.Have you shot any other videos like this?
I would often leave the GoPro running during a shift, so yes, I have amassed a large amount of footage. Some of which I have edited together for a number of months, sharing only with close friends.What inspired you to do it?
I had received the GoPro for Christmas a few days earlier and I thought why not get some use out of it as a body cam like a police officer. In the event of a bad fight or altercation, I could use the footage to prove my co-workers and I followed proper procedures as security guards.What's the worst night of the year to work as a bouncer?
St. Patrick's Day by far. The behavior of patrons is similar to what you see in my NYE video, however while a typical New Year's shift would be around 5-6 hours, people like to start drinking at about 8 AM on St. Patrick's Day. So that ends up causing security to be working 12-14 hour shifts with little to no breaks or down time. Although it's easy to become irritated working hours like that under those conditions, I usually found myself still driving home with a smile on my face.