Vipul Bindra: 0:04

Welcome to another episode of Studio B Sessions here with me, Bindra, owner of Bindra Productions here in Orlando, Florida. And like the other episodes, we've got Mario in the producer table. Say hi, Mario.

Mario Rangel: 0:16

Hey guys, how are you again? Nice to see you.

Vipul Bindra: 0:20

And our guest today is Jose. And he does event videography. You've been doing it since 2020, so you have a lot of knowledge about that, but you don't do my style of productions. So this I think would be a great conversation to get into. And plus, something really cool about you is you also own a photo booth business. That's correct. Such a cool combination to have, because I know they are asking us, have been multiple times have been asked about photo booths. So that may be something to learn about here. But welcome. Thank you for coming. Thank you for having me. Of course. So was this a long drive?

Jose Castillo: 0:52

Uh it's about 40 minutes, but you know, Orlando traffic. Yeah. So turnpike was good, 408 was good, and then it that's it. Intercity traffic was uh fun.

Vipul Bindra: 1:01

That's crazy. Yeah. And if all three are usually traffic, then it could take an over an hour to get anywhere here. Yeah, exactly. But again, I'm sure people who somebody's listening from Atlanta, they'd be like, uh, what are you complaining about?

Jose Castillo: 1:12

Yeah, if you come to Florida, just know add an additional maybe 15-20 minutes buffer 100%. To everything.

Vipul Bindra: 1:18

All right. But you made it on time. We started on time, so that's awesome. Thank you, thank you. Uh so uh season two, uh, you're here, and uh, we talked at the the first time I remember talking to you is at the meetup. I think it was at Christian's place. David Moorefield did the meetup. Yes, and uh it was so great to know you and uh seemed like you have such passion for video production. Talk to you about that the the meetup and just overall in general the community that we have.

Jose Castillo: 1:47

Of course, of course. So I started watching David on YouTube, right? You go into the the funnel of YouTube, you find one person, it's like, oh, I like that. Uh just kind of like behind the scenes stuff, and then just him talking voiceover, I like it. So, and it was a lot of learning from it, right? Um, like you said, I'm not a part of this production size, uh, but like as far as DPs and grip and all that, I I'm just like, Yeah, do you do yes, I do video. Yeah, you know, but I don't have a name for every single thing, right? Yeah, um, but when I started reading, you know, watching his videos and things like that, and at one point he was just like, Hey, yeah, if you're in Orlando, I'm like, Hold up, you're in Orlando? And then he's like, Yeah, if you're in Orlando and you want to come out to one of the meetups, come through. And I'm like, Oh, okay, okay. So I'm used to that. I'm used to the the uh face-to-face, very personable, you know, when it comes to that. Um, so I was like, Yes. I told my wife I put it on the calendar and it's set. And um the first time I went was the one in downtown, but I didn't stay that long. Uh the second one, we closed shop, yeah, which was awesome. You know, getting to meet new people, and then when I talked to you, yeah, it was just like kind of like different levels, man. You know what I'm saying? Like you meet everybody there, um, and everyone has a start, and then everyone where they're at is where they're at. Yeah, um, they could always grow if they want to, but if they don't want to, they just stay where they're at, you know.

Vipul Bindra: 3:09

Yeah, and I the way I think this industry is to be real, I know people think that there's levels to it. I feel like you do all levels if you want to stay up to top, meaning, like, sure, I'm running my own production sometimes, uh, but then there's times where I'll help a friend and I may be a gaffer on their set, or I may be a DP on their set, and then that's not my set, right? So there's there's there's levels to it, but sometimes you can be operating at different levels. Like uh the other day I was in a shoot, I'm just a camp, right? I am not I'm lower on the totem pole, but it's really interesting to see how the director, the DP there, plus networking. Now that I met these people, they know hey, uh he does that. Oh, he owns the whole van and he owes this whole production company, right? It can be a networking opportunity. It can so you so never never know. What I'm saying is you're doing uh doing multiple roles. So sometimes you know you could be the boss, and sometimes you're you know you're lower on the totem pole. Yeah, yeah. Uh and and I think at least staying flexible keeps you uh, I don't know, on the toes, up to date with what's happening, plus you can see the other side of it. Because when I'm working under a different DP or director and they do something that I don't like, I'm like, oh, I gotta make sure I, when I'm DP or directing, I don't do that. Exactly. Right? Or oh, I like what they're doing, and you pick it up, and I think after years, that's how you form your personality, right? So the little bits that you picked here and there to make you what you do amazing, right?

