Transcript

The transcript below has been lightly edited for readability and clarity. Click any starting timestamp to jump to that exact point in the YouTube video.

Podcast Introduction

[00:00] Don Costante:

Welcome to the Rundown Podcast hosted by Don Costante, a sports and event management expert with over 25 years experience. This unique podcast provides an opportunity to hear from some of the best professionals in the industry. You’ll get valuable insight and perspective on what it takes to deliver authentic experiences, activate brands, and most importantly, connect with audiences. All on the Rundown Podcast. Let’s get started.

Why Successful People Never Stop Learning

[00:28] Don Costante:

Successful people really never stop learning. Learning broadens your horizons and it encourages self-development that leads to new opportunities and the ability to identify more effective ways of working. From my perspective, we owe it to ourselves to develop the knowledge and the skills that will position us for the outcomes that we individually desire, both in our personal and professional lives. Today, I thought I would share with you one way that I go about self-development in relation to my work. As a person who oversees all logistical aspects for events from inception to production, I spend a good percentage of my time working directly with the digital production side of the business on the creation of content. Whether I’m pitching a concept, holding an ideation session, or simply providing feedback on projects, I’m constantly in communication with the people who are actually responsible for the execution of my vision. My educational training is not in production equipment and software, but I felt it was important for me to educate myself and broaden my working knowledge specific to the creative software utilized by my production team to create content.

Don’s Approach to Professional Development

Learning the Language of Creative Software

[01:34] Don Costante:

So I made a conscious decision to begin taking classes to gain a full understanding of the different software, as well as to learn the terminology that goes with it so that I could communicate more effectively with my staff. About seven years ago, I reached out to a company called Lumenbright, which is a digital design training company that specializes in Adobe products, and I began my path to learning creative software. My guest today is Anthony Bueno, who currently serves as an Adobe certified trainer and lead consultant with Lumenbright. Over the years, Anthony has helped me to become proficient in a variety of creative software. In this episode, Anthony and I have a candid conversation about my experience with Lumenbrite. Listen as I talk about the benefits of learning creative software and the impact that that knowledge has had on me professionally. During our discussion, we talk about free versus paid resources, improving communication, understanding workflows and identifying key assets, realistic timeframes for projects, capabilities of software, and much more. I think it’s time to get started. Let’s meet Anthony Bueno. Hi, Anthony. It’s great to have

Discovering Lumenbrite

Meet Anthony Bueno

Looking Back at Their First Training Session

[02:46] Anthony Bueno:

you on the rundown today. Hey, Don. Thanks for having me on the podcast. You know, you and I,

[02:50] Don Costante:

we’ve known each other, I believe since 2014. And I remember that year because that’s the year I made the determination that I’m going to expand my knowledge in the Adobe products. And it seems like, gosh, just yesterday, I came through your door for the first time. Do you remember me coming

[03:06] Anthony Bueno:

in? Yeah. And I can’t believe it’s been that long. Yeah, I actually do. I remember I was looking through my training schedule and I noticed your email said, Kansas City Royals. And I was like, oh, this is a big time. You know, why is this guy coming all the way to Arizona and take a class with me? You know, what, what can I show him that he probably doesn’t know already? Right. And then we had, we sat down and we discussed your goals, you know, trying to become more proficient and comfortable with the software and the terminology. So you can speak with your production team. And I’ll tell you

[03:38] Don Costante:

right now, I was a little relieved after that. It’s funny. You talk about how nervous you were about me coming to your class because I was with the Royals. The funny thing about it is here I am with the Royals, but I was the one that was nervous entering your class. I didn’t know back then how to create animations and motion graphics. I mean, that was the reason why I was there because I want to become a better manager, obviously. And I want to learn the terminology. And of course, I want to learn the software. So it was just funny to hear you talk about, you were nervous because I was just as nervous as you. So before we get too far along, take a moment and introduce Lumenbright to the listeners. And I want you to provide a snapshot of exactly what you guys do.

Why Don Wanted to Learn Adobe Software

What Lumenbrite Does

[04:17] Anthony Bueno:

Yeah, sure. So, you know, Lumenbright is a digital design training company that specializes in Adobe software and technologies. So what does that, what does that really mean? Well, we, we hold regularly scheduled classes, you know, for products like Photoshop and InDesign, you know, Premiere and After Effects. But we also work with businesses and organizations to help them, you know, with their design needs or technical needs, you know, kind of, kind of giving an example here, you know, I had the opportunity to go to, to New York and work with the design team for, for Sony Music.

