Would you like to have an easy-to-use yet professional studio setup but don't have much room?

What about if your studio is also used for other things such as a craft room, kids' playroom, or a spare room?

In this episode, we go behind the scenes with Katie Fawkes, the Director of Marketing at Ecamm, as she showcases her home studio.

In this new season of the Confident Live Marketing Podcast, we go behind the scenes of content creators, entrepreneurs, and business owners. We'll be showcasing studios from the humble to the deluxe.

In this episode, we're exploring everything from dual-purpose spaces to top-tier gear, ensuring your studio is not just functional, but also inspires creativity. Whether you're a seasoned content creator or just starting out, this episode is packed with insights and tips that'll help you elevate your live-streaming game. Let's jump in!

Episode Summary:

• [00:00] - Welcome to a new season focused on studio setups.
• [00:54] - Introducing Katie Fawkes, Director of Marketing at Ecamm.
• [01:52] - Katie discusses her unique dual studio setup at home and at the Ecamm office.
• [02:59] - Insights into Katie's minimalist yet effective gear setup.
• [04:43] - Katie’s Microphone - Shure MV7
• [07:49] - Camera choices: iPhone 12 with Camo app vs. high-end cameras.
• [10:08] - The versatility of PTZ cameras for different shooting angles.
• [12:14] - The importance of lighting in video production.
• [13:49] - Katie shares details about her 2021 MacBook Pro setup.
• [16:03] - A rundown of essential software tools for content creation.
• [19:14] - Personalising your studio space for creativity and productivity.
• [23:07] - Katie's top recommendation for beginners: invest in a good microphone.
• [25:33] - Where to find Katie and her work.

Katie's Studio Gear:

• Microphone: Shure MV7
• Camera: iPhone 12 with Camo app, Insta360 Link, OBSBOT Tiny 2
• Lighting: Elgato Key Light Air
• Computer: 2021 MacBook Pro (M1)
• Software: 
• Ecamm Live
• Camo
• Descript
• Opus Clip
• Agorapulse
• Captivate
• Desk: Homemade wooden L-shaped desk
• Other gear: Linsoul KZ ZSN Pro Dual Driver 1BA+1DD Hybrid Metal Earphones

Links and Resources:

• Ecamm Live
• Camo by Reincubate
• Descript
• Opusclip
• Agorapulse
• Captivate

About Katie Fawkes:

Katie Fawkes is the Director of Marketing at Ecamm, where she collaborates with some of the most talented live streamers, podcasters, and content creators to help them achieve their goals and grow their businesses through video and live streaming. Alongside leading Ecamm's marketing efforts, Katie also co-hosts the video podcast, The Flow, sharing her insights and experiences in the dynamic world of digital content creation.

Show Notes

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The Confident Live Marketing Show

The Confident Live Marketing Show is a weekly live video show and podcast. It’s aimed at established entrepreneurs who want to level up their impact, authority and profits through the power of live video, webinars and podcasts. We’ll focus on knocking down the 3 main barriers these entrepreneurs face when creating live content - camera confidence/mindset, tech/gear and content marketing.

It’s hosted by Ian Anderson Gray. He is the founder of the Confident Live Marketing Academy and is the host of the Confident Live Marketing Podcast. He helps entrepreneurs to level up their impact, authority and profits by using live video confidently. He’s founder of Seriously Social - a blog focused on live video and social media tools. He’s an international speaker, trainer, teacher and consultant. He has a passion for making the techno-babble of live video and social media marketing easy to understand. As well as being a geek, husband, and dad to two kids, Ian is also a professional singer and lives near Manchester in the UK.

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Ian: 00:00:33

hello, welcome to the confident live marketing podcast.

Ian: 00:00:36

My name's Ian Anderson Gray, and this is a new series when I'm going

Ian: 00:00:41

to be interviewing some amazing guests about their studio setup.

Ian: 00:00:45

So if you want to get inspired with some new ideas on how to level up

Ian: 00:00:49

your studio or just get started.

Ian: 00:00:51

We're going to be looking at loads of different ones.

Ian: 00:00:53

I'm very excited about this.

Ian: 00:00:54

my guest today is the fabulous Katie Fawkes, who is the director of

Ian: 00:01:00

marketing at Ecamm where she gets to work alongside some of the most amazing

Ian: 00:01:04

live streamers, podcasters, and content creators out there, helping them reach

Ian: 00:01:09

their goals and grow their business through video and live streaming.

Ian: 00:01:13

In addition to heading up Ecamm's marketing team, Katie is also the

Ian: 00:01:17

co-host of the video podcast, The Flow.

Ian: 00:01:21

Welcome, Katie.

Ian: 00:01:22

It's great to have you here.

KATIE: 00:01:23

It's so fun to be back on the show again.

KATIE: 00:01:26

I'm so excited to be here.

Ian: 00:01:28

it's great to have you.

Ian: 00:01:28

And it's, a whole different format.

Ian: 00:01:31

So we're actually pre recording these.

Ian: 00:01:32

We're making it short and snappy.

Ian: 00:01:35

That's the idea.

KATIE: 00:01:37

Love it.