Jose Castillo: 4:25

Yeah, for sure. Someone uh uh recently told me is like the biggest uh form of flattery is copying the style or copying what they do, so it's a learning curve anywhere you go, and you work with different people in their style of working, it might be different than yours, but you learn.

Vipul Bindra: 4:40

Yeah, I think Steve Jobs said it or something. I may be uh saying saying this incorrectly, the code, but good artists steal uh no uh good artists copy and great artists steal. It's totally okay in our industry to have style. Nobody can patent uh a way to make a video, you know what I mean? Yeah, so if you like something and it works for your project, you should do it. And like you said, it's uh it's actually a form of flattery. I would be amazed if somebody ever was like, hey, you did this and I liked it and I did it, and I'm like, that's awesome. You know, like I wouldn't be like, you copying me. There's no way to copy how you place a light or how you place a camera, you know. I don't know. Uh I think it's just style. And if somebody likes your style, like you said, I I would treat it as more as flattery than something negative, yeah.

Jose Castillo: 5:21

The one thing they can do now is like print out the script and then copy the words.

Vipul Bindra: 5:24

It's like, hold on, relax.

Jose Castillo: 5:26

Yeah, there's levels to that, but yeah, exactly.

Vipul Bindra: 5:27

Yeah, no, that that would be plagiarism, right? Yeah, I mean the Chat GPT, even plagiarism, is that a thing now? Because it's true. Technically copying all the data to spit out something. This is I I don't know. I don't know.

Jose Castillo: 5:39

I'm glad I didn't go to school uh at this time because uh Chat GPT would have been my friend. Yeah, I literally saw a car and it had uh thank you, chat, for letting me pass.

Vipul Bindra: 5:48

And you know what's crazy now? I think it's uh the the reverse effect happening because uh I get it, colleges and schools don't want you to, you know, copy or or use chat, but then the these tools, which is business opportunity, have come up that you know they'll tell the professors or whatever if this is AI or not. But a lot of time they can actually flag good content incorrectly just because, you know, for example, something Chad does a lot is use those hyphens. So uh, but now if you're somebody who likes using hyphens, you're screwed because it's gonna always flag your thing as oh, uh, this is AI written, so it can also have the negative effect where if you don't use AI, you could still think you're using AI because if you're using words in a certain way, not that everyone does, but I'm saying if you're one that random person who does do that, because it did pick up all this from somewhere, right? It's it's it's been fed into it, then you're screwed.

Jose Castillo: 6:37

Yeah, 100%. I I recently talked to uh uh a friend of mine and she's uh an event planner, and the way she replied, I was like, this sounds like chatter Harry Potter. Yeah, copyright, yeah, copyright, don't delete. Uh no, but it sounded like a bot. So I thought I was like, this sounds like Chat GBT um response. So and then she's like she's like laughing my butt off because it's she was it was just her, yeah. And I was like, Yeah, it just sounds too close to AI.

Vipul Bindra: 7:05

And see, that could be a problem for people who do talk or write like that. So it's it's kind of funny, but but at the same time, uh yeah, I couldn't live my day now without chat because it's like I run everything through it. It's still my voice, I think at least, because I write it and then I just help it use it to rewrite. So I'm like, uh, it's just making me sound a little better than you know, with all the errors and stuff like that. Yeah, exactly.

Jose Castillo: 7:28

Versus my roughness.

Vipul Bindra: 7:29

Yeah, exactly. Yeah, I I I think again, I I like the AI tools. I have nothing against them. The only thing I would be is where it's all AI because you know you can't technically go and just write an email to reach out at someone or something like that. I don't know, and then it spits out something and you copy and paste. Then I feel like there's no personality in it, it's just AI that I don't want to read. But if you write something and say, Oh, make it more friendly, or add a line where I say something, then I think it's fine. Sound like me. Yeah, exactly. It's making you sound better or professional or more friendly or whatever that is. I think then AI is fine. But I guess each person has their own parameter of where where they're okay with AI.

