Episode 44 - Catching up

Speaker 0 00:00:03 Gig Ready is back. Speaker 1 00:00:06 Woohoo. Speaker 0 00:00:23 We are back. Jordan Goodfellow, my friend on the other end. Joe Mack, all the way in Portland. Brother, it's great to talk to you. It's been, I, I think it's actually been over a year since you and I have even talked, let alone done a show, done a podcast talking about the audio visual industry, talking about the concert and touring the corporate AV world. How are you my friend? It's been a long time. Speaker 2 00:00:50 I am doing, uh, really very, very well. Um, it has been a crazy year, but in the best way. Um, and, uh, I can't believe we've, you started this what, in 2020 and we're three years past that now. Uh, and so that's crazy to me, like that, that amount of time just blinking by even though it wasn't, I mean, it was so slow. Yeah. In 2020 and 2021. And here we are. Um, and, uh, I, I was actually, um, just thinking about all the things that we had talked about in 2021 when, uh, when I started co-hosting with you and, and just like all the things that we were kind of guessing about and how it was gonna be coming back. And, and boy did we nail it on the head. I mean, everything was just like, it was exactly what it was. You know? Speaker 2 00:01:51 It was a fade, not a switch to start. 2021 was kind of slow. And then we had a couple hiccups where, you know, new variants came out and slowed things up. And then, and then 2022, it was like a rocket and Yep. That just hit everybody like a tsunami. And we, you know, it was like, oh my God, are you available? Are you available? Are you available? And, and I was just like, oh, wow. We really, really, really were. And I remember like reaching out to you, are we gonna do a gig ready podcast? I'm doing too many gigs, <laugh>. Ill call you back later. Speaker 0 00:02:27 That's, yeah, it was, it was a whirlwind of a year. That's, that's for sure. And, and you know, it started out, uh, Feb, January, February, March. I wasn't, it felt a lot like 2022 or 2021, excuse me, where it was like, is anything gonna happen? Are we really, you know, is stuff really gonna like, pick up again? And then all of a sudden, like sometime late March, early April, um, just everything blew up. And, you know, we did a, we did a job for Microsoft in DC like early April. And then from then on it was like, it was, I don't even, I can't even remember. It feels like yesterday that we were in DC doing that show in April. And, but here we are in January, middle of January, no less. Um, I mean, it was September, like fourth of 2021. The last ti the last podcast we did. Um, I was a terrible Okay. Speaker 2 00:03:26 Wow. Host. It's been a while. Speaker 0 00:03:27 <laugh>, I was a terrible host and we didn't, we didn't do anything else. Uh, but we're, we're back. And I really, I want to try and do this. I don't think we won't do it weekly. I know that that's, I don't think that that is possible right now, but every few weeks continuing to talk about the industry, some of the changes, uh, a lot of the new outstanding opportunities that are out there, um, that I'm seeing for people to get into the industry, grow, learn, uh, become better at what they do. Uh, but before we get into all of that, why don't you talk a little bit about, I mean, what your last year and a half has been like, um, you know, what your experience was. I know you were like all over the world. I saw on, on social media, you were all over the world doing all kinds of crazy stuff. I miss traveling that way. I haven't been out of the country in, in like three years, three and a half years now. So, um, tell us a little bit about what's been going on. Speaker 2 00:04:25 Um, well, can you hear me okay? Uh, you're cutting out there for a second. Um, yep. So yeah, I mean, January was, uh, like you said, it was like a little bit slow, um, kind of the usual suspects were falling in line, um, for me, auto shows and some corporate stuff here and there. But then, um, then the phone started ringing in different ways. I started getting new, um, new partnerships with other designers, um, new, uh, new clientele, new technical directors that were reaching out, um, that knew me through other people. Um, and it was really kind of a, a an experience of exploring other options and seeing what was out there. Um, and I, I, um, you know, I carefully plotted and planned my way through the year, um, because there was so many calls. There was a lot of calls. Um, after, after the, uh, end of January, um, I got offered to go on tour with Alicia Keys, um, as the lighting director for that, uh, for a world tour, um, through Europe and the us. Speaker 2 00:05:33 Uh, and so it was, uh, it was an emphatic yes. Um, she, uh, her music, I mean, it really was, it was a, it was, I I was kind of like thinking through different artists and who would be a good fit for me and, and, you know, um, the jazz r and b hip hop, like that's, that's the space I I've lived in since I was a little kid. Um, and so, uh, and her, her message of positivity and the things she sells, love and light, that is what I'm all about. And so she, she was a good fit for me. Um, it also didn't hurt that, uh, one of my, one of my, uh, best friends in the industry, Brian Branick was the, is the lighting designer. Um, and he, uh, when he offered it up, I, I said, yeah, let's do it. And he was like, that's awesome. Wow. Cool. Let's, alright. Yeah. It gave me, it gave me a real quick focus right at the top of the year, which was great. Speaker 0 00:06:33 Did he not expect a yes when he, did he not expect a yes