0044: The Importance of Broadcast Quality Video with Broadcast Video Authority & Captivating Digital Storyteller Jeffrey Fitzgerald

Ea interviews, episode 44, inspiration, transformation, success stories and the imperfect action round. Seven days a week. Join Mario Ficcini for today's expert authority effect interview.

Welcome expert authority world. I'm excited to be here with another great episode and I have none other than Jeff Fitzgerald for you. Let me ask you a question. Have you ever wanted to go live on video? Have you ever wanted to record video? Have you ever wanted to be on TV or broadcast behind the camera, in front of the camera? Well, Jeff is the guy. He has over 30 years experience of this. He has produced live television shows long before any of this was around and he has the industry secrets and I'm excited to bring him up and share him with you because he has been helping me and sharing with me and this is all well and good, it's on Facebook live and everything. But how would you love to have a broadcast quality show, even if it is Facebook, even if it is YouTube, but know you could take that video and air it on television in its broadcast quality. That is what I was always aiming for when I started the show. So I'm not gonna steal his thunder, but I'm excited to bring him up right after we thank our sponsor.

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Jeff in high def Jeff Fitzgerald.

Jeff, it's great to have you here today with Mario. This is the best interview place to be because you not only understand video, you understand how to take that video and couple it to the entrepreneur. And so I am very happy to be here today.

Well, I'm excited for you to share your expertise because there's not a lot of people that have your unique perspective on the broadcast industry, on the video industry and be willing to share it with entrepreneurs from all over the world. I mean, so many people just think it's nothing more than, well, I do live video. I grab my cell phone and that's great. That's what I talk about. Start with that. But if you really want to start stepping up your game and you know, don't just get locked into one place and stay there forever. What are those next steps? So thank you for sharing with us. So tell me, what inspired you to start your company? Why did you even want to get into this in the first Place, you.

Know, it's a very easy answer. My mom ventured off on her own in the late 70s, working for local DCTV stations and some in radio. And she always wanted to be an independent producer. That was her moniker. And so she started off on her own and, you know, as a young child, growing up in different TV stations, you know, running through the halls of cnn, you know, every now and then, things like that, it was an amazing experience. And I think I was just basically cultured to understand that the entrepreneurial mind was this amazing journey, this amazing adventure where there's nothing wrong with being in the, you know, the stability of what life can look like with, you know, an employee job. But there was an interesting dynamic for the creative that when you are able to couple your passion, your giftings and the power of what you're able to do, especially in a situation like you and I are, where we're actually working with clients to try to transform them, it opens up a whole new world. And so.

That love of that was birthed very early. You know, my first experience with video cameras, I was in seventh grade in 1979, using a reel to reel VHS black and white video camera in the library. And I would stay after school every day to learn it and play with it and try to figure out how it worked. And from there through the 80s, I got into doing video and a lot of event photography and video, working on a computer called the Amiga. I don't know how many people will remember the Amiga, but it was really one of the most amazing computers, even by today's standards. And yes, I said that it was one of the first that truly had multimedia and graphics. I learned how to do what we know today as Photoshop in an app called Deluxe Paint by a company no one's ever heard of called Electronic Arts. They started on the Amiga and today we know them as this big gaming company. But, you know, that was my experience. I grew up in this world where I wanted to move into the realm of working for myself and Mario. This is total truth. I was 18 years old playing in a football game up on the high school field. It was just a pickup game and we were playing with some guys and there was a guy that was annoying me on the other team constantly. And at the end of the game we were talking and he handed me his business card and he says, I'm a dj, and he handed it to me and I thought, if that guy can have a business and have business cards, I know the dream I've got can come true. So I'm going to start working toward it. And I partnered with my cousin, and in 1985, the whole year, we were so happy to have made 75 bucks. And from there, I got into doing high school sports and a number of the Northern Virginia soccer and football teams, and eventually worked into the early 90s of getting more craft and skill with my mom. I'd become a beta cam operator, shooting some of her documentaries that were airing on pbs. And lo and behold, coming out of one of these Amiga user group meetings, somebody goes something, something, something about the Web. And I was coming through a door, and I honestly went like this. I thought they were talking about a spider and he was talking about the World Wide Web. And so I transitioned at that time, not laying down the video, but really getting really focused into what HTML was. And, you know, the big day when you actually could have a background on your webpage. And, you know, through the really early days of the. Of the web and the Internet, I began to work in that for a decade full time. But the video never left. It coupled with me the whole time and moving up to those different jobs that I had in telecom, working for a healthcare association, launching a physician medical channel in 2005.

