From Camera Monitors to Phone Grips: How Dale Backus Built SmallHD and OhSnap
By Kane Katubig – Host of “I Made This For Crew” Podcast

On the second episode of the I Made This For Crew podcast, I sat down with Dale Backus, the co-founder of SmallHD and OhSnap. His story is one of curiosity, hard work, and learning from failure. Here’s a simple breakdown of our chat.

Starting Young

Dale grew up in North Carolina. His dad worked at IBM, so he was always around tech. As a kid, he loved building things—he once made a fan-powered mailbox alert system just for fun. That curiosity never went away.

The Start of SmallHD

Dale and his friend Wes Phillips were making videos together. But they couldn’t find a good, affordable monitor to check their shots. So they made their own. That’s how SmallHD started.

It wasn’t easy. They had little money and made plenty of mistakes. But they kept going. Eventually, SmallHD became a go-to monitor brand for filmmakers around the world.

Selling to a Bigger Company

Later, a company from the UK called Vitec Group bought SmallHD. Just Like Wooden Camera from episode 1, same company. Side not: Dale and Ryan Schorman used the same online software to get things machined. "EMACHINESHOP.COM" Dale stayed on, but his job changed. He wasn’t building stuff anymore—he was running meetings and chasing numbers. He missed creating things with his hands.

A Fresh Start with OhSnap

So Dale started something new—OhSnap, a company that makes sleek phone grips. It was inspired by PopSockets but designed to be slimmer and better.

Their first versions didn’t work well. Then COVID hit and made things even harder. But Dale and his team kept at it. They redesigned the grip, made it work with Apple’s MagSafe, and launched it again—this time, it took off.

Luck + Hard Work

Dale admits that luck played a role in both companies. A random email here, a new connection there—these little things added up. But he also says luck only helps if you’re working hard and ready to act on it.

What’s Next

OhSnap isn’t stopping at phone grips. Dale wants to make more products that improve how people use their phones. But he’s not chasing trends—he’s focused on making stuff people actually need and want to use every day.

Final Thoughts

Dale’s story shows that building something great takes time, effort, and a bit of luck. Whether you’re making film gear or phone accessories, what matters most is caring about the people who use what you make.