The Vision Maker Podcast
The Vision Maker Podcast
Unraveling the Intricacies of Live Events with Caleb Nealey
Ever wondered how a vast, live event goes off without a hitch? Caleb Neely, director of production for Conquest, is here to pull back the curtains on the world of live production. He didn't just fall into his current role, it was a journey that began with his first job as a camera operator at the tender age of eight. Now, with years of experience and countless events under his belt, Caleb is ready to share his insights. From the nuts and bolts of running an all-in-one 'fly pack' used for events, to the nuanced role of effective communication in orchestrating a successful show, Caleb's story will have you riveted.
Caleb's rise from a young camera operator to director of production offers a fascinating look into how training and experiences shape the way we approach tasks, especially in creative fields. Get ready to explore the intricacies of managing live events, warts and all. Caleb opens up about the challenges he's faced along the way and how he has refined his approach over the years. With a special nod to his father's adept command of cues and timing, we understand the importance of a well-coordinated team in live production. No matter where you're at in your career, whether a seasoned pro or just dipping your toes in, this conversation with Caleb Neely offers invaluable insights and fresh perspectives. So come along for this enlightening journey into the endlessly dynamic world of live production.
IG: @Visionmakerpodcast
Youtube: @Visionmakerproductions
Well, welcome back everyone here to the Vision Maker podcast. So this week we're going to take a deep dive into the world of live production, and I am here with a production director, Caleb. Caleb, would you like to introduce yourself to the audience?
Speaker 2:What's going on, guys? My name is Caleb Neely. I'm the director of production for a live event production company called Conquest. Got some gear on right here. So, yeah, happy to be here and happy to talk about production.
Speaker 1:That's awesome man. Thank you so much for being here. My pleasure. It's been a pleasure actually being able to work with you in the past couple of events, just alongside Conquest, as we done, like our event reels and event highlights For just the same events that you guys are doing the full production, and I've seen you guys go all out, big and small, so so it's definitely really cool stuff and I'm excited to talk about that. But I guess I want to start off really first. It's like how did you get in this world, how did you come up to really gravitating towards the video side of it especially?
Speaker 2:So I'm a little spoiled. My dad owns the production company. So I got a start at a very young age. I was a camera operator I believe it was in Indianapolis at eight years old, so it was a show for about, I think, 5,000 people. I was on a riser with a Panasonic and just following. So, eight years old, I got my start and didn't really look back since then. So been doing summers working for my dad and then once I kind of got 16, 17 traveling and kind of missing some school doing some productions and then, once I graduated, traveling all over the place probably doing 20, 25 events a year, all in different cities.
Speaker 1:So now that's nonstop Dude. That's a dream. It's like eight year old, so it was like love at first sight.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you could call it that. Yeah, it was nice because as an eight year old, I didn't do much other than run the camera. So I showed up at a different city, got to enjoy the city with my family, go to pools, a lot of stuff, and then, hey, run this camera. Now it's a little bit more detailed and we'll get your hands dirty. You've gone up a couple levels.
Speaker 1:There's levels, yeah, yeah. No, I mean Anna, so cool because like right now, when I see you, you're really in that director mode. You're not camera hopping too much, unless it's like the late night or like slow time, you know, but like you're in video village and man, you just see the setup. You got back there all in that it's intricate man. That all in one build? Can you actually? Can you just dive into that build, the latest brand you have?
Speaker 2:We call it the fly pack. It's just all in one. It's a well oiled machine there. So with our clients we do a lot of kind of one man shows. Either it's just me running everything video in the video village or I have a V2 who either runs PTZ for me or kind of checks on streaming, that kind of things Just right hand man, not necessarily calling cameras or everything, because it is all built in there. It's kind of hard to delegate those kind of jobs because it's all right there on top of me, but yeah, so all our shows are kind of the same. We got PowerPoint, we got video roles, we have live camera shoots. So I'm switching with the black magic just in between PowerPoint back to live or the speaker ends. We do video role logo. So it's basically just a well oiled machine that all of those cues and moves are at my fingertips.
Speaker 1:I love it and I think one point. I think that I think some people under value sometimes, especially when it comes to production and like what they see, like you know, you guys running around and I have my own prediction prediction Wow, that's a word no experience. And on the audio side, because I've worked a lot of audio for live events.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and as an audio engineer, that's what I actually used to do before going to video. I was an audio engineer for like 10 years. But yeah, communication, I think, is so huge and I hear you guys on the comms sometimes and how like, how valuable effective communication between the team can be.
Speaker 2:I'd rather over communicate than under communicate for sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, can you just talk about that dynamic and how you guys kind of tackle that and like really instill proper communication in your team?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so, like we've talked before, I'm a freelance guy as well. I don't I'm a full time with conquest, but when conquest doesn't have shows back to back or anything, I'll pick up jobs doing other things as well. So I've worked with a lot of technical directors that worked with a lot of show callers and I'm not being biased, but my dad's the best one there is. I mean, he is so intricate, he. He knows a walk in song at the second so he brings it to that second. He lets the A1 know that all right, get ready for audio cue, go audio cue. He lets lighting director know get ready and go roll video.
Speaker 2:So everything is just and we don't. There's a lot of big, big companies that give you a script Basically you can read along with the whole two hour program. We don't get those. So it's kind of just kind of off the cuff and feel it and he calls every, every move and makes our jobs a lot easier. But yeah, we definitely communicate a lot. I communicate with camera ops. Let them know what I need or what to go to next, and it's. It's definitely a big perk to communicate, because then you're kind of we're all winging it a little bit. That's just how a lot of events are, but it's better to wing it with a plan in place.
Speaker 1:Yeah, at least a framework, some form of like structure to the building.
Speaker 2:Yep, because if we're all just winging it on our own winging terms, however you want to describe that, it gets messy and it can go south in a hurry.
Speaker 1:You start to realize how different people actually think from each other.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, real quickly. Everybody's got a different, different thought process going on.
Speaker 1:Isn't that crazy to it, like in our field especially. I feel it's the same in audio, it's the same in video and technical fields like this, creative fields. There are so many ways to accomplish the same task. It could be so vastly different. I've I'm like, yeah, I've done 10 years of audio, but I'll walk up to a sandbar and it's configured so different. I was about to say that.
Speaker 2:I was about to say that because video you can, you can kind of put stuff in different areas, but if you're switching you got all your inputs. I kind of I can sit at somebody's switcher and get around. Yeah, it's audio, man, audio and lighting. It depends on how that dude created the show, created the mix, the matrix, all that kind of stuff. You can get lost and you can be a pro, but you can get lost real quick.
Speaker 1:Yeah, real quick, because sometimes they learn that one thing that they may work or just want to do they work or just works for them, that you never came across, it's just a funky little thing. No, that's true. Yeah, with like videos, at least you have that little bit of grace. That's more for more or less. You're sticking with the same same quality.
Speaker 2:We need all our feeds, all our inputs and it's going. Now, if you have certain kind of things with different switchers, if you have one screen doing one thing and other doing, that's when you can kind of get a little hairy. But for basic video setups we have output inputs. What's going out? There you go.