Jose Castillo: 8:07

100%. I like the the ideas that it comes up with, um, and they just make it your make it your own. Yeah. Right? Your own voice, your own personality. I'm very outgoing, uh, and I'm I try to, you know, just stay in my lane when it comes to that, but it it comes out funny sometimes uh to people. So it just I I use it for ideas and then just kind of implement it in my own, you know, my own voice at that point.

Vipul Bindra: 8:29

Yeah, that's pretty cool. So how did how did you come into photo booth?

Jose Castillo: 8:33

So photo booth was first, uh about 10 years now, about 10 years doing photo booth. So I went to one of my cousins' weddings, um, and they had a booth, and it was an awesome experience, and the quality wasn't even there, just but I like the experience of it. Um, so me and my wife were talking, we're like, we this sounds funny, but we were at Taco Bell, we're eating, we're like, we need to start a business. What business? And then she's like, How about the photo booth thing that was at the wedding? And I was like, Okay, that sounds good. You know, we had a certain amount of money we wanted to invest in something, so we're like, Yeah, let's do it. Um, and I didn't buy new, I bought used um from a they're a huge DJ company now, but they're they're they were a photo booth company and they did DJ, but not too much. Um, I bought it from them and it barely fit in my car. But but I made it work. I made it work. Um, and for a good while, um, we were doing it with that same booth, and then we just kind of started scaling. We won't make everything easier for us. Um, and then when when I noticed that okay, I can't just um I can't do it all myself, and then I started hiring people to do it, and now it kind of just it's like a turning wheel, you know. I get events, uh, I set everything up, and they come pick up and come drop off.

Vipul Bindra: 9:48

Look at that, that's easy. Yeah, so what were you doing before photo booths?

Jose Castillo: 9:52

So at that time I was working for a big cable company that people don't care for as much. Uh, but I was a technician, so I was going up on the poles and I was fixing the cables and making it happen. Yeah, um, so then I went into sales from there. It was crazy. So the company was like, okay, you're a technician, but um, if you want to make extra money, just upgrade them for higher speed internet. And I was like, the first day I want to make a sale, I want to make a sale. So I was making an extra a hundred dollars a check, and I was like, yo, this is awesome. And then I got interviewed for sales.

Vipul Bindra: 10:27

I was like, I'm not that good talking about it's one thing to upgrade internet than to like sell, yeah, yeah.

Jose Castillo: 10:33

Exactly. So then it's so it just kind of gradually went from there. So I went from there to door to door, literally knocking on people's doors. Um, and I was good for I want to say three or four years, just conversation. It's literally a conversation, right? Um, and then just kind of kept going in the sales route. Um, and I went business business to business for a while, for about four years, business to business, and then that's where my day-to-day job ended because of the boss.

Vipul Bindra: 11:01

Yeah, no, I totally get it. So, so what's crazy though is that that I'm sure helps you now in your business is that you run both you know photo booth and video because yeah, uh, sales is one of those things that is so undervalued, but it's extremely useful because you can use it anywhere. And I I think that also is I find it's the stigma with the word sales. Because a lot of people think when you say sales, you know, they think, oh, you're sleazy, you know, like you're you're pushing something or whatever. And I'm like, not all sales is bad, um, but you know, sales is very integral, especially if you're running your own business. If you have no sales, you know, you'd be out of the business.

Jose Castillo: 11:36

Exactly.

Vipul Bindra: 11:36

So it's a it's an invaluable lesson, I feel like then that helped you, I guess, doing all that for years for that company, right?

Jose Castillo: 11:43

So I've learned a lot of of what I do from YouTube, right? YouTube University. The first day I got I got interviewed for a door-to-door sales job at that. That was my first one, right? It was in the same company, so door-to-door sales and for a cable company, right? And I didn't know it was door-to-door, they just said it was a sales job. Okay, let's do it. More money, okay, let's do it. And at that time, I needed more time with my kids. I was like, and I needed more money, so let's do it. And when I got there and they were just like, Yeah, um, it's gonna be door-to-door. I still didn't know what that meant. I was like, okay, yeah. And then on the way to training, I YouTube how to be a good door-to-door salesman. So I started learning from there. Yeah, I was like, Oh, this is what we're doing. And then the first day out in the fields, knocking on people's doors, I was just like, Oh my god, what did I do? Because I went from a pretty decent pay for red technician to at that point, there was very it was fifteen thousand dollars a year for their base. Wow, and then the rest is commission. So they you have to you have to sell, yeah, you have to sell that is where your real money is coming from. And it was it was amazing. Uh well, after I learned of what I was doing, it was amazing good money. So I enjoyed that.

