Actorboy Productions

So who is the Worlds Best Bricklayer?

actorboy — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:31:44 +0000

Yeah, it’s a strange title but the event is truly magnificent. I was invited out to Las Vegas for the World of Concrete, the BIGGEST Concrete Show on the Planet, to host the Spec Mix Bricklayer 500. It’s the 10th Anniversary and I’ve been doing it about 7 years now but each year the event gathers steam and is about to break into ESPN for yearly coverage. The quick version? Okay! Masons from all over the planet, yes planet, compete for hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, sponsor prizes and the winner also walks away with a brand new 2012 Ford Truck. The idea is lay as much brick as you can in 1 hour with regard to it being a “sellable” wall, meaning NO SLOP. These guys are fast and good. My house could have been built over the weekend if I had all of them doing it. It’s amazing. The day is actually a 5 hour “LIVE” Webcast that I host with 2 Undercard Events and the main event, the SMBL 500. It starts with the Toughest Tender, where the Masons right hand man(And in the case of 1 team a woman), who lay out a designed area for the Mason Pre-Show. If it’s not done right, they get DQ’d. Oh, there’s $2500.00 on the line so they are hauling and stacking. Next up is the Fastest Trowel on the Block and just like it sounds, those things are smoking at the end of the 20 Minute time limit. By the way, they use the 30 Pound blocks as opposed to the 3 pounders the other Masons use. Now the main event is wicked hard as they go for 1 hour, non-stop, building a 26 foot double-wythe wall for the contest. To get 500+ brick in that time and make it a sellable wall is nearly impossible but they do it every year. Of course, they are spent at the end of the hour but it’s an amazing race. Teams this year came from Canada, the UK, Australia and most of them were from right here in the US but it’s truly the “World’s” Best Bricklayer. Who won? You need to go to the Website and see the footage and then you’ll find out. To just give you the answer is no fun. Now, I don’t get anything for sending you there, I just want you to watch these teams in action. It’s one of the most amazing things I’ve ever been a part of and I hope it continues for years to come. Now, I’ve seen Scrabble on ESPN before and if they have that, they need this in the worst way because I promise you, just like any athlete, it’s all about Skill, Speed and Stamina. No Football Player or Triathlete will stand up to this contest as it’s not just strength or endurance, it’s also skill, a trade, a trade that goes back generations in some cases and the fact that their Grandfathers probably built America is awesome. So go check out the SpecMix Bricklayer 500 and if you don’t agree it’s the coolest contest ever, go try and build a wall. Better yet, just try and lay 50, not 500, just 50 perfect brick in 1 hour. Then, come see me.

Digital Media Driving Business: But who’s driving the Bus?

actorboy — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 23:03:10 +0000

Let’s face it, Digital Media is what’s bringing the cops to the donuts these days. Oh yeah, it’s as plain as the gooey glaze that’s dripping off the side of your mouth. But the question is, “Who’s Driving the Bus?”. Here’s what I mean. Company “X” does Websites and claim to do SEO as well, but really they’re just hiring those crazy local ad guys to allegedly get you at the top of Google. By the way, be careful how they say “We’re a Google Partner”, it’s not really like they say it is. It’s like building a house on sand. It’s coming down if you don’t have a solid foundation and if you don’t keep paying them $$$ for basic stuff you can do yourself. Company “Y” does Social Media okay, but try to say they do “Video Production” as well. Of course if you see their Facebook Posts and actually go to their Website you can see they have no business saying they do any kind of Video Production. Might as well use the Flintstone’s Bird in the camera that Chisels out pictures. Company “Z” is just hanging around building Facebook pages and charging way to much money, gives you a “tag” and calls it SEO and then on top of it all, NOT ONE OF THESE COMPANIES EXPLAIN ANYTHING THEY DO. It’s frustrating and we’re tired of companies who get sucked into the Vortex of Digital Media Disasters.

You need to know Who’s Driving the Bus when it comes to your companies Digital Media Driving your Business, and you need to make sure they tell you exactly HOW your money is being spent and WHY. Let’s go over the Top 5 Concerns about Digital Media and see if we can make things a little easier to understand.