Speaker 1:Yeah, punch them Exactly. One thing I'm interested in here and so it's like someone who now has a punch for experience calling out cameras, and I know it's like between you and your dad you kind of go back and forth with the decision making, but I know right now you're a big part of that and then you kind of collab back and forth what's kind of like now the mindset, especially because you guys do a lot of speaking engagements and stuff, so it's pretty much just one subject for almost an hour and he's just standing there or walking around or maybe he just set the podium the entire time. Yeah, and you have to make calls and it's like so I know some people they develop a rhythm or they look for certain cues or different things like that. Like for you, what's your mindset when you're calling cameras or those types of things, or you're just picking the switches at those types of times?
Speaker 2:It really depends on type of show, type of energy. All that kind of thing I definitely like to. High energy stuff I like to switch. But for me there's definitely a point that you overcut, you don't let shots develop, you don't let kind of the shot build and you just cut, cut, cut and then when people are looking at screens it gets a little messy.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Especially if it's a low energy type of guy.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I definitely like to switch it up, kind of keep the crowd engaged with different shots. But then again if a speaker is up there for an hour just talking at the podium, I mean you kind of you gotta live in that shot. That's the main shot. Camera one is that head to torso or the torso head to waist. That's the moneymaker there. That's the best shot you got. So you don't want to mess with it too much, but you still kind of got to have get that happy medium of still switching it up, but not just like, oh my gosh, man, he's standing right there. Why are we looking at different angles every five seconds?
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, you're right. I mean, I guess it's energy level. That's a good way to look at it, definitely, and then. But you're also balancing viewer fatigue, because they can.
Speaker 2:Those eyes can get tired, man.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you need like something to like spark life back into them, but of course you can't overdo it if it's not matching the energy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, cause I've seen like a lot of jib shots, yeah, a lot of like track cams and stuff like that, and you let, you let the jib shot last for a second. It's like then it just looks like a stationary camera way up there. They're not letting the jib do what it's meant to do.
Speaker 1:Yeah, let it breathe, as I've heard. Yeah.
Speaker 2:That's a good way to put it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know what's funny, we kind of came into the same question. I feel like in the live sense it reflects a lot like the studio and sometimes in the edit room when you're doing like, you know, video production, that sense where I found myself. We did a concert last night actually, oh yeah, and I found myself with the with the question of like, as I'm like I was on the tracking cam and we were getting like the different moments and I found myself always, like constantly, kind of like trying to feel out the energy, saying like am I holding this shot too long, or is this, or should I be, or am I missing something? I should just move. I just got to this shot, so it's like is like 10 seconds enough, or should I be like here for like, get the whole.
Speaker 2:Then you start overthinking it and you're like, oh man, just get a shot.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so it's just like you know, as I'm thinking, I'm like I'm holding this shot for now until I figure out, you know.
Speaker 2:But Until I make up my mind, then I'll move.
Speaker 1:Exactly. I guess you feel like that sometimes too right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, especially when I, especially when I run camera too, there are thoughts that go through your head like that, where it's like but then again, for me at least, I'm a people pleaser. I like to, I like to try my own thing, but I don't. I don't get too crazy when I have a camera call or telling me what to do. Oh, yeah.
Speaker 2:So it's like you try and do other things, but it's like you don't want to be called out left and right Like, okay, just stay on this shot Cause it's like now you kind of call it out.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So yeah, you try and get a little. I've done a couple music festivals as a camera up years ago. Oh, nice. It's fun to get different shots like that, especially when you're on a seven, eight camera shoot where it's like I'm just having fun and that's the camera caller and the camera director's job, just to see what he likes, yeah, but yeah, you definitely. You can have a thousand of those thoughts in a day. Just run the camera man.
Speaker 1:Yeah, another thing that I'll actually do. You have any particular event, gig or like experience, that particular six on your mind that's pretty memorable for being exciting or just a crazy story in that aspect.
Speaker 2:I got a lot of ones. It's exciting, it's fun. It's just different types. I mean, I've worked to fan fest for Xbox, which we were running all the graphics, all the trivia that everyone was watching on their phones or laptops. We were running that from Charlotte, north Carolina, but they're doing it in California and that's a T-Mobile arena, I believe it was.
Speaker 1:Oh, wow.
Speaker 2:So it's like we're doing all that, we're getting all the feeds from a V-Mix rig, bayer, and we're shooting it out online. So it was just. It was so intricate and it was very fun, but man done some that's pretty and sorts it's. Yeah, it was crazy man, it was. It was a lot going on. We were talking on unity so we could talk to people basically clear calm across the country.
Speaker 1:So you know yes.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, so you can talk on your phone. You could talk on your laptop, ipad. So I had a couple laptops set up. I have my iPad there, I just press the button and talking my headphones, airpods and Clear calm to someone in Los Angeles. So it was crazy man that was. That was definitely probably the most intricate one I've done, where a little above my pay grade. I'm happy that other people were there to kind of talk me through it, because I had never done anything like that. I'm a live event guy. We're all right. We're getting all these screens up, we're getting all the feeds out to different rooms and we're doing wireless this, all this kind of stuff.
Speaker 2:Yeah now you're talking about all right, we're commuting to a different V mix rig across the country and then shooting this V mix rig out to all the online subscribers whatever you want to describe them as viewers and Once they they do a trivia question. All right, and hit that graphic to pop up the correct answer. And it was getting live polls in and then Building the slide for it to put it out. It was it was crazy man.
Speaker 1:It was days and days of rehearsals and long nights it was so it was fun but definitely stressful and so it's so many of those, it's just so interesting that they would go through that much effort to just Do it across the country. You know like.
Speaker 2:I can't do it in-house at that point. I have so many questions like why the heck did they not just like hire a company out there?
Speaker 1:Yeah, just like someone can like you're already doing a V mix rig. Yeah, just to send it like a V mix rig out.
Speaker 2:That was your remix right, yeah, we flew it out. They had it there. We had a tech there to basically make sure all everything was good on his end for what we're sending them.
Speaker 1:Yeah and and they didn't want to just fly the rest of you.
Speaker 2:That's a lot of gear to fly out, that's true. Well, yeah, it was crazy man it was. It was definitely a little bit of overkill, but it was cool. It was cool to be a part of, that's for sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay, cool, cool, cool, Cool, any. Oh, here's a good one. I always like to hear any one of those like those stories where it's like, it's kind of like because it happens in live production all the time, where it's like, oh, everything's about to fall apart and you're like, you're like and you have to come up with like the craziest work around. Yeah.
Speaker 2:I call that having to put out fires, and I am I am a little bit of a firefighter sometimes on on Events definitely got to put out fires a lot of the one that always gets me, and it's kind of a joke that I have with my career as well. It's it's reseeding cables or power cycling where you can't quite Understand why something lost feed but all you had to do is unplug it and re plug it in and bam, you got it. And that's sometimes what clients don't understand that that happens in live events. There's some stuff that's just unexplainable. I've lost a projector and but looking at my feeds, everything's good. I still got the green light on my converter, or I saw the light, the LED light on my converter. Unplug it, lose the light, plug it back in same light and I have feed now. So it's like there's some things that it makes us look bad, because if you lose a projector for a second but it's it's those mind boggling ones where it's like why the heck did that happen?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I call it the ghost in the machine. Yep, because I Think it happens to all of us. If you're around long enough, not even a little bit.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you could be around for six months. It's happened several times already.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because it's like yeah, and you're right, sometimes it's just a power cycle and then it's back to normal. There's zero explanation, all the parts are good and sometimes you just have to bypass something.