Ian: 00:01:38

So yeah, Katie, we've known each other for ages, but what

Ian: 00:01:40

are you working on at the moment?

Ian: 00:01:41

And tell us a little bit about your studio?

Ian: 00:01:45

What makes your studio setup unique?

Ian: 00:01:47

And I know you're a bit different cause you actually have two in a sense.

Ian: 00:01:51

Are you at home at the moment?

KATIE: 00:01:52

I'm at home at the moment and in answer to what I'm

KATIE: 00:01:55

working on, it's this space here.

KATIE: 00:01:57

So this is not a finished product.

KATIE: 00:01:59

So I'm, taking you into, my work in progress space.

KATIE: 00:02:04

But for those of you who don't know me, I have a beautiful, completely

KATIE: 00:02:08

like gorgeous high end studio in the Ecamm office space, which is

KATIE: 00:02:12

about 15 minutes or so from my home.

KATIE: 00:02:15

But I do a lot of live streaming and podcasting and video

KATIE: 00:02:18

creation here from my house.

KATIE: 00:02:19

So I've been trying to work through this space, which is a multi purpose room.

KATIE: 00:02:24

So it's half studio for me, studio office for me, and then half art

KATIE: 00:02:28

studio for my nine year old daughter.

KATIE: 00:02:30

So it's a tricky space to be thinking through and working

KATIE: 00:02:33

through, but it's been a fun project.

Ian: 00:02:34

I think a lot of people say, "My studio is also like my bedroom" or it's

Ian: 00:02:40

a spare bedroom or it's, the kid's space.

Ian: 00:02:43

But that in a sense, that's, at least it's almost harsh to say this.

Ian: 00:02:47

It's no excuse really, because there's still so much that we can do.

Ian: 00:02:51

So how do you manage that?

Ian: 00:02:53

Being all these different spaces all at the same time.

Ian: 00:02:55

How do you manage the different purposes that your studio has?

KATIE: 00:02:59

I think you have to make it as easy as possible for you to create with, right?

KATIE: 00:03:03

So if you make it complicated, then you're not going to do it.

KATIE: 00:03:06

So for me, it was just a real understanding that this is a small

KATIE: 00:03:10

space and I need to be able to just set my laptop down, plug it in and

KATIE: 00:03:16

be ready to go without my desk being cluttered with all kinds of gear.

KATIE: 00:03:21

So this was complicated for me because I have access to, really

KATIE: 00:03:26

gorgeous, brand new mirrorless cameras and huge, cool lighting equipment.

KATIE: 00:03:31

I have all of this stuff that I could bring into the space, but

KATIE: 00:03:34

there's not really enough room for me to be able to actually use it and

KATIE: 00:03:37

maximize it to the way I wanted to.

KATIE: 00:03:39

So I had to get really nimble with my approach.

KATIE: 00:03:41

So the most expensive piece of gear I have is my microphone and that everything

KATIE: 00:03:45

else is really small and really simple because I need for it to be able to

KATIE: 00:03:49

stay on my desk, which I might be using for, taking notes or craft projects.

KATIE: 00:03:55

I do a bunch of different kinds of papercraft projects.

KATIE: 00:03:57

So I need to be able to push it to the side, but have it sitting there ready to

KATIE: 00:04:01

go when I need to create video content.

Ian: 00:04:03

I think that removing that friction from creating the content

Ian: 00:04:06

as well, you want it to be ready to go, but you also want it to be

Ian: 00:04:10

multi purpose in most situations.

Ian: 00:04:11

And that's something that I want to do in my studio is to have.

Ian: 00:04:16

I, love playing around with music and I was thinking, I'll be cool if

Ian: 00:04:19

I had a keyboard here and I can do all of that kind of stuff as well.

Ian: 00:04:22

So you've mentioned microphones, and that's you're more expensive,

Ian: 00:04:26

higher end kind of thing.

Ian: 00:04:27

Let's start off with that.

Ian: 00:04:28

Let's do a deep dive.

Ian: 00:04:29

So this is one of the things I want to do in these interviews is do a deep dive

Ian: 00:04:32

into your studio set up at the moment.

Ian: 00:04:35

And we'll maybe come on to what you're thinking about next.

Ian: 00:04:37

But in terms of your microphone and audio setup, what have you got?

Ian: 00:04:40

And why did you choose what you got?

KATIE: 00:04:43

So I have a Shure MV7 microphone and I really like this

KATIE: 00:04:47

for a couple of different reasons.

KATIE: 00:04:48

The first is that it's a great mic.

KATIE: 00:04:51

It captures audio really, well, but it makes it really easy because

KATIE: 00:04:55

you can connect it through USB, which is what I'm doing right now.

KATIE: 00:04:58

So it's literally just plugged in with a USB cable directly into my MacBook laptop.

KATIE: 00:05:02

But you can also connect it through XLR, which will allow me when I

KATIE: 00:05:07

take this mic with me, which I sometimes do, back to the office.

KATIE: 00:05:11

Or if I'm traveling, I can connect it through a mixer, like a

KATIE: 00:05:14

Rodecaster pro and be able to get a lot more control over my audio.

KATIE: 00:05:17

So it's really versatile.

KATIE: 00:05:19

It's pretty lightweight.