Vipul Bindra: 12:52

So when you got the photo boots business, then that's all you started doing, right?

Jose Castillo: 12:55

Or yeah, no, so so I was still working full-time, yeah, but because the sales is sales-based, they're you work when you kind of want to work, I guess. So I was working three hours a day, door to door, and it didn't affect my uh ability to do events. So, especially the weekends, that's usually the biggest events. I like the in between and like the during the week because usually it's corporate. Um, and I love those. They're just yeah, here's what we need, and that's it. Bye. Yeah, they never complain about price, they never complain as long as you show up on time, and I haven't missed an event period. Wow. Um, and knock on wood. Yeah, let me do that right. But um, yeah, yeah. And we I was working full-time for for quite a while. I mean, I just went full time on photo booth and video a year and a half ago.

Vipul Bindra: 13:42

Year and a half is when you've been just doing this. Yes. So how many photo boots do you have now? I have four five photo booths. Five photo boots. Yeah, all different styles. So is it like is it a profitable business? Because I don't know nothing about photo booth. I just know sometimes my clients have come to me and it's like, oh, you you're doing photo and video for everyone. Can you do photo booth? And I'm like, that's not the same thing, right? But uh, you know it's a not, yeah. It's not, it is, it is not either. Yeah, it's not, but it's I I see your point. But I'm just like like photo and video, but we're I don't know. I don't know anything about photo boots, like how much it costs or whatever. So generally I've just called around like, hey, we need a photo booth, what's the rate? And then so as a as a photo booth business goes, is it a profitable business? It really is. It really is.

Jose Castillo: 14:24

Yeah, I'm not trying to get I'm not gonna gatekeep, so I'm gonna let you know. Yeah, it really is because once you buy the equipment, uh so example, uh, I'm just gonna my experience, right? Uh I've bought a photo booth for about $2,500, uh, printer, everything included. Um, but I bought it bare and then I built it, right? Yeah, it's kind of the same thing, but it's better because it's more affordable that way. Um, but once you learn the program, the program is $100 a year, and that's your overhead, that and your marketing and your your website, really. Yeah, your website is how you get the most leads, pretty much. Um, that is how you you maintain the business. So on a monthly, on a monthly income, I mean on a monthly basis, you're spending maybe like two three hundred dollars a month to run the business. Wow, that's pretty low, yeah.

Vipul Bindra: 15:13

For a business, yeah.

Jose Castillo: 15:14

Yeah, and then we don't we're not really cheap. We're not cheap. So we're are a little bit higher.

Vipul Bindra: 15:19

So what can an average and I know there's different various things. So three hours, yeah.

Jose Castillo: 15:22

Typically, three hours, a regular photo booth is about eight hundred bucks. Um and then for a drop-off, we come three hours, we drop off, and then we come pick it up, like kind of like a bounce house. Uh yeah, 650. Yeah. Um, so really, and then the prints, how do you say it's like 700 prints? So a box costs 200 bucks. So it usually costs anywhere between five cents to ten cents a print. So it it's really inexpensive.

Vipul Bindra: 15:53

Yeah, and I'm sure that's an added on cost, or is that included? No, that's included. That's included. That's actually not bad for a client. I'm saying they pay that, they also get you know prints. And then for you, seems like fairly profitable because there's no like labor cost, right? Once you leave it, you're you're done.

Jose Castillo: 16:08

Well, for the drop-offs, yeah. For the drop-offs, drop off your labor. But once there's no labor, just drop off and go. You go, you don't stay there with it, right? The other one, the prints, you do because there's a there's possibilities of things going wrong. So you want to labor and bring somebody there. Okay.

Vipul Bindra: 16:22

Do you normally go yourself or do you send someone?

Jose Castillo: 16:25

Uh I'll send somebody if if I'm I'm busy or I'm I have nothing to do, then I'll go. Okay. Um, but I'll usually send in the weekends, usually send somebody. Um, so that's just because I'm on the weekend. Wow, yeah, I know. I I get it.

Vipul Bindra: 16:37

Yeah, you want more time with your kids.

