Regarding the explanation of "streaming solutions" and any of "what I do": I am (I hope this doesn't sound cocky) way beyond expert level at leading live event production. Audio, Lighting, Video, Staging, etc. I am a veteran Experience Designer with well over 3000 unique stage, film, event, and display setups. For over 10 years, many of those have been live streamed! It's not even something I think about, it's simply what we do. I've realized that more and more, people are looking for such expertise. I'd love to figure out how to market to be able to capitalize on the opportunity and even more so, have potential clients not waste their time trying to struggle to solve streaming on their own. Streaming is the easy part to us. The benefit is that we also provide coaching of beauty and excellence in execution for the rest of the product. Does that make sense?
Showing all posts tagged #excellence:
Greatest Intersection of Stewardship and Creativity
Posted on September 15th, 2019
Excellence is not to be confused with perfection. Excellence is beautifully imperfect; as it recognizes the continued pursuit of improvement. The iterations will always continue; so make the most of the time and resources we have. Recognize when it’s better to leave one project at good and refocus by encouraging each other and developing another project until it’s time to call that one great. (Even though we have such high standards that we know what we wish we could keep tinkering further...) Then celebrate! Especially after big projects, remember that "We get to be a part of this!" Then next week, begin working on v2.0!
I used to struggle with perfectionism. I remember in high school when I couldn’t understand my best friend who could just rip through homework and turn in something that was barely 80% effort. Instead I wouldn’t turn something in because it wasn’t worthy of what I knew it should be. I’ve come a long way since then. I now can present something if it’s the best I believe it can be with the recourses justifiably allocated. I can reconcile that. It has actually become a core value for me. A Maximizer shall get greatest value out of resources…. I still want for perfection, but I also find beauty in excellent. I can coach that now. I’ve come a long way.
I just read a Forbes article written by Victor Lipman that included five tips for taming perfectionism. I thought I’d share.
These five tips may not be perfect, but then again, what is? Guess that’s part of the story here…
Pursue excellence, not perfection – There’s a vast difference if you’re able to frame the endeavor this way. Excellence is attainable, perfection isn’t. Excellence is an admirable goal, perfection a potentially destructive one. As the definition in Psychology Today notes, perfectionists view life "as an endless report card on accomplishments."
Try seeing yourself through the eyes of others – The irony is that the accomplishments of many perfectionists, from the uniquely talented Ms. Kearney to many C-Suiters, are exceptional by any objective standards. Easier said than done I know, but if you can find the perspective to view yourself as others do, it will be a constructive lens to look through.
Step back and take (well-deserved) pride in what you’ve accomplished – And where exactly do you want that lens to focus? Instead of dwelling on outcomes and projects that haven’t gone perfectly, step back and spend some time reflecting on past accomplishments you’re genuinely pleased with. No doubt if you’re a CEO, there have been more than a few to bring you to this point in your career. Compared to what most of us mere mortals have, a bronze medal at the Olympics, let’s say, seems a pretty pleasant outcome. (Wouldn’t mind having one myself – would look quite nice on the wall in my study.)
If you feel perfectionism has become seriously debilitating, you may want to consider counseling or therapy – BTW, I completely understand if your reaction to this suggestion is, Hey, I’m a high-functioning hard-edged executive and I have neither time nor inclination for this sort of thing. Fair enough, totally get it. But just in case you’re interested in this level of introspection to better understand the roots of the behavior and find additional ways to address it, I’ve included a link to Psychology Today’s database of therapists. (Full disclosure: I also write for Psychology Today, which is why I’m familiar with their offerings.)
Laugh - Cliche though it is, laughter is good medicine, a natural mood changer. Find time if you can to not take yourself too seriously and remember to laugh. We’re all on the same ski slope so to speak, all just passing through the great bumpy freestyle mogul of life, and if you can find a little more time to see the humor and "enjoy the ride" – well, that’s only a positive thing.
"Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good." It’s derived from a similar phrase in the writing of Voltaire and it’s a sentiment I always felt had real relevance when I was in the business world… about the need to keep the wheels of commerce turning rather than being concerned with getting everything absolutely right.
Leadership and Design Principles
Posted on August 1st, 2019
Create excellent systems and ideal processes to best support a brilliant team.
