The other night we sat down with Dr. Vincent Voci of the Voci Center to talk about how and why he brought Boston’s St. Anthony’s Festival to the Queen City. Five years later, the festival is still going strong and is showing no signs of slowing down. The festival is this Sunday, May 16, from 1:00PM-5:00PM at Camden Grandview, 209 East Morehead St. in Charlotte.

The ticket price includes unlimited food and wine from the city’s best Italian restaurants. Proceeds from the festival benefit the Nevins Center.

For more information and to buy tickets in advance, go to www.stanthonycharlotte.org. Hope to see you there!

The 1060 Creative / Hand Held Studio team have moved across the state line!  As of April 1, 2010 we have shed our Central Avenue digs and headed South to Ft. Mill, SC (technically, we’re closer to Pineville).  We have almost double the space at a cheaper price, so we decided to sign a 3-year lease with the owner, and fellow creative, Todd Holben of Photographics. Todd really has a stunning portfolio – if you need someone to shoot people, a landscape, your wedding, or a product, then please give Todd a call (He even makes his own frames).

This space was a perfect combination of office and warehouse space, which on our search, we found a lot of one or the other.  We found either a huge space that was divided into many cubicles, or just a huge space.  While the warehouse space is not a finished studio, it still provides a good amount of space for a product shot, for example.

Finally, be on the lookout for our Grand Opening party in the Summer.  All our clients and friends are welcome!

1060 Creative and Hand Held Studio
3581 Andrew L. Tucker Rd., Suite 120
Ft. Mill, SC  29715

The short answer? Yes, yes it is.

I’ve read and heard several studies about how people best remember things. The stats will differ from study to study, but more or less, it breaks down like the following. People will remember:

• 10% of what they read
• 20% of what they hear
• 50% of what they see and hear

Makes sense, right? And in and of itself, it’s a pretty good justification for using video to communicate your message. But I’ll go you one step further: I think people will remember well over 60% of what they’re told. A simple video can make people aware of your product or service. Add the right spokesperson, someone people can identify with, and your audience will connect with what you’re offering; e.g., the current Ford Motor Company TV and YouTube spots with Mike Rowe, part of a very effective ad campaign for Ford.

Then there’s the matter of delivery. Broadcast, while effective at hitting large numbers of people, is at best a shotgun approach. A video placed on your website is far more effective at addressing your target market; after all, the visitor is already at your site for a reason. Your visitor is indeed ready to hear what you have to say. A 2002 study by Dynamic Logic claims that targeted ads (e.g., ads served up on a website) are more effective that untargeted or RON (“run on network”) ads. In addition, the web is a very cost-effective method of delivering a video. You can invite your audience to view your video at any place, and any time, for no additional cost beyond your web hosting account.

Video, on the surface, may seem like an expensive venture. When properly executed and employed, however, it can be an extremely powerful method of delivering your message to the right people at the right time.

I’ve learned a bit about customers being a 6-year entrepeneur…”Customer is king” “If we don’t take care of our customer someone else will” and my favorite for present business, “If you make customers unhappy in the physical world they might tell 6 friends – if you make customers unhappy on the internet they could tell 6,000 friends”.

We at 1060 Creative work hard to make our customers not only happy, but happy enough to spread the word around – which is why I want to spread the word about the Junior League of Charlotte’s JLC Wearhouse.  The Wearhouse is similar to various used clothiers around Charlotte, but what sets this apart are the super ladies working there.  Every time I shop there they greet me with a smile, a laugh, a joke….EVERY TIME!  They genuinely want to be there.

On my latest visit they had a plateful of cookies laid out for customers.

“What’s the occasion?” I asked.

“No occasion.  Just because we appreciate you.”

So, be aware that there are great stores out there with great people working in them.  It’s not all nasty customer service.  I lift my gently used hat off them!

Whenever you market or advertise your company, you always want to put your best foot forward, right? If you go to a meeting with a potential client, you pay attention to your clothing, your grooming, and your manners. You make sure your printed materials, PowerPoint presentations, and website all look their best. By the same token, if you choose video as your medium, you owe it to yourself (and your company) to have it shot by professionals.