In 2010, I took on the role of being the senior producer of a D.C. public policy show called Biocentury this Week with a Great company. And it aired out of the CBS station here locally, and on 32 stations around the country on PBS. And it was an amazing program because it brought together policy leaders, the academics, the government agencies, all to talk about how to help the patient and how to move the needle forward and. And did that for five years, 223 shows. And when that was done, I said to myself, wow, show's over. It's like the NFL, you know, when things change, it's time to move on. I said, I don't want to go into the grind again. This is kind of what I've been doing, but my passion's always been over here, wanting to do something entrepreneurial. Maybe it wasn't the best time to do it, but the kicker for me, Mario, was that I had 285 hours of vacation saved up in four years that I wasn't able to use because I was the golden boy. I was the producer. I had to be there. It was news. And really, I just. I realized that my life was kind of seeping away. And so whether I was going to hit the guardrails or not, I was going to do this thing and Start Jeff and hi Def in February of 2015, had a great separation from my company. They wish me well, helped me in so many ways. And I started out and really got the focus that I want to help the entrepreneur not only with their media but, but with the things that are intangible, the things that people don't really realize, which are the confidence. How do you have somebody that you can mirror back to you. How are you doing in this? Let me help you with that message. Let me help you with how maybe you look on camera and how to really make you comfortable in the fact that, yeah, this journey can get dark and lonely sometimes. And so I think the biggest value I bring, that's kind of the asterisk unseen part of it is really just being that, that mentor in the background. Although I certainly don't have all the answers. It's been an amazing journey and it's been one filled with triumph and challenge and tragedy all in one over the last three and a half years. Still working through a lot of it, but 2019 is shaping up to be, I think, the best year yet. And that's saying something considering 2018 was probably my most challenging year to date.

So with all your experience, you decided you wanted to bring it to the entrepreneurs, correct?

Yes.

Who would you say you help and how do you help them the most?

Well, I basically sell retainer hours to companies that want virtual marketing and media and they want that, like I said, that mentoring help and really kind of a couple different ways. And, and so for some it's the solopreneur who has nobody. And I am helping them with their social video platforms, you know, shooting them, putting in front of the green screen, helping them with their, their story, cutting them for social, you know, for YouTube or Facebook or whatever it might be. And then there's other companies. There's a very successful company in Maryland I work with where two years I've produced 75 shows here from the home studio that look like typical late night news. And it's basically for campus driven organizations that want to keep everybody up to speed. We did a number of shows over those two years and we've even moved from that now where we've sunset that and now working a lot in their social marketing and helping kind of reframe what that looks like. But really across the board, no matter who it is, it is giving more power, more media power to somebody who doesn't have the ability to get that under normal circumstances without paying a fortune for it.

So tell me your biggest success story. Out of all the clients you've worked with and help. Who would you say you took from where they were and gave them the biggest transformation?

Well, I will put an asterisk next to this to say that I'm not. I don't think the only reason that Jesse Fuel is a success. Everybody who knows Jesse, if you're in the Agile Scrum space, the project management space, you've probably heard of Jesse. He was my first client in January of 2015, and he is an incredible gifted teacher and instructor. He has the ability to break down very complex things in the ways that people can understand and just take and run with. But when Jesse came into my studio, I realized that, like all of us, we all have a perception of ourself we think works. And we had to make some adjustments on body language and speaking style and confidence and things like that. And today, Jesse is just knocking it out of the park. You know, I can't get into, you know, personal finances with people, but I can tell you, Jesse has proven to me what it means to be a solopreneur who's dedicated, on a mission with a calling, who can change the world he's in. And he's my favorite story because I see the growth there and I see the dedication. And I also see how hard it is for all of us in this lonely journey, because that's kind of how I see it. It's not something where people surround you. I just think he's a great success story. But those stories are numerous with the people I work with.

That's so good to hear. And I know what you've done in just a short time with the few exchanges we've had and you've helped even me. I mean, and I'd like to think I know not everything about video, but a fair amount. And there's just so many intricacies with all of this that, you know, when people are even asking me, how do I do this, this and this? I'm like, hey, start here, Wrap your head around it. Get used to it. Get comfortable with it. Because if your first thing is, should I be using this wire or that wire? That's the wrong question. It's, you know, I always ask, what's your goal? If we're having this conversation a year from now, what do you want to happen as the end product? There's so many different ways to go about it. And it sounds like you really dive in with everyone and take them on that journey.

