The Blackbar Podcast

Send us Fan Mail The guys look back at some of their favorite conversations from 2024 to reflect on what lessons are most important for church teams to prioritize in the coming year.  Check out each of the previous conversations referenced in this episode:  Surviving & Thriving In Church Media Teams: Insights with Phil Bowdle Building Online Communities, Not Just Audiences with The Monochrome...

Send us Fan Mail Nick and Zach are joined by three of the Certified Pro community leaders from the Blackbar Discord to share some lessons and encouragement they've picked up from their time in ministry.  Follow Abner on Instagram:  @axc_photo Check out Blaise's worship resource platform: theworshipserver.com Learn more about the SALT Conference and John-Mark's work with their team: ...

Send us Fan Mail The guys talk with Brent Reese, professional cinematographer and digital storyteller, about how to identify good stories and turn them into something that captivates others.  Follow Brent's work and connect with him for your storytelling needs:  https://www.instagram.com/reesmedia/ https://www.instagram.com/brentlovesgames/ Join the Blackbar Discord to keep the conversation g...

Send us Fan Mail Caleb & Zach dive into some 2024 tech-focused news stories that church creatives and media professionals should be aware of. From the DJI Drone bill and YouTube copyright to Meta VR and the price increase of Canva, the guys cover a handful of topics whose outcomes could have a lasting impact on church tech and media production. Join the Blackbar Discord to keep the conversatio...

Send us Fan Mail The guys talk with Carmen Galeano of the Redwood Marketing Co about social media, trends, and how churches can best develop sustainable and achievable social media strategy.  Join the Blackbar Discord to keep the conversation going: http://discord.blk.bar/

Send us Fan Mail The guys talk with Ben Kristijanto & Tim Jackson of BNY and OHR LED about the ins and outs of LED walls for the church space and where to even begin when considering them for your services.  Join the Blackbar Discord to keep the conversation going: http://discord.blk.bar/

Send us Fan Mail Caleb & Nick review the general Christian discourse surrounding the 2024 Olympics opening ceremonies, and they discuss whether Christians are ultimately helping or hurting the church’s goal to reach the lost in digital spaces. Join the Blackbar Discord to keep the conversation going: http://discord.blk.bar/

Send us Fan Mail The guys (alongside a special guest) dive into some tips and practical examples of where to start when creating or improving your church's website.  Join the Blackbar Discord to keep the conversation going: http://discord.blk.bar/

Send us Fan Mail The guys are joined by Tessa Voccola, Brand & Content Manager for RVRB Agency, to share about what it takes to capture high quality content for live events. She also shares some tips on the value of pre-production and the importance of fueling yourself outside of your creative roles.  To partner with RVRB for your event, visit their website: https://www.rvrb.com/ Join the Blac...

Send us Fan Mail On this episode, the guys are joined by Luke McElroy and JT Bowling of the Monochrome Podcast to discuss how to build online communities and how to develop deeper connections within those communities.  Check out the Monochrome Podcast: https://saltcommunity.com/podcast/ Get more information about the SALT Conference and their community resources: https://saltcommunity.com/ Join th...

Send us Fan Mail The guys are joined by author, leadership coach, and friend of the podcast Phil Bowdle to discuss how to navigate leadership, conflict, and tension within church media teams. Visit Phil's website for the resources that were discussed in today's episode: https://philbowdle.com/ Join the Blackbar Discord to keep the conversation going: http://discord.blk.bar/

Send us Fan Mail In this community-inspired topic, the guys share three of their top tips for how to survive, grow, and thrive as a church media freelancer.  Join the Blackbar Discord to keep the conversation going: http://discord.blk.bar/

Send us Fan Mail The guys chat with their first ever AI guest: Chat GPT 4o! From recommendations on sermon resources to suggestions for event ads to encouragements for the Blackbar community, Chat GPT 4o provides a unique look into the capabilities and potential of AI as it could be used for church media ministry.  Join the Blackbar Discord to keep the conversation going: http://discord.blk.bar/

Send us Fan Mail On this episode, the guys dive into 3 common marketing and advertising mistakes that churches tend to find themselves stuck in. They also discuss the potentials of Canva's acquisition of Affinity and how it might actually give Adobe a run for its money.  Join the Blackbar Discord to keep the conversation going: http://discord.blk.bar/

Send us Fan Mail 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/

Send us Fan Mail 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/

Send us Fan Mail 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 be...

Send us Fan Mail 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 ne...

Send us Fan Mail 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.   Joi...

Send us Fan Mail 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.bl...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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 S...

Send us Fan Mail 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 phot...

Send us Fan Mail 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: 3:20 Eddie Bauer Logo Redesign 28:40 Beyond Fear: Embracing AI with Faith and Wisdom Join the Blackbar Discord to keep the conversation going: http://discord.blk.bar/