In this episode, we dive into Story Better and how to combat Nihilism. You can watch the video podcast at https://youtu.be/tLr2TOTz2SA. Download the StoryMode 90-Day Challenge at https://storybetter.co

Things we talk about in this Podcast:

1. Great by Choice – Jim Collins https://amzn.to/2V8OrdL
2. Andrew Hochradel – http://hoch.co
3. New podcast – http://anchor.fm/nickovalle
4. Free

In this video I am answering the question on “How do I get my first subscribers on YouTube?”

Hey Fam, you are watching Fancy pants media where we take your marketing and visual media to the next level. My name is Nick and here are 4 tips to getting your first 100 Subs on YouTube.

Tip #1 – Channel Trailer -Make sure you are giving a value proposition. Your value proposition is what you are giving your audience. Try and say this in one sentence in all your other videos for the next year! Tell a story and let people know what you are about. I shot my channel trailer with an iPhone 5s and Olliclip with no mic. Whats most important is that you have a video that people can understand the why of your channel.

Tip #2 – Invest in making three great videos – Make the content people want – take note of the questions people are asking you on social media. Check the latest trends on google by visiting trends.google.com and look at some of your past videos to see what people are watching. In “creator studios” sort your videos by most plays and make more of those! Take those topics and make videos that have good lighting, audio and b-roll. If you are not great with a camera ask a friend who can help you. I am always asking friends to help me with camera and audio for my videos.

Tip #3 Talk about YouTube on your other social media channels. Share the Behind the scenes with your audience and talk about what you are doing. The top two ways to get discovered on Social is leveraging your Instagram Stories and Twitter. In the description below I left 11 hashtags for you to use to boost your posts! Use them! And a link to your Instagram and Twitter profiles so I can give you a follow.

Tip #4 – Respond to Comments – Make sure to have “calls to actions” in every video, ask people to like, comment and subscribe, but most important is to answer the comments people leave on your videos. If you have less than 100 subs it shouldn’t take that long. Make sure to be compassionate when you are answering people.

Bonus Tip: collaborate with others in your area that making youtube videos and invite them to collaborate and promote each other on your channels!

Hey Friends, maybe you have started your YouTube page but want to make your space look better. Today we take a look at three easy ways to use light make your youtube videos better if you are on a budget.

My first recommendation for better lighting is using color. I choose LIFX smart light bulbs because they don’t need a hub, have an amazing color spectrum and are Amazon Alexa and Google Home enabled.

You can pair these lights with any table lamp or work light fixture. I choose the cheap aluminum lamps from the Home Depot or Lowes. It’s important to also get clamps to make sure they stay attached to light stands.

If you are shooting on a white backdrop or tan wall I suggest a three light set up. In this set up I am using 2 A19’s and 1 BR30 from LIFX

My second recommendation would be to set proper exposure and white balance.

Take your camera off of automatic mode, shoot in manual and set your white balance properly.

On a camera, you shoot a white card or white piece of paper and set that photo as the customer white balance profile.

If you are using a smartphone use an app like Filmic pro to lock exposure and white balance.

Finally, you can use a 5-in-1 Photo reflector to bounce light from a window or light source to the other side of your face to lighten or darken the mood.

Bonus tip: If you want super soft light or can only afford one light I say purchase a paper lantern from Ikea. The paper defuses the light and also gives you 360 degrees of lighting. I would still use a Lifx bulb, but that light would take care of you and your background.

The second tip is if you want to have props in your video use things that communicate your passion. In the past, some of my sets have shown vintage video games, vinyl toys, music equipment. You can find cheap light boxes with letters on Amazon, find art that you like online or cut up a whole bunch of magazines and tape them to the wall.

LIFX a19 Color: https://goo.gl/1G9ojZ
LIFX BR30 Color: https://goo.gl/JzvLKY
LIFX a19 Whites: https://goo.gl/RMrEmc
Aluminum Work Lights: https://goo.gl/6JakCV
Desktop Lamp: https://goo.gl/3yFVhJ

Audio is half of the video, literally. If you have great images and poor quality people won’t watch your videos. If you have poor image quality but the audio is good, well people will stick around. Audio is important. So here are six ways to get better audio. 2 minutes starts now

1. Cell Phone Hack – Place a cell phone mic side up in a shirt pocket to get that good good clean audio.
2. Get that video mic closer bruh!! – I see so many people keep their video mic on the camera and step about 5-10 feet away from their subject. Uses those things like a boom, get those mics as close to your mouth as possible! Tabletop stands and mic stands help tremendously.
3. SmartLav + is a great way to get broadcast quality audio on the cheap. I would pair these with Invisi-lavs so you can hide the lav mic under a shirt or jacket.
4. USB Mics will work for voice-overs, live streams, webinars, and podcasts.
5. Shotgun mics are always a blast! You can boom them or have them mounted, just make sure you know your shotguns audio pattern. I am using the Rode NTG1 cause it’s good and inexpensive but the pattern calls for the mic to be placed over the mouth not directly at the mouth.
6. Audio recorders are great! They have better audio quality than your normal DSLR. The Zoom h5n is a great recorder and I am also enjoying Panasonic and Sony top audio attachment. It gives you a very easy way to get the audio in the camera with phantom power to power those shotgun mics. The only drawback to the external audio recorders is syncing in post. It’s an extra step but almost every editing software has the ability to sync video and audio.