KATIE: 00:05:20

This tiny little PIXI stand.

KATIE: 00:05:22

So it makes it really easy for me to move it around and I can just fold it up and

KATIE: 00:05:26

put it into a bag and bring it with me if I need to, be on the go somewhere.

KATIE: 00:05:31

It's nice that it's really versatile and it's really lightweight, but

KATIE: 00:05:33

it offers really great audio.

Ian: 00:05:35

love the way it's not just XLR.

Ian: 00:05:37

So, I love my microphone.

Ian: 00:05:39

I've got a Heil PR 40, but it is XLR only.

Ian: 00:05:43

So you can't just plug it straight into your computer.

Ian: 00:05:45

And you've got the best of both worlds, w ith that.

Ian: 00:05:47

And you've mentioned things like Rodecaster Pros and things like that.

Ian: 00:05:49

Have you deliberately not added like an audio interface or mixer into the mix?

Ian: 00:05:55

Is that something you're thinking about, or do you think that just adds

Ian: 00:05:58

too much complication to your setup?

Ian: 00:06:00

Are you happy with the way things are?

KATIE: 00:06:02

I'm happy with the way things are here at home.

KATIE: 00:06:04

We actually downsized.

KATIE: 00:06:08

It's, still a great piece of equipment, but we, in the office, we have the

KATIE: 00:06:11

Rodecaster Pro, the original one.

KATIE: 00:06:13

And we actually, we like upgraded, but downsized to the Rodecaster Duo, which is

KATIE: 00:06:19

smaller because for the most part, we're really only connecting two microphones.

KATIE: 00:06:24

So it allowed us more desk space.

KATIE: 00:06:26

And it wasn't this large piece of equipment.

KATIE: 00:06:29

here at home, my desk is not all that big.

KATIE: 00:06:31

And as I said, I'm using it for a lot of different things.

KATIE: 00:06:34

Sometimes my kids or my husband are using it.

KATIE: 00:06:36

So as cool as the Rodecaster Pro is and as much versatility as it offers,

KATIE: 00:06:41

being able to really control your audio.

KATIE: 00:06:43

It wasn't making a big enough difference for me here in my home

KATIE: 00:06:46

studio space to merit it taking up that much space on my desk.

KATIE: 00:06:50

So I don't have it here.

KATIE: 00:06:52

I don't think I will add it, but I could if I needed to, cause it's easy enough

KATIE: 00:06:56

to go and pick it up from the office.

KATIE: 00:06:58

But, the audio has been good enough, I, record my podcast here weekly,

KATIE: 00:07:03

sometimes multiple podcasts weekly.

KATIE: 00:07:05

And the USB connection is a good enough audio for what I'm doing with it here.

Ian: 00:07:10

Yeah.

Ian: 00:07:10

No, I think the audio sounds absolutely great.

Ian: 00:07:12

And it's funny sometimes like the real audiophiles out there can

Ian: 00:07:16

get really snobby about this...

KATIE: 00:07:17

yeah, I'm not that person!

Ian: 00:07:18

...you can't use USB and you can't, all this kind of stuff.

Ian: 00:07:21

And if you're on the high ends, then maybe they've got a point,

Ian: 00:07:24

but your audio sounds great.

Ian: 00:07:25

And, I think adding all these extra bits can overly complicate it.

Ian: 00:07:30

Yes.

Ian: 00:07:31

The Rodecaster Pro looks lovely with all those flashing lights,

Ian: 00:07:34

but we don't it...

KATIE: 00:07:34

It looks cool.

KATIE: 00:07:35

Yeah,

Ian: 00:07:36

Looks cool, but that's about it.

Ian: 00:07:37

Let's move on to cameras.

Ian: 00:07:39

So I'm really interested in this because, a lot of people think that

Ian: 00:07:43

you need to spend a lot of money on, cameras, go for that real high end stuff.

Ian: 00:07:47

Tell us about your setup.

KATIE: 00:07:49

Gosh.

KATIE: 00:07:49

So right now I'm literally using my iPhone 12.

KATIE: 00:07:54

So I don't even have the newest, fanciest iPhone, which

KATIE: 00:07:57

everyone makes fun of me for.

KATIE: 00:07:58

But, but it's super easy because I always have my phone with me.

KATIE: 00:08:03

So I plugged my phone into my computer using USB.

KATIE: 00:08:07

And I'm using a software called Camo by Reincubate.

KATIE: 00:08:10

So you go reincubate.com/camo.

KATIE: 00:08:13

And that gives me, some camera settings and control.

KATIE: 00:08:16

It's a little bit more reliable than Continuity Camera, which

KATIE: 00:08:19

is built right into my iPhone.

KATIE: 00:08:21

But again, what I really like about it is that, I bring my phone and

KATIE: 00:08:24

my computer up into this space.

KATIE: 00:08:25

I plug my phone into my computer.

KATIE: 00:08:27

I put it onto a tripod and I'm ready to go.

