Quick Update...

Before I hit the road for Colorado this weekend with the HPT, I just wanted to share a quick update. More of my work is popping up on YouTube for your viewing pleasure. I've posted them below so you don't have to go searching for them.

First we have two new episodes from the Heatland Poker Tour. These are from nearly the end of season eight when I joined the crew full time last year. We'll be shooting the second event of season nine this weekend.





We also have my most recent work for SPEED at the Sprint Center up in KC. I shot an Arenacross event which marked a few firsts for my career, most notably my first motosports event. I have to admit, it was tricky to keep up with at first because it's the fastest thing I've ever covered, but we had a few practice races to get acclimated and I was good to go when it counted.



Definitely more coming around the corner, so stay tuned.

Thanks!

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That Time of Year...

         

Well, like the title says, it's that time of year again. Time to dust off the carry-on bag, grab some magazines, and get ready to hit the skies for another season with The Heartland Poker Tour. It's been 3 long months since I last worked with the crew, so I'm looking forward to making TV magic with them again. Speaking of the crew, the HPT was kind enough to add all our bios to their website. You can check them out at this link here. Now, in hindsight, mine needs a new picture and to be reformatted, but that was because of a misunderstanding on my part, so know that going in.

        

We'll be starting off season nine with one of our biggest events on the tour, Golden Gates Casino in Black Hawk, Colorado. It's typically one of our largest prize pools, so we like for it to go smoothly. Of course, one of the reasons I love working in TV production is because of all the hidden factors that nobody ever sees in the final product. Of the many small challenges that come with setup at Golden Gates (and every venue big or small has their own), the biggest one has nothing to do with the venue or our equipment. What is it? Altitude sickness.

This was a minor problem for a couple other crew members and myself last year when I traveled to Black Hawk for the first time. Coming from an area of Kansas that sits at about 1000 ft above sea level and ending up around 10,000-14,000 ft above sea level over the course of about 5 hours doesn't exactly acclimate you gradually. You literally feel like you have a mild case of the flu and want to throw up. Luckily it does start to fade after being up there for a while, but you could imagine how much it might effect a production if the entire crew were still feeling the effects of it during setup or even when cameras started rolling. But you still have to end up with a good production every time, because that's television.

Thanks for reading, see you in Colorado!

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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 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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MMA Videos Are Up...

A fresh batch of my MMA video work hit YouTube yesterday. You can check them out below. Also, if you're looking for some great live MMA action in the KC area, their next show is coming up on November 19th. You can also keep an eye out for future events at 1zero8.com.







As always, thanks for reading!

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Slaughter Pen Jam Video...

I decided I've been letting the video I shot at my first XC Mountain Bike race sit around for too long. So, I decided to finally turn it into something. In hindsight, I wish I had GoPro or Contour camera footage of my own ride to add to the mix and break up the third person perspective, but there's no point crying about what you don't have.

Enjoy!

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The Month Ahead...

Well, it seems September has finally arrived. It's a month I have been simultaneously dreading and looking forward to. Three out of the four weekends are already booked, two with business and one with pleasure (which sounds really bad now that I've typed it out). Let's start with the pleasure first, shall we? (too much?)

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Update: February MMA...

Just thought I would post a small update on one of my past jobs. I was digging on YouTube yesterday for stuff to put on the portfolio page and noticed that fights from my last MMA job have been posted. So, I took the liberty of posting them below for your viewing pleasure.

Also, a quick reminder that I'll be shooting their next event, Shine At The Shrine 2 on May 14th. You can get more info from their website.

Thanks for stopping by.

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March Madness (On A Slightly Smaller Scale)...

Have you ever had one those weeks where you have something big coming up and small things start to happen that make you think the entire week is going to be a disaster? Well, that was last week for me as I left to shoot the NJCAA Men's National Championship Tournament. I had to leave the wife and kids for a week so I was stressed about them, I had to work another job until late in the evening on the same day I was to leave on a 4 hour drive, and I ruined my travel air compressor and burned myself in the process. Needless to say, my week seemed destined for disaster.

Hutchinson Sports Arena

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