Jose Castillo: 16:38

Exactly. How many kids you got? I have two daughters. Two daughters. Oh, wow.

Vipul Bindra: 16:42

How old are they?

Jose Castillo: 16:43

I have a 12-year-old that's going to 13, but she's like a 25-year-old. But and then I have a 16-year-old. Wow. Yeah, so they're two daughters.

Vipul Bindra: 16:52

Yeah, I have two daughters, but they're four and eight. So they still love you. Yeah, yeah, they still love me.

Jose Castillo: 16:57

Oh my girls love me. I don't know. My girls love me, but my 16-year-old, and she's gonna laugh when she sees us, but yeah, there's um there's a tugging pole right there. So yeah, but no, oh.

Vipul Bindra: 17:07

No, I get it. I remember, you know, when I was, you know, that going through the age, but I guess it's a thing everyone does, and then you calm down and realize, oh, you know, yeah, it's it's a teen thing, and it and I'm okay with it.

Jose Castillo: 17:17

I remember just it being about me and my friends, and that's kind of where she's at. Um, I mean, we're still very much involved uh in in everyone's life, so our kids are very young, they come to us for anything, so it's kind of it's great. Um, but they know now that I'm home, especially during summer. It's like, oh, what are we doing today? What are you doing today? They want to know my schedule. They have me. I put it, we put the tracker of like 360 on their phone. No, they track us. Yeah, they they track me and my wife.

Vipul Bindra: 17:45

It's the opposite now.

Jose Castillo: 17:46

100%. I remember them texting me, like, what are you guys doing there? It's like mind your business.

Vipul Bindra: 17:51

Yeah. Wow. Kids tracking their parents. That's that's I didn't even think about that, but that's that is seems like you know what uh how it should go. Yeah, I guess you track them, then they track you. Like, where's my parents? Yeah. So uh have you tried to get your kids involved in the in the photo booth business or any business?

Jose Castillo: 18:08

Yes, on the video side, my oldest, the 16-year-old, she's been second shooter for me for all my quincenas and my weddings, uh, for I want to say three years. So she was 13 when she started. Oh wow. I don't know how the labor force. I don't know the laws. I don't know the law, but she she just came to assist Adana. She grabbed the camera and she did her own thing. Uh, she knows and knows how to do it. So my and then my youngest, now both my both daughters will take pictures in our church. So the church I attend, so they there are photographers there. Yeah, um, so they're very much involved with cameras. They see my cameras, they know how to use my cameras. That's pretty cool.

Vipul Bindra: 18:45

So they'll have, I'm sure they have their own interests or whatever, but if that this ends up being one of them, you can help them kind of get in the industry or uh scale up faster because you have gone through this. So, why'd you pick event video? Because I know, like I said, I not that we don't do event videos. Being in Orlando, you have to do events and conferences because that's like the biggest thing. But obviously, we prefer or I prefer to do you know more produced videos or whatever you can call it, or corporate commercials, the way I would put it. So, what made you pick event videos? Did it just happen or was it a is it a choice?

Jose Castillo: 19:20

So it was the easiest to get into. Um, uh it's been okay, it's about five years now. And weddings is the easiest to pick up. The weddings in Quincenos was the easiest way. I I networked to a lot of photographers. Um, they're good friends. Yeah, no, and now they became good friends. Once you network is kind of one of those things like, yo, hey, you could text them, hey, well, how about this, whatever the case is. And eventually, because they only do photo, they need somebody to do video and they'll think of somebody, right? Usually I try to get them to think of me. Um, not get them to think of me, they they want to do it organically, right? Um, so that was where I started. Um, I wait. So I bought my first. Camera for 500 bucks. It was a 872. A seven two. A seven two. Five hundred bucks on marketplace. So my parents sold some land. They give us an inheritance of 500 bucks. That's why our bar that's a very expensive land. This was just like the beginning, right? Because there's a there's four of us. I mean five of us total. So I have four sisters and all that. So yeah, it was a good amount. And then they have 13 nieces and nephew. They all got something. Yeah. So everyone got something. Yeah. Yeah. So it was a good chunk of money for them. But uh, nevertheless, I bought the camera and I filmed my first wedding right before COVID, and it shut off on me five times in the wedding on the used cameras.