1) WHY DO I NEED TO USE ALL FORMS OF DIGITAL MEDIA? That’s a great questions to start on so let’s hit it head on with a simple answer. You wouldn’t bake a cake and leave out the pan that holds the batter would you? Digital Media forms work in harmony and it’s not always about spending gobs of money, but it is about being consistent and patient. It’s the old ”Build your house of stone” idea. By using Video, Web, Social Media and SEO in a well thought out plan over several months, it’s going to pay off. Sorry, but Digital Media is not “Drive-Thru” and those guys that promise “Google” 1st Page in an hour are already out of business and yesterdays news.

2) WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO GET STARTED IF MY BUDGET IS NOT LARGE? Another good question. Odds are your competitor is doing something so you need to keep pace. But don’t just dump all of your money into 1 month and expect a huge payoff. Spread your dollars over several months, become an active part of your Digital Media plan and be prepared to adjust often until it’s just right.

3) HOW DO YOU TRACK ALL THIS STUFF? It’s one of the most asked questions during this time of Digital Media Mania.

Catching the Competition in a Lie: This is GREAT!

actorboy — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 23:01:23 +0000

Turn your back for 1 second and the Competition will do their best to try and throw up some smoke and mirrors and make you believe one thing when it’s not true, and I’ve got it in writing. What I have here is a “Mass Email” that was accidentally sent to me for some reason regarding Video on YouTube as a Promotional Tool. There is some validity in it but wait until you see what they want you to believe and believe me it will hurt your business so watch closely. I’ll break the Email down bit by bit and show you how they try to deceive……Here’s the opening……

Using YouTube as a Promotional Tool.If a picture is worth 1000 words, then a video is worth 1000 pictures (or 1 million words,I guess). Video can be a great tool for increasing your businessʼs visibility, and unlike a TV commercial, it doesnʼt have to cost much.

I couldn’t agree more on that statement. Of course, we all know that and everyone says it. Next up, Curveball #1, here it comes!

Video-capable devices, such as digital cameras and smartphones, are more than adequate for this purpose. Your video isnʼt going to screen at the IMAX, so ultra-high resolution and production values arenʼt as important.

OUCH! He couldn’t be more wrong. Why? Digital Cameras and Smartphones do not allow for Quality Audio (You do want people to hear the message don’t you or do they just have to guess through the pictures?). Also, good luck Editing something from a Smartphone. Paying a few extra dollars for Professional Editing after being shot on Professional Equipment could be the difference in someone commenting on how they feel that, “the Integrity of the Video reflects the Quality and Professionalism of your business”. Here’s Curveball #2…..

As long as the quality is good enough……

Did he just really say that? Can you imagine saying to your customer, “Well that’s good enough”. Not on my watch. That denotes that more could have been done to make it Fabulous, Stand Out, Great, Incredible and of course a Difference Maker in blowing away your competition. Never settle for “Good Enough”. Okay, here’s the last Curveball and it’s a doozy……..

Once youʼve shot your footage, edit it using Movie Maker (Windows), iMovie (Mac), or a third-party program to tell your story (Lightworks is a free, yet powerful, video editing program that rivals high-end software packages, though there is a bit of a learning curve). If you do need a hand with the production end of things, check to see if your local high school or college has a media arts program, and ask an instructor if any students might be willing to help you out.

Let me go over this piece by piece. After he’s let an amateur shoot the footage he wants you to use a “FREE”(You get what you pay for) Software Editing program that has a learning curve( Another Curve??). That spells disaster with a Capital “D”. How much trouble are you asking for there? Your business is important to you and your family and it could mean the difference between surviving and not. Then he wants you to throw it over to someone who is just learning, you hope they know something, but are they creative, do they understand your vision, can they tell a story, would more experience help? I could go on and on. …

Here’s the bottom line on Professional Video Production so just click and watch. It gives you great insight into Why your Business needs Video and how affordable it really is for you. You’ll realize after all that you can afford it and doing it right makes a difference. After all, when you started your business, was it just “Good Enough” or was it GREAT!