when you called him? Speaker 2 00:06:38 Uh, he was, he was, he wasn't sure. He wasn't sure, but he was a little surprised when I said yes as quickly as I did. I said, you know, I have to go through, you know, through the process and talk with the family and make sure it's gonna be a good fit. Um, and then, you know, then I started getting gig ready. You know, I started doing my homework, um, learning all of her music, learning, learning, um, as much as I could. Uh, because, you know, you don't wanna show up on a site, um, in a camp that, that's well established has been around for a long time and, and showing up like you don't know what you're doing. Um, so it was, uh, it was good. It was a really great experience. Um, but, you know, it, it forced me to really kind of up my physical health, uh, cuz touring is not easy. Speaker 2 00:07:25 No. Um, it's, it's, uh, it's, it's, you know, you're, you're working all day, you're sleeping a little bit on a bus, uh, you know, on a plane, on a whatever, and you're hug, you're lugging gear everywhere and you're lugging your own gear all everywhere and you're living outta the suitcases and, you know, grabbing food when you can, grabbing sleep when you can. And so you, you have to be both mentally and physically, uh, prepared for those, those moments. Um, cuz there's gonna be the days that are just like trudging uphill and mud and Yep. And you gotta be able to pound through 'em no matter what show 'em must go on. Speaker 0 00:08:01 Were you guys, were you guys carrying, were you guys carrying all your own gear the whole time? Or did you, did you guys get local packages most places? Speaker 2 00:08:10 No, we, we carried the whole, the whole tour. So it was, that was nice. Yeah. But you know, there was, um, and this is, this is touring industry wide. Uh, there were a lot of issues, um, trying to get buses, trying to get crew, trying to get, um, sorry, my dogs are, um, all good. Going through the, going through the process of trying to get all of those things, um, you know, early on and all the way through was, was not easy. Um, I heard, I heard like the Rolling Stones couldn't get buses and I'm thinking the Rolling Stones come on <laugh>. Um, Speaker 2 00:08:52 But, uh, you know, but everybody, um, that I talked to that were, you know, either new to the industry or 30 year vets touring, um, said this was the hardest year, uh, on record for touring. It was hard, but we learned a lot, you know, because we local labor or the lo the labor on your crew. Um, and that was, that was really difficult. It wasn't, it wasn't easy. We had a lot of new people, so it was a, it was a constant training mission. You were constantly having to help people who had never even touched a light or hung a truss or, you know, whatever. Yeah. Yeah. So it was, it was interesting. It was interesting to say the least. Was Speaker 0 00:09:50 It, was it mostly the local crew that seemed to be very green or was it also some of the guys that ended up on the longer term crew? Speaker 2 00:09:59 Oh, no, no. Our our touring crew, um, uh, both through Europe and, uh, the US was very seasoned. They were all fantastic. Um, we had, we had some really solid, uh, folks on this, this camp. And, um, it was, that's what actually made it, uh, worthwhile and, and made it easy. Um, uh, some days. Um, but it was, the, the local labor I think was the biggest, the biggest thing. Um, we should get Mike Finn back out here and, and see what he has to say. Uh, cuz I'm sure Vegas has been heaving like crazy. Speaker 0 00:10:38 Absolutely. Yeah. I actually sat down, I actually sat down with Mike Finn, mid 2021, went, you know, visited him as at one of their offices even before he moved to his new office. And, uh, and it was a, it was a bear for them. Uh, and we can certainly, I'll reach out and we'll, we'll try and talk local labor. Uh, it's been, it has been a challenge. I've had a lot of people, um, finding labor, especially locally cuz everybody's booked, everybody's traveling. It's like, you get the one call where it's, Hey, come across the country, come to Dallas, do this show, but then the next week you're getting a call for the same set of dates in town, you know? Ah, sorry man, I already took this other show. And so everybody's crisscrossing the country to do shows and, um, I mean, it it's the way it's always been. Speaker 2 00:11:22 Yeah. It was the, the middle of May last year, I think I turned down like 10 shows the same week. Wow. It was literally, I mean, there was nobody, and I would call, I'd call every friend I had, everybody I like, I'm working too. I'm working too. And so I, I don't know if those shows even happened, uh, because it was, it was getting so last minute and so Wow. Crazy that, um, that you just couldn't do it. Um, yeah. So I'm curious as to how 2023 is gonna look knowing all the heavy hitters that are going out. You know, you've got Beyonce, you've got Rihanna, you've got Shakira. I just heard Madonna's now going out. Um, um, I mean, it's, it's gonna be crazy out there. So if you are not working, you know, pick up the phone <laugh>, because everybody's looking for, for people right now. Speaker 2 00:12:22 Um, I even saw, I actually saw an ad for, uh, for a must have been a theater or a a might have been a theater. And they were like, even if you don't have experience and you're thinking about getting in the industry, we will tr we will pay to get you lighting training. And I was like, wow, here we are. This is a brave new world where people, you know, people are getting it where it's like, oh yeah, we are, we are in