KATIE: 00:08:29

Versus before I was using Sony mirrorless camera, which I love the quality of it

KATIE: 00:08:34

is fantastic, but it took up an insane amount of space on my desk and I was,

KATIE: 00:08:40

struggling with okay, maybe I want to move my desk like out from the wall and

KATIE: 00:08:43

have it on a tripod behind or maybe I want it on a smaller tripod on my

KATIE: 00:08:47

desk, but then I would have to move it when I wasn't using it, and then

KATIE: 00:08:50

I'd have to get it out and set it all up and make sure the camera settings.

KATIE: 00:08:53

It was just taking a lot of time that was stopping me from creating content.

KATIE: 00:08:56

And the picture quality on my phone is actually great.

KATIE: 00:08:59

So I've been playing around with kind of these smaller, easier options.

KATIE: 00:09:03

So the phone is really great.

KATIE: 00:09:04

The other one that I use, sometimes here and there, because it gives me

KATIE: 00:09:07

a little bit more flexibility is the two different kinds of PTZ cameras.

KATIE: 00:09:12

So the first is the Insta360 Link, and then the second is the OBSBOT Tiny 2.

KATIE: 00:09:19

And these are, I wish I had them here.

KATIE: 00:09:21

I have, I moved them into the office, but they're a really small cameras.

KATIE: 00:09:25

They're tiny cameras, and you can attach them to the top of your laptop

KATIE: 00:09:29

or onto a tripod, and they have the ability with hand gestures to be able

KATIE: 00:09:34

to do things like zoom in, or, you can use them as like an overhead camera.

KATIE: 00:09:39

So they're great if you wanted like a second camera angle, or if you were

KATIE: 00:09:43

doing a lot of kind of demoing or, you were doing whiteboarding or trying

KATIE: 00:09:48

to write something down on your desk.

KATIE: 00:09:50

They could give you kind of some of that control without needing to be constantly

KATIE: 00:09:54

fiddling with it because you can just do the, hand gestures to make it easy.

KATIE: 00:09:57

And those are a couple hundred dollars versus, upwards of a thousand for some

KATIE: 00:10:01

of the higher end mirrorless cameras.

KATIE: 00:10:03

And they go all the way up to 4k.

KATIE: 00:10:04

So they, they do offer a lot of quality for a lot less money.

Ian: 00:10:08

Yeah, that's, really cool to hear.

Ian: 00:10:10

And your video quality is amazing.

Ian: 00:10:14

And this is just, this is from an iPhone.

Ian: 00:10:16

I've got an iPhone 12 as well.

Ian: 00:10:17

So you're in good company and it like, don't let anyone make fun

Ian: 00:10:20

of you for having an iPhone 12.

Ian: 00:10:22

I think that's great.

Ian: 00:10:23

And I've got a, Sony ZV E10 or whatever it's called.

Ian: 00:10:27

I can never remember the name of it and it's great, but if I want to like change

Ian: 00:10:33

to a different area, if I want to go downstairs and take, I, there's no way I'm

Ian: 00:10:37

going to be taking this camera downstairs cause it's all set up perfectly.

Ian: 00:10:40

So using the, camera app, I use that too.

Ian: 00:10:43

It's, amazing.

Ian: 00:10:44

You just plug it in and.

Ian: 00:10:46

Yeah, there is Continuity Cam, but as you said, this gives you

Ian: 00:10:49

a little bit more stability.

Ian: 00:10:50

And there's a little mount, isn't there?

Ian: 00:10:51

That you can mount your iPhone to your computer as well.

KATIE: 00:10:55

I don't even have that.

KATIE: 00:10:56

I have, I wish I could show you, I don't have an extra camera, but I have the

KATIE: 00:11:00

world's most embarrassingly small tripod.

KATIE: 00:11:03

I think it was maybe 10 dollars, but what's nice about it is

KATIE: 00:11:08

that it works really well.

KATIE: 00:11:09

I have all the more expensive ones.

KATIE: 00:11:11

They're great.

KATIE: 00:11:12

But this one, it's just easy for me to set up.

KATIE: 00:11:15

And again, it like folds flat and I just toss it to the side.

KATIE: 00:11:19

So for me, it's a space thing.

KATIE: 00:11:21

I really got intentional last year with saying, Hey, this is annoying.

KATIE: 00:11:26

And I'm losing a lot of time constantly messing around with

KATIE: 00:11:30

my desk and with my space.

KATIE: 00:11:31

And I would rather be doing better updates.

KATIE: 00:11:33

Like I want to be able to change up all the storage and

KATIE: 00:11:37

kind of the display behind me.

KATIE: 00:11:38

That's more important to me than constantly messing with things

KATIE: 00:11:42

that are on my desk that no one can see, but that I need to be

KATIE: 00:11:45

moving around for functionality.

Ian: 00:11:47

We need to think about both, don't we?

Ian: 00:11:48

What's in front of us, but also what's behind us.

Ian: 00:11:51

And the stuff behind us is actually often more difficult, I think,

Ian: 00:11:55

depending on how creative you are.

Ian: 00:11:57

Okay, we're moving on to one area, which always frustrated me a little bit.

Ian: 00:12:03

So I'm wondering how you've dealt with this.

Ian: 00:12:05

And this is lighting.

Ian: 00:12:06

So how did you set up lighting?

Ian: 00:12:08

For the right mood or clarity.

Ian: 00:12:09

Do you bother with lighting?

