Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Gary Diekow. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Gary, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to start by getting your thoughts on what you are seeing as some the biggest trends emerging in your industry.
Well, that would have to be A.I.! I’m sure all of us in the industry are aware of its presence by now. The top bots seem to be ChatGPT, Mid-Journey, the new Photoshop Beta, and some various other applications. Artists and Creators are in fear of losing work; writers are on strike, and A.I. capabilities are growing every day. I admit at first I, like most, had some concern, but now I use it almost every day. At my level in this industry, it seems to have created more work. Everyone wants “The AI style,” so I find myself integrating it into everything from marketing materials, photography, and wedding videos. There’s so much you can do with it if you think “outside the box.” It’s basically a new tool, or a new paintbrush that’s been added to your set. Sure, the average consumer will have access to it, giving them the ability to generate their own logos, scripts, or designs, but average consumers will create average work that will saturate the market. Look, I am an artist; whatever I make, regardless of media or method, will always stand apart from the work of those who are not. As you start your AI journey, keep in mind that everyone is going to have the perfect shot now – the best skies, perfect composition, the best backgrounds, etc. As this becomes standard, what captures our attention in art today will change tomorrow. Focus on saying more with less. Don’t be standard, same as it ever was.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I started off playing music, all of my friends played music, so it was our lifestyle. And when some 13-15 year-olds decide to start a band, and they happen to get some traction, all of a sudden, they are small business owners. They have to develop and market a competitive product. So over time, you get good at the things you need to keep your product current like songwriting, music theory, audio recording, photography, videography, t-shirt, logo, and flyer design, and performance. I would say that plays a large role in my style of Wedding Videos . I guess you could say my style is “cinematic, epic.” I like big music, big epic style endings, crescendos, lots of tension and release. I spend hours searching for music. When I do a wedding video, I’m usually letting the footage act as an accompaniment to the music and not the other way around. I think a lot of creators sleep on the music or pick from the same playlists. Music is probably the single most important factor in your video that no one talks about. The amount of work that goes into a song from it’s first note to the point of being mixed and mastered is inexorably greater than the amount of work that goes into a wedding video. I literally feel like I’m cheating most of the time.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
I love that there is always something new to work on, and that you’re never done. I love sitting down to start a piece and not knowing if it will even be deliverable. It’s not like a “skill” where you learn something and then repeat it. It’s the thrill of creating the thing that is to be repeated. That’s what I find the most intriguing.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
One of our Clients started with 0 Followers on Instagram in 2021, and is now just under 6k. Now I know these are tiny numbers in the Social Media world, but I have to say, these are a solid 6k followers. These are all people that have used this clients services, or have asked about their services, and that consistently engage with their feed. This means the posts we make for them are not subject to any algorithms, and that every post they make is consistently viewed an average 4,000 t0 5,000 times by high value followers ready to come and spend real dollars. Not by people outside their target market who followed them based on a trending song or a cool video. So yes, you may have a lot of followers, but how many of them are spending money with you right now, today? For my client, its 6k.
Contact Info:
- Website: myrmedia.com
- Instagram: @garyryan1980
- Other: https://vimeo.com/showcase/myrealmedia
Image Credits
All photos by Gary Diekow