Speaker 1:That's like yeah, this thing's just not working, I don't know why. Let's just figure out a way around it and try to Try the finagle it later and see what's wrong with it, and then, of course, later you go to look at it and it's just working perfectly fine, yeah like I don't have Another thing I don't have much problems with black magic converters, yeah, until until they run into an HP.
Speaker 2:They don't, hp doesn't like. So then I got a pop in a decimator on those. That's something that I now have living with those monitors, but it's like first time doing that. It's like okay, let me, is it the cable?
Speaker 1:No, it's not the cable.
Speaker 2:It's just. It's weird things like that, I mean, where it works on everything.
Speaker 2:Yeah but doesn't like the HP. So then you're loading in and now you're trying to think about it. I'm like, okay, let me get another converter. We have a thousand black magic converters. So when we get another one and then cross converter all that stuff, it's like, alright, never mind, let me do a decimator, clean feed. So it's just those little things that I don't know the specifics on. I don't know the technicality of what's in that mechanism that doesn't want to communicate. But Everybody's got a story.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, I mean, one of my most memorable ones, I think, if I mentioned this one before was, um, I did a live sound event for a band and I was running their system and they just bought a crossover for their, for their, for their mains, right, and so, okay, I plug it in a wire it all up, and then, halfway through the halfway through the night, and I know where I lost my mains. Well, they're just gone and I'm just like what is happening? The crossover seems fine, Everything seems fine, the signal still there. They're still playing their mid song. Thankfully, their modern mix is so blaring loud that their crowd was still dancing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I was like, no, I noticed it. That's a good thing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I was like, where did all my top end go? I was like, and I go up on my seat. I was like, yeah, the speakers are, they're just not. There's no sound coming. So I was like, I tried, I pushed a couple buttons, I checked my connections. That didn't work. So I was like, okay, I'm bypassing this crossover, which means I have to reroute this so that it's a daisy chain feed instead of a crossover Wiring. If you're familiar, if you know, you know. And so I just ran into that. I just remember the singer. I took one of their monitors, I pointed it towards the crowd and I just remember the singer singing, looking at me. I'm like this. I'm like give me a minute, it's good, it's good he sees me turning off all the sweat, like turning off all the mains.
Speaker 1:I'm trying to get around drunk people and I'm and, and, and. Then boom, boom turning back on before the end of the song, bring down my mains, bring him slowly back up and we were back off the races. But sometimes it's like, yeah, like like you said, it's like they don't know, they don't understand that things sometimes just Don't want to work and you got trouble.
Speaker 2:Shooting is a thing for a reason and everybody's got to do it. There's something's gonna happen that you got a troubleshoot.
Speaker 1:It's one of the biggest things, I think, for Our production in general, both live and not as just. Can you troubleshoot?
Speaker 2:You know how quickly can you and it's hard to learn to trouble troubleshoot unless you've been through it. There's not stuff that like you just sit down and there's a crash course on troubleshooting. It's until you really encounter it that you figure out. All right, this is the.
Speaker 1:This is the thing that's the fix for unfortunately Now you know, but yeah, I feel like there's two parts to troubleshooting it's experience, because that's how you know these weird things, and then second thing is just really having an understanding of signal flow, if you can yeah, that's definitely a big part of it. Yeah, if you understand where all the points of failure is possibly and you know how to quickly think through them, and Then that really helps you kind of, now that at least where the problem is.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it can kind of help you pinpoint it.
Speaker 1:Yeah but.
Speaker 2:But you got to go through it to be able to do it.
Speaker 1:That's, that's the biggest thing about getting experience and just getting your feet wet, you know.
Speaker 2:It's definitely a hands-on Job, like you. It's not just something that you can just yeah, I've watched a lot of YouTube videos. I mean you can learn a lot through YouTube and through kind of people telling you how to do it or how what they do, all that kind of stuff. But you don't know until you you get your hands in there and figure out what the problem was nice?
Speaker 1:No, 100%. Here's a Another thing you guys, since now that you guys, you know you have your team and I've seen different guys work with you and this and that and you pretty much help lead the team, with your father Now being in that position because, like you said, you've been a part of the team for such a while but now that you guys really manage the team together and direct more your philosophies, I'm bringing on new people into this environment. You know, and Like, maybe some like just point is that you would give people, or just like how, how do you feel about, like when you're bringing on Delicating tasks and how you kind of judge that? Because I know some people are very micromanagey, some people are like they're not very good leaving off the reins, but some people also like Not great, that like every show we have, we bring in a bunch of stage hands.
Speaker 2:And I'm not great at delegating yeah, because I hate not dogging out stage hands. I've met great Sanchez. I've met not great stage hands yeah, but it's. It's very hard to Troubleshoot, to track back what went wrong when you had other people do it, because it's not fresh in your mind on how it was ran or Because I mean you know live events. You got cables everywhere, man, so now I got a track.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:Just got to keep walking 150 foot SDI cable to figure out where he ran it. Yeah, it's just there's. There's stuff that I got trust issues on, but I think we all do, oh, yeah.
Speaker 2:It's. It's basically I let them, I let my people kind of place, place the stuff, I let them put up screens and then I basically do all the technical stuff. I do set up the whole flat pack. I run all my cables. I'll have my v2 run cable sometimes Because I trust him.
Speaker 2:Yeah knows, and a lot of times I can kind of get a feel of a stage and if they know, yeah, sometimes if it's just kind of a green stage here where they're just hey, I'm here, they gave me the call, I'm pretty new. It's like all right, go go help with pipe and drape. I'll have. I'll call you in a minute, yeah, so, but basically for your question with the team, it's like like we talked about early communications key. I mean, you got to over communicate. You got to make the person not just dive into the deep end Because again, it's live events, it can get messy in a second. Yeah, if you miss cues, as an audio guy, that's a show killer man. I mean a split second of dead air feels like a minute and a half to everybody on the staff because you know, yeah, like you missed your cue, that's that seemed like an eternity of silence.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, you definitely got to over communicate, got to let them know when, when the ends are, when the outs are, make them feel comfortable. We joke around a lot, man, we like to like to joke around, kind of pick on people, that's just it's. It's just fun being a part of the crew traveling. It's. We go out to dinner, we hang out, but also not to take stuff personal, it's live events. You kind of get in the heat of the moment, get amped when something doesn't go wrong or Gotta, let that brush it off and we're all good. We just got to be better.
Speaker 2:So there's some people who don't like that and there's some people who handle that pretty well. I Handled it pretty well. I get it internally. It's my dad, so he can yell at me, me and my dad. Well, we'll get like that, but we're good. It's, it's part. It's part of the thing it's. There's some people who kind of want to bite back but it's like, hey, if Tim's telling you a cue and you're missing it, you got just roll with it. Get better next time.