a place where we need to get back that 30%. I think 30, 40% is what we lost. Yep. Um, uh, in the industry. We need to get those people back because they fill a, um, you, it is filling that, that void of knowledge. The 20 year olds who had a lot of knowledge, you know, we trained them up enough that they could do shows and, and with little, you know, little direction and we lost a lot of them. And so now you've got all those green horns again and you, you know, we're, we're, we're back to one and we have to start over and, and train every day. Yep. Speaker 0 00:13:32 So, well, yeah, I mean from, from our standpoint, you know, we opened, uh, our second office, our, our second gig rent office here in Orlando, um, you know, officially took, uh, our new warehouse in April of 2022. And the, uh, you know, the number of people that even were available to work was, was tough. And of course, as freelancers, things are so good that nobody, nobody wants to take a full-time position in an office, you know, cuz it's just like freelancers is like every mo you're getting call after call after call. And so I ended up hiring Yeah. A bunch of new guys and, and guys who, who had minimal, uh, audio visual experience. Some of them had experience with low voltage cable or security systems and, you know, and, and it, and things like that. And bringing them in. They had knowledge of certain portions of what we do, but the, like, the nuts and bolts of AV lights, sound video, they did not have. Speaker 0 00:14:41 And, um, so we've been training and teaching and, and giving knowledge and information to them and it's been, it's been fantastic. And they've been picking it up, up so quickly that now, you know, my guys are my warehouse guy, uh, my lead warehouse guy, jt, he comes in sometimes, he's like, Hey, are we, um, are we going to, uh, grab this piece of gear or that piece of gear for, um, for what is going out? Because you know, this wasn't on the pull sheet. And I was like, oh, that's absolutely right. We absolutely need to have that. And so it's been a, um, it's been a refreshing time of finding new people, training, um, new people. One of the guys in my warehouses learning how to do projection. He's learning coming in q scene projectors, how to go through each one methodically, make sure that every unit is identical as it goes back out the door. Speaker 0 00:15:37 That it looks good, that it's ready to go. Um, and it's been a lot of fun for me to teach them and train them to do things that I used to have to do myself. And I was the only one that could do it. So, um, yeah, that has been really cool and I've enjoyed that. Um, and I honestly need to dedicate more time to that. I mean, we really do need more time to train. Uh, I was actually on the phone with, uh, Barco, one of our main suppliers that this morning and was telling them, you know, guys, we have gotta get training back on the schedule for like, people to learn how to work on these projectors. Cuz we're, you know, we're, we're having and facing challenges where we need certified operators that can come out and operate these advanced boxes, these laser projectors, um, well and efficiently. Speaker 0 00:16:26 And so, um, there's a lot of great training that's gonna come out of this. A lot of new people, a lot of new technicians, and I'm excited for it. I think it's gonna be outstanding to join, you know, get into this industry that looks, um, on the outside looks very exciting. And it is. I mean, it is, it is a great industry to be in and there's so many people that don't know about it. I mean, I've talked to family members, I've talked to acquaintances. Oh, what do you do for, oh, I work in the audio visual industry. Oh, well, well what do you mean you, what is that? Well, lights and sound and video. Oh, you mean like when I went to that thing and did this, you guys like take care of that. And, um, sometimes I just don't think people realize that what we do is, uh, is such a great service and nobody sees it. And I think that's a testament to the, the technicians and the people who learn how to do their job well so that it doesn't even notice that there's a problem, which is great. Um, but I'm, I'm excited for the future. Speaker 2 00:17:31 I am, I am as well. Um, I think there's a new, uh, excitement to the industry. Um, a renewed, um, a renewed excitement I think for a lot of, a lot of people who've been in it for a long time, as well as the new energy of new people. You know, cuz when you get fresh eyes on anything, you start seeing it in a different way because you go, oh, I never really thought of it that way. That's awesome. Yeah. And so anytime you as a, as a technician who's not quite sure which way you want to go, um, you know, just, just like you, you were saying about that, um, that time that you worked with Mark Harring for the first time and, uh, you know, you didn't really have much to do, so you were standing around, so you just stood by his side and asked him a bajillion questions <laugh>. Speaker 2 00:18:25 And so that's, I mean, it's, it's, that's how you, you find those diamonds in the rough, right? Is those those kids who come up to you and say, Hey, like, how on earth did you even get here? Like, how did you get to this position in, in your career? And, you know, you tell 'em the story and it's not gonna be the same story as their story, but if you can give them some kind of spark, some kind of vision, some kind of focus or goal that they can then take, put it in their pocket and run with it, you know, that's gonna make our industry a really positive place to work. And