Ian: 00:12:10

Do you just use natural light?

Ian: 00:12:12

Tell us a little bit more about that.

KATIE: 00:12:14

I do bother with lighting.

KATIE: 00:12:16

I could be better at it.

KATIE: 00:12:18

So I have an Elgato Key Light Air.

KATIE: 00:12:20

I think I need another one over on this side, so I'm light, like I

KATIE: 00:12:25

just have lamps on the other side, so another one would be great.

KATIE: 00:12:28

The room I'm in is pretty dark, so there's only one window

KATIE: 00:12:31

and it's on a really far side.

KATIE: 00:12:33

I think when it comes to natural lighting, you just can't.

KATIE: 00:12:36

Trust that it's going to be reliable.

KATIE: 00:12:38

I'm, recording at all different times of day and, and night often.

KATIE: 00:12:42

and there's no overhead light here, even in this room.

KATIE: 00:12:44

So I need to be, I think a little bit more intentional with

KATIE: 00:12:47

lighting than a lot of people.

KATIE: 00:12:49

But again, lighting actually can make even a really terrible camera look awesome.

KATIE: 00:12:55

So being able to master lighting is pretty important and something I think

KATIE: 00:12:59

many people don't think enough about.

KATIE: 00:13:02

yeah, it's, but again, I'm.

KATIE: 00:13:04

cheap and small because it's easy to have on my desk and

KATIE: 00:13:07

easy to turn away if I need to.

Ian: 00:13:09

exactly.

Ian: 00:13:10

And again, you just want to, it's something that's simple.

Ian: 00:13:12

I've got the Elgato key lights.

Ian: 00:13:14

I've got two of them.

Ian: 00:13:15

I've been told that you should have a third one.

Ian: 00:13:17

And there's a, is it like a hair light and things like

KATIE: 00:13:20

that?

KATIE: 00:13:20

Yeah, I don't have a hair light.

Ian: 00:13:22

sometimes I think you can be overly produced and

Ian: 00:13:25

make it too perfect sometimes.

Ian: 00:13:27

Okay, let's move on to computer because.

Ian: 00:13:30

This is, or this is the, device, because some people would use, like

Ian: 00:13:34

an iPhone as their main thing, but obviously you're using computer, tell,

Ian: 00:13:39

us a little bit about your computer setup or any, kind of special setup

Ian: 00:13:43

that you've got on your system.

Ian: 00:13:45

We're moving on, we'll move on to tools in a bit, but just the computer first.

KATIE: 00:13:49

Yeah, sure.

KATIE: 00:13:50

I'm actually using a 2021 MacBook Pro.

KATIE: 00:13:53

It's the first kind of first generation of the M1 series.

KATIE: 00:13:56

So their own silicon chip versus the Intel.

KATIE: 00:14:00

I made that update because it offers a ton more power.

KATIE: 00:14:03

And because I work for a company that is super Mac focused.

KATIE: 00:14:06

So for us, we need to be on a newer computer.

KATIE: 00:14:09

I'm probably at a point where I should be thinking about upgrading soon to some of

KATIE: 00:14:13

the kind of newer, more powerful machines.

KATIE: 00:14:15

But for my purposes, it's been great so far.

KATIE: 00:14:17

It's powerful enough to handle video production.

KATIE: 00:14:20

And some of the kind of lighter video editing that I do.

KATIE: 00:14:25

yeah, what else can I tell you?

KATIE: 00:14:26

But I'm on again, I'm on a laptop, and I don't have any additional stuff.

KATIE: 00:14:30

Things with it.

KATIE: 00:14:31

So I have no, no additional displays or monitors or anything

KATIE: 00:14:35

else that I'm connecting into it.

KATIE: 00:14:36

And predominantly because I travel a ton.

KATIE: 00:14:40

So I'm, I'm here at home.

KATIE: 00:14:42

I'm, we have two offices.

KATIE: 00:14:43

I'm back and forth between different offices.

KATIE: 00:14:45

I met conferences and events.

KATIE: 00:14:47

And I just, I, realized after a while that.

KATIE: 00:14:50

as great as it is to have a second display and to have, a mouse connected to it, an

KATIE: 00:14:56

additional keyboard and all these amazing things that make it easier if you're in

KATIE: 00:14:59

one spot, getting really reliant on that.

KATIE: 00:15:02

And then traveling means that I would be, it would take me a while to get used to

KATIE: 00:15:06

just being back on my laptop again and having a smaller, screen space to look at.

KATIE: 00:15:11

So I just don't use those so that I'm not reliant on them and I

KATIE: 00:15:15

don't miss them when they're gone.

KATIE: 00:15:17

which can be a little bit limiting here and there, but in general,

KATIE: 00:15:20

it works well for what I'm doing.

Ian: 00:15:22

That makes sense.

Ian: 00:15:23

Okay.

Ian: 00:15:24

And then tools.

Ian: 00:15:24

So this, we've mentioned Camom which is, this, is it Mac?

Ian: 00:15:28

Or I can't, I think it's just for Mac.