I certainly hope I do. You know, I mean, for me, it transcends the business and those Things, these are people who are counting on me. And when you're part of a team, when you're part of an ecosystem of 4, 5, 6 companies at a time, but you know, they're looking to you to bring something to them that they don't have. Otherwise there's a responsibility with that. But more than that, I see it as a tremendous opportunity to speak into the life of that organization or that person and help them shine in a way that I hope is illuminating their, their world and the tribe that they're trying to communicate to. And you're right, you start where you're at. You know, it's not a, it's not a bad thing to say. I'm going to start with the most simplest of setups. And, you know, whether you're using an iPhone and you're in a garage or you're in a space here where I've got, you know, in my res, I've got a great setup with two green screens, teleprompter and another room and the whole nine yard. None of that matters if you don't know how to tell a story, if you don't know how to tell about your value and you don't know how to communicate. In a way, people actually are wanting to hear what you're saying and they can feel free to approach you and ask questions. And there's kind of a transaction, there's a give and take there. But no, I hope that. I mean, I know I'm helping the people I'm working with. I hear it constantly, which is a great thing. But. But it's always good to think about, like the one success and Jesse would be that for sure.

Well, I appreciate you for sharing that with us. So my next question I ask people is because my love for it, how has video helped your business? And this is going to be good because you know a thing or two about it. How has video helped your business over the years?

Well, it's funny because video is my business. Right. It's amazing. I mean, I have tried to run from this so many different times, I think in unknowing ways. I.

In 2007, I actually was flown down to Atlanta. I interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons to be a flash programmer. I'd gotten very heavily into the web and was doing a lot of that. And I built this almost like an ESPN video I sent to them with me in a, an Atlanta Falcons jersey and got the whole tour and everything. And, you know, I've tried in different, different seasons of life to figure out, you know, should I go in another direction? Because I kind of love all of it. Graphics and streaming and interactive applications and plus, I like, as you've noticed, I've never met a microphone I didn't like. You know, I love to talk and be on camera, but it's never gone away. It's always been part of who I am. It's part of my ecosystem. And video has benefited me in amazing, tremendous ways. And I'll even catch that by saying, I don't even mean that purely in the financial sense. The fact that you're in Michigan, I'm here in the Washington, D.C. area and we actually have a friendship that is built digitally that feels a lot more than something that is foreign and distant. Video is bringing people together in ways we have never thought of. I think back to 1995, which, believe it or not, on an old Hewlett Packard in my old house, living with my parents, that was my first time I spoke with somebody overseas over the Internet. I spoke with somebody in South Africa with some crazy little app. It was like a five second conversation. I was basically like, is it raining? He's like, no, is it where you are? And that was about it. But I realized then that streaming media was going to change the world. And Today, you know, 2015, I think was the year it became ubiquitous. Everybody realized Facebook Live is where it's at. I liken it in some ways, Mario, to a gold rush. Everybody's like, you know, this must mean there's a lot of money behind it and there can be, but if you're not focused on your message, and I mean your message, not just a message, but something that really means something to the person you're trying to speak to, or you don't know how to tell a story, or you're communicating non verbals that people don't even think about. You're telling somebody that you're the organizational expert and you're going to help them get their act together and clean up their walls. And then you're in a dining room and there's dishes and cat food and what are these things saying for you? Right? So it's really the holistic approach to how you set yourself apart and when to do DIY video, which I think is an amazingly valuable piece of the piece of. And when to actually produce more polished content. Because I completely believe this is a year that we're seeing a lot of influencers and a lot of folks that are wanting to be known move from the typical talking head earbuds hanging out in the Car and don't drive, by the way, to telling stories, because stories engage. And I'll end it with this. No matter what we think of tv, whether some say it's going away, some say it'll be here forever, we all know one thing. We still watch TV and we still watch movies because they tell a story. They know how to do that. And when you learn how to do that effectively, you're going to speak for your brand and your business, and it's going to bring a return that you're not going to see in any other way.

I have to agree with you wholeheartedly. And I might be dating myself here, but you're talking about tv. I remember when everything switched to digital nonlinear editing and HD was just coming out. And yes, the story about talking over the app, about the. The rain. It's interesting because I remember Juno Internet.

Yes.

