The Times, They Are A Changin'...

Well, for those of you that don't already know, things are changing quite abruptly for myself and the ZiF blog this weekend. Around the middle of August I was approached by one of my regular clients, The Heartland Poker Tour, and asked if I would be interested in working for them year-round instead of just two or three events a year. After a phone call to my wife where I begged like a 5 year old in the toy section of Walmart, I gladly accepted their offer. Why was I so excited? Well, allow me to explain what getting this position means to me.

I'll be good, I promise. -Yahoo search

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A Little Drama Before St. Louis...

Well, now that we've had our first tornado (depending on who you ask), I suppose winter is over and spring has sprung. That typically means business is about to pick up. In fact, I've already been talking to my friend Bogac with Digital Odeon Productions about some jobs. The first of those jobs is actually very soon... as in tomorrow. That's right, tomorrow night I'll be headed to my alma mater Pittsburg High School to shoot their rendition of Legally Blonde The Musical.

Photo Courtesy Pittsburg Morning Sun

While I may not be thrilled with the play they've selected, I'm actually looking forward to this job. The last two plays that I have taped for them have been excellent and I'm sure this one will follow suit. This job actually represents everything I love about event videography. While anywhere from dozens to hundreds of people are paying to come see an event, I not only am getting paid to be there, but I sometimes get the best view in the house. While a local high school play might not be the most illustrious example of this, I still enjoy every minute of it.

Of course, taking in a bit of theater isn't the only thing on my agenda this weekend. Saturday I'll be heading to St. Louis for my second stop this year with the Heartland Poker Tour. The first stop was at Downstream Casino just across the Oklahoma border. I've been working that location for the last couple years, but this will be my first time working another city with them. However, I'm especially excited because this shoot will mark the HPT's 100th event. That's a pretty huge milestone, so naturally, it's looking to be a quite a party. There are six poker pros already slated to attend including Phil Hellmuth and Chris Moneymaker. If you aren't familiar with poker celebs, let me just paraphrase a little Ron Burgundy for you. They're kind of a big deal. As if that wasn't enough, we'll also be shooting at not one, but two locations this weekend. I'll only be shooting the final table, but qualifiers and the main event will be taking place at both the Lumiere Place and River City casinos. I'm sure it's going to be a crazy weekend, I just hope it stays on the good side of crazy.

Thanks for reading.

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A Day (And Night) With the HPT...

Well, now that I have retrieved yet another left-behind piece of camera equipment, I can tell you about my great weekend working with the Heartland Poker Tour. Yes, that's right, I let a HPT crew member take production pics with my camera and I didn't check that the SD card was still in it. I'm an idiot, I know. Anyway, that still didn't take away from another great work experience.

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Braggin' On the HPT...

On this blog, I usually get to brag about some of the cool production jobs I do from time to time, so it's probably a nice change of pace for my readers (yes, plural. My mom and my wife both follow it... sometimes) to hear me brag about someone else instead. One of my regular employers, The Heartland Poker Tour, have teamed up with actor and comedian Brad Garrett to raise money to benefit victims of the Joplin Tornado. The HPT will be making one of their regular stops at the Downstream Casino in October and Garrett will be traveling with them to perform in a benefit show with all proceeds being donated to Tornado relief efforts. You can see the promo video below.

 

The, "Over $50,000" that is mentioned came from an earlier Epic Poker League event held in Las Vegas in early August. The HPT, EPL, Operation USA, and Garrett all teamed up to put on a charity poker tournament.



With all the negatives that people sometimes associate with gambling and casinos, it's nice to see people in that community putting together a great fundraising effort for a community that has gone through so much. Props to HPT and Mr. Garrett! Be sure to keep an eye on the Downstream website for ticket information.

Thanks for reading!

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