Even though we here at 1060 Creative can shoot and edit video for a lot less than you think (see below for examples of some interview-type projects we’ve shot), we understand that budgets can be tight. A professionally shot video might not be in the books, and you may want to get your message out by shooting a video address yourself, maybe with your personal camcorder or webcam. If that sounds familiar, then this post is for you.

I’m going to just come right out and say it: The web is filled with poorly-produced videos of business owners introducing themselves (and their respective businesses) to the world. Most of them use a webcam, which is really their first mistake. Sure, there are some mighty fine webcam rigs out there, and they work well for getting a down and dirty video on the Internet, but the image they produce is far from professional and falls well short of the coveted Best Foot Forward. I don’t want to call anyone out in particular, but go to YouTube and do a search for “welcome to my business” or “business opportunities” or some similar term. Start clicking on the videos and you’ll see what I mean. There are many videos with bad lighting, bad audio, or shot in a messy house or office. Sometimes all three (and worse). Indeed, a lot of the videos look more like amateur video blogs than professional video addresses from business owners.

So what to do? You don’t have the budget to hire a professional, but you want to take advantage of the power of video, and you obviously want represent yourself in the best possible way. These three tips should help you get the most out of your webcam video:

1. Pay Attention to Audio: This is perhaps the most important thing of all. Many amateur videos use the on-camera (or on-computer) microphone to record audio. The results sound like the subject is speaking to us from the bottom of a 30-foot Dixie cup. Nothing will kill your audience’s attention quicker than bad audio. If they can’t hear your clearly, they will quickly click away. Solution: Invest in a quality microphone. Even the cheapest lavaliere microphones will make a world of difference in the audio quality. Also, make sure the “set” is nice and quiet. Turn off the TV or radio in the other room. If you’re at home, send the kids out to play. Put the dog up. Make it dead quiet. Remember, we should hear you and only you.
2. Pay Attention to Lighting: This one can be pretty tricky. You don’t necessarily have to rush out and purchase a 3-point lighting kit (although it wouldn’t hurt), but at least pay attention to the level of light in the room. Is there enough light for your camera? Are you severely backlit (from, say, a window during the day)? Is there too much light (are you “washed out”)? Solution: Put an incandescent lamp (without the shade) in front and to one side of your face, just out of frame of the camera. (If the camera was on the 12 o’clock position on a clock, you would put the light at either 10 o’clock or 2 o’clock). Adjust its position until you achieve the desired results. If possible, dim the lights in the rest of the room to help “punch” you up. This will help draw focus to you, the subject.
3. Pay Attention to the Background: There’s nothing worse than seeing a messy office (or house) behind the presenter. Your environment is just as much a representation of you as is your clothes and hygiene. Even if the background is clean, many people don’t pay attention to what’s behind them. Some  have plants or ceiling fans “growing out of their heads”. Solution: The solution here is pretty easy. When you sit down in front of the camera, take a very close look at the background and put yourself in the viewer’s shoes. Would you trust someone talking from your “set”? Does it look professional? Is it cluttered? Is there anything directly behind your head? Pay attention to the framing and composition of the shot. When you think you’ve looked at the shot enough, look again. Then, when you’re ready to roll, look again. You’d be surprised what you’ll find on that second and third inspection.

Once again, take a look at the following examples of some interviews that we’ve shot so you can get an idea of the importance of good lighting, good audio, and a good, clean background. Some of these were shot in a very small space with mostly 3-point lighting (and a little accent lighting in the background). Granted, the camera, lighting, and microphones we use are a bit nicer than the average webcam or consumer-grade camcorder. That notwithstanding, if you use the tips above, you can create a nice-looking final product. While people may still be able to tell that it wasn’t professionally shot, at least they’ll walk away knowing it was shot by you, a professional.

And when you’re ready to kick things up a notch, give us a call.

Anthony's 2002 Wide Glide

A few months ago, I fulfilled a promise to myself and got back out there on two wheels: I bought a motorcycle. Specifically, I bought a Harley-Davidson FXDWG (Wide Glide). Some might call it a mid-life crisis, a desperate attempt to recapture my youth, a last-ditch effort to “stay cool” – and they might be right. Rather, I like to fall back on the first reason: fulfilling a promise. Twenty-some-odd years ago, I took a nasty spill on a Honda 250 dirt bike. I didn’t get back on a bike then, but I swore to myself that one day I would. It took me a while, but I did, and I’ve been grinning ear-to-ear ever since I first let out the clutch. I ride nearly every day to the office (“if it ain’t rainin’, I’m ridin’”), and on the weekends, the wife and I are often found cruising around the back roads between Waxhaw, Monroe, and Lancaster, SC.