Speaker 1:It's yeah, they'll take it on a personal attack.
Speaker 2:It's a yeah, we are trying to get a job done, you know we got to make this the best thing it can be, so let's just get better. Brush it off your shoulder and don't miss the next cue. Easy as that and we're all happy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's funny, it's um. So my drum teacher used to say a lot was that? Um, it's not about making a mistake yeah, you may miss a note or this or that. It's about how long did that mistake last. Because you get in your own head and it's like what you do well, at least with playing drums. What you don't realize is that when you get in your own head from missing that one beat, every single beat after that, the longer you stay in your head, you're getting more and more thrown off. It's like, oh, I missed that one, but I'm on the next one, I'm good, that's it and it's same in life. Because it's like the live production, like music, is it's going, it's not waiting for you, yeah, because if you don't have a clear mind, you're gonna make some more mistakes.
Speaker 2:Just clear your mind and keep rolling, because I've done that before. I've had, because the way we do it as well, we have the speaker timer in our in our inputs so the multi view for production monitors can see how much time's left. Yeah, I've been guilty. I hit that a hotkey to switch the cameras real quick and Hit that on accident and had to switch out real quick and I hate that and it pisses me off. Yeah, and I take it with me for a couple minutes, but man, it's over, it's. Hopefully they didn't recognize it. If they did that sucks, but it's not a show killer. Right there, when you're punching real quick, you can watch TV and you can see a miss, miss punch.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah it happens, it happens to the best of them, so you just got to brush it off and roll with it. Man, it's make sure it doesn't happen often and try not to let it happen again, but you can't kill yourself on a mistake.
Speaker 1:No, a hundred percent, and I think that's so important, especially in life, because it's like you said, people get emotional, people get heated, and I've heard it myself. I've been on the receiving end, you know, and it's like you said, it's just, it's learning to understand. It's not a personal thing. No one's personally attacking. Everyone's just trying to get a job done. Sometimes people have more colorful language than others.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and that's the thing you got to be aware of as well. I was sick because you don't know what people, how people take things. So if a person doesn't drop F-bombs all the time and you're just dropping F-bombs on because you say it like a verb, that's gonna hit someone differently than it is for you, because it's just another word for you. If someone that has a lot of weight to that word, that can piss some people off for, kind of, they're done with you at that point or they don't want to work with you anymore. Where it's like we just got to keep it professional, you can get heated, keep it clean, just kind of get what you want to say off your chest, but still keep it respectful.
Speaker 1:No, 100%. I think that that comes with self-awareness. I don't think there's ever a place to go past that disrespectful point. You know, and I like one thing, I think. I always think about it. If you have to question it, just don't say it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's the problem, though. Sometimes it just leaves, it just goes. Yeah, you don't even question it, it doesn't even hit the filter, it just leaves you right away.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but it's always good too. After it's like hey, bro, my bad, I got a little heated.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you always got to do that. You kind of got to reconvene, especially if you let yourself go, just like.
Speaker 1:hey, you know I'd away the rest of the night. It was great.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was a great show. My fault on that one part, but we did good. Yeah you just kind of got to have reassurance that amen. Nothing personal was meant by it, my fault, but just this is how I like to do things. It wasn't done like that, shouldn't have reacted like that, but we're good, nice, and then you're good.
Speaker 1:Yeah, 100%, 100%. Now, how do you? How do you? So we were talking a little bit before about it, but like your view, because you said you've done a few studio things too. And then you, but your world is really live and the live production sense, and doing these big conferences, thousands of thousands of people, and small ones too, of a couple hundred and everything in between, but, like you said, you've done the studio stuff. How do you feel about both and more. So? Why do you like live more versus the studio?
Speaker 2:I like live more, I guess because I'm more comfortable with it. Been doing it forever. I really liked studio work. It was. It was pretty simple Basically. You build out all your stuff. You can dress like this and just kind of hang out in the studio, because I worked with a company who was kind of laid back. I mean, we, we didn't have to dress in all blacks, there was no client there, there was no, no Zoom calls. We were just kind of hanging out like this and just do your job. So it was definitely fun to do.
Speaker 2:But live is you're in it and like it's nonstop. It's go, go, go and you could feel the energy of the crowds. You can you feed off that energy a little bit. It's fun to switch when a DJ is on stage. It's fun to do that kind of stuff because that's what. That's what I I love corporate. I don't like concerts much. The tempo and the attitude is much different in my experience. Corporate's more laid back attitude, wise, it's still go, go, go because it's a live event, but it's not dropping f-bombs left and right and calling somebody out and yelling at people.
Speaker 2:I've had. I've heard there's great crews to work with musically. I have heard that. But the four or five that I've worked, it's it's just been like man. There's just too much drama, we're just working, we got a job to do. There's no need for bumping chests and like yelling at each other. And I've gotten in a couple. I haven't, but I've gotten a couple of those things. But I'm looking at dudes and one guy says something wrong to another guy. He takes it and now they're yapping back and forth where it's like man, I'm just, I'm here to work and it doesn't have to be that complicated. Yeah, so I definitely like corporate stuff. I like when corporate stuff brings energy. It's just, it's a different crowd, it's still fun, high energy and you feed off that and the weekends go by quicker when it's higher energy.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, yeah, especially if you got some good lineup of speakers and this and that 100%.
Speaker 2:That's why I love corporate that's bang, bang bang. They're quick and, excuse me, it's not an hour and a half keynote and sometimes keynotes are great Like they can be an hour and a half and they're great speakers. Sometimes keynotes where it's like yeah this is a long hour and a half.
Speaker 1:Yeah, somehow some people can have this ability to stretch time. Oh yeah, more they speak somehow.
Speaker 2:It's gotta be an hour. It's only been 15 minutes Okay, but yeah, it's fun to have stuff, have a variety. It keeps you on your toes. It's what I always say is I love what I do because it's the same thing but it's different every time I do live events. We have the same gear, go out on shows, but it's a different group, it's a different attendance, it's a different stage setup, it's a different camera positions. It's still something different that you're not learning every time out, but you're experiencing new things and keeping on your toes, so it's fun, man.
Speaker 1:No, yeah, no, 100% agreed. No, that's great. Now, one thing I'll be interesting to hear is, like I'm kind of like on your beliefs, on like maybe if you're talking to a client, let's say, or someone who's asking about like live streaming, but like at that, at the level that you guys do, you know it's like what are some like key essentials that you guys almost require to have to make you know, just promise a good live stream event. You know that people might not be thinking about.
Speaker 2:Now you mean, like for our live events, if they want to stream it as well. Okay, yeah, it's funny, man, a lot of times people don't understand that you need a hard line. It's crazy because it's just, it's common knowledge for us. But it's also crazy how much a hotel or convention center charges for that hard line so that can kind of deter people from live streaming as well. Yeah, you don't want to. Not, you don't want to live stream without a hard line.