Training Design Teams and Organizations

[04:50] Don Costante:

That’s cool. Right. Yeah. And they wanted us to help them, you know, train their, their design team to

[04:56] Anthony Bueno:

build these HTML web banners, you know, you know, at the time Flash was kind of the way you would do advertisements. And so they had to learn how to switch that into an HTML version. And, you know, I’ll show them how to use Adobe animate to do that.

Free Tutorials Versus Paid Instruction

[05:12] Don Costante:

That is so cool. Obviously, I’m a big fan of Lumenbright, but I’m sure there are people out there thinking, you know, with so many resources and tutorials available online, why would anyone pay for instruction?

The Value of Guided Learning

[05:24] Anthony Bueno:

Yeah. I mean, that’s a great question. I do believe that video tutorials have their place in education, right? They’re great. You know, but learning a new tool on your own can be kind of difficult as well as time consuming, right? If you get stuck on something, you’re having to go on your own to go research that question or even how to even ask that question to figure out what you’re trying to do. And I definitely believe that having somebody there to help you and guide you through this process is valuable, right? You know, be able to, to show you why you’re doing things, not how to do things, understanding the fundamentals versus trying to just create this cool effect, right?

[06:05] Don Costante:

Yeah.

[06:06] Anthony Bueno:

But don’t get me wrong. Video tutorials are great. Online training is great. But again, you know, my job is to take this idea, this concept, this tool and simplify it so you can learn it quickly and implement it into your job as fast as possible.

Learning Through Involvement

[06:21] Don Costante:

You know, when you were talking, the one thing that came to mind because of my experience with you in taking several classes is how involved you are and how involved you get me into the process of learning. A lot of people will teach. A lot of people will tell you what to do, but you are actually involved. You’re getting me involved. And you know, that makes me think of a quote from Benjamin Franklin. And he simply says, tell me and I forget teach me. And I may remember involve me. And I learn. I mean, I think that’s powerful. And I think that’s what you do and what Lumen bright does very well. As we talk about learning, I think it’s important to point out that learning will happen at all stages of your career. Even for me, I’m 26 years into it, but I learn every day. And I think that it’s naive to think that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks when you get to my age or, or this part of your career. I mean, after almost 20 years working in the sports industry, that’s when I came to see you, Anthony in 2014. And it was at that point, I made that conscious decision that I wanted to become a better manager to those in my production department. I wanted to expand my knowledge and understanding specifically

Learning at Every Stage of Your Career

Becoming a Better Production Manager

[07:31] Don Costante:

in the software that they utilized on a daily basis. I wanted to understand it. I wanted to learn it for a variety of reasons. I mean, the primary reason first and foremost was terminology. I wanted to learn the terminology of the different software that they were using so that I could communicate more

Learning Terminology to Improve Communication

[07:50] Anthony Bueno:

effectively. Exactly. I thought that, yeah. I mean, I felt if I could articulate my vision

[07:56] Don Costante:

and provide the feedback throughout that creative process, using the terminology that is relevant to them, that would give them the clarity necessary to make the desired changes in a more effective, more efficient way. Let me give you a quick example, something very simplistic. Say I’m in the editing room and I’m talking to my editor and we’re looking at the timeline and he’s showing me some of the content that he’s working on. And all of a sudden I see something that is very dark. I can just look at him and say, listen, I need you to reduce the opacity to 20%. And instantly what that tells him is exactly what to do. And it automatically satisfies what I’m trying to accomplish as well. I mean, I know that’s very simplistic, but take that as an example. And as I’m working with them now and I’ve expanded my vocabulary, I’m able to articulate my desires a lot easier and makes it a lot less stressful on them.

Using Specific Feedback With Editors

Eliminating the Language Barrier

[08:50] Anthony Bueno:

Wow. That’s beautiful, Don, because I think as a production manager and a design team, if they can’t work together and have that language barrier, it’s very difficult to produce anything, right?

[09:02] Don Costante:

Very difficult. Yeah.

[09:03] Anthony Bueno:

You know, it really does speed up the workflow when you’re on that save wavelength and that same terminology and workflow. And it just makes it easier for the designer to produce their content. You know, like one of the things, talking with my friends, you know, my designer friends, you know, one thing that we loathe when it comes with this creative process is when the feedback comes from the production manager or the client or whoever we’re working for. And they say, just make it pop or wow me, you know, what does that, what does that even really mean? You know? So to have that constructive feedback, to know the terms, to know what you’re asking for, I really do think it helps the direction of where the project is going.

Why Vague Creative Feedback Fails

Understanding Workflow and Required Assets

[09:39] Don Costante:

You know, for me taking the time to learn the different software, my production team utilizes daily, I have really gained the understanding of the workflow and the assets required in that development of the content that we’re doing. I’m telling you, it’s been enlightening for me. These classes have really provided me with that insight that I need to effectively manage that creative process from start to finish, which in turn really makes my team much more efficient.