Do you have any plans on upgrading your audio in your videos? Do you have another recommendation for an easy and affordable solution? Drop a comment below.

Mics we talked about in this video:

1. Smart Lav+ https://goo.gl/XbnhVa

2. Video Micro https://goo.gl/UgYtHo

3. Blue Yeti USB https://goo.gl/hPbdLF

4. Rode NTG-1 https://goo.gl/6SvTzU

5. Zoom H5n https://goo.gl/ofW9Yb

Photo by Nick Karvounis on Unsplash

Today we look at the Amazon Echo Dot as a personal assistant.

What is the Amazon echo dot?

The Echo Dot is a voice controlled device that allows you to control other smart devices. It is constantly “learning” new skill that allows you to play music, order pizza or request an uber all hands-free!

But can it be my personal assistant?

The voice control assistant is named Alexa. It’s pretty rad!

I need Alexa to read email, schedule tasks and communicate with a productivity tracker. I am using Asana.com

I found a few IFTTT Applets that would allow Alexa to

1. Make a Task in Asana.com

2. Have my Lifx lights blink when my work timer is up.

3. Add an event to Google Calendar.

4. Send an SMS or email message.

If you have any questions about video production, marketing or productivity tweet me @nick_ovalle or follow me on the social media.

Amazon Echo Dot: https://goo.gl/3TbLtm

Lifx Bulbs 4 pack: https://goo.gl/Pdw7Rn
SMS With Molly: https://smswithmolly.com/

Blinking Lights IFTTT: https://goo.gl/vKGMoe
New Asana.com Task: https://goo.gl/8tJ5Is

Google Calendar Event: https://goo.gl/GmXWGr

A question I get asked all the time is what is the best camera to buy?

In this blog, I answer that question!

Today we are looking at the best camera for creating your content. We will be looking at three categories budget, amateur and professional.

In the budget category Less than $250, your best camera is probably in your pocket. Smartphones today shoot in 4k, have great apps that make video production and editing easy. The best thing you can do is add accessories to kickstart your video quality.

Three things I suggest are a Tripod, lens, and microphone.

For a tripod, I suggest the Joby Smartphone Pro and Joby Gorillapod Camera Tripod: https://goo.gl/rzqa6n

Tripods will help hold your phone steady and get rid of that nasty camera shake.

The Rode Video MicMe is great for broadcast quality audio. https://goo.gl/psTtgh

It makes your videos sound full and not like they were shot in a cereal box.

You can also get a wider field of view with lenses, I like the olloclip because it’s small, great optics and is fun to use. https://goo.gl/QtfxLa

Lets look at some Solutions for you guys who want to add a little bit more quality in your camera.

Under our Mid-Range category, I suggest point and shoot cameras. The reason I like point and shoots is because they take out some of the technical aspects of filming. You have a fixed lens, autofocus and a built in mic that are pretty good!

The cheapest option is the Canon Elph series cameras: https://goo.gl/6NVM8Q

A better option is the Canon G7X with flip up screen and great auto focus. Get the camera here: https://goo.gl/JzOZ4k

If you are a real baller check out the Sony RX100 mk v – It shoots in 4k has great autofocus and it has great slo-motion! Get the camera here: https://goo.gl/2TGxoS

When you get into the prosumer video gear things get more technical and more fun! You have more options and more control to make your videos look like a hollywood movie.

Cameras I suggest for you guys who really want that pro look:

Panasonic g7 – Shoots 4k, has great autofocus and a lot of lens options for m 4/3 lens mount. Cost about $700. Get the camera here https://goo.gl/Ip50uu

Canon 6D / Sony A7s – For about $2,000 you will get a great still and video camera. This is the best bang for your buck when it comes to buying a camera. Professional video quality at a fraction of the price. Get the Canon 6D here: https://goo.gl/wbect8

Get the Sony a7s here: https://goo.gl/pJfN3l

For all you wanting a cinema camera, let me just tell you that is overkill for Youtube. I actually shoot on a cinema camera for Youtube.

I like the Canon c100mkii – It shoots great video, has a great built in audio solution and the internal ND Filters are amazing for getting that blurry background in harsh lighting conditions! Plus it looks cool. Get the camera here: https://goo.gl/Tghhwh
If you want to download my video marketing checklist click here. It will show you how to get the best settings out of your camera!

Follow me on the social media @Nick_Ovalle.

Until we meet again, tell the world your story!