And the first conversation there was this plan. It was like, you get that free disc in the mail, and it's like, oh, you can send email. And I'm like, oh, my gosh, this is that thing. And I. The first message I sent was to my friend Joe. It was snowing outside. He lived down the street from me at the time, and I didn't really put two and two together, that they were capping us at 30 messages a month. It took us about four minutes to get through that. I was like, oh, my gosh, it's snowing. Yeah, I see it. You want to go outside? Yeah, we should go outside. And then it was like, you're at your monthly limit. We were using it like Instant messenger, but it wasn't too long after that AOL IM came out, and then it was ICQ, then MySpace and now Facebook and so many of these things. But what you're saying about storytelling I agree with, because I tell my clients and audiences the same thing. If you don't have that story. And at the end of the day, the tech changes. But storytelling and relationships and building and people don't. I changed my company name years ago for, like, the fourth or fifth time. And I go, this time is the last time. Because it was, you know, the company plus whatever I was doing web design, the company plus photography, plus video, plus this. And I go, I'm done. I shortened the whole thing up because I said, In 2012, in 10 years from now, when we're using holograms to be marketing, I don't want to have to change it. And it's not quite ten years later, but I saw some instances this year where they're bringing Steve Jobs back and Zig Ziglar. And some of these conferences had videos they turned into holograms, and they were bringing people back to share the message. And I was somewhat joking about it at the time, but the reality is the mediums will change, the messaging won't. And so many people overlook the messaging for the mediums. So the storytelling and being able to do it on video is, so, I would say paramount.

Yeah. I mean, you know, when you think about it, you know, we look at the iPhone and we go, oh, my gosh, it's 4K. I mean, I've got an iPhone 7, you know, but it's still amazing quality. And you look at this and you go, oh, my gosh, number one, I can literally reach the world from this one device. And I can do it with quality that I've never had that affordable. It does so many different things. And what happens is we get focused on the tech candy part of it, and we think that that's enough. And what that basically looks like. If you were to. I don't know what the right analogy would be, but if you were to look at it in terms of like a restaurant and you've got the world's best stoves and ovens and pots and pans and all those kind of things, you still have to make something that somebody wants to eat. But nobody thinks of it that way. We literally think that we're in a quantity mentality. I think now socially, Mario, where it's, I'm just going to push every day. I'm going to put stuff out, put stuff out, put stuff out. And it's funny, you look at their first video and you go two or three years down the line on Facebook, and they literally, from an improvement, production improvement perspective, they're not really improving how they look or what they're doing. It's the same chair at the same dining room table. Instead of getting out and taking somebody on your journey, I think it was Walter Murch who. And if I'm not mistaken, I think he edited the Godfather. I can't remember for sure, but he had a great saying, and it was show, don't tell. And if. If you take nothing else away from today's interview, that's what you need to remember. It's a video camera that's mobile for a reason. Take this out of the dining room, take it out of your home, and begin showing the world what you're talking about. Take them with you. And I mean, even more than the dog walk, and certainly not when you're Dr. I say that because I'm a past president of a fire department and so I'm big on that. But.

Take them on a journey. If you're talking about cooking, you know, interview the local baker. You know, those kind of things. Go to where they are. Show what those ingredients look like, show what that looks like because that looks a lot more like tv and it's not as hard as you think when you do it. And there's always, you know, the training online and there's always ways to get better at it. But we're, we're just in a world where I think people associate the availability of media with it being successful media. And the two are completely different.

Jeff, I appreciate you talking about that. It is so crucial to be taking people on the journey and not just taking them on the journey, but enjoying it while they're on it and using that storytelling to get them to that next level. So I appreciate you for sharing with us. We're going to thank our next sponsor and then jump into the imperfect action round. Are you ready?

I am ready.

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So here he is again everyone. Jeff Fitzgerald. We're gonna go rapid fire here. 60 second answers. First one, what is the biggest problem problem you see your audience making and how can they fix it?

I think the biggest problem that I see everybody by and large making is that they are associating this with their single point of success in social video and social media, in marketing and in advertising. And I think that if you're going to be successful, as we kind of alluded to here a little earlier, you need to understand that it's more than the technical capturing of video frames and sounds and those things that make a video worth watching. Certainly if it's a promotional marketing piece, it's got to have a real call to action. It's got to really explain your value to the people you're doing, that you're presenting to. And I think the big mistake people make is that they just assume that by literally quantity of video on the Internet, that that somehow equals a return on an investment. And I don't think it does.