After you watch the Video click on the Luxe Interiors link and see what I mean. This is a great example of Affordable & Professional Video

Luxe Interiors

Thanks for your time!

Tom Clark

Owner Actorboy

Actorboy’s Adventures: From Denver to Chattanooga

actorboy — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 21:32:57 +0000

It’s been quite the Travel time lately as Actorboy has ventured out West to shoot some footage for Spec Mix and Quikrete, made a stop in Indiana to visit the Boral Bricks Plant and then off to Chattanooga for TVA digging into the world of Nuclear Security. What a Wild Time it was traveling as I got to go to Vail, about 100 miles West of Denver and got Altitude sickness. I’ve never experienced anything like that before, and I don’t recommend it for anyone, but after 24 hours I was ready to go. Of course, there’s was no stopping the Video crew as we chugged along, water and Advil in hand. Vail was beautiful as I’d never been there and the first good snow of the year was on it’s way down. The mountains were priceless to witness and I hope I get the chance to go back someday, after I win the Lottery, and take up some skiiing. I’m not that good at it so I’ll make sure I have good insurance first. We ventured into a Mine, watched a $40,000,000 home get put together with some Quikrete product, watched up close as they patch a highway for the DOT with DOT Mix and got to meet the infamous Gallegos family. They do the most beautiful work I’ve ever seen when it comes to stone. Thanks to the Spec Mix and Quikrete crew for their hospitality and I can’t wait to get back to Denver. Terra Haute is where the Boral Bricks plant was and believe me it was an awesome trip to watch clay get turned into brick actually getting up close and personal with the plant itself and all the robotic equipment inside. Millions of bricks being made and with them being the new sponsor of the SMBL 500 in Las Vegas where they crown the Worlds Best Bricklayer, you can bet I’ll know all there is to know about the Brick if anyone tries to give me a pop quiz. From Boral, it was off to TVA in Chattanooga for a series of Videos on Safety and Security when it comes to Nuclear Reactors and possible Terrorist Attacks. It was the most informative and technically challenging piece I’ve done yet. You don’t realize what goes into making our country safe until you get to see what goes on behind the scenes and realize how well trained we need to be to stay on top of things. Everybody has a piece of the action and don’t think for a minute that we don’t do everything we can because we do. Thanks to all of those who help keep us safe every day. Well I can’t believe all the miles I’ve traveled this last part of the year and let’s hope it’s not over yet. Oh yeah, did I mention that I probably ate way too much on the road? Well, I did. Now I’m paying for it as I once again have to pound the pavement so I can fit in my jeans. No, I really packed on about 10 while on the road. I didn’t exercise at all so it’s my fault. Well, back home for a while and we’ll see what happens next. Thanks for stopping by.