Now, I could wax philosophical here about how you should “stick to your dreams” or “keep your eye on the ball” or “when you fall off the horse, get back on”, but I won’t. You’ve all heard it before. You can’t turn around these days without seeing a motivational poster or Facebook post about positive thinking. I will say this, though: it’s all true. Every bit of it.

Many have asked why I had to have a Harley, and before my trip to the Harley Museum a couple of weeks ago, my answers likely sounded rather pat. The look, the sound, the history, American-owned company, that kind of thing. The saying “if I have to explain, you wouldn’t understand” comes across as a little aloof, but it does kind of sum it up. There is a certain spirit that surrounds Harleys and the Harley community. It’s a cliche, but when you buy a Harley, you are indeed buying into a family.

At any rate, when I bought my Wide Glide, I knew I was buying a bike that was made by a company with a rich history. I recently made a trip to Milwaukee, WI, and while I was there, I visited the Harley Museum. Let me tell you, it was an eye-opening experience. In addition to various displays that detail everything from Harley-Davidson’s past to the types of engines the company has produced, Harley has saved one bike from nearly every year of their 105 years of existence, and they’re all on display at the museum.

A 1928 FLH, one of 450+ bikes on display at The Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, WI

What I took away from seeing the very history of Harley-Davidson laid out before me was – in addition to a boosted sense of pride in my own motorcycle – the sheer amazement that a company had the foresight to keep around examples of their work from almost every year of their existence.

It got me thinking: Harley proudly displays the fruits of their labors from the past 100+ years. Now, while I don’t think 1060 Creative will necessarily be around in 105 years (although it might; you never know), and while we’re likely to never produce something that will evolve into an American legend, the museum did remind me that we need to take pride in everything we create. We need to work as though our projects will be on display in 100 years, and we need to do everything we can to ensure that the would-be museum director could proudly display our work as a part of 1060’s history.

1060 Creative passed it’s 5-year mark in July of this year. Even in our short history, I’ve seen Peter and myself grow as designers, business owners, and as people. I only hope that as we move forward we can continue to grow. Harley-Davidson sure did, and they can prove it. I hope that at the end of our ride – whenever that might be – we can do the same.

–Ant.

NOTE: As I write this, I’m still reeling from the news that Harley-Davidson is dropping the Buell line. When I was in Milwaukee, we attended the last Bike Night of the season at the museum. The focus of the night was Buell, who was fresh off their recent win of the AMA Pro Racing Championship. There were hundreds of bikes there, everyone was pumped up, Erik Buell’s band played…indeed, it was a celebration. The last thing anyone expected was to hear that Buell would be gone a mere month later.

It’s important to get away from the computer and re-vitalize your creativity.  GET OUTDOORS! My outlet is tennis, and I’ve been involved in tennis since I was 12.  It can be fast, challenging, and social; I love it. On all the forms of exercise to me, nothing gets me off the couch faster. Plus, it’s a game I can play until I’m in my 80s (and beyond – There was a guy at one of the clubs that was 92!).

Living in Charlotte, I can…almost…play all year.  Some days are SO HOT that they are just unplayable, however, Charlotte has alternatives – http://charlotteindoor.net/index.html Man, I played one day for 4 hours in July; it was so hot that I weighed myself before and after tennis.  I lost 5 lbs. of water weight!  Now, that’s sweatin’!

I’ve also found it’s a great way to interact with clients.  In passing I found out one of my clients – David Hains (www.TVDave.com), a local corporate video producer – plays tennis.  It was great to talk about something other than business, invoices, deadlines, etc.  

Right now, I’m a regular at Russell Tennis Center (Sardis Lane and Providence), and MatchMaker Tennis.  If you’re familiar with USTA rating system, I’m a 3.5 player.

So, get your eyes off the computer and on the ball!  If you don’t play, START.  You won’t regret it.