Marisa Cali
Why to use a remote producer
It’s distracting when you fumble through papers on stage or your audio goes out during a live presentation—the audience will often end up so distracted by it that they will totally lose track of the actual point of your presentation.
A live stream producer can save video presenters from this trap by managing your live show from behind the scenes. It takes the guesswork out of live production so you can be present for the conversations that matter.
When you have a producer, you don’t have to think about pressing buttons, putting banners up, or monitoring comments as they come in. You can focus on actually listening. And the best conversations happen when you’re conversing attentively with people who can really help you and/or your audience.
Developing a process
You may have tons of ideas—and a producer can help you put them in order. Think of it as a blend of project management and herding cats.
Whether it’s a weekly live stream or a monthly educational series, a producer can help you identify your goals and what you’re actually trying to say.
It’s less daunting than hiring a video marketing firm—which are also very valuable, but when you have these authentic conversations (and that’s what all marketers tell you to do), it can help to be a bit more innovative and free flowing, while still maintaining structure and process.
Show elements
The first phase of what we do is to come up with that process and schedule—while making sure to align it to both your audience and brand.
Are you doing a live stream every other week? Are you doing it monthly? Is it a one-time or once-a-quarter thing? How long is the show; do you think you can talk for 45 minutes by yourself? Will you have guests?
Sure, you can go live and talk about whatever you want for hours, but who will care if it doesn’t do anything for them?
You must think about what’s unique to you and to your brand.
Then, there are the details around running the show:
- Who’s doing the booking?
- Who’s communicating with guests?
- On the day of, who’s sending emails?
- How will you make sure people show up on time?
- Do you have an email marketing strategy?
- Is there a promotional strategy that needs to be developed, and what’s the schedule for that?
- How are you repurposing the video afterwards?
- Is the goal destination YouTube, just as a base, or will you repurpose it for social content and website SEO?
Studio setup and gear
There are different levels of studio setup.
I have a partner who’s a digital stylist—which is a fancy title. I love it! He focuses specifically on audio and video tools. He’ll give recommendations and lists and walk through everything you need. But he costs $1500, so we’ll focus on how to get there yourself.
If you’re C-suite, go with my friend.
If you’re just starting out—I work with a lot of you—it can be as simple as a basic webcam, a decent mic, and your story.
You may not have a huge audience, but you’ll get your message out without spending thousands of dollars.
The tech that matters most
Number one—get a decent mic. I’ve coached people with the dangly headphones or AirPods, and I can’t pay attention to that muffled voice.
While the video is what we see, audio matters even more in terms of getting your message across.
For both audio and video quality, a strong connection is also important—if you have a producer, they can have the strong connection.
Lighting is also important, so people can see your face. I have a simple little light mounted behind me on the wall, lighting up my face—and it only cost $20.
Branding
How can you make sure your brand is really coming across?
It’s as simple as whether your background signifies who you are.
I don’t have a green screen or anything fancy. But I love soccer, so my office is soccer-themed, mixed with other things I like, so that someone can watch me and say, “I know that this is Marisa."
And if I’m actually talking about soccer on my live stream, I make sure those soccer logos are front-and-center on what I’m wearing or somewhere else prominent; i.e. you can use an overlay or a logo digitally, or your brand colors—use the things you use for your online brand standards.
Engaging conversations
When it comes to goals and building online conversations, you have to think about it as showing up where you need to be, and utilizing that livestream to then leverage more conversations.
If I’m going to go live and talk about cats when I’m really a dog lover, that would really not mesh together. But, if I’m going to talk about livestream event production or live producing or remote producing, I know that conversation can be taken through to a DM or an email. Know what you’re talking about online to then leverage it in other places.
Mind the lurkers
I think a lot of people, when they think about live streams, think, “Okay, well, I’m not a personality. I’m not fancy. Nobody’s watching me online.”
But they are out there—and they may just never comment on your livestream because that’s just not how they utilize social media.
Someone will say, “Hey, I saw you on LinkedIn!” and you’ll think, “How did you see me on LinkedIn when you never comment?”
Part of my goal as a producer is to stop people from thinking about their live audience numbers as a sign of their worth. The goal is to show up and deliver your value in the most succinct way, so you can be top of mind for people—whether you realize it or not!—and do it in a professional way.
Expand your reach
In my role, I don’t work with anyone local to where I live. That’s one of the benefits of being a producer, or having expertise when it comes to marketing—content producers are all over, so you don’t necessarily need to be nearby.
A remote producer can serve huge numbers of people outside their local communities.
Sure, there will always be locals with studios, etc. But the resources and tools that we have available now render that expense largely unnecessary.
We’ve been forced really to evaluate where we work, and our circles of influence don’t just extend to the people we meet in the local coffee shop.
They can be all over.
Marisa Cali @connect
I am a live event producer