we're gonna have a positive workforce. Speaker 2 00:19:06 We're gonna have a, you know, bunch of people who are, who are motivated to the process of learning. And, um, and once we can get things that clients call with shows less than a month out, and I'm like, you know, I, I ask about the scope of the show and then I go, yeah, I can't do it. There's no, you're not gonna find any labor. You're not gonna find any gear. Um, and I've, I've had to turn down a, a, a few shows here and there, um, because of that. Um, and then, you know, and they're like, you sure? Yeah. I'm like, I, I can call around. I can see if we can make it work, but I don't think you're gonna, I think you're gonna run into a lot of roadblocks very quickly and, uh, uh, and find yourself in a position where you can't get this show the way you want it to be done properly. So, and I, I don't like, I don't like attaching, you know, my name or my reputation to something that I can't deliver on. Speaker 0 00:20:05 For sure. Now, you broke up there for just a moment, which is probably the internet connection for whatever reason. Okay. But you were talking about, you mentioned about needing to get something when it comes to, um, I don't remember, whatever, who cares? We're here to record a podcast and <laugh> talk about how the last year has been. So, um, what, what was the highlight of 2022 for you? What was like the, the, the top of the, top of the aubisque, if you will? Speaker 2 00:20:44 Um, <affirmative> obviously, um, doing your job at a high level is it makes you feel good. It makes you, it makes you realize you've made the right choice again. You know, because every time, every time you pick up that phone and say yes to something, you're recommitting yourself to the industry, right? Yes. You're saying, yes, I wanna do this because as a gig worker, any one of us can stop tomorrow. Yep. And that gets forgotten. Is, is, uh, you know, and I think, I think for me, 2020, I learned a lot about that because, um, very dear friends of mine quit. I ha they just left. Like, and it wasn't because they hated the industry, it's because they figured out they could find something to do that pays their bills and satisfies that need. And they can do a few shows a year, uh, just to keep the, you know, keep the creative juices flowing or keep whatever it is that they love about the industry, um, at the forefront of their, their being. Speaker 2 00:21:54 But they also figured out they like being home. They like, you know, doing the nine to five, coming home, having weekends, uh, <laugh>, you know, um, and, and just having a, a real life after doing it for 30 or 40 years. I get that. I get, I get that. Um, whereas I'm, you know, I'm not old, but I'm not young and, you know, touring as a young man's game. And I, I saw an opportunity to not only, um, get back into it the last time I was, I was doing tours was with you <laugh>. And that was, you know, uh, 15 years ago, 15, 16 years ago. So, so I was coming back to it just to a, to prove to myself I could, um, b to get back into music again, cuz I love it. Um, and to be creative. So those three things for me were the pinnacle. Speaker 2 00:22:54 Like, I got to do the thing that I wanted to do again. And that's awesome. And I didn't have, I didn't have the worry of running a business. I didn't have the worry of where my next gig was coming from. I didn't have the worry, you know, it was, it was long enough that I had steady work. I was working with really talented people. I mean some of the best in the industry on all sides of the ball, on video, on lighting, on audio. Like amazing people. Really, really talented people who've done a lot of really talented work, um, for the biggest artists out there. Um, and so to to, to go into work every day with a team like that was so fulfilling. And that's awesome. You know, it's like, you, you wish you could have that at home and be around your family all the time, but you can't, it just doesn't work that way. So, um, so the nature of the beast is, you know, you gotta be this nomad that, that lives out of a suitcase, um, and then comes home when, uh, when the time is right. Speaker 0 00:24:02 Yeah. I'm with you. Um, you know, touring, I have, I have my moments of nostalgia when it comes to touring. Um, but at the same time, I, I do like what I do now and I'm very, I'm very happy with the direction that, um, that I'm ended up going. It, it don't, it really sometimes seems like yesterday that I was out on tour, you know, running around the world doing, you know, show after show. Were you guys doing a lot of, like, were you guys doing a lot of walkaways? Were you guys doing a lot of, uh, back to backs or was it, was it a relatively, you know, I don't wanna say relaxed schedule, I don't think there really is such thing in touring, but, um, what was the schedule like? Speaker 2 00:24:50 Um, there were a few back to backs. We had a few, uh, three in a rows, um, but not many. Um, and the first, you know, the first half in Europe, Europe was, I mean, I, I don't know if you were watching the news at all, but just traveling around Europe in the summer, this summer was really hard. Oh really? Like every airport was packed. Oh, every airport was packed. Um, uh, you know, and then Covid was still in play. Um, there was, you know, it was a lot, there was a lot going on for the travel side of things that made it not easy. Um, but it was also, again, you're around all these awesome people who have a million stories and so, you know, hanging around an airport and just shooting the shit for <laugh> a couple hours