Greetings, dear followers! With each passing month (though it sometimes feels like with each passing day!) the world of social media changes. While the domination of video is not a new trend, it is becoming ever more crucial if you would like for your brand to be seen.

Listen, it's not all about paid ads. Take it from the inbound marketing method; create value for the consumers and they will regard you as someone to listen to, then someone to purchase from. But how do you get found?

If you want to grow your reach on Facebook and Instagram, Reels are the secret sauce. If you are a social media aficionado, this is not news to you. But if you are still new to social media, I am telling you, you have to do more than a picture a week. 

Now I hear you asking, my good friend Kevin, what you are saying makes sense, but what you don't know is that my business doesn't have anything interesting to make Reels about. To that I say, nonsense! Your consumers value your company and are curious to learn more about you. Creating content can be so easy as hyping up upcoming events by showing the preparation, showing the behind-the-scenes during and after, and making highlight reels afterwards.

One last nugget I will give for reels is that the current social media scene has become very personality-driven. Finding a host/personality to give your content a voice and face consistent with your values can be the special touch needed to grow engagement and grow a connection with followers.

Another blog post will follow with more ideas for Reels and video content for your business, but for now I will conclude by attaching a few modest examples of recent Reels we have put together for my current employers, WBCL Radio Network and Rhythm 'n' Praise 94.1. 
Please leave a comment sharing what you have found effective making Reels for your business!
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If you've been following my blog, you know that I have been on staff with my good friend Adam Garner's "The Relational Project", a series of interviews and short films that explore a real relationship with god and our fellow man. It's a cool project, and we are getting close to releasing the big short film "A Tale for Miles".

I recently put the finishing touches on the film's poster, and we have been expanding our social media presence to build hype for the film's release later this spring. When thinking about building your social media campaign, it is most important to think: "What will people actually care about?" and "How can we give them that in the most engaging way possible?"

So we have been doing a few things. There is a children's book associated with the plot of the movie itself that we actually produced, so we have been advertising that. The book's artist also created renditions of each of the characters, so we have been sharing character bios utilizing his designs compared against the live action actors.

Now I'm going to focus on something technical. As we ask about how we can do this in the most engaging way possible, I ask you, what draws attention, especially on Instagram? Graphics or Photos?
Originally, we had the "Salvatore, King of Withingham" slide without a picture. We updated this include a picture for visual interest. 

Pictures and video are king. If you manage social media, you know this. Graphics are good too, but as we move on into 2024, I would urge you to increase the amount of photos in your social media plan as long as it fits your content. The human form brings an interest that basic shapes do not. Next week, I'll come back with a post about Reels and why you should implement them if you have not already.
But that's all for today, followers. Have a wonderful day!

What If you've been following for a while, then you know that I have been the Marketing Advisor, Designer, and BTS photographer for "The Relational Project", a faith-based video project born of the creative mind of Director Adam Garner. 

What you may not know is that he has a new project in the works by the name of "The Tale of Miles" a trippy short film about a boy trapped in the world formed by a book that impacted his childhood. It is fascinating and has heart, and our secondary shooting wrapped up this weekend. I was the grip, Production Assistant, and Behind-the-Scenes photographer for this session, and boy was it exciting to be part of the film world again.

I started out college going to film school, and being around so many talented videographers was inspirational!  I even learned a few tricks that will help me out as I continue to create video content for WBCL Radio Network and our sister station, Rhythm & Praise.

Good afternoon, dear follower!

Last time we talked, I mentioned my next post would explore the lessons I've learned in a year of work in Fort Wayne. But the more that I thought about it and analyzed my experience, I realized that this would have to be an extended series because there is just so much to it. Every time I wrote down a lesson I've learned or been taught, I realized that there was so much to each of them! Ergo why this week, I will do a quick flyby on this year's lessons, then explore each in depth and maybe add some bonus lessons as weeks go by. In addition to this, I have some other exciting content I will be bringing you and glimpses into some big things sizzling, hot and ready to be revealed this year! 

But enough with the preambles.
This is the first traditional office job that I have held, and if you work in an office, you know that the way that you start your day has a huge impact on the rest. Some people waltz in a little late and start their day sharing anecdotes with coworkers, grabbing some coffee, and slowly making their way to the email inbox. Slowly. And after checking their phone a few times, maybe browsing Instagram for a few. This is one of the worst ways to start your day. It begins before you even arrive at work. Get up early, accomplish a few tasks, even something so easy as making your bed and going on a run, then sitting down for good hearty-but-not-sweet breakfast with a devotional or inspirational book. Then on the way to work, jog your mind with the projects you will have to work on that day, and remind yourself that it's going to be a good day and not to be too hard on yourself. By the time you arrive at the front door of your office, throw on a smile and greet your coworkers, then sit down and immediately after settling down, open your email inbox and accomplish a small task to get the ball rolling. 

You see, it's all about inertia. Look at the whole day's worth of tasks, and it can be overwhelming. Break it down into manageable chunks, and you will accomplish far more than you expect. Human beings aren't robots, after all. Master your thoughts and establish good habits, and the rhythms of your life will work for you. As Drew Dick mentions in his excellent book on self-control, "Your Future Self Will Thank You", "How we spend our days is, of course, how we will spend our lives." This has become instrumental for me in becoming more productive, happier, and better at what I do.

Well, that went on a little longer than expected, but boom! There's your first gem. I'll wrap up by doing that quick flyby I mentioned earlier. Besides working on habits and starting the day right, I have found that preparation is the name of the game. Come to every meeting prepared with questions you've thought of, read up on all the relevant material, and think of solutions and input before you even have to speak. This way, you're already mentally engaged in the right mindset and ready to go.
Next up, guard your work-life balance jealously, but make sure that you're being a team player and putting in your hours.
Lastly, I have a two-parter. Don't be a wrecking ball. Don't assume that you know everything better than your team, and that the way you did things at your last workplace was the peak of human efficiency and business. But at the same time, don't be afraid to speak up if you have a good idea or question on why we do things the way we do. Your perspective is valuable and part of the reason you were hired. These two are a tightrope to walk that most people sway to one side of. 
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There are far more than just these few lessons however, perhaps I should write a book (or maybe I'll just have content for a long long time!!). Keep tuning in, dear reader, and I promise a more consistent posting schedule than in the past.
But until then, have a wonderful day and I hope we get into contact soon if we are a good fit. Bye now!

Hello my lovely followers! It's been a minute, hasn't it?
​It has been a little over a year since I accepted a position with WBCL Radio Network up in Fort Wayne, IN. And was has happened in these 365+ days? Outside of working some really great concerts for my radio station, a perfect vacation to France & Germany, and spraining my foot so bad I was on crutches for a month?

A lot.

My position involves a lot of design and video work, and it has been really rewarding honing my skill and learning the ins and outs of the two brands I manage here. More on that in an upcoming post. One of my favorite parts of this job is planning out the big radio contests that push listeners interactions along with our marketing team, and then bringing the vision to fruition. 

Below, I've included a few contest logos that I've designed for web and social media usage as well as a testimonial video we made for our fundraising drive. I feel that I have been stretched and learned many new skills this year, hopefully they will be on display below! 

While these are some of my wins over the last year, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows - I also learned some important lessons. Tune in the next few weeks to catch some of those.
​Goodbye until then!​