Speaker 2:It's you better just not live stream at all, rather than doing it off volunteer or compliment or your Wi-Fi or getting a Wi-Fi login from the event which is still going to cost you an arm and a leg. It's like there's definitely all all convention centers or ballrooms. If you have a cat five drop that it's going to be high enough speed so you don't really have to worry about that. But it's just, you got to know that you need one and that's got to be budgeted properly. Other than that, I mean, it's pretty much. What do you want if it's just a clean feed of what the screens seeing, that's easy. Yeah, let me pop out of my switcher and go into a capture card and send it out.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But yeah, that's. That's basically the extent we do is just live feed whenever someone's at home, or we've done a stream for the nursing mother's room, so way too long away for a cable run, so we just do a stream.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And that's good there, because it's just showing what everyone else is seeing, but remotely. So, yeah, it's just it's crazy to think that people don't know that you need a cat five. That's. That's one thing that I've noticed a lot.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we've been. We've been starting to notice that too, because we do a lot of more small-scaled live streams for, you know, like museum events and different things like that, and it's the same conversation about like a, is there a hard line? And then they're like no, but we got great Wi-Fi. Incorrect, do not pass, go, do not collect $200. No, yeah, exactly, and it's such a. It's a small thing, but it's really like it's a make or break because that's a DIY thing.
Speaker 1:Wi-Fi is so unpredictable, and especially once you put a room full of people even then and everyone's trying to get on the Wi-Fi, especially if it's like that's the only Wi-Fi available.
Speaker 2:Oh man game over.
Speaker 1:Yeah, not possible, but yeah, no, and it's interesting. I mean it's, it makes total sense, but it's interesting finding out that like hotels are so like tight with giving out a hard line and everything, but it's because they know you need it and they know you will pay for it if you want it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, if you need the live stream. Yeah, you're gonna pay them what they require. So yeah there's. There's not many deals given out by convention centers or ballrooms never.
Speaker 1:They see it coming. That's the thing, yep, you guys. I'm curious because, since you guys are in the live event space and when you've been in it for years, at this point, like you said, you got started at eight years old.
Speaker 2:Yeah, conquest started in 93.
Speaker 1:Wow, that's the year I was born. Hey, there you go, there we go. So, as long as I've been alive, got it. I was gonna say what did you guys? So how did? How did you guys treat COVID? Did you guys make a pivot? Just take a break, like like, how did you guys? You guys ended up going.
Speaker 2:I was wondering if that question was gonna come up.
Speaker 1:Just because of the live events. I know what it did for me when I because I was primarily live events before COVID, so I'm curious to see what the story was like for you guys.
Speaker 2:I mean full transparency. Conquest basically went out of business during COVID. None of our, none of our clock. We didn't really have studio work. We don't have clients that really did virtual stuff. We did some. I won't say what business we did about. We had one client that did two streaming things where they had a couple people in a big room and we still did the kind of wow factor of that. But I mean, we went from doing 25 shows a year to, I think, in 2020 we did two. Damn, actually that's a lot. 2020 is before it all went, went downhill. We were we were doing shows and then what? It went downhill like March.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think 2020.
Speaker 2:So yeah, did this we had a busy January and Then we had like two events in March when everything started shutting down. And then we had like two events in March cancel. And then like okay, what's going on? Like work, work, cancel because of this. And then we have made it's a big month, april, that's a huge month. So it's like stuff started getting cancelled. Well, we're just gonna postpone it. It's gonna be a couple months, but it's like okay. And then one month, two went by, one month, three went by four or five. It's like okay, what is going on here? Yeah, so I was basically just unemployed for five months because I was kind of Hanging on hope that it's coming back, it's, it's all good. This is just a little little bump in the road. It sucks.
Speaker 1:But we'll be back.
Speaker 2:Two weeks, slow the curve and we'll be back. But yeah, we didn't do anything. Dude, my dad, my dad wouldn't, wouldn't work somewhere else. I wouldn't work somewhere else because there's only so long that you can kind of just, yeah, of course, go off what you have. Not. Not many people can go a year just not working.
Speaker 1:It's no, no, of course.
Speaker 2:It's a little tough. So, yeah, we did other things, man, and then once, what? 2020, end of 2021? We started basically getting back to back to business and like nothing happened really. So, okay, 2022 was busy and 2023 is probably the busiest we've ever been. So Amazing. Yeah, because now everyone's like okay, we're trying to get some events, done man, I think we need to catch up. Yeah, I mean, they didn't have butts and seats for two years. They got to start getting people back in the seats.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean it's, it's the same, I think, in all event industries. I mean that's kind of like what happened with weddings, because everybody had weddings those years and they reschedule them all, so it's like Triple quadruple the amount coming back.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, you know. So it's a nice influx of business, but it's like you know what you went through to get this influx business it was. It was tough man.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you guys really? Uh, it sounds like you guys. You guys hunkered down To um, so things picked right back up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we had, I had. I actually worked in life insurance man during a COVID. So, okay, massed up selling people life insurance and Loved it do what you gotta do once one product, once production came back, I was like I'm in. So yeah it's, we've. We've been getting busier and busier, and thank God for it, because that year and a half it was tough for a lot of people.
Speaker 1:Oh no, a hundred percent. A hundred percent for a lot of us it was a bizarre time period, oh yeah, something that will definitely tell our grandkids about one day.
Speaker 2:What in the heck was 2020?
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, that's, that's definitely a title. Oh yeah, oh man, what was it, wasn't that? No, I was like, and they thought 2012 was gonna be the weird year.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, it's like why 2k all that stuff's like nothing tops 2020.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, a hundred percent. I mean, um, oh. So now that you guys are coming back and everything, what's kind of like some of the, the direction you feel like you, you're personally want to go in, like what's your admissions for the future? It's kind of like the end goal, you see.
Speaker 2:I mean, I want to take over conquest one day. I kind of I love this, this work, so I definitely want to have my own hands on it, and I Mean my dad's gonna be around for a while, so it's whenever he doesn't want to do it anymore. I got my hands out and I'm blessed to be in that situation.
Speaker 1:Family business right there.
Speaker 2:Yep, I love it. But basically our kind of short-term goals right now is we're looking to tap into the local market, kind of getting some more easy gigs for for slow months and Small, the smaller little, because all our stuff, man.
Speaker 2:It's it's a packed pack truck and going to different cities, it's. It'd be nice a little change of pace just to kind of pop it in the van, go to a ballroom and do something small or something for a couple hundred people here and there locally. Yeah, easier work and not huge crews and drive a different city. So that's our, that's my short-term goal, trying to get some more clients locally and around the Round the eat. We do a lot of stuff east coast, but around north and South Carolina, virginia, just stuff close by.
Speaker 1:Okay, nice, nice, yeah. That's it's interesting to hear you know, because it's like usually people are thinking like we want to go bigger. Well, you guys are. You guys are pretty much, you're pretty big with the events. You guys do, you know a couple thousand or tens of thousands of people and so it's like you're on the yeah a lot of just what we've had this year so far was eight thousand.
Speaker 2:So I mean that's, that's a pretty big gig, yeah. I just like to fill in some gaps, because, hey, man, if you got a lot of small fish, that's, that's equals a big fish. So there's, there's a lot of companies that I know that kind of toss those people to the side because they're not huge, paying gigs, you're all it's like, man, you still got love on those clients though there's. There's so clients of yours. They put the trust in you. Yeah, do all that. Just you gotta.