isn't a bad use of your time. Right. Yeah. Uh, of course. Um, because you're around a lot of really fun people who get it and they, they all know how to do it too. Um, exactly. So I, I enjoy, I enjoy the travel, I enjoy, you know, if anything, it keeps you in shape cuz you're carrying <laugh>, you know, your backpack and all this luggage and whatever. So, you know, by the end of it you're, you're like beef cake. So Speaker 0 00:26:08 Schlepping 50, 80 pounds around every day, um, you know, certainly has, it has its benefits, that's for sure. Um, and, and hang dude, hanging out with people that you like to work with. That's why I do what I do is because I wanted to be able to work with the people that I wanted to work with. I mean, you know, I started, when I started my company, the biggest reason I wanted to start it was because I wanted to work with my friends and do work with the people that I wanted to work with and also help them take care of and provide for their families in a meaningful way that would allow them to not have to worry about where the next meal's coming from. Where is the next show coming from, where all of that. And, and even taking that responsibility on in some ways, um, because I believe that I was made to shoulder that, but helping, I love calling my friends and being like, Hey, I got this gig, it just came up. You want to go do it and then we can go and do work together. Um, you know, we had a show pop up in April that's a repeat show for us. Um, and I was able to call all my buddies and be like, Hey, we're doing this job. I want you to come you, I want you there. I want you there. I want you there. And, and I get to pay them to come and hang out with me. And it's like, it's great. I love that. Speaker 2 00:27:25 Yeah. Yeah. And, uh, you know, the, the ability to, to make that call makes you feel so good, you know? Oh, I remember when I was running labor Yeah. When I was running labor calls and, you know, and you're always calling your friends, Hey, I got this gig. That's amazing. Yes, 100%. And then it's reciprocal. It comes back. You know, when you're, when they're on the hook and they can't do it, they'll call you like, Hey, can you come do this thing? And that's, that's, you know, relationships in this business are everything they are. You know, the fact that I even got, the fact that I even got this tour is ex is the reason the relationships are so important. You know, it, it's a friend, friend who, who knows my musical ability knows, um, my, my design ability and the ability to make it look good on camera for, you know, for all the social media stuff, all the, you know, Instagrams and all that. Speaker 2 00:28:22 Cuz every time somebody pulls out their phone, it's gotta look good on camera every That's right. Yep. And, and so when you have built that trust with, you know, all your colleagues and friends, then they know you can handle it. And, um, and that's, that's what Gig Ready is all about. That's what being gig ready is all about, is that you take that time that you have off to recharge, regroup, realign yourself and relearn something, you know, get back on the, get back on the internet, go learn a console, go learn, uh, how to draft, go learn how to do something new. And right now I'm in the middle of, uh, um, and, uh, and then I'm working on MA three for, for future, uh, shows. So Speaker 0 00:29:08 Say that I lost that one thing. I'm right in the middle of blank, Speaker 2 00:29:15 Uh, ma The, I'm working on MA three, um, as well. Nice. The the MA three software. Yeah. Speaker 0 00:29:21 Oh, very cool. Yes. The MA software has always been an enigma to me. There's so much you can do in it that it's like, I never wanted to get to know it because there was any which way to do anything. And it always overwhelmed me with, you can do this A, B, C, D, E, F, G, just pick. And, um, I was always, I was always a little overwhelmed by the options. Speaker 2 00:29:48 I always felt that by working with somebody else, you learn from their methods. So, so anytime you get an opportunity to work with somebody else and see how they program and see how they set up and see how they manipulate and do whatever they're, they're doing it, it, it makes you like a hundred times better moving forward. Um, I, my start file and the way I program now is built on, what, 30 years of programming now. Oh God, I'm old. Um, <laugh>, but <laugh>. But it's, it's all the little things that, that I've picked up along the way from various programmers, how they set up stuff that I, I go, I really like that I'm gonna implement it. And once I do it, I create it as a habit and I create this habit of how I set up everything. So that way, anytime I'm walking into a show and I plugged in my show file, I know where everything is. Speaker 2 00:30:52 I don't have to think about it. It's just like your computer, you know? Yeah. The way you organize your computer, as long as you've set it up in a clean way for yourself, that's all that matters at the end. You know, you're, you're just outputting data to a fixture to do a thing. So as long as you set it up so that you know how to make that thing happen fast, you're good. You don't have to do it somebody else's way. You do it your way. And that's why I like about, that's what I like about the ma um, platform, is you, if you can't figure out how to do it, uh, the way somebody else does, you can always build a macro and uh, and do it that way. That's how I actually taught myself the desk at the beginning was just, I just learned macros on how to do it the way the hog two do it did it, or the