The Blackbar Podcast

On this episode, Caleb & Nick are joined by guest host Tim Jackson, team member of BNY productions and Ohr LED, to discuss some of the most exciting (and noteworthy) announcements for Christian churches and creatives from 2024's National Association of Broadcaster's show. Join the Blackbar Discord to keep the conversation going: http://discord.blk.bar/

On this community-inspired episode, Caleb and Nick dive into the topic of religious vs secular art and whether or not God can work through something if it's not explicitly "Christian." Join the Blackbar Discord to keep the conversation going: http://discord.blk.bar/

On this episode, the guys are joined by guest Troy Picou, the children's pastor at Grand Rapids First, who has made a name for himself by creating extravagantly creative props, puppets, illustrations, character animations, and many, many other amazing things. Troy was gracious enough to share a behind the scenes look with us on how he's reaching the next generation of believers well. There's a fair bit of visuals that accompany our conversation today, so you can check out the VOD of the episode on our YouTube channel or you can find Troy Picou online on both YouTube (@troypicou) and Instagram (troypicou). Join the Blackbar Discord to keep the conversation going: http://discord.blk.bar/

The guys share 15 free tools that they use to support and simplify their creative workflow, and Caleb does an intro to 3D animation training with a focus on the free animation software called Blender. NOTE: Zach discovered after the fact that the project management application called Monday was a free month trial, not a free permanent seat. He still recommends it, but you would need to pay to use Monday when the trial is up. Join the Blackbar Discord to keep the conversation going: http://discord.blk.bar/

The guys are joined by guest co-host JP Dorsey, previous President of North Point Bible College GR and pastor at Grand Rapids First, to discuss whether or not social media us truly a good or bad thing for society at large. They also discuss OpenAI's newest video software called Sora and how churches can practically and ethically integrate AI systems into their workflow. Join the Blackbar Discord to keep the conversation going: http://discord.blk.bar/

Nick & Caleb are joined by guest co-host Dan Desrosiers (S1 Episodes 6, 7, & 85) to discuss how churches can best leverage media to connect with and grow their communities in 2024. They also discuss how to approach the nuanced conversation of upgrading your gear to your pastor and leadership team. Join the Blackbar Discord to keep the conversation going: http://discord.blk.bar/

Nick and Caleb talk with Mike Soroka, IT and networking guru, about why churches should care about modern cybersecurity, and they share some easy first steps every organization should take to protect their data. They also discuss Disney's expired copyright of the Steamboat Willie character, and how important it is for creatives to understand copyright and public domain. Join our Stream Team! https://forms.gle/2mpip9aVwHCkhyXm8 Join the Blackbar Discord to keep the conversation going: http://discord.blk.bar/

The guys share about what they learned from the 2024 Passion Conference team on how to gather the most effective and impactful sermon clips for your church. They also talk about the new podcast format alongside their newest Q&A style segment called Blackout! Join our Stream Team! https://forms.gle/2mpip9aVwHCkhyXm8 Join the Blackbar Discord to keep the conversation going: http://discord.blk.bar/

On the last episode of 2023, the guys share some thoughts from a church creative's perspective about Carey Nieuwhof's recent blog post on declining church attendance. They also discuss the implications of the conclusion of the SAG-AFTRA strikes as well as Instagram's most recent algorithm changes. Read Carey Nieuwhof's full blog post "5 Church Attendance Statistics Every Church Leader Needs to Understand in 2024" here: https://careynieuwhof.com/church-attendance-statistics/ Episode Timestamps: Join the Blackbar Discord to keep the conversation going: http://discord.blk.bar/

In the church and ministry creative field, last minute changes are as frequent as Sunday service, so on this episode the guys wanted to share some practical tips on how to navigate the unpredictable in a healthy way. They also share some predictions about the potential of Unreal Engine's Project Avalanche software, and they take a look at what can be learned about church photography from the advanced features of Sony's A9 III camera. Episode Timestamps: Join the Blackbar Discord to keep the conversation going: http://discord.blk.bar/