Creative Fundamentals That Speed Up Production

[10:08] Anthony Bueno:

Yeah. I mean, when you say from start to finish, you know, when I think of start, I think of all the fundamentals, right? File formats you’re going to use, the color spaces, image resolution. You know, these are all important things as, as a designer that we learned at the beginning of our career. And so for you to know that in the beginning can really help push this project, you know, from start to finish and then understanding, you know, where are the right tools for the job and how they communicate with each other. Like I said, it really, it really does speed up that process, you know, but we got to admit that there are still roadblocks that we face as a designer when we don’t work with somebody who knows these fundamentals. And so, you know, we’re also still educating, right? So as a designer, you’re building, but you’re also educating, you know, others why this is not going to work and what you really need to make this work. One of the things that I’ve been very appreciative of, uh, from taking

Understanding Realistic Project Timelines

[11:02] Don Costante:

the classes that I’ve taken with you, Anthony is it’s allowed me to have a better perspective of the timeline that’s required for the completion of projects. I mean, once you have seen and learned what goes into using the different software to create content, along with the basic workflow for each, I mean, you get a much better perspective of the timeframe. And this is something that is so useful as a manager, because I don’t want to be one of those supervisors who has no understanding

[11:33] Anthony Bueno:

of realistic timeframes. Yeah. I think, you know, on that lines, you know, it can be very stressful if you have a production manager who doesn’t have a real expectation of how long it takes, you know, really to produce a graphic or, or edit a video or create an animation, you know,

[11:50] Don Costante:

it’s very, very stressful. Absolutely. Um, so I think you knowing that, you know, that whole process

[11:56] Anthony Bueno:

just makes it easier for you to, you know, ask your team, Hey, I need this done and have a, you know, an idea of how long it’s going to take. And so that you can plan accordingly, you know, and that’s, that’s very, very helpful as a designer myself, if we work with somebody who does know that whole timeframe

Managing Workloads and Protecting Quality

[12:13] Don Costante:

issue. You know, as a manager, understanding the timeframe for the completion of projects is critical to managing the workload of your staff. I mean, if you have no understanding, I mean, how much work do you know that you can give somebody, right? You can end up overloading them to a point where they’re pumping out content that is of lower quality because they just don’t have time because you, you haven’t been realistic in what you’ve given them. But by having that understanding of the time it takes to create certain content, you know, what that timeline is, you can manage their workload and ensure that the quality is much better. One of the biggest advantages of learning the different creative softwares has been getting exposed to the capability of the software itself. I mean, as a person who directs live events, this information has proven invaluable for me simply by expanding my understanding of the creative possibilities. Let’s face it. Events are rooted in storytelling and as a director and for all you directors out there listening, it’s our job. It’s our job to find the creative ways to tell those stories. Learning the Adobe products has really allowed me to deliver the stories in more creative,

Understanding the Capabilities of Creative Software

Using Creative Tools to Tell Better Stories

[13:27] Don Costante:

innovative, and compelling ways at all of my events.

Emerging Technology and Future Possibilities

[13:30] Anthony Bueno:

Yeah, I think, you know, being able to express yourself, you know, have the freedom to showcase your vision or tell that story, you know, that’s where the magic happens. And, you know, today, you know, when it comes to the hardware and software, for me, it’s really exciting. I mean, I can remember it was not too long ago when 3D printing was kind of the, you know, the new thing to do. And now it’s mainstream. You see it everywhere. Now it’s VR and 360 video, right? Creating new experiences by immersing yourself into this new world. So, I mean, it’s pretty exciting. And now, you know, specifically with Adobe technologies, you know, a lot of things that they’re implementing to the tools is AI technology, right? I know, a little scary, but, you know, just from what I’ve seen, it’s really making these creative tools, you know, faster and easier to use. So, like I said, I’m really excited to see what’s possible in the next five to 10 years and see what these, you know, content creators are going to produce, you know, using these tools.

How to Begin Learning Creative Software

[14:35] Don Costante:

Like you said, I mean, the one thing’s for sure, technology is ever changing. So, I too am looking forward to what’s going to be next. What advice would you give to those who want to develop their skill set in creative software, but they just don’t know maybe how to get started? Or maybe they just don’t know what software would be best or most beneficial for them to learn first.

