If you’re a large American company with a serious and important message, where do you go to deliver your story? The answer used to be television, radio or the newspapers, but since the advent of web videos, the scale has shifted in favor of the internet.

While working full time as a video producer at Google, I had the opportunity to produce many cool videos about Google’s newest products and features which were all uploaded and shared on YouTube. Often, the more challenging ones were those that appeared simple enough to produce.

I worked with the Google Books team on a serious and straightforward video about a settlement agreement reached between Google and a broad class of authors and publishers who filed a lawsuit against them.  The video was uploaded and shared on YouTube, which gave people a chance to share the video with others through social networking sites, and provide feedback through comments, like buttons and video responses. I made an effort to keep the delivery simple, honest and straight to the point. No music, fancy shots and crazy editing. I thought the video was done tastefully and did a good job like a good press statement should. What do you think?

How old were you when cell phones first entered the mainstream market? I remember how important I felt carrying a Motorola DynaTAC 8000X around at work. It was 1993. I was so excited about landing my first job as a journalist. My company gave us a few promotional units to try from Motorola.

The cream-colored unit was about 6 to 7 inches high… and that’s not counting the detachable, long, black antenna that came with it. My phone was thick and heavy enough that you’d need both hands to hold it. The battery lasted about 40 minutes. 40 important minutes and I loved it! How times have changed. Today, cell phones are as ubiquitous as a wallet in someone’s pocket.

Check out this endearing little video ad from India featuring Motorolla StarTac, the next iteration after my trusty DynaTAC.

One of the perks of producing videos for tech start-ups is the excitement of trying out the latest technology before it hits the market. We had great fun working with Botsquare, a new vision technology start-up based in Menlo Park, California. We absolutely loved using neat hand gestures to play, pause, rewind and forward our favorite Hulu movies and iTunes music. We are so excited about the possibilities of this new technology and are psyched about the opportunity to work on a cool promotional video with Botsquare. Our lean and mean Layaco Media team: Carol Gancia – Producer/Director/Editor, Daniel Ogawa – Writer, Andrew Bender – Cinematographer, Anders Osterballe – Gaffer, Bradley Johnson – Gaming Engineer by day/Actor by night, Navneet Dalal & Priyanka Rana – our fab clients and fabulous provider of all the props used during the shoot.

Finally. No more popcorn debris and greasy fingerprints on my keyboard whenever I watch my favorite movie online! Let us know what you think.

Have you seen Google’s April Fool’s Day joke about Gmail Motion and the humorous, absurd mime action of a mailman character demonstrating vision technology? In 3 days, it got over 4 million Youtube hits. Not bad for an April Fool’s Day joke. I can bet Google is working on this technology for real as we speak. In the meantime, enjoy our favorite search engine’s sense of humor.

I worked as a producer for two food-related shows in San Francisco for a couple years. It was a pretty amazing experience learning about how the back kitchen works in a real restaurant and during the filming of a cooking show. It’s been a while since my last food-related project. I missed it so much I decided I wanted to do more.

I recently directed and filmed a web video about gourmet french delicacies with Cloutandabout.com. We got a chance to learn how artisan sausages and pates were made. This company called Fabrique Delices also made truffle butter among other tasty gourmet delights. After 26 years in business, they had everything down to a science and an art. Backed up by a small but efficient manufacturing plant with over 10 people lovingly working with machines to create special French delicacies for an upscale market, they produced boxes of products shipped out to major airlines, hotels, restaurants and gourmet markets.

We interviewed the three dedicated artisans and businessmen behind the brand. Check back for the feature video on Fabrique Delices soon.

I like filling up on the latest TV and video technology and exploring how I can offer it to my favorite tech clients. I also always try to pick up a few tips here and there for an efficient production work flow. The smoother the work flow, the better experience my clients and production team will have.

I first heard about the National Association of Broadcasters or N.A.B. Convention in 1995.