way the Maxus did it or the way the EOS did it. I mean, I did, I just created buttons. I was like, okay, how do I do this? I wanna do this thing like I do on the eos and then I'd create the macro and then I'd be done with it. And then later when I had the time to sit down and kind of reabsorb, uh, the learning process, I would go back and, and figure out the right way to do it. So, Speaker 0 00:31:56 Yep. I was, I was on an auction site the other day and they were auctioning off a bunch of old Martin M one s and it made me think of you, um, cuz you're the only person that I really ever knew that knew or had that console. And so I was like, ah, I remember when Joe slept around, Speaker 2 00:32:13 Alex Fuller knew that <laugh>, Alex Fuller knew it. You knew it. Um, all the guys at Hollywood knew it. So we're not, Speaker 0 00:32:21 Well not the Maxis though, the M one, so specifically the little, you know. Well, Speaker 2 00:32:26 It's the same, it's the same. Yeah, it's the same console. Okay. It's the same console, it's just different hardware. Got it. Yeah. Speaker 0 00:32:34 What, what was the, what Speaker 2 00:32:36 Would you I always, go Speaker 0 00:32:38 Ahead. No, I was, I was gonna say, what was the, what was the, what would you say is the greatest thing that you learned, whether through a mistake or just through process over the last year, uh, for you as an individual and as a professional? Um, what was that? Speaker 2 00:32:55 Wow. Um, Speaker 0 00:32:58 Putting me on the spot. Speaker 2 00:33:01 Yeah. I should have gotten that question sent to my, uh, my manager before. No, I'm kidding. Speaker 0 00:33:08 <laugh>, Speaker 2 00:33:11 Um, golly thing that I learned. Speaker 0 00:33:19 Let me tell, I'll tell you what I, I think Speaker 2 00:33:22 Go Speaker 0 00:33:23 Ahead. You if, if you got it. No, I don for it. I don't. Okay. I don't. So here's, here's what I learned this last year that I think was probably the greatest for, for me, was that the things that come out of my mouth is what is going to happen. And I, whether, whether you realize it or not, your outlook on life is incredibly dictated by what you say. And I realized that many of the things that I would say were either complaining or negative or they may not be solely completely negative, but they are not like, today's gonna be a great day and we are going to do whatever it takes to make, make it happen today. Um, instead it was a, well, you know, how are you doing Jordan? I'm okay. Ah, it's okay. Yeah. Uh, you know, ah, well it was really hard today cuz Oh, it was really this, it was, you know, and there was always this gr like undertone of grumbling And it's not that, I'm not saying be fake about how you're feeling, but when I wake up in the morning and if it's always like, oh gosh, this sucks. Speaker 0 00:34:37 I'm so tired, my life is terrible, this is horrible. Well, how is the rest of my day gonna go if that's what I'm saying to myself every day, if like, that's what I'm waking up and thinking. So instead I have the choice. And, and, uh, someone that I listen to a lot said this. He said, if I were to offer you two options, either a million dollars or the ability to wake up tomorrow, which one would you take? And I don't know anybody that wouldn't say I would wanna wake up tomorrow. So he said, so what he, the concept is, is that waking up tomorrow is more important to you than a million dollars. So if it is more important than that, how are you going to treat the day? And so for me, waking up and just saying, you know what, I'm awake today. I am not six feet under today is gonna be a good day. Um, has just completely changed my paradigm with how I approached the day, how I approach what happened. I think it is a great catalyst for what happened last year, you know, as a company we doubled revenue from 2019 and 2019 had been our best year ever. So Speaker 2 00:35:53 That's amazing. Congratulations. Speaker 0 00:35:54 Yeah, I mean it was incredible. Thank you. And, and, and I believe that a lot of that was attributed to the idea that I walked into the year with the mindset of no matter what, we are going to move forward and we are going to be successful at whatever we do. We are gonna give the best service, provide the most value, we are gonna go farther, we're gonna be the people that when we're walking down the street, we pick up the trash that's on the street because seeing a bunch of junk on the road is not what I want around my office, you know, even though it's not mine. Sure. <laugh> Speaker 2 00:36:29 E Yeah. Leave it better than you found it. Speaker 0 00:36:31 E Exactly. And so that for me was, I think what I learned more than anything was my mindset and what comes out of my mouth. Not just what I think. Cuz thinking one thing is great, but until it comes out of your mouth, I mean really, truly, until you say it and, and put it out there, once you put it out there, that is when action can take place. If you just think it, if that's all you do is think there, there's no, there is no requirement for action at that point because you're just, it's up here as soon as you say it, it creates accountability. And my theme for 2023 is actually accountability and being accountable to what I'm going to do and keeping the promises to myself and to my family, but also being more careful with the promises that I make because I have to understand that the accountability is the critical piece. So there you go. Yeah. That was the Speaker 2 00:37:28 Big, when you said, when you said, uh, what comes outta your mouth is is gonna happen, made me think like, well