The guys welcome guest co-host Alex Lyons as they discuss how to approach AI with faith and wisdom. They also kick off the episode analyzing and learning from the new Eddie Bower logo redesign. Episode Timestamps: Join the Blackbar Discord to keep the conversation going: http://discord.blk.bar/

With the success of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour movie, the guys discuss how experiences like this could impact the ways that we both approach and engage in worship within our faith communities. They also get back into the Mac vs. PC debate on the heels of Apple's newest M3 Chip showcase. Episode Timestamps: 2:42 Mac vs. PC in 2023 23:48 Could Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Affect Our Church Services? Join the Blackbar Discord to keep the conversation going: http://discord.blk.bar/

The guys lose their minds over the exciting new Adobe software features showcased at this year's Adobe Max event! They also circle back to last week's conversation to tie in how Meta's new social personality AI can impact the way we create social content, and they break down how the technology used for the recent Toy Story Funday Football broadcast could help churches approach children's ministry in a new way. Episode Timestamps: Join the Blackbar Discord to keep the conversation going: http://discord.blk.bar/

Caleb & Nick welcome guest co-host Garrett Vandenberg as they discuss the ethics, theology, practical application, and potential future of Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and AI generated music all within creative, faith-based spaces. Episode Timestamps: Join the Blackbar Discord to keep the conversation going: http://discord.blk.bar/

The guys have a little gear envy drooling over Sony's new Burano cinema camera while providing some practical explanations to cinema camera specs alongside more budget-friendly camera recommendations. They also discuss the potential implications of the ChatGPT based Open Interpreter with special guest Blaise Nelson, and they share some initial opinions of the featured products from Apple's September 12th keynote. Episode Timestamps: Join the Blackbar Discord to keep the conversation going: http://discord.blk.bar/

Throwing back to Blackbar's very first video on church marketing, the guys add a few fresh tips that they've learned over the years on how to best create church ads that are genuinely effective. Also, featuring Lifehouse Church's creative arts and worship Pastor Sharayah Bishop, they discuss the filters a church can develop to help determine what music is most in line with Scripture and the culture of their community. And finally, Caleb shares some practical tips on how to choose and leverage fonts for your project in the best way. Check out the video that inspired today's main topic - "How to Make Church Ads That Don't Suck": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVdbauk7SEc&t=22s You can check out Pastor Sharayah's harmony & tutorial channel at Lifehouse Creative: https://www.youtube.com/@UCqKl6OmJC8-pguvHcd69rOQ Episode Timestamps: Join the Blackbar Discord to keep the conversation going: http://discord.blk.bar/

Now that they've all finally watched Barbie and Oppenheimer, the guys share their insight on what Christian Creatives can learn from blockbuster films and secular media. They also discuss the new copyright rules for AI art, try to understand how the resurgence of "dumb phones" correlates with cyber addiction, and breakdown the technical side of the pod. Episode Timestamps: Join the Blackbar Discord to keep the conversation going: http://discord.blk.bar/

The guys examine the current trend of social media platforms moving away from "social" media toward a "consumption" media mentality and what that could mean for the future of social media. They also dive deep into the AI powered "Text Jesus" app, compare the value of new cameras like the Sony a6700 to the power of smart phones, and speculate on uses for Adobe Photoshop's new Generative fill tool! Episode Timestamp Join the Blackbar Discord to keep the conversation going: http://discord.blk.bar/

Welcome to the Blackbar podcast season 2! Caleb, Nick, & Zach kick things off by discussing some of the good, the bad, and the ugly of new AI applications as well as what the value is for church creatives of present and future AI tools. They also talk Davinci Resolve 18.5, Threads vs. X vs. Tik Tok, and potential implications of the Hollywood SAG-AFTRA strikes. Episode Timestamp Join the Blackbar Discord to keep the conversation going: http://discord.blk.bar/

The guys talk life, media agency, and ministry updates as well as what's next for the Blackbar Podcast! Join the Blackbar Discord to keep the conversation going: http://discord.blk.bar/