Wishful thinking for now, but what would an Encanto Concert Event look like? image ©Disney
When looking at the overwhelming success of Encanto with its ensemble soundtrack and music theater roots, I immediately thought; “limited live concert experience.” Sadly, no concert experience has been announced, but given the chance, here’s how I would stage and distribute the show.
Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is never going to build your brand. One effective way to build your brand and brand audience is to show up in unexpected ways and unexpected places.
The Demo Reel is the bane of a creative's existence. They feel that their entire opportunity lies within this slickly edited video that showcases what they can do.
For me, the Demo Reel is just a business card. It's a teaser. It's NOT the one thing that will get you hired. What WILL get you hired is your portfolio.
It's time to break the Short Video Myth. Audiences ARE watching branded videos and stories that are longer than 60 seconds.
During the workday, 30 to 60-second videos rule. When relaxing and especially in the evenings, audiences use their mobile devices and connected TVs to engage in 30, 60, 90-minute video programming. Not just the big streamers, but YouTube, Vimeo and more.
All stories, all content should have a purpose. You should never create content just for the sake of creating something. "Content, Content, Content! Everyone else is doing it, they say we should be doing it. Let's get some content created!" If you're just creating content because 'that's what everyone says we should be doing,' then how are you going to measure your return on your efforts?
One of my favorite things about working in this industry is talking to people and learning their stories. And I've learned a lot of tips and tricks throughout the years for getting good on-camera interviews.
Here are a few to help you get the most out of your next on-camera interview.
One of the big aspects of branding, especially in social media today is "Authenticity." There's no better way to get authentic with anyone, than with a GoPro Vlogging rig. It's unthreatening and creates awesome opportunities to create and capture content on the fly.
Delivering maximum quality content is all about planning and efficiency.
If all you do is plan your entire project, your entire process around one deliverable, you're missing out on many content opportunities that allow you to work smarter, not harder.
"What IS Personal Branding and how do I even get started?” Personal branding is essentially marketing yourself from a personal or professional perspective, and sometimes both. You have value, you have knowledge to share, your input is welcome in conversations. Whether you're brand new to an industry or a seasoned veteran, you bring value to others. Both in the written word and through videos.
One question I seem to get more than any other is "What's in your camera bag?" From the first time a picture appeared with me filming on the road, folks have been asking what I'm carrying around on my back. Now I’m happy to share a typical setup for my camera bag. With this configuration, I can film interviews, documentary / docu-reality storytelling, training, travel and the like.
To tell an impactful story, work backward from a singular goal. When your audience is done reading or watching your story, what should be the first thing they think or do? When you understand that, we can develop a story, storyline, multiple storylines or an entire campaign around that singular goal.
One of the most confusing and vexing areas for any company starting up an internal creative team is knowing what equipment to purchase. There are thousands of pieces of equipment and hundreds of recommendations on ‘what you need to buy.’ While every situation is different, here’s a basic primer on the types of equipment and how much you might spend to set up a basic two-person internal team.
Branding today is all about storytelling. And there's no better way to tell your story than through video.
With social media, you want to be putting out content every single day. Especially if you're a consumer product. But if you've never built a Creative Team or an Internal Creative Agency and you're thinking about starting one, well where do you begin? You start with Two.
It’s been a while since my last series of tutorials, tips and tricks but I’m happy to say, I’m getting back in front of the camera to share more knowledge and advice.
Filming “We Are: Brewton, Alabama” for Georgia-Pacific with dual Canon DSLRs and a super cheap Best Buy LED light. The high quality lenses are more important than the cameras themselves in making pretty picture.
Too often I hear from videographers and DPs that “the camera is just a tool, and if you want to shoot something correctly, you have to have the right tool for the job.” In some cases they are correct. When it comes to big budget episodic shows and films, bigger is often better.
But when it comes to digital storytelling and branding, it’s the creative use of the tools at hand that matter more than the ‘right tool.’
I began experimenting pretty much immediately after IGTV was launched and it's turning out to be quite a lot of fun, and challenging. As I mentioned in my first post, one of the biggest challenges is the lack of horizontal space for graphics and to showcase elements in the scene.
Building on the first episode, "We Are: Brewton, Alabama," we've now launched the second episode coming from Palatka, Florida. This 'move the needle' campaign is traveling the country to showcase the employees who make up the GP Brand, one small town at a time. You'll notice we've done a little tweaking on the title graphics. We're liking this new, large direction. The main show was edited by Kim O'Neill then I tweaked it a bit and the show was finished by Editor Scott Franklin.
In this episode, we travel south to Palatka, Florida. Palatka was the largest town in Florida through the early 1900’s though it’s hard to believe it today as you drive through this beautiful small town. Home of the St. Johns River and it’s world-class fishing, Palatka is also the home of the Dallas Family. Beginning with Mom back in the 1960’s, the entire family has over 150 combined years working at the Georgia-Pacific mill. You’ll meet “The Inventor,” Wade Dallas who has three patents and is always tinkering with new ideas, along with his older sister Karen who is celebrating 42 years at the mill. Come along as we meet this amazing family, try out Florida’s oldest diner, relive high school football memories and enjoy the Florida Azalea Festival. We might also discover what’s in Wade’s “Super Chest.”
About the series: Georgia-Pacific is more than just a brand. We’re proud to be over 30,000 great people, making great products in communities all across this great land. Join us on “We Are” as we travel the highways and byways to introduce you some of these amazing people and their hometowns.
Well we finished one of the most difficult projects I have ever produced and we did it from concept to completion in just two weeks.
The task was to present a message that ‘it’s ok to have difficult discussions’ on race and social inequality framed around the 50th Anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This was an almost terrifying assignment because not only did we have to honor the legacy and man who was Dr. King, I was going to be wading into difficult territory having people speak openly, on-camera, about race and social inequality in America. This coming only a month after a Super Bowl commercial turned into a PR fiasco when Dr. King's words and image were used to sell a product.
Ringing cow bells for chili at the Chili Cookoff.
We're getting on a roll with these the "We Are" campaign having just come back from 3 days of filming in and around Muskogee, Oklahoma. "We Are:" is a 'moving the needle' campaign I designed for Georgia-Pacific. GP has amazing individuals all across this great land and "We Are:" aims to introduce them and the places they live, one small town at a time. Muskogee is the largest town we've visited so far with a population over 39,000 people.
Simply stunning sunrise over the St. Johns River in Palatka Florida.
We just completed 3 days of filming in and around Palatka, Florida for the second episode of the Georgia-Pacific 'move the needle' campaign, "We Are:" Palatka is in the heart of Florida right along the St. Johns River. Quick fact, Palatka was the largest town in Florida right through the early 1900's because the river made it the center of commerce in the state.
