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Riley Poor is a lifelong professional in the world of action sports filming. In his life before his injury, he was a film director at Red Bull capturing footage of skiing, snowboarding and free-ride mountain biking. “It was the type of dream job that few are lucky enough to encounter,” he says.
Post-injury however, Riley had to re-tool his career, but he’s been able to stay true to what he loves. From being an Executive Producer at Nike to trying something new and becoming a disability advocate and an Universal Designer, Riley has made an impressive transition since becoming paralyzed.
Why He’s Fearless
In high school, Riley, began filming action sports, and he knew right away it was something he wanted to pursue. His career in the industry took off, allowing him to have an amazing professional life in his early 20s. But in 2009 at age 25, everything changed when Riley fell into a shallow pool, breaking his neck. “I was jumping off the edge of the pool doing a backflip and a friend jumping in next to me pushed me and stopped my rotation,” he says. “My head lightly clipped the bottom of the pool, and all the angles were just right to dislocate at C5/6.”
Knowing plenty of people with SCI before his injury because of his work in extreme sports, Riley was more prepared than most for his new life with a SCI. “I was surprisingly at peace with my new reality and somehow knew that this was a test I was meant to take,” he says. “I also knew enough quads and paras to know that I would never be the same.”
Once he was discharged from the ICU at a New York hospital, Riley chose Craig Hospital as his rehab facility. “I hopped a $26,000 flight to Craig Hospital in Denver, Colorado where I spent the next four months rehabbing.”
Impressively, Riley never let his career fall to the wayside. “My injury was barely a break from work as I was in production on a self-directed documentary for Red Bull that I still somehow managed to deliver on time that year,” he recalls. “My opportunity to come to work at Nike came shortly after finishing the film, and I jumped on it and have been happily riding my desk here ever since.” He was also an Executive Producer in the production studio at Nike for several years post-injury, where he made films and advertisements.
What’s Next?
For many years, Riley and his longtime girlfriend Andrea shared the process of making their home accessible, accessible gardening and accessible travel on their blog Poor House Love. On a tight budget but highly creative, Riley and his architects designed a beautiful universally accessible home without breaking the bank. A one-bedroom home with an open bathroom in the bedroom (with a curved glass shower made from basic materials), his house is something to behold.
They also shared the process of creating custom tiny homes for wheelchair-users called WheelPad on their blog. And Riley has gone on to discover new hobbies as well, and even a new career. “I have a drone that I play with for fun,” he says. “I also enjoy getting out and about on my electric arm bike when the sun is out.”
But what really stands out is Riley’s career transition into becoming an Universal Designer and Consultant. His design company is called Radically Included and his company offers a variety of services like universal design consulting, accessibility consulting, product development and writing and copy development. Riley also does public speaking on these topics and more.
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