Photo by Bryan Wilson

“You have to go at least once,” this is what senior media colleagues used to tell me back when I was 23 with only 2 years of media experience. I was excited about learning more and meeting other people like me from all over. It would have been a great way to network and educate myself about the latest technology advances in my industry. Somehow, it took 14 media-filled years before I finally came to visit, and when I did, my whole idea of media globalization changed. It was April, 2009. Everyone was there, from your media executive in rural mid-America to your news anchor in far-flung Asian and African cities, listening to talks, participating in workshops and sharing their own experiences about working in their part of the world.  After that trip, I endearingly decided to call it the international video producer’s journey of a lifetime.

N.A.B. is the premiere trade association of broadcasters all over the world. It started in 1922 and represents more than 900 television stations and almost 5,000 radio stations. It also speaks in conjunction with, and on behalf of major broadcasting networks in the United States, and represents the interests, both domestic and international, of 7,500 members from the radio and television industry. Headquartered in Washington DC, they are very influential in shaping the American and International media landscape.

This April, video professionals from all over the world will pack their bags, fly, drive and walk once again to the biggest television, video and radio convention in the world. Hotels, restaurants and pedestrian bridges in Las Vegas will be jammed with camera people, editors, filmmakers, TV and radio journalists, TV engineers, media marketing professionals and media corporation executives all excited about the latest tech buzz in the TV, radio and video world. I’m excited to be one of them.

Check out our post about the 2011 NAB conference event soon.

I have been an entrepreneur since 1995. It is a big part of who I am. Like many among 20 million American entrepreneurs, running my own company gives me a natural high that I can never get working for someone else. I have built 3 successful businesses since I was 23. Two of the three ventures cater to fellow entrepreneurs and businesses. I love supporting my own community, so you can imagine my surprise when I found out that the United States did not have an official day for Entrepreneurs– until recently.

In May, 2009, Grasshopper Group, a virtual phone system business, created an inspirational video meant to remind aspiring and existing entrepreneurs about the virtues of dreaming big and thinking that anything is possible with hard work, ambition and tenacity. In May, 2010, they decided to start a petition in partnership with the Kauffman Foundation to have a National Entrepreneurs’ Day. Six months later, President Barack Obama declared November 19 National Entrepreneurs’ Day.

Check out this inspirational video that played a big role during the campaign. An oldie but goodie.

We all want to shave off a few hundred or even thousand dollars here and there when launching our ad campaign for our businesses. With user-generated content entertaining a growing online audience, many have been inspired in the last couple of years to either create their own promotional videos or turn to people who claim they can do a great job for $2,000 or less– all included.  Putting your name and product out there through a video is always a good idea in spite of any creative and technical limitations of a super low or no budget project. If you can’t afford it yet and you think you’re crafty enough, make your own. It’s a start. Once you have a bit more room in your budget, go ahead and hire the best video producer you can afford. Your customers will reward you.

Check out this simple but effective video from Dropbox.com about “your magic pocket” for inspiration.

I produce promotional videos for a living. I love what I do but once in a while, I work on personal video projects that allow me to just let my own voice be heard. I started Ripplemakers.TV in late 2010 as an outlet for my creative energies. I love inspiring and motivating people to go beyond their perceived limits. Ripplemakers.TV is home to “Ripple,” a TV show consisting of documentary shorts about people who cause a positive ripple effect in the community. Our “Ripple” webisodes have had a total of over 52,000 YouTube views  with just 5 stories uploaded since July, 2010. Because of “Ripple’s” success, Ripplemakers.TV has attracted other filmmaker friends from all over the world to contribute stories from their own communities. Manila, Philippines was our first global contribution in January 2011, followed by Vancouver and Australia in April and May.

Check out our latest “Ripple” trailer and let us know what you think.

To watch complete “Ripple” webisodes, visit Ripplemakers.TV.

Technology is evolving so fast. These days, when we say “future,” we literally mean tomorrow. Leading specialty glass and ceramics manufacturer, Corning Incorporated, shares their vision of tomorrow in this video with almost 9 million views after just a month on YouTube. It’s refreshing to see how a company not built on the cloud sees how their products will be used by consumers and businesses of this and the next generation.