Intentionally develop what is usable and useful by focusing on the end experience.
Imagine the experiencer’s situational hopes and needs; then dream further about how to care for what they don’t even yet realize would be better.
Empathize with the misfits of society; never settle in curating only for those in the middle of the bell curve.
Design for humanity.
Strive for justice and peace.
Love everyone along the journey.
Consider every perspective.
Pursue sustainable excellence.
Refine continually.
Enhance the good; discard the clumsy; innovate the untapped potential.
Illuminate the future; building toward virtuous legacy and health for all.
Pioneer possibilities.
Optimistically always forge ahead.
Be ambassadors of hope and beauty.
Value effective as well as efficient.
Multiply intuition and knowledge.
Relentlessly pursue the greatest intersection of stewardship and creativity.
Coach and reveal beauty to enhance story and experience.
Maximize ideation and strategy.
Live Production - Ethos Vision & Mission
Posted on March 12th, 2017
I wrote this page about what my team would look like last spring when I was considering the request to lead the Troy Production Department. I'm reviewing it again this month now that I've hired the final member of my staff. I'm grateful for each of them; and for all of our incredible volunteers. Here's to a great season of thriving in ethos, mission, and vision as we push through our busiest part of the year these next couple months...
Ethos:
- Commitment
- time, task, tidy
- excellence and thoroughness
- Optimism
- joy, hope
- Service
- we will never let someone else do a task without helping
- grab the seat of least honor; walk the extra mile
- Adaptability
- flexible at any moment
- Passion
- zero cynicism, but rather zeal for the privilege of serving together
- Apprenticeship
- as leaders we always have someone with us that we’re training in the way
- Beauty
- we will be artisans
- with excellence and authenticity we will present ourselves and our craft to target the subconscious
- we will strive beyond the how and execute our craft for the why
Vision:
Realize great beauty
as the local body of Christ
through the context of Live Production
Mission:
Support and enhance art and communication
to help people engage with God
FILO 2016 Production Design
Posted on May 23rd, 2016
One week ago, we were finishing load in and initial programming for 2016’s edition of the FILO Conference. It was an honor and privilege to be the Production Designer (responsible for Scenic and Lighting Design) for the conference. It was a scurry of a few days so I never really had time to post anything. Here are a few of my favorite moments from the event:
Some of you took my Scenic Design Concepts breakout class. For the rest of you, here’s the story behind how I landed on the final version of the design. These are the notes from the slide where I talked about "Branding (and the iterative process of design) …and Metaphor"
The O in FILO seemed to be the best part of the brand to play off of…
PlexiDiscs (something that I have in storage that’s not being used)
They set up easily enough (tie-line and zip-ties)
They can give depth to a shallow stage
They easily fit in my hatchback!
We concept designed about building a pretty cool set piece that we chose to say no to. (the builder, time, money, space on stage, etc.)
The iterative process - never settle for the first idea, if you stay disciplined to the process, the best idea will eventually be revealed. (certainly the idea at the greatest intersection of creativity and stewardship)
Metaphor…
The 40 O’s represents each of us who are FILOs. Some of us are lone guys, some of us are part of teams. Coming together we can encourage each other with our beauty as we come together. Together we can find a chorus of a "new song" (Psalm 40) to carry with us as we go back to support and enhance the sharing of the good news that Jesus loves us.
The lights, I selected for a few reasons.
First, the B-EYEs are a light that every church tech nerd has seen the videos of and dreamt about having in their venue. I thought that giving a chance to see could be beneficial.
The opportunity to have access to the use some great hybrid fixtures in the Mythos was an amazing bonus.
Finally, the Aura XBs had a primary use of lighting the scenic. However the bonus of such a great light is that we created a number of presets to give us several bonus looks!
For the whole design I played with clusters that followed the Fibonacci sequence. I wanted to have the thought of each part of the design to have a beauty on its own and contribute to the beauty of the whole in a way that felt like it fit...