Speaker 1:It's easy admit to your fillers. You know we all need a little fillers on that, and I think we all do it to an extent in different industries. You know so you find yourself now way more hands-on in the business side too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, definitely getting there. Yeah, kind of logistics, that kind of thing, definitely more in the shop now, qc and stuff, just kind of getting my own hands on it and making sure everything's updated, work, it properly Packed properly, easy for for loading the truck and unloading the truck and all that kind of stuff. So All the trucking kind of falls on me, all that kind of stuff. So yeah, we're growing. It's it's growing pains, but it's good pains to have because you're growing.
Speaker 1:So no, that's good. That's good. You guys probably have your own warehouse and everything too right.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So no, yeah, because I've seen it, like I said, I've seen, sir, a couple different size rigs between the different events. Women like yeah, but those, those combined conferences are much longer than some of the independent conferences. And you know, and it's like I don't think we're also like realized, it's like with your company, you guys do everything, you guys have the full sound, the full lighting package and video village everything and then the and the new ptsz. That's how you guys got the beautiful man.
Speaker 1:No, yeah they. They were so Crisp compared to the older ptsz. It blew me away how much there you're, crisper than your then your full-fledged Panesotics that you had for camera one.
Speaker 2:It's, it's crazy, man, because it's, it's, it gets a little hairy. I don't like ptsz, necessarily max, not the zoom, yeah, digital zoom, so you lose quality. So I basically place those 4k where they're at optimum. It's, it's always zoomed out, it's got perfect framing. I'll zoom in just a hair or whatever, just a reframe, but it's. It's not working on that digital zoom where it gets little, little out of focus or a little pixelated, because you start seeing those pixels on digital zoom. But, yeah, man, we get them in a good spot or they're beautiful. They are beautiful and they're only. I think they're Four years newer than the ptsz that we had prior and it's just lightened, or night and day difference, yeah, both.
Speaker 2:Panesonics, but it's head and shoulders buff.
Speaker 1:Man, yeah, no, the technology is getting crazy, especially even at the, like, the prosumer level and different things like that. Because it's like, like I've set goals like a year, two years ago, different things like that. I was like, oh, this is something we're gonna get saving up for it. It's like this much. And then it's like now I'm seeing things coming out for like a quarter of the price.
Speaker 2:I can't blow it away. I'm like you look at 10 years ago for switchers. Now you can buy like a $900 black magic ISO and record four different cameras. It's like come on for like 900 bucks.
Speaker 1:It makes the Da Vinci project for you too.
Speaker 2:It's ridiculous man. It's like like 10 years ago you had a data video switcher that you had for input.
Speaker 1:Since, like good Lord, thousands of dollars just for $2500 for a cheap switcher. The thing was like great one.
Speaker 2:The thing was like 40 pounds. Yep, you had to have a big old road case or a ginormous pelican that weighed a hundred pounds. But then it's. It's rapidly growing. It's a good thing.
Speaker 1:Any piece of tech you're particularly excited for, maybe upgrading to?
Speaker 2:I've been looking. We're we're in a lighting phase right now, so we're looking at lighting. I really like it's Not like a sales pitch here like, but Chave has grown. That's a company that has grown exponentially in the past decade.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you should be just kind of a steep lighting.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it used to be just kind of DJ gear and it kind of was Not to be rude or knocked down. I it used to be kind of a joke if someone brought in a bunch of Chave stuff like rock and Chavez, really yeah. But now I mean their battery up lights with the, the chargeable road cases, all that kind of stuff. That's what I'm looking in for, especially if we tap into the local market, just kind of simple Corporate gigs, kind of making a package for that some. I'm looking around for stuff like that. But yeah, we just bought a lot of new movers. So, yeah, we've, there's videos, good, I've.
Speaker 2:I'd like to get some bigger screens Just for some of the 8,000 people we do a delay screen. But Tech wise, I mean the switcher that I rock was great. It's couple like two years old. That's just crazy about the technology, though. It's rapidly, rapidly getting better and better. So it's almost like you bought something three years ago and it's not as good as what you could get now. But it's like that's just a revolving expense of always upgrading your stuff when this still does the trick. Yeah, so video is basically built out and I'm good for that for the next couple of years for the types of shows we do, for sure, but basically just upgrading and Getting new sound. We just bought a bunch of new sound and movers so, yeah, we're definitely looking around, but nothing that I'm crazy excited about video wise, because I'm basically Stuck in my ways on my flat pack now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I know now, one thing I love is a little stream deck.
Speaker 2:That is. That's really nice to have for v mix.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, I think and I know it works with so many different programs and stuff and most things I can do macros. I Think that's something that's like that's interesting, that I don't think not maybe many people know, especially if they're just getting into this World and stuff is like if you're switching and you're just using the v mix and your switchers or obs or whatever it may be, it's like there's learning, actually getting into and learning macros and Working with something like a stream deck or one of those other trigger type Hardware you add to what you know and your little bag of tricks and also helps you in the process, so it's a win-win.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean switching, cuz I I don't use midi, I don't use other playback software, I use v mix as my playback software so I can load all my videos in and basically just switch with that right there, and again, it's. It's something that I know and I'm comfortable with. So I've worked with midi a couple times, but I'm not comfortable enough to run a full show off that. Yeah, I'm much more comfortable. V mix is reliable. It's. It's Weeps and bounds better than what it was what five years ago too. So it's just getting better and better.
Speaker 2:Used to be should be like a church streaming software, and now it's. It's fantastic for live events too and streaming while you do it. Yeah, I'm still learning about v mix. It's got so many ins and outs to it that you Keep showing your toes the whole time and it gets let you get more creative because it has so many, so many things that you can do with it. So it's fun, and Stream Deck just makes it more fun to build the buttons and make make you have all the little hotkeys right there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you're pretty quick with it too. At the last event, I saw your, because it's like you were putting in those lower thirds, the ones that you know you will repeatedly need, and different, different runs to like all transitioned to this when I needed this and that, so because it's tough to do that.
Speaker 2:Overlays too. I thought what you guys have me doing last time I was it was. It was a little stressful because it was like, alright, I haven't done this on a live show before, but then it was fun. When I actually finally got to do it, it was just on a different key there and just was able to just input it there, overlay it, key out, the black is and it's again. I had to do it quickly. So now I know how to do it. And you got to go through that kind of stress and all that stuff to To nail it in your mind, because if you're just hanging out doing it, it's not the same effect.
Speaker 1:Isn't that amazing, though someone who's been in basically live production your entire life, we still get hit with something like well, I've never had to do that before. Today I learned. You think it's like at some point you just know everything. It's like.
Speaker 2:Never, man. It's a never-ending cycle of learning new things, and especially the way the technology, all that stuff's growing and you have a different client, so something new is gonna hit you then, a client that you've been working with for a decade, this Every show is different man, oh yeah, and and I I will never be the type of video tech that acts like he knows everything because I know for a fact I don't, because I.
