Like it's even helped our presenters. You know, we're we're sitting down with them and we're telling them, pretend like you're already live. And you're at the day of the event, there's there's 12,000 people sitting behind that camera watching you. Uh you know, all of our presenters have put on really good performances in that same way. You know, the pressure I think is creating diamonds for them as well.

The highs and lows of Unlocked

Good morning, good evening, good afternoon, wherever you are and wherever you're watching from. My name is Matt Pierce, host of Visual Lounge, and I am with David Haggersham, and we're talking about Unlocked, which is an event. We're not going to talk about the event, we're going to talk about the process. So, David, for you, this is a live event. We've been doing a lot of pre-recording. What has been like the the the hard part and what's been the highlight?

Well, I think I want to start with the highlight because it really has been a thrill to work on the event. Um, I think working on a project this big is really exciting. You know, it gets a lot of people internally working together, and it's kind of like that camaraderie that you build by working on something this big. That's a lot of fun. Uh, you know, some of the challenges, I think I I feel like the the live aspect is very different than the video aspect. So it's like taking, I was actually telling Matt this yesterday. It was taking kind of like a stage play and mixing it with MP4s and all the technical video stuff, putting them together. And, you know, I I love the video stuff, but you know, doing the stage play stuff, I part of the reason I like video editing and all those things is like you have everything under control.

So David wants all the control, and I'm like, no, we're go we're doing this live.

It's yep.

But I think I think that's it, it there is that there's the stress of it, right? Uh, and there's but there's the thrill of it too. And it's a that fine balance between both. Yep. I'd say that I think the hard part is is there's a million moving pieces that come together because you and I, as technical producers, we're we're putting things together, but we're like, we need a show to run. And there's a lot of people in in that kind of the melee of all the things. Uh but then like all these decision makers and and leaders who are having input, and it's like we we don't get to we're not we're not the message deciders. Yeah, but we have to make the message come through. So that's like the for me, that's been the hard part of just like how do we get everybody marching in the same direction with an understanding that like there is a deadline, and that deadline comes and goes whether we're ready or not.

Yep.

But I think that the highlight has been, you know, I think I'll I I don't want to speak for you, but I'm I'm pretty tired at the end of this week. It's been a long week. We've done a lot, it's a lot of late late nights working on stuff. But I think the highlight is like now that we got our last recording, we're not done by any means for the demos, but like it's that thrill of like we're really making something. Yeah, and I I you know, I I love that feeling that we're making something. You get to see the pieces start to come together. It's like a puzzle, and all of a sudden, like you're starting to see the the daylight at the end, and you're like, Yeah, oh yeah, oh this is that's gonna be cool, or oh, I'm excited for you all to see this. And so for me, that's been the exciting part.

Yeah, yeah. And and I remember even like telling you on Monday, I was like, we're gonna look back and we're gonna be like, we filmed our first demo 10 days ago from now, and I'm looking back on Friday and I'm like, we filmed our first demo five days ago. I mean, it really has like it's flown by. I definitely I'm feeling the work and the exhaustion, but it doesn't feel like it's dragged at all. You know, it's it's been quick, it's been fun, it's been, you know, you never know what's gonna happen next. There's been frustrations, there's been highs, there's been lows, but I think it's yeah, it's all

Fresh eyes and what viewers will notice 

been really fun. And like the other really exciting piece at the end of the tunnel, the light that's shining at the end of this tunnel is we seeing people's reactions to what we're gonna show them because you know, you and I, we've seen everything at this point, and you know, there's some really cool stuff that we're showing off, and it gets lost, right?

Like, it's like we're so into it's like, well, whatever, whatever. But yeah, but I think we're gonna look at those and be like, oh, I I had no idea. I like I was paying attention, but I had just no idea.

Yep, it's like I think when we're reviewing the videos and we're like, you know, this part's maybe a little boring here, or like maybe they talk a little bit too much about that. But I think like for some of those, it's like we're just so familiar with this at this point. And some of those points where we're like, maybe they didn't need to call that out, that could be the highlight for someone, and they could be like, I didn't know you could do that, that's so cool. And that's like one of those things where I'm just I'm excited for for everything. I mean, we're showing a wide variety of stuff too, so uh getting to see like everyone's reaction is it's gonna be a lot of fun.

But I'd love to hear if you watch the unlock event, because by this time we release this, people will it will have been out. If you go watch, I would love to hear what was the thing that like like yes, and and also maybe even like what's the no? Like, no, I didn't care. Um, because I'm really those reactions are so important. The other thing I want to say, David, that uh we're in what we call type two fun. This it's a hard work, and but the looking back, the growth. So, but so I'm gonna speak about growth here just a second, and we won't make this super long, but um you're a video producer, you you've taught you're on YouTube for us, you you cut a lot of videos on YouTube, you're filming a lot of videos. You know, we've just gone through like the it's interesting going through a sprint, right? Every day we've recorded something for the most part, you're editing at night, you're you're really cramming a bunch of experience that normally would be like five videos would probably be a month, maybe two months, right? Yeah.

What editing unscripted demos taught David 

What's something that you think you've learned that you'll take forward, even though you know, your next videos won't necessarily be for a live event, won't be for a webinar for this kind of thing, but like is there something that you've learned in about yourself as an editor that you're like, oh, changes the work you do?

Yeah, I think something that's been really nice about editing all these videos back to back, and you know, every video we have different people on screen. And the other thing is none of them are scripted. So with most of the other content I make, like for YouTube, ads, those things are scripted. I have you know, it's it's not exactly my voice coming through, but it's me behind the pen and it's it's others leaving feedback.

Or me and Katie coming our our voices coming through that you have to say.