Ian: 00:15:30

I can't remember this for PC as well, but

KATIE: 00:15:31

I think they just, I think recently they've added, I, only use Mac,

KATIE: 00:15:36

so I can't entirely answer, but I think they did recently add PC, options or

KATIE: 00:15:40

Android options

Ian: 00:15:41

They're, an awesome tool.

Ian: 00:15:42

So definitely check that out.

Ian: 00:15:43

But, we're going to assume you're using Ecamm, obviously for Ecamm, but, let,

Ian: 00:15:49

tell us a bit about your essential software that you use to create

Ian: 00:15:52

your video content, podcast content.

Ian: 00:15:53

Cause you, you're, creating.

Ian: 00:15:56

You're not just working with Ecamm and producing content for Ecamm, you're doing

Ian: 00:16:01

a lot of stuff yourself as well for fun.

KATIE: 00:16:03

Yeah, so, all of the video creation, I'm using Ecamm and that

KATIE: 00:16:07

includes short videos and things that I, that I use for promotion or

KATIE: 00:16:11

to explain something to someone if I'm sending like a video note over.

KATIE: 00:16:16

that's Ecamm, Camo, as we said, is helping me create better.

KATIE: 00:16:20

Camera quality from my phone.

KATIE: 00:16:22

I use a tool called Descript, which many of you probably have heard of.

KATIE: 00:16:25

That's a really great, powerful AI video editing tool.

KATIE: 00:16:30

I also use Opus Clip, which is similar to Descript, but what it does is allows

KATIE: 00:16:36

me to literally just drop in either a YouTube link or upload a video in,

KATIE: 00:16:40

and it uses AI to just create all of the best vertical clips with burned

KATIE: 00:16:45

right on and ready to go for promotion, which is Magical time saving for me.

KATIE: 00:16:52

I've recently been playing around with a lot more of the kind of video AI tools.

KATIE: 00:16:57

So there's one called cast magic that I've been loving that does,

KATIE: 00:17:03

just about everything with video.

KATIE: 00:17:05

it can.

KATIE: 00:17:06

Capture like meeting notes, transcripts.

KATIE: 00:17:09

It can create, white pages and blog articles and emails and

KATIE: 00:17:13

everything just from a, just from the audio from your video.

KATIE: 00:17:16

So that's been a really helpful tool for me, but I'm newer to it.

KATIE: 00:17:21

Trying to think what else?

KATIE: 00:17:21

Agorapulse is a huge tool for me.

KATIE: 00:17:23

I used it from the absolute beginning, made the change years

KATIE: 00:17:27

back and have not regretted that as far as social media scheduling

KATIE: 00:17:30

and dealing with incoming messages.

KATIE: 00:17:34

podcasting, I use captivate.

KATIE: 00:17:36

I have a ton of, I have a ton of different tools.

KATIE: 00:17:38

I could probably be here for hours talking through all the different

KATIE: 00:17:41

tools.

KATIE: 00:17:41

Yeah,

Ian: 00:17:42

have, I've got the next few seasons sorted out, but maybe we, and the

Ian: 00:17:47

season after that, we need to have you back to talk about tools because, so

KATIE: 00:17:52

play around with them.

KATIE: 00:17:53

Yeah.

KATIE: 00:17:53

So I can see like what worked best or what, what saved.

KATIE: 00:17:57

I, come at it and I hope that everyone does the same thing.

KATIE: 00:18:00

Like really, every day there's a new tool and every, there's

KATIE: 00:18:03

always some new thing that, that.

KATIE: 00:18:05

Incredible people are talking about and using in all these marvelous ways, and

KATIE: 00:18:09

I try to test that out and say, okay, but does this actually save me time?

KATIE: 00:18:14

is this something that I can add into my workflow?

KATIE: 00:18:16

That's going to make a difference for me.

KATIE: 00:18:18

Maybe it's amazing for, for some of my colleagues or people

KATIE: 00:18:21

that I work closely with, but it might not work for my workflow.

KATIE: 00:18:24

So for me, it's amazing.

KATIE: 00:18:25

It's just, it's a matter of does it save me time?

KATIE: 00:18:27

Is the amount of time it's saving me worth the cost of the tool?

KATIE: 00:18:30

And so that, that is constantly what I'm trying to think of when it comes to tools,

KATIE: 00:18:34

cause I'm not doing all aspects of it.

KATIE: 00:18:37

I have a, I have team members who are doing social media or, video editing

KATIE: 00:18:41

or all these other sides of it.

KATIE: 00:18:42

So it might not be a tool that I need, maybe it's fine if they

KATIE: 00:18:46

use whatever works best for them.

Ian: 00:18:48

that makes sense.

Ian: 00:18:50

Cool.

Ian: 00:18:50

we could talk about tools for ages.

Ian: 00:18:52

I'm sure.

Ian: 00:18:53

So let's talk about your studio space and how you've, cause obviously

Ian: 00:18:58

you've got two different places.

Ian: 00:18:59

You've got your home place.

Ian: 00:19:00

You've got your, the one at the e comm offices.

Ian: 00:19:02

What have you done to make it more, personal and have you made

Ian: 00:19:08

it more to foster a place of being creative and productive?

KATIE: 00:19:14

Yeah, great question.

KATIE: 00:19:16

I've done a little bit here in this space, but I've got a ways to go.