Thank you to Ryan and ILC for providing the amazing lighting gear. Thanks Jeff and Brian CCC for being perhaps the most hospitable hosts an any venue I’ve ever had the chance to work with. Thanks Nate and Chelsea for the logistics, leadership, and vision. Thanks to Michael and Nic for helping us set it all up, troubleshoot issues, and Nic especially for that great catch with the B-EYEs' profile issue. Thanks Alex (whom I met as we were both on the LD panel discussion breakout) for guest designing Session 3 as I was putting finishing touches on the Keynote presentation for my breakout.
Special thanks to Patrick for being my partner in the project. Having a guy on the console who knows how to interpret the ideas of my mind almost even before I say them is the dream for an LD. A good friend with me for the journey to and from Chicago is a bonus.
Thanks most of all to Todd for inviting me to play a small role in your vision. It was a privilege and an honor.
My Production Design Algorithm
Posted on May 17th, 2015
A stream of thought listing things I consider with every design:
- Context of organization
- Context of event
- What are the "budget" parameters?
- Who is on stage?
- who’s the main speaker?
- who’s the performing artists?
- play to their style
- Theme of the day… Is it part of a broader series?
- Branding...How do the visuals identify with the mission? Achieve continuity with the rest of communication
- What are my resources? Existing materials? Budget for new? I suppose I ought to ask about rental budget (I’m rarely a fan of such...I’d rather use that budget to add to ongoing inventory?)
- What is the rep plot? How do we play to the strengths of the lighting system? A good rep plot is arguably the most important asset to your venue. Certainly, right up there with a good PA. The good news is that that it costs way less...
- What are video requirements?
- IMAG?
- broadcast?
- camera positions?
- What are audio’s needs? What will help them succeed?
- Who is the producer? What are their visual preferences? What "lens" is the story told?
- Who is in the lighting chair? Help play to their strengths...
- What is the timeline for setup? for strike? Is it a stage turn situation? If so, what is the design that precedes and follows? How do you design in the timeline of multiple turns?
- Hang the rig points 2 weeks out; hang the truss 1.5 weeks out; hang the lights 1 week out and use as backlight for the Midweek stage. Finally, hang hard goods and refocus lights in the turn for the target event; then hang a screen and soft goods from the same truss in an upcoming design.
- What are transportation and storage logistical considerations?
- Who is the crew? What are their strengths and experiences? Artists vs. engineers
- Materials – What materials have been used recently? What materials will the upcoming holiday be using? Use something different than either of these.
- Mood – Honestly more important than materials is the mood. It’s possible to create multiple moods with the same materials. That’s what we do in a series: I brand a series with a palette of materials, and then craft the set for each day to support the unique story of that specific event...
- Inspiration – What is inspiring me recently?
- Architecture
- Nature
- Window displays
- Trade magazines
- Cinema
- Renaissance paintings
- Industrial dumpster
- Pinterest
- What's an archived idea that I might finally have the chance to try?
- Evernote
- Anything that inspires me tends to end up in Evernote
- I use tags such as "design ideas"
- I hate copying (plagiarism) and go to great lengths to make sure my art is authenticity mine. However, I think being inspired by other designers is completely appropriate.
- There's virtue in both, however my personal value is "Creation > Curation"
- Who can you connect with to bounce ideas off of one another? #ctln
- Passion – I want people to pull their phones out. I take pride in my discipline – the pursuit of creating something beautiful. A design certainly should look good – Visual interest, shapes, patterns, textures, Layers, Depth behind every camera angle, etc. However I suggest there are transcendent considerations that can be woven into the scene – metaphor, symbols, numerology, etc. – Hide "Easter eggs" – it's fun and it will inspire someone, I promise. Break the 4th wall – immerse them in the story – target people’s subconscious
a journey in pursuit of the higher standard
Posted on February 27th, 2015
Sometimes the best path is nonlinear. Process matters. Effective is more important than efficient.
Life is too short to allow people to cherish the lesser. Break paradigms. Call people to the higher standard.
Vision
Posted on June 11th, 2014
If we don't constantly call our teams to the higher vision, we will slowly deteriorate into mediocrity.
Both Emotion and Perfection
Posted on January 25th, 2014
Strive for emotion and perfection, but allow imperfection if the emotion is there. #excellence #storytelling #productiondesign #producing #maximize
Creative Director | Process Architect. Design Strategist. Leadership Coach.