Speaker 2:I work with a lot of video texts that are Brainy axe band. They know Everything and I try and learn and get as much as I can from them, but sometimes it's just I gotta know my mind doesn't work like that. Yeah, I got, I'm not that Technical of a guy that I know all the ins and outs of this switcher can do this and this and this is like that's not how my mind works. Yeah, so I'm never gonna be that guy. I'm always open to learn and you're never gonna stop learning.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I find it for me. I always learn best when I actually have to do it and figure it out. It's like I'll figure it out the first time, but once I actually like in it and do it once, okay I'm good like you said, like I'm good now hands-on experience.
Speaker 2:Man, that's, that's how a lot of people are. You can't. You can do as many YouTube as you want, but once you get behind the wheel, so to speak, that's when you kind of you get that different feeling and it locks in your brain a lot easier for me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, makes sense 100%. So if someone's like looking to get started in live production, let's say what would you advise them like and how to get started, and you know what to be thinking about.
Speaker 2:I Mean I know a lot of people who have gotten started with church and that's that's kind of how they, how they get there, their experience, kind of volunteering.
Speaker 2:So that's how I would say right there, just because I know a lot of people who have gotten a start learning so fast, because it's tough to hop into an industry where you're getting paid to do something, yeah, and you don't know how to do it.
Speaker 2:So Stage hand work I've told a couple people kind of get in there because you can kind of you're all around stage hand, tell me what to do, I'll do it, and then you can kind of find the, the lane that you want to go in. If you either kind of gravitate towards lighting, if you gravitate towards audio or whatever, stage hands is definitely a good spot to do because you're going to be getting work for anybody and everybody. But that's what I would say, man. I would say if you can volunteer for something like that, that has hands-on experience right there, that you're not getting paid. So you're, you're not getting paid as an unexperienced person where you can kind of get called out and Get a little overwhelmed, but then if you're getting paid for it, stage hands is, they got consistent work and hands-on so.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and for people who, like, don't necessarily go to church, because I got a lot of my experience, too, from church yeah, for people don't necessarily go to church, you can also think about events that you may be attending anyways, you know, and sometimes they'll look for helping hand. Interns like hey, I just want to volunteer, I want some experience.
Speaker 2:It's like just tell you what you guys need, whatever. No one's gonna decline that. I mean unless, unless you got a well-oiled machine, and you don't really you got me too, you got a backstage person. You don't need them. But I mean you guys have a guy to help it. I mean a lot of you guys help us. We're never gonna turn down help shoot. Yeah, I'm gonna step back there and video village and ask me questions, all stuff. Feel free, man, I'm where they are. I'm not gonna turn you away, you know don't worry, I usually do.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, you're back there. You're checking out my gear.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, no, 100%. No, no, it's like you said, and I love your guys's workflow. I think that's the thing. It's like you guys have a real um, you care, you know, you care about giving a good product, you know a good experience and you're on it, I'm you're on it. I mean I see it in sound and I see it all of it. When it's like, when it comes to live events, there's always like two types of people. There's a person who kind of like set him forget. It tones out for the whole thing.
Speaker 2:We've worked with some people like that before. It drives me nuts, man. It's like we're here to do a job, might as well. Do it to the best of your ability, you know that's, that's what I've grown up with. You do it. Whatever you do, you do it to the best of your ability. You do it with some care and that's yeah, that's definitely what we're all about. We, we want to make this the best show that They've seen, or have a certain standard that they know they're gonna get from us when we, when we load in their event.
Speaker 1:Yeah and it's, it's great. And I see you guys, just by your example I mean every show, I see you guys have the same energy level. You're like, oh yeah, this is gonna be cool, we're gonna do this, we're trying this out. This is like you know. It's like you're amped up. I always see Tim's always telling me about. I was like, oh, check this out, I just got this, this lighting set up. Oh, so how did I look? And he's like always asking me about my videos. It's like, oh yeah, I'm with the without, how the stage looks and everything.
Speaker 2:Because we got to make the stage look good for you too. You got to get all that b-roll stuff, man.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, I'll know a hundred, you guys. You guys make my job easy. Slap on a little color and just pops in my there you go awesome.
Speaker 2:But yeah, man, that's that's definitely what we care about the most. We. I've worked with text that kind of as as, once he has his area set up, you try and add stuff and he's not for it. It's like I'm not for it but I'm gonna do it because, because you guys want to done and that's what, that's what you're gonna remember us by that we made it happen that if, hey, we want to do this, that speakers walking on stage right now, we want to roll this video. I might not get it right away, but I'm gonna get it in there for you guys and we'll play it for you, for the speaker. So it's, it's still. People don't know how. If you give me a five minute long video, it's gonna take time to transfer. Yeah, on a USB drive. Give me something USB, see something?
Speaker 2:Yeah, you three point oh, it's gonna take a little time.
Speaker 2:Yeah so it's, it's just kind of letting them know like I'm gonna get this done for you. It's gonna take a little bit of time, or if they give me 15 pictures and I gotta build a PowerPoint for it, or because Now you got to change settings in there, if you just do a preview and Mac all that kind of stuff. So yeah, it's, we're gonna do our best to make it work. But more time the better. But if this is what we got, we're gonna make it work for you, and that's that's definitely not ideal for a lot of people, but for us. We want the client to be happy, so we'll do whatever we can well bend over backwards to make you happy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean that's great. Honestly, the question literally was just about to ask was how do you deal with clients coming up with, you know, those last second ridiculous requests about?
Speaker 2:like hey, like you can see the smoke coming out of my ears, but I'm super calm, you know. Yeah, it's like, yeah, absolutely no problem.
Speaker 1:Well, inside your brain, all your little brain cells are just freaking, lighting fires and just sirens going off, I mean tables the tables nonstop.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but like, yeah, like I said it's, it's a little frustrating, but it is what it is. I mean, yeah, I'm not gonna tell them no, I'm not gonna say that we're not gonna do that, that's You're. You're paying me to be here, so I'm gonna do what, as long as you're okay with the video being late. Like, just let the speakers know that they're not gonna get it Right now because I'm getting it right now. So, as long as they're cool with that, it is what it is, man. We roll with the punches. It's a lot of event.
Speaker 2:It's there's a curve ball thrown at you all the time, so we're gonna try and hit out of the ballpark.
Speaker 1:So yeah, and you know you, you, you deal with the emotions, but you just get the job done. That's the thing.
Speaker 2:It's like you said you're here for a job and we're gonna do the job to the best of our ability, so that's it, and you guys always do it with a great attitude like Appreciate that. No we might have a little bad attitude on clear calm, but we don't let you guys see, you know.
Speaker 1:Oh no, I got you, I got you. Well, that's what it is. It's like, hey, between between us is like hey, we're the team, you know well, we'll talk, we'll say what we need. But, like the client, though, you need to be professional, you know, that's that's how they you can never.
Speaker 2:You can never Talk bad of the client. Nothing I mean. They're not. They're not doing it out of just. They have hate in their heart. No, to make your life a living hell, like it's just. It's stuff that people don't think about.
Speaker 1:They have no. No in our industry. No, I know what they're asking.
Speaker 2:You got to give them a little grace and and try and make it work for them.