KATIE: 00:19:20

So I, I've been, I painted this entire room and I have my, at my desk,

KATIE: 00:19:26

as I said, in a really good spot.

KATIE: 00:19:28

So everything you don't see on camera, I'm feeling really good and

KATIE: 00:19:31

confident about here in this space.

KATIE: 00:19:32

What I need to work on next is like all the behind me background

KATIE: 00:19:36

that you'll see, on camera.

KATIE: 00:19:38

And as I said earlier, a little bit more or better lighting here in this space.

KATIE: 00:19:43

And otherwise I think I'll be in a pretty good spot, as far as this space goes.

KATIE: 00:19:49

my main focus really has just been making sure that it's a place where it's really

KATIE: 00:19:54

easy for me to Bring my computer over my phone up and be able to record content

KATIE: 00:19:59

or jump on an interview fast and, look my best here when I'm at home for for

KATIE: 00:20:05

whatever reason in the office, we spent a ton of time and I was lucky enough to be

KATIE: 00:20:12

able to work with some really incredible people, including team members and a lot

KATIE: 00:20:15

of influencers we work with to create this really, dynamic, fun, funky space.

KATIE: 00:20:22

So we actually hired an interior.

KATIE: 00:20:24

designer for the entire office space.

KATIE: 00:20:26

It's a really big like open concept room that used to be a yoga studio.

KATIE: 00:20:30

So there's lots of, windows and there, there's, this hardwood floor.

KATIE: 00:20:35

So we really had to be thinking about, lighting, how sound bounces, off all

KATIE: 00:20:42

of the windows and the floor and the walls, and might create some feedback.

KATIE: 00:20:47

there was a lot that went into that space, including, what we wanted to

KATIE: 00:20:51

be able to show behind the video.

KATIE: 00:20:53

So we have in the camera room, this, this bookshelf that has a lot of

KATIE: 00:20:59

our e cam merch in the back and a lot of, Mac and Apple products that.

KATIE: 00:21:05

that are a little bit, vintage to just give a nod to, things that are important

KATIE: 00:21:10

to the company and things that are, important to us as creators in that space.

KATIE: 00:21:15

and right now in that space, too, we also have, as I said, we have the,

KATIE: 00:21:18

Roadcaster Duo because we often will do Live streams where it's our two co

KATIE: 00:21:23

founders who are, talking together.

KATIE: 00:21:25

So we needed multiple microphones.

KATIE: 00:21:28

We have multiple cameras.

KATIE: 00:21:30

so there's just a lot, it's a lot bigger space.

KATIE: 00:21:32

I, the one thing I do run into issues with though all the time, and I

KATIE: 00:21:36

still haven't entirely figured out is that it's also a test studio.

KATIE: 00:21:40

So our co founders are constantly.

KATIE: 00:21:43

moving things and changing all of the settings on camera.

KATIE: 00:21:47

So I lose a lot of control in that space.

KATIE: 00:21:50

So I've been working really closely with team, with the team on, how to

KATIE: 00:21:54

save presets within my camera, how to use gaff tape to mark where the tripods

KATIE: 00:21:59

or where things are in the table.

KATIE: 00:22:01

and so I'm able to set up.

KATIE: 00:22:04

how I want the shot to look when I'm doing podcasts for the company, or

KATIE: 00:22:08

if I'm joining as an interview guest, or if I'm even just doing like a

KATIE: 00:22:12

meeting or, pitching a new client.

KATIE: 00:22:15

So that part of it, I think is challenging.

KATIE: 00:22:17

And I think a lot of things that I learned in that space are really

KATIE: 00:22:21

applicable for many of you watching that even something as simple as just.

KATIE: 00:22:25

putting a piece of tape down as to where something goes will make

KATIE: 00:22:29

it faster and easier for you to be able to set back up later and

KATIE: 00:22:31

knowing how much time that takes too.

KATIE: 00:22:33

So I know in that space, I probably have to start getting ready for a

KATIE: 00:22:37

live stream or for a video 30 minutes beforehand to factor in enough time

KATIE: 00:22:42

to reset everything up and do my sound and tech check versus here.

KATIE: 00:22:46

Maybe it's 10 minutes because I know I can just sit down.

KATIE: 00:22:49

Plug and play.

KATIE: 00:22:50

It's very simple and easy.

KATIE: 00:22:52

So it's understanding the different spaces and the limitations within

Ian: 00:22:56

that makes sense.

Ian: 00:22:57

That makes sense.

Ian: 00:22:57

So just very briefly, what for, beginners, what would be the first piece of equipment

Ian: 00:23:03

you would advise, beginners to invest in?

KATIE: 00:23:07

Microphone.

KATIE: 00:23:08

So people, people will put up with bad video quality.

KATIE: 00:23:12

And as I said, you can use your phone, you can get started with your phone

KATIE: 00:23:15

or, a built in camera on your computer.

KATIE: 00:23:19

but if you have bad audio, it's immediately noticeable and

KATIE: 00:23:22

people are not going to stay.

KATIE: 00:23:24

if they can hear you, they might put up with your picture getting pixelated

KATIE: 00:23:27

or, things happening here and there, but, they need to be able to hear you.