Vipul Bindra: 20:40

The old Sony cameras were not that good. Either way. That's why I was very anti-Sony then. Uh, but you know, and again, it doesn't matter nowadays, camera brands. But I'm saying that's why I was like, oh, the colors are crap, the autofocus sucks, right? The the autofocus didn't work in the wedding. Yeah, exactly.

Jose Castillo: 20:55

I didn't know about autofocus like that. Like I was like, yeah, it should work. Yeah, no, it didn't really work that well. But I mean, I got my shots and I did my wedding, it was good.

Vipul Bindra: 21:03

So the client wasn't unhappy. That's no, the client was not unhappy. That's the key.

Jose Castillo: 21:07

It was also a free wedding. So I was like, hey, I'll do your wedding. Um, because it was at um the Orlando, was it the Orlando where they do the plays? You know, I'm talking about the it right in downtown Orlando.

Vipul Bindra: 21:19

What did they do there?

Jose Castillo: 21:20

They do the plays like where the Hamilton Oh yeah, um Dr. Phillips Center. Yeah, is it Dr. Phillips Center? Yeah, Dr.

Vipul Bindra: 21:27

Phillips Performance Center.

Jose Castillo: 21:28

Exactly. So it was there, so it was supposed to be Glam, and it is, it was. Um, I loved it. Um, but just that was my first one. But and that's kind of where it started, I guess. I got into the business side of um or the small business side of it. Um, when Marcus, was it Marcus Rideout? I think the one with the glasses, anyways. He did the um the how to sell.

Vipul Bindra: 21:51

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't know what you're gonna talk about.

Jose Castillo: 21:54

I was a part of that group, yeah, and just learning from everybody. And at that moment, I still didn't have money to invest, so I was like, all right, I'm learning as much as I can at no cost. Yeah, um, so I which is the best kind of learning.

Vipul Bindra: 22:04

Yeah, yeah.

Jose Castillo: 22:04

Yeah, it's like yo, let's do it. And um, that's kind of where the small business side came, and I've been enjoying that venture. I've done brand stories. Uh, this year was my first time ever doing a corporate event. Um I love I've loved it, honestly. Yeah, they fed you.

Vipul Bindra: 22:21

Probably nothing like uh weddings, though.

Jose Castillo: 22:23

Yeah, no, very much not. It's it's okay, who's speaking next? Okay, what do you what are they doing? The crowd, the look, everything was really nice. Um, the interviews, um, setting them up. Yeah, so I've learned a lot from everyone. You know what I'm saying? When it when it comes to how'd you learn how to do this? I didn't go to school for this. Um, I don't have an FX6. I was telling them for the first time I got to see an FX6 today. Really? Yeah, and I mentioned that in the chat. I'm like, you guys, I think at one point you wanted 80 something. Uh yeah, yeah, it was a project. Yeah, it was really working. I I responded real quick. I was like, yo, it's funny. You I haven't even seen one.

Vipul Bindra: 22:58

Well, now you're seeing what two? Yeah, two. I mean, to be real, it's not that big of a deal. Uh, I I think again, and this is like where some people are, right? Like I said, people are just stuck on gear or whatever. It's like the biggest mindset when you have, and I feel like it's mostly a big and air mindset, is like, if only I had this camera, if I only had this microphone, or if I only had this, then I would do good. And that's the the worst mindset you can have. Because here's the thing if you really need it and you can't afford it, then you can always rent it. I don't know why people are so against renting. And if you don't know enough people to rent from, then you need to go network. I get it. Some small things are not easily because you know, FX6, at least you can go to 10 websites, you can even ship it if let's say somebody locally doesn't have it. Yeah, but if you want the let's say road mics, those are cheap mics. No, no big rental house is usually gonna carry those. Yeah, so you need to know somebody locally, I'm saying around you to have that. Uh so the easiest thing is a network uh, you know, locally, I said, tell people, but then uh you it should be easy. Like go to a friend, be like, hey, I'll give you, you know, because road goes are cheap, so like I'll give you 30 bucks. Can I use it for a day? Yeah, they wouldn't mind. It's like it's not costing them anything. Yeah, and you you can have that, and then you know, you build that into whatever your cost is, I'm saying, that you're gonna build to the client. I don't know why a lot of beginners are anti-renting. There, I've noticed that's the trend. The the more you high up, the more you're open to renting, and it should be the opposite, you know, because when you have the funds, you're like, okay, I can invest in it. Yeah, but when you're beginning is when you shouldn't be investing, because like you said, you didn't even know what camera you needed. You just bought one, and then obviously, thank goodness it was for low money, so you probably got it back. Yeah, um, but you know, imagine somebody goes out and buys an FX6 thinking that's what then demands. Yeah, and then next thing you realize, oh, I'm doing event shoots or I'm doing something where that camera is not the right fit. You wouldn't know that until you know you have enough work coming in. Uh and it could become a workhorse or it could just become a desk collector, and at that point, you know, you you you wasted your money buying something you didn't need.