Speaker 1:Of course that doesn't excuse, like the ones in a blue moon, you actually get a really Asphalt-ish client. You, you put your boundaries up, but in, yeah, but 90 to 80 percent of the time they just have no idea what they're asking. Yeah, and it can be a little straightforward with how they ask it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, sometimes they like to think they know and they don't but, again. You're not gonna get into it with a client. You just got nods your head and all right, yeah, let's make it work.
Speaker 1:I'll let you know when it's up. That's it. Um oh 100%, I think. Um wow, time flew by. I feel like oh yeah, geez.
Speaker 1:Look at that, look at that. But, um, one more thing I would love to ask you, man, is Anyone so like you? You got started off pretty young but I would say, outside of like you know how they get started and stuff, like just one thing that you kind of wish you knew Earlier on in your career, that you came to learn with experience you know that you feel like Definitely would have helped, or something that you know you think would definitely help someone getting on. You know, rather not learn the hard way. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean I wish, I wish I would have taken like a Course, and I still can. But it's just crazy because being in it for what 17 years Is that 18 years that I've been in this industry it's you start building habits and and in your brain where it's just kind of locked in there. Yeah, so I've learned a good bit these past couple years out of coven, working with other companies and and kind of Getting out of my comfort zone of our crew and our gear and all that stuff. But yeah, just that the technical, the technical Side of everything, man, just of all the specs on stuff. It lets you, it makes it easier on your mind to to think through how something could go wrong if you know all the all the technical side of everything. I mean you know 1080i versus 1080p and all this, what could be doing this, all that? Because I didn't know that until a couple of years ago, to be honest with you, I was still doing camera work and I didn't know progressive versus interlaced and how that can affect a camera, all that kind of stuff. But you know once you get your hands in on it. And, like I've said before in this podcast too, it's a hands-on industry, but you can still kind of get a little bit of knowledge beforehand of kind of the ins and outs of the technical side of it, so it can kind of make it easier on you when you do get your hands on it. So I would say that.
Speaker 2:But, man, with what we do, I've been blessed to be taught by my dad, taught by a lot of good techs and have a lot of care for the clients. I care for their event just like it's my own event, like I was throwing a business conference, anything like that, because I wanted to, because that's a reflection of us, I wanted to look great. Every little thing, the ruffles and the drape, the gaps in the drape, all that stuff it's something that nobody out there will notice, but I do. So it's got to be fixed, because nobody is going to notice it, because it's going to be fixed. So it's just. It's having that just mindset of it needs to be perfect. A perfect mindset is tough because not everything is perfect, especially in a lot of event. But if you strive for perfection, if you fall short, you're still going to be pretty down close for perfection.
Speaker 1:You're pretty good.
Speaker 2:If you're just out there, kind of whatever, whatever. If you drop the ball on this and that and this and that, now that's just a terrible show. But if you're striving for perfection and you drop the ball on one little thing, that's still a pretty darn good show, man.
Speaker 1:Dude, I love that A hundred percent, love that we believe in the same thing. It's those little details that no one will perceive, but people feel it. Yeah, people sense it. You know, absolutely yeah.
Speaker 2:And even when I'm watching TV, I know when there's a miscut, I know when something happened and I can hear a mic in the background. I know all that.
Speaker 1:And you see it's funny enough. Those little details are the ones that go viral on the Internet. It's like, oh, they forgot something on the set all the way in the back corner. Is that a water bottle in the 1500s?
Speaker 2:Dude, I was watching the interview and the girl's brush trap was showing it's like how does nobody notice that you got to hold on, have whatever makeup and come in there. You can't have that. It's a CBS interview and she's got a bright purple brush trap showing. It's just the attention to detail about everything. You got to have eyes everywhere to make sure it's striving for perfect.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no 100%, and especially if we're on the recording end. On that end it's like you want to help the client with those little details because their heads are.
Speaker 2:Because they got so much going on. Yeah, they got so much going on. They're not thinking about that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's why they hired you. Yep, that's our job 100%. It's like things they would no average person I think would think about. It's like oh, let me go, I'm going to do an interview in an all-white room. I should wear my white sweater.
Speaker 2:Yeah, or just have a black backdrop and I'm just going to wear a black suit with a black shirt. It's like, if the light is not right, that just looks like a floating head on stage. Exactly, you got to have some backlight, you got to have great wash, all that kind of stuff, or else it looks real weird on screens.
Speaker 1:Oh, 100% and just no, it's just, but that's part of our expertise. That's also the thing that people don't realize that it's part of the budget, it's part of the value when you get someone who's actually professional in this. Absolutely, that knowledge is irreplaceable.
Speaker 2:Yeah, scenics and lights behind it isn't just for the look of it, it's still for the. Actually, it is for the look of it because it's going to look good, but it's just for the overall, everything's for the look of it, yeah. It's overall how the show is going to go and it's going to look great. If you don't have that, then it just gets muddy and messy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, 100%. I mean, it's those little details that really separate Something that's memorable. And it's like, yeah, I want this to be almost cinematic, I want this to be this level of high end. But they also say, oh, but do we need to have this much of this or that? I was like, do we need this? Is like If you cut down on equipment, wouldn't it be a cheaper package? And then it's like but you're saying you want this look.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's like If you want this, we just did this event for you guys. If you want the same kind of energy and make it memorable, I can't start just cutting all that stuff out, because now it's just a drastic drop.
Speaker 1:It looks like another company came in and did it 100%, and it's hard for them to wrap their heads around this sometimes. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Because they see dollar signs and they see, well, do we need this? Do we need this? Do we need this? Just trust us, and you're going to love what comes out of it. Yeah, I mean Because we want to make every event memorable. People walk in that room and like, oh my gosh, look at this place. That's what we're all about, man.
Speaker 1:When they're walking away from that event, being like that was, I was on another, like I was on vacation, I was on another planet for a weekend, absolutely no, and you guys do it like it's a fantastic job.
Speaker 2:I appreciate that.
Speaker 1:So with that I mean I want to thank you so much for carving out the time to be on here with us and writing your own home with your little podcast studio set up. I love it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, this corner of the bedroom, it's a nice setup, man it looks good man.
Speaker 1:Got the lights and camera. You're looking good man.
Speaker 2:It works. Thank you for having me, man. I appreciate you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no. So where can the people find you if they want to follow you or follow?
Speaker 2:conquest Reach out to you guys. Yeah, I mean, I got a bunch of info. We can just pop it on the screens, whatever. Yeah, yeah, easiest way is conquestsproductions on Instagram. We got conquestproductionscom. That has our my Personal email, tim's Personal email and as well as just the info at conquestproductionscom Any general inquiries, all that kind of stuff. My name again is Caleb Neely. It's Caleb Neely on Instagram. It's the easiest way to find us. Man, instagram and the website, and you'll get us all from there.
Speaker 1:Love it, love it and of course, like with me, you're going to always follow us at Vision Maker Podcast on Instagram and TikTok and YouTube and such, and then you can also follow me, victorm under score, vision Maker and the company at Vision Maker Productions. So, thank you guys. Thank you so much, caleb, and we'll catch you around next time.