KATIE: 00:23:31

And so it's really important to invest in a good microphone.

Ian: 00:23:35

Very true.

Ian: 00:23:35

particularly if it's a podcast, if you don't have good audio,

Ian: 00:23:38

then you're not going to be good.

Ian: 00:23:41

we've, now got a new section.

Ian: 00:23:43

This is very exciting.

Ian: 00:23:43

This is the first...

Ian: 00:23:44

You're my guinea pig.

Ian: 00:23:45

I'm going to ask you questions.

Ian: 00:23:46

We've got a minute And just you have to do it as quickly as possible.

Ian: 00:23:49

But not too quickly because I've only got a limited number of

Ian: 00:23:51

questions and I'm hoping we're not going to run out of them let's see.

Ian: 00:23:54

Let's this is all new.

Ian: 00:23:55

What could possibly go wrong?

Ian: 00:23:57

Okay, here we go

KATIE: 00:23:59

Oh!

KATIE: 00:23:59

The pressure.

Ian: 00:24:01

So first question teleprompter yes or no,

KATIE: 00:24:04

No.

Ian: 00:24:06

okay

KATIE: 00:24:08

Not for me.

Ian: 00:24:09

Number two green screen or natural background

KATIE: 00:24:12

Natural background.

Ian: 00:24:14

Headphones yay or nay

KATIE: 00:24:18

Always.

KATIE: 00:24:18

Please.

Ian: 00:24:20

Of course, Number four, coffee or tea while recording?

KATIE: 00:24:23

Coffee.

Ian: 00:24:25

Love the e com, Mac.

Ian: 00:24:27

Number five, Stream Deck essential or optional?

KATIE: 00:24:30

for me, optional.

Ian: 00:24:32

Good, good.

Ian: 00:24:33

okay, this is an easy one for you, Mac or PC.

Ian: 00:24:39

number seven.

Ian: 00:24:39

Microphone in or out of shot?

KATIE: 00:24:42

In the shot so it works its best.

Ian: 00:24:44

Love it.

Ian: 00:24:46

Good answer.

Ian: 00:24:46

Acoustic panels, aesthetic choice, or acoustic essential?

KATIE: 00:24:49

my goodness.

KATIE: 00:24:50

This one's hard.

KATIE: 00:24:51

Technically an essential, but I don't have them here in my space,

Ian: 00:24:55

Okay, number nine.

Ian: 00:24:56

One big monitor or dual monitors?

KATIE: 00:24:58

one big.

Ian: 00:25:00

Cool.

Ian: 00:25:01

Awesome.

Ian: 00:25:02

You got nine.

Ian: 00:25:02

You got nine.

Ian: 00:25:03

I think I had about 15 or 16

KATIE: 00:25:05

Oh no!

Ian: 00:25:06

No, but that's good.

Ian: 00:25:08

That's good.

Ian: 00:25:08

It's a difficult round.

Ian: 00:25:09

You listening or watching, we'd love to know what your

Ian: 00:25:12

answers would have been in that.

Ian: 00:25:13

There's no writer wrong.

Ian: 00:25:14

I'm sure some people will say they are right and wrong

Ian: 00:25:16

answers with some of those.

Ian: 00:25:17

But thank you, Katie, for being my first guest on this new season.

Ian: 00:25:20

It's been awesome to have you on.

Ian: 00:25:22

So tell us where we can find out more about you, where listeners

Ian: 00:25:27

and viewers can connect with you.

Ian: 00:25:29

And, yeah.

Ian: 00:25:29

And tell us what, what's next, what you're working on at the moment.

KATIE: 00:25:33

Oh my goodness, you can find me under all of the

KATIE: 00:25:35

Ecamm channels, so E C A M M.

KATIE: 00:25:38

We're on all the social network platforms, and certainly YouTube.

KATIE: 00:25:43

You can find us there.

KATIE: 00:25:44

I am a co host for a video podcast called The Flow.

KATIE: 00:25:48

We record live every Tuesday at 12pm EST on YouTube, and you can listen

KATIE: 00:25:53

and watch wherever you'd like.

KATIE: 00:25:56

and then on the personal side, I do, a 90s movie review podcast with my best friend.

KATIE: 00:26:02

We record live on Thursday nights at 9 pm eastern, or again, you

KATIE: 00:26:05

can catch that show, any, anywhere you want to listen or watch.

KATIE: 00:26:10

That's called the VHS club pod.

KATIE: 00:26:13

You can reach us at theVHSclubpod.com.

KATIE: 00:26:15

Yay.

Ian: 00:26:16

Awesome.

Ian: 00:26:17

thank you, Katie.

Ian: 00:26:17

It's been so fun to have you on.

Ian: 00:26:20

and you'll be back in the next season, which is very exciting.

Ian: 00:26:23

So thank you, Katie.

Ian: 00:26:24

that is it for this time.

Ian: 00:26:26

Thank you so much for joining, for plugging us into your ears.

Ian: 00:26:29

We really appreciate it, but until next time, we encourage you to level up your

Ian: 00:26:33

impact, authority, and profits through the power of confident live videos.

Ian: 00:26:37

See you soon.