Choose the Right Tools for Your Goals

[14:58] Anthony Bueno:

Yeah. I think the first question to ask is what do you specifically want to do, right? There’s all these different genres when it comes to content creation. And, you know, do you want to produce videos, music, you want to design graphics, create animation, you want to build websites. And the reason why I think that is the first question you should ask yourself, because, you know, there’s a specific set of tools and knowledge that you have to know to be in that field or to design and develop that type of content. And then get some training. I’m not telling you to take a class. Maybe that’s the way you learn, but everything. Learn by going online. Learn by shadowing somebody. Learn by taking a few classes. You know, there’s a lot of different avenues that you can take, you know, to learn how to use those tools and to learn that industry. And then finally, I think get involved. There’s a lot of user groups and meetups in your area that you can search for. And they offer information, whether it’s for free or paid, it’s still a great opportunity to network and to meet other like-minded individuals who are passionate about, you know, their industry. And finally, I think, you know, never stop learning. You

Training, Networking, and Continued Learning

[16:13] Anthony Bueno:

always have to continue to learn because the software is changing, the hardware is changing, and there are new things that are coming out. So, so never stop learning. As we near the end, Anthony, I have one last

Final Thoughts From Anthony Bueno

[16:25] Don Costante:

question for you. And it’s a question I ask all my guests. To all those listening, what are your final

Knowledge Is King

[16:32] Anthony Bueno:

thoughts? You know, I think, I think knowledge is king. So if you know how something works or the process, I think that makes you a better manager, leader, innovator. Even if you don’t do it, knowing how it works can really help you get an understanding of how to produce that content, right? And I think when it comes to terms of you knowing how these tools work, what it’s capable of, the timeframe, it just makes it a better experience, not only for you, but I think also for your production team, right? They have managed expectation of what they can produce and how long it takes. So knowledge is king. Understanding the process, I think is super, super important. You know, with that said, I’d like to invite your listeners to check out Lumenbride.com and view our course listings. And if you see something that interests you, we have a promo code out there for the rundown for your podcast, and you can get 10% off your registration fee for our classes. So if you want to sign up for a class, you know, you can use that

Lumenbrite Course Offer

Closing the Interview

[17:30] Don Costante:

promo code in the rundown. Well, Anthony, thank you so much. And thank you for that offer. I hope listeners take you up on it because I’m sure they won’t be disappointed. Thanks again for being on the podcast and for sharing your experience and your knowledge. I really do appreciate it.

[17:45] Anthony Bueno:

Yeah, it was my pleasure, Don. I really had fun being on your podcast.

Don Costante’s Key Takeaways

[17:50] Don Costante:

There are numerous ways to learn. I understand that, but it’s up to us individually to determine the course of action that best suits our needs. For me, the in-person one-on-one approach is the most effective because it allows me to develop my skillset by receiving instruction that is customized and targeted specific to my needs. And most importantly, at a pace that I desire. The intangible benefit of having received instruction from the same person over the years is that I have built a professional relationship with Anthony, who I feel very comfortable going to for assistance or advisement when troubleshooting on real world projects. Having Anthony on the rundown today to provide his perspective on the importance of learning was hopefully helpful to you. I certainly appreciated his insight. And here’s what stood out to me during our conversation. First, learning a new tool on your own can be difficult as well as time consuming. Having someone who can show you why you are doing the things that you’re doing, not just how you do things, but really teaching you the fundamentals is so important. And speaking of fundamentals, knowing the fundamentals, things like file formats,

[18:56] Don Costante:

color spaces, image resolutions, understanding the right tools for a project and how they communicate with each other really speeds up the process and the workflow. And what did Anthony say about terminology? Communication is so important. By using the same terminology, you know what you’re asking for. It really helps the direction of where the project is going. I love the advice he gave to those who are interested in developing their skill set. First, ask yourself, what specifically do you want to do? Second, get some training. Third, get involved. And fourth, never stop learning. And finally, knowledge is king. Knowing how tools work, what it’s capable of, the timeframe, it just makes you a better manager, which reduces stress and makes it a better experience, not only for you, but for the production team. Those were just a few points that resonated with me. Again, I certainly hope that you found today’s information beneficial for you. I want to thank Anthony again for being on the podcast and for sharing his thoughts with all of us. Also, if today’s discussion has motivated you to want to improve your own knowledge in creative software,

[20:04] Don Costante:

I highly encourage you to check out Lumenbrite’s website and take advantage of that 10% discount that he offered simply by using the product code, the rundown. Well, that wraps up this episode of the rundown. As always, I encourage you to reach out to me and share your thoughts and or questions. Please send them to [email protected]Email The Rundown. That’s [email protected]Email The Rundown. Also, I would really appreciate it if you would subscribe and share this podcast and follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram. And until the next time, I’m Don Costante.