I'd have to agree with you 100%. That's a great answer. So the second one is, what is the fastest path to the cash you alluded to? It doesn't equate to success. In my case, profits, because I always tell everyone it's not how much you make, it's how much you keep. So many people are just doing stuff and they're fixated on the revenue. But how much are you looking if you had inventory? This is something I take my clients through. If we were to take inventory of everything you sell, like it's a grocery store or an electronic store, have you ever looked at the ROI and the profit margins on going to that event, at speaking at that next thing, at doing those videos? And it's very sobering when you look at it and go, I'm doing all this stuff and it may or may not matter. So, Jeff, what's the fastest path to the cash for your audience?

I think it's actually the flip side of this equation from question number one, which is you need an intentional focus, you need an intentional plan to capture the audience and the attention and really push that message forward. And if you're going to do it, you're going to have to do it in a way that I believe is going to involve somebody who. That's where they fit. Obviously, I'm a little biased. This is what I do. But you can't do this alone. You know, you're doing everything alone, running your business and doing everything you can night and day. And now you're going to be a media person. I don't know that that's obviously the smartest thing. If you've got the ability to bring in help, such as myself or can leverage learning tools online to be able to communicate through telling a story with your video, with a clear call to action versus just putting up a video going, hey, I'm here again, it's five o' clock and I hope you notice me.

Very good. Now the last one, customer lifetime value. How would you say is the best way to maximize it?

I think clearly the best way to maximize your customer lifetime value is for you as the person who's selling and providing the services to really value your customer. Understand that they are human, that they have needs, not just the ones they're paying you for, that they have a life all their own, that they're, that they're trying to get through. There's, you know, challenges on them. Be flexible with your customers. Be available sometimes when it's not convenient for you, go the extra mile. You hear that an awful lot. But I really believe that people can tell when you really like them. And I'm even going to go as far as to say people can tell when you love them. And I think when you show the love and you're showing value not because of the just the things you're able to spit out and hey, you're great at this and that, but people can tell you really have their best interest in mind. Number one, it opens up trust, it opens up the spirit where people are now giving you more real estate for you to be able to dream and they'll trust you with the vision a little bit more. And so I believe you value your customer, that that is going to be the greatest investment you're going to make into them and yourself.

I love the answer because you bring in the human component. And I always love working with people that are heart centric, aligning with them because there's so many people that are just focused on the business. They go, well, the great greatest way to maximize customer lifetime value is rent, rent, rent. Bean count or something.

Something, something.

Half a percent.

Yeah, we just lost 200 followers.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, what are you doing to impact their life on a personal level and what is it really doing? And I'm so glad you touched upon that. So Jeff, in closing, let's let everyone know where they can find you.

Well, you can always check out www.jeffinhidef. that's short for high definition, but it's jeffinhidef.tv and there you'll see my portfolio of my work and you can certainly get a, you know, get in touch with me, look at all the types of videos that are produced and then if you want to talk about retainer and the consulting aspect, all those wonderful things. All that is is a free conversation. And if I can really help you, then I want to make that happen for you.

Very good. And did you want to touch on what we were talking about before we jumped on camera, what you're launching soon?

Yeah, I'm actually working on a new online live training course for premium entrepreneurs that really want to move ahead in their video game. And I'm not talking about the typical landscape we see a lot with people saying, hey, I'll get you comfortable in camera, and here, hold your phone this way. Those are all part of it. But what I'm looking for is the entrepreneur that really wants to own and dominate their media. Just like what we're seeing with you, Mario, you're a great example of this. People that want to really have that studio set up somewhere in their office or their home, and they want to be able to produce media that rivals television. And if you. If you go to Jeff and hi Def TV and you take a look at one of the shows, a 7fl nation, that's a great example of what I can do from the house. That was something I produced by myself. Every bit of it was in a home at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains. And it doesn't look like it. It looks like a sports show because I can make that happen and I can certainly anybody how to do those things. And so this is going to be a comprehensive mastermind where I'm going to take you through the steps, not just for the production, but the broader component, Mario, which is your content, your presentation and your production. Because all three of those have to be in place. And if they're not, you're going to be lacking in one of those areas and you're not going to get the return you're looking for.

Well, I'm excited to hear more about it myself, personally, and I'm glad you're coming out with it because I have no doubt everyone will benefit from it. Jeff, thank you so much for coming on the show. It's been a pleasure having you and excited to get you in front of more people.

Well, thank you so much, Mary. It's awesome to be here and I'm looking forward to the next one.

All right, well, take care. God bless, and we'll see you on the next episode.

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