you gotta be careful with that cuz you can, you can start saying too much and then you can't deliver that. Uh, so I, I, I'm glad you, you circled back and said you were gonna be a little more cautious with what you, um, what you say. But I I, I would say the the biggest thing I actually learned, um, was a communication, um, within my family, within my peer groups, within my colleague groups, um, friends, I, I learned how to communicate better this year. Um, I was very honest with myself when I was struggling. If I had, if I had something I just couldn't figure out, um, you know, I'd call my wife and then we'd talk it through. And then, um, and we had a really good, uh, one of the things that was was great about touring this, you know, this year versus 2007 <laugh>, um, was FaceTime. Speaker 2 00:38:40 Holy crap. Yeah. I mean that, that makes it feel like you're not gone when, you know, the second year son comes home from school, bleep bleep, bleep. Hey dad, how's it going? You know, school's great. And we were able to communicate and just finish my, just finished my show in Paris or, you know, uh, or, or we're on a bus somewhere or on a plane somewhere. I was able to communicate where I was. They were also able to check where I was, you know, with find my iPhone and all that stuff. So it was, I think that was, um, that was something I wasn't prepared for and it made it that much easier and I thought that was really cool. But we, we as a family learn how to communicate and, you know, we set up, um, the, even before I took it, I said, you know, like we're, we're a family unit and so anything that affects you is gonna affect me. Speaker 2 00:39:39 And if I have to do my job at a high level, then I need to make sure that you're okay too. So, anytime my son was having a problem or my wife was having a problem, we dealt with it as a family. And, um, and that made it okay for me to continue, you know, touring or to continue doing that show that night because my brain space wasn't occupied with the problem because we had already communicated it out. We felt what was right. We made a decision and we moved on with our life. And I think that was really, really healthy. Um, it, it, it made, uh, coming home much better because when I came home, it wasn't like, oh, I'm dead. You know, it was let's go do something together as a family and, you know, it, it, it was, uh, it was, yeah, communication was, uh, paramount for 2022 and it was great. It, uh, it was a great experience going through that process, um, for me. Speaker 0 00:40:46 That's awesome, dude. Yeah. Com I mean, I have realized how terrible of a communicator I am, so I'll probably take some notes when you talk about that going forward. Um, you know, you, Speaker 2 00:40:56 You may, I'll text texting, just a quick text to tell somebody that you've, you, you, like, I know you texted me like two days ago or whatever, just to say that I, I, I remember you're there. I'll come back when I have a sec. Like, just to let people know that you're, they're not forgotten and then there's no hard feelings or whatever. So that, that's, that's key is like, is like nipping in the butt early so that way there's not some confusion later on down the road. Speaker 0 00:41:30 Communicate early and often. Um, Speaker 2 00:41:33 Correct. Speaker 0 00:41:34 You know, you, you made a point earlier with regards to what you say, and you're, and you're very right. Being careful what you say, um, and being un and with the understanding that your work had better match what you say. Um, you know, you and I were, were talking a little, a little bit ago about, uh, before, before the show about, you know, social media and how social media has impacted what we do these days and how there, there are people who misrepresent what they do, um, through social media because it looks cool. Oh, I, I do this and it looks cool. And, and ultimately you will be found out because your work ethic will not match what you say. I am a firm believer in that as much as anyone says that they are, whatever it is, X I'm the head rigger for so-and-so. Speaker 0 00:42:21 Well, okay, great, you were pulling chains that day, but you're not the guy touring with them, you know? Yeah, yeah. You're, you were, yes, you might be that guy someday, but don't tell people you are when you're not. Once you get to that point, then you can say, all day long I achieved this and this is what I do. And so, you know, the, your work ethic and your ability to work to accomplish your goal has to match what you say. And so if you're not willing to put in the work, that's okay. There are people who are not, who don't want to do as much as someone else, and that's not a problem. I have no problem with that. As long as you're willing to say, you know what, that's not for me, but this is, here's the amount of effort and work I can put into it to make it excellent and accomplish this in the way that it matters most to bring value to my customers, to bring value to those I work with my colleagues, you others. Um, it's a huge thing. And, and I think that if we stand behind that and stand behind our word, uh, and, and work towards doing what we say we're going to do with the work required, um, this industry's just gonna get better and better and better. Speaker 2 00:43:35 Yeah. Yeah. Um, and when you, when you can take, you know, what somebody says to you and not necessarily respond right away and process what, what they a what they mean, ultimately, we all just want to be seen, right? Everybody wants to be, uh, validated as a human. So when somebody's saying, I'm