Yep, yep, exactly. But it's been fun, just you know, this is your demo. Show us what you want to show, and then once I get into the editing bay, it's kind of my job to take what they said and make sure I'm conveying their message from there. I don't have a script that I'm that I wrote and a message that I'm trying to send, I'm trying to propel their message, and it's been a really fun challenge to open up the editing bay every night with one of these new videos and seeing like uh this is what this person said at this point, and what do I need to show? Like, did they show what I needed them to show, or like, do we does the how do I convey the message for them? And then you know, sending it to them and being like, Are you happy with this? Uh, does it convey the message for you? So I think like a big learning is just video at the end of the day, it's a it's a means of communication, and you know whether or not you're communicating for yourself, uh, or you know, like even the YouTube content, I'm not communicating for myself, but I'm still more control. Like the amount of control that you have, it can completely change your content, but uh, you know, for better or for worse. And I think like for these demos, I'm I'm feeling good about them. I I feel like it's been nice kind of having a co-partner. Yeah. You know, the people giving the demos are the co-parent of this content. I'm I'm co-parenting with them to get their message across.

Well, yeah, and I think uh, and you've done that r really, really

The subject matter expert conundrum

well. And I I I think it's that classic kind of subject matter expert conundrum, right? Like you've got these experts or people who are prepared, even if they're not the end I'll be experts, they they're they're being those experts on screen and and and taking that message and figuring out like how how do I take what they've said and not lose the essence of what we need to convey that we've been told to convey, right? But also working with their constraints of like memory or you know, missteps or fumbles without but with always trying to elevate them to look better. And you've done a great job at that, but it's but that's like that's like our role oftentimes in video, whether we're creating instruction, working with subject matter experts, we're always just trying to say, hey, this content is it's not about us, it's about elevating it for them and for the learner, like the because really co-parenting, but really the outcome is for our audience to see that that deliverable of this your your little video babies, yeah and be like, ooh, it's so cute, it's so it works so well. I learned from that, that was exciting or whatever. Um, and not be like, Ew, David.

Yeah, yeah, exactly. It's it's really fun to you know take I like I said with the live piece for Unlocked, like any piece of content that you create, it's you're delivering it to your audience, and you want to make sure that message is coming across well for them.

Editing in your audience’s shoes 

And at the end of the day, the audience is it's the key to to reach them. And you know, I think even looking at the first video that I edited versus the last, I feel like you know, things have changed a bit for like how I'm editing them. And like I'm still happy with my first edit, but you know, just spending that time and kind of putting my I've been immersing myself more in our audience's shoes, and it's like, yeah, I I'm seeing ways that I can convey this message more effectively.

Last question I want to ask you, and then we'll wrap. But um, I'm curious because uh we've talked a little bit the time pressure, right? We've been recording all week, it's been it's been fast and furious. Do you feel like, and this is probably yes, no question, but we can go into exposition. Do you feel like that the time crunch has allowed like normally that we're we give ourselves time, right? You give yourself time to edit, you review, you sleep on it. Yep

Does a time crunch help creativity? 

do you feel like the time crunch has helped or maybe hurt your creative process?

That's a good question. I think in this case, since this event is you know, these these videos are almost modules in this event. You know, there's they're they're a piece of it. So it's almost like I'm editing an individual piece every day, and I think doing it so back to back has helped me see the overall vision. It's helped it feel more cohesive. You know, if I wasn't really editing these so closely together, it's it's the challenge of like I wake up and I'm like, oh, I'm kind of in a different editing mood, and like maybe, maybe it doesn't exactly match aesthetically.

You don't get a you don't get a like a preference choice this week. You're like, yeah, it's gotta get done. I'm gonna make the I've I've made these decisions already. I I really can't vary because it's not a different you like it's like thumbnails, right? Like you get like a thousand pictures for thumbnails, you're like, oh, what are we feeling like this time? Yep. We don't get that, right?

Yeah, yeah. And I think like that's the other just interesting piece about an event like this. It's just with it being that big, you know, it really would have it really would be interesting to compare like how this came together if we had multiple weeks or months versus you know some days. And you know, I'm thinking pressure makes diamonds. Yeah, I think so. I think so. I think especially like it's even helped our presenters, you know. We're we're sitting down with them and we're telling them, you know, pretend like you're already live and you're at the day of the event, there's there's 12,000 people sitting behind that camera watching you, and uh, you know, all of our presenters have put on really good performances in that same way. You know, the pressure I think is creating diamonds for them as well, where yeah, they they feel the pressure on them and they're like, Yeah, we gotta perform. There's no like there's no flubbing a line. And if I do flub a line, you know, keep going forward.

Yeah, I think we're telling people if you have to redo this, it's now your weekend.

Yeah, right? Like, yep.

So well, well, David, thanks for sitting down with me. Um, thanks for all the work you've done on Unlocked. Uh, everyone,

Where to find Unlocked and leave feedback

if you haven't seen Unlocked, again, it's Wednesday, October 7th. This this will not be out. Uh the podcast will be after that. So go check it out, though. It will be online. We'll have it on YouTube, we'll have the demos on YouTube. Go see all the great and cool things like the agentic workflows, the things that you can do with Snagit, the things that you can do with Camtasia Pro, the future and today kind of being merged together, which is really awesome. And I'd encourage you that if you do find something that you really loved or don't love, leave a voicemail on visualounge.net. We'd love to hear from you. And of course, the goal of Unlocked, the goal of the podcast, the goal of the things that we do is to make sure that you are learning and growing and thinking about the things that help you to be better at what it is that you are doing. And we invite you to level up every single day. Thanks, everybody.