Jose Castillo: 24:59

So yeah, and uh that's why um I'm gonna plug it real quick. The the Orlando chat, it's super important to be involved in something like that. Yeah, um, and not everybody there is a production hub or a production company things, but there's a lot of learning that goes in there um and knowing people. I've met up coffee a hundred well, not a hundred times. I love coffee, first of all. Um, and you you're a little too far. No, I'll probably end up invite you to coffee anyways, but uh nevertheless, that's why I love going to meet people in and the Orlando chat has helped. Yeah, um, you network right people, and honestly, just to be friends first, it's not about work. Yeah, a lot of people get that wrong uh when it comes to networking. Go to a networking event, not to sell yourself. Well, hold on, not to sell your product, it sell yourself. Like, yeah, who are you? Are you are you a person that you want to like vibe with and things like that? Then at that point, then you know, more times you see them, there might be a possibility at the end, you know, that you can.

Vipul Bindra: 25:58

And and you never know is what I'm saying. Sometimes, and people also want instant gratification, like, oh, let me go have coffee with this person, and then three days later, hey, any jobs for me? Why haven't you hired me? So you know what I mean? It doesn't have to be this fast. Now it could happen. There's a chance, you know, you go they're like, hey, I have the shoot or whatever, you want to come by, but there's a high chance you may not happen for six months, a year. But when it does happen, it may be something really big. You don't know. I feel like you should, like you said, I liked what you said, where you're going into the mindset of just meeting them and selling yourself. You don't have to sell any product or service, right? You're just there, hey, I want to get to know you, you know, uh, and here's the chance to get them for to get to know you, and how that evolves, who knows? It could just be them teaching you uh something where you're like, hey, I'm at this career level and I need to learn ABC. Yeah, it could just be as simple as that. And to me, that has huge value more than them hiring you if they can get you past some hurdle or whatever, or it could be the opposite, where you're like, hey, you know, you need this solve. I'm actually better for your production company or whatever, where you can come in and be a cam op or whatever. So you can actually be helping them offload some of their work or whatever. Yeah, so you never know where it's gonna go until you actually meet people. But I feel like you should never go with an agenda because you have no idea what it's gonna come out of it. It could be nothing, it could be a lot, it could just be knowledge, right? Yeah, it could be money.

Jose Castillo: 27:21

Yeah, yesterday I went to a networking event and it it didn't go great. It there was not really that connection with anyone. Everyone kind of clicked up, and then I just asked why, right? And it was it me or was it that it's like no, it's just maybe it's not the the clientele that I was looking for, or just I I never go looking for work per se, but I do go looking for people that I might eventually want to work with. Um, because listen, if you don't vibe with me and I'm usually a good, easy going person, yeah, then it's maybe that's not my right client, you know what I'm saying?

Vipul Bindra: 27:52

Or it could be just that they already, if sometimes what happens, and I've noticed that I was telling Mario this. Uh we were he I brought him to uh like a chamber that I'm a member of, and I was like, listen, you're new here, these people already have clicks, and I I know a bunch of people, so I may also even go start chatting out someone I know, but don't feel uncomfortable because it happens because sometimes you go somewhere, people already have groups, so they're in their group, and you go, uh, how do I how do I go here? And everyone's already clicked, so you have to like find a way. And again, challenging. I'm not the biggest person, you know, being able to interrupt people. But I'm saying is that is where it requires skills where without awkwardly being able to introduce, yeah, get to know a few people, because you have no idea which group do you even click in. It could be true. Some people, like you said, you don't wouldn't vibe, but you have no idea because they're in their little groups, they're chatting, you know, they're having a good time, