ColumbusMark.us | Join Mark Levin's Country Adventures: A Lighthearted Look at Country Life
May 06, 2024
Authored by: Kristin Johnson• 3 Minute Read
For Mark Levin, there’s no better place to be than in the country.
The North Carolina native—a contributing writer and photographer at Life in Our Foothills—is known for posting videos of his bucolic adventures from his 21-foot campervan and home, where he has lived on 10 acres outside of Columbus for nearly 40 years. He shares his experiences on his website, columbusmark.us.
He uses digital content, including audio podcasts and videos, to capture the people and places that make rural and small-town life in America so special. Armed with two Sony cameras (the ZVe10 and the RX100 mVII) plus a pair of GoPros (including the Hero 11) and a Garmin RV 780 Navigator, Levin captures the essence of country living by hitting the road and speaking with folks he encounters from all walks of life along the way.
“I'm a retired guy with time on my hands,” he says about his decision to start his own blog, Foothills Faces, which features interviews with members of his local community, the Carolina Foothills. “I thought I could use the skills I had and the equipment I owned to provide at least a little entertainment or enlightenment to others. I do stories about people and places both at home and anywhere in the US my travels might take me.”
Apart from documenting his travels, the friendly septuagenarian offers helpful country life advice—from using drones to locate lost farm animals and combating fire ants to emptying an RV waste tank. Among his most-watched videos, however, are clips featuring a family band called The Biscuit Eaters, along with the best fried chicken in South Carolina.
Hoping to share his content with a wider audience, Levin launched a YouTube channel, The Country Life with ColumbusMark, which has built a substantial following and drawn more than 97,000 views in the past two years. Since then, he has spotlighted a number of colorful characters on his page—among them, 102-year-old World War II veteran and Congressional Gold Medal winner Bob Bessell; deputy sheriff turned soapmaker Robert Mangum; and professional magician and comedian, Glenn Strange.
The former teacher also produces carefree YouTube shorts where he explores popular breweries, hunts for elusive mushrooms, embarks on scenic hikes, and offers snippets of his everyday life—including clips of his playful dog, Colin. No matter how many videos he posts, he makes sure to link back to his online hub, ColumbusMark.US, right on his YouTube page. This way his followers can learn more about his content and journey.
To boot, Levin hosts a podcast with his old childhood friend, Gary Eblen, called The Gary & Mark Show—a lighthearted series showcasing an eclectic mix of outdoorsy figures, from climbing pioneer Steve Longenecker and professional hiking guide Bev McDowell, to John Delaloye, CEO of Diamond Brand Gear.
(The close-knit duo—who met while serving as camp counselors together almost 50 years ago—are founders of the Gary and Mark Podcasting University, a free “institution for higher learning” that cheekily delivers same-day BS diplomas to students and benefits “the Old Men’s Home for Thirst.”)
Want to support ColumbusMark’s channel and blog? Click here to buy him a coffee (or two, or three). And don’t forget to subscribe to his free newsletter. (Browse past editions here.)