7 States, 4 Days, 3 Jobs, 1500 miles on the Honda…………

actorboy — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 00:48:19 +0000

What a week it was to end August! I was absolutely blessed to have all this work in one week but there was a catch. There were strange things revolving around each of the jobs and none of the jobs was anywhere near an airport so the clients had asked me to drive if that was possible. Well, of course it was but it was going to be quite the travel experience for me. I had to go through 7 states in 4 days, work 3 jobs, 4 shoot days and rack up almost 1500 miles on my Honda. Here’s the wacky itinerary with side notes about each job. I headed out Monday mid-morning off to Opelika, Alabama. The closest airport there is for kids who fly remote controlled planes and since I had no frequent flier miles there, off on the Honda. Met up with the crew at the plant where I had to play the Water Meter guy who stands in a pit of “Black Widow” spiders. Well, that wasn’t the script but when we opened the pit, they went scrambling, at least 30 of them. Of course, we went ballistic with the Spray and I never did fully jump into the pit. I stood kind of off to the side, one foot in and one foot on the pipes. It was scary. Got some good pictures. We knocked that out pretty quick and it was on the road.My next stop was West Virginia but no way I’m traveling all the way so I stopped in Greenville, SC. Got up early, hit the road and landed in Beckley, WV at Pyott-Boone Electronics. If you’re wondering, they helped in making the guidance on the Tomahawk and do components for the Military NIght Vision Goggles. These guys are Hi-Tech. So I get in around 2, we shoot until 6 and then break for the night. Now comes the good part. Up the next morning, get a good run in the Mountain air, then head 60 miles into the Mountain to the Hunter Peerless Coal Mine. This was an eye opener to the men who get total respect from me for how they do their job every day. One look in the eyes and you know what their life is all about. We shot outside the mine, I wandered in only about 50 feet, and managed to get done shooting about 4 that afternoon. What a wild ride to get there, seemed like forever but knowing that these guys ride 4-5 miles into the mine every day makes you realize you got it pretty lucky. Hats off to Hunter Peerless and all those that battler the mine on a daily basis. My prayers will be heading your way. It was off to Winston-Salem after that for a brief stop, oh yeah that wasn’t my shoot location, as I had to head into Virginia the next day. I was on the road early the next morning heading to Axton, Virginia, yeah I know,as we were doing a shoot in a Tobacco field for Altria, one of the big Tobacco companies. Got it all done early that day and managed to travel home by 9 that night. It was intense, good travel, quick shoots, I was on the edge the whole time, great crews, rocked the scripts which helped every aspect of the projects and all in all it was wild. I felt totally drained the next morning and slept like a rock. Oh yeah, there’s something else that’s going to come out of this trip but I can’t talk about it yet. When I do post it, you’ll know why. Thanks for listening and talk to you soon.

It’s been a while,let’s catch up!

actorboy — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 19:31:38 +0000

You know, it’s been a while since we talked. A lot is going on but I’m not going to hammer you with details, this is a “Highlight” Blog only. WHAT A SUMMER! I’ve been busier than Obama trying to wiggle his way out the Healthcare debacle. Work is flowing nicely shooting a series of ERI Safety Videos, you can see some clips on my personal site, with my good friend Danny Robinson from South Carolina. It still amazes me when I walk into some of the factories we shoot in and see “How it’s Made” like the TV Show. I always enjoy it because it’s like getting a 2nd Education. My favorite was years ago at the Alcoa Plant where they make Aluminum stuff. They take the ingots, shove electricity into and inject it with Chlorine to purify it and its amazing. Oh yeah, they also told me if you drop a bottle of water into liquid Aluminum, hold on to your butt because it’s nasty explosive. There’s a secret pilot show that I did The Weather Channel, can’t say anything yet, but it’s being put together as we speak, or as I write, so hopefully that will get picked up as we had a great time with a great crew and it will be a fun show. There’s Little Debbie, Primerica, BSA Scopes and more. Went out to LA to meet up with some Agents and Managers to see how it’s done in the big city and let me tell ya, there got it going on out West. Very eye opening and educational but know this, it was a trip well worth the time to hear from the horse’s mouth what’s up. Making those relationships work with all the work that’s happening here in Atlanta is critical. That reminds me, just got to do a small piece in the new Cameron Diaz movie, “What to Expect”. She’s awesome, I had a decent few lines, my suit was killer, and I look forward to a very funny movie when it’s all said and done. Right now I’m in Alabama writing this on a break from AMI, it has to do with some new Water Meters being installed to save a TON OF MONEY. Thanks to Mike Fulmer and Real People for securing that gig. I’m going to wrap it up now since I have to memorize my script for the afternoon shoot. We finished up shooting for Affinity Bank and are excited about the series of 10 Videos we did for them. I just chatted with the President and I’m going to do an 11th, on the house, just for being such a great client. Not only that, but they DO have that highest rates in town and this is not a plug. I have to have surgery again, this time on my head as I have a small skin cancer, that makes #4 or 5. It’s called “Moes” surgery where they take off a layer at a time so as to not invade too much skin space. Awesome Doctor over at Olansky. Oh yeah, my Honda is approaching 300,000 miles. I’m going to have a party, Pinot for me, Valvoline for the Honda, but of course we’ll both get 5 quarts ; )