the head rigger of whatever, well, you're not, maybe you're the crew chief that day. Um, so it's sometimes a miscommunication based on your words and how you're putting 'em together. So half the time you just need to stop, think about what you need to say and then say it. Um, and, and that way there won't be a, a miscommunication, um, moving forward. And sometimes you say the wrong thing, sometimes you put your foot in your mouth and, and that's okay too. As long as you recognize it, it and go, I'm so sorry. Speaker 2 00:44:33 I did not mean to say that that came out the wrong way. What I meant was blah, blah, blah. And you can, you can, um, as long as you're able to recognize that you two are human and you will mess up and you will say the wrong thing and you will put your foot in your mouth sometimes, as long as you can come back with good faith and love and say, gosh, darn it, I apologize. I did not mean to, to, to say that. And yeah. You know, I'll do whatever I need to do to correct that, that mistake I just made or whatever. Um, so going back to your making sure that you follow through with what you say, Speaker 0 00:45:15 Yeah, follow through's huge. You broke up for just a second at the beginning of that, but the point was, the point was well made owning your choices, owning your mistakes when you do misspeak or you do something that you don't intentionally, you know, mean to do. But, uh, it's a great, it, it's a great future that I see, I mean, for our industry, dude. I mean, it came, it came back so hard and so fast. It was wild. I can't, I got to the end of the year, like December and my wife, my wife was like, yeah, we're really ready for a whole week off and Christmas and all this stuff. And it just, it never materialized. There was always something happening. <laugh>. I mean, we had, we had gear going to booths at c e s, you know, all this stuff happening. Oh, like, yeah, right over New Year's. And then we had stuff even December, December felt quiet, but then all of a sudden I looked back and I <laugh> and I looked at like all the work we did, and I was like, hold on, we just did this much in December. I mean, how much are we actually capable of? Which is awesome to see. Yeah. And look at the capacity. I mean, we, we doubled our staff from January, 2022 to January, 2023. We are now, uh, gig rent has 17 full-time staff members, uh, working here. That's Speaker 2 00:46:32 Amazing. Amazing. Speaker 0 00:46:33 And it's, it has been incredible. I actually just hired my general manager for Orlando. He has come in and grabbed the bull with both horns starting out 2023. I mean, that's actually one of the reasons why I can do this right now, <laugh>, is because I don't have to run our Orlando office at the moment. And he has come in and he's really taking control of what we're doing, helping to train our guys, create the speed and efficiency that we need to be able to do even more than we're already doing. And so I'm, I'm in, I'm insanely excited, uh, for the future, not only of of gig rent, but also for the industry and where we're going. I mean, we're seeing some awesome meetings happen. Um, you know, we're actually doing a, a big 180 foot wide blend over at the Marriott World Center here in Orlando this week, uh, for a big meeting that was much smaller last year, you know, as they were coming back from Covid, O V I D. And so that is incredibly hopeful as I see 2023 really kind of continue on from 2022, which was by all accounts a banner year, I think, for everybody. Um, I don't know anybody in the industry that was not overwhelmed and entirely blown away by what happened in, uh, in 2022. So I'm excited for 2023. Uh, hopefully you and I end up in the same, you know, zip code during the year at some point, you know, we'll see. Speaker 2 00:48:02 Well, all you gotta do is call Speaker 0 00:48:05 I That is true. <laugh> communicate. That is very true. Speaker 2 00:48:08 You, you've got my, you've got my number Speaker 0 00:48:10 <laugh>. I know, but I, you know what, man? There is something about being in front of somebody face-to-face that is absolutely different than anything else in the world, which is why we have a job. I mean, which is why we do what we do. Yeah. Uh, is because that face-to-face meeting coming and seeing someone person to person, yes. You know, you're very 2D right now on the screen. But when we get, you know, when you get that third dimension of the, the person, their, you know, their countenance, who they are and the way that they come and approach, you know, every situation makes all the difference. Speaker 2 00:48:48 This is the portion of the show where we tell you to put your 3D goggles on. And, uh, now I'm coming at you in 3D <laugh>. Speaker 0 00:48:56 That's awesome, dude. Well, hey, thanks. Yeah, I hear you. Great. Um, thanks for being available. Thanks for jumping in. We will, uh, we'll schedule another one here in a couple of weeks. You know, we'll try and keep the format down into the 45 minute range things got a little outta hand during Covid, but we had all the time in the world, so <laugh>, it wasn't a big deal. Speaker 2 00:49:16 We did, we did. Yeah. Speaker 0 00:49:20 Yeah. Awesome, dude. Speaker 2 00:49:21 Well, I, uh, always thankful for, uh, for you, and I'm thankful, uh, that, that you, uh, you want me to be a part of Gig Ready and, and the podcast. And, uh, I always enjoy, uh, chatting you up. Speaker 0 00:49:33 Yeah, dude, it's gonna be great. We're gonna learn some great things this year. I'm excited for it. And, uh, we'll see you next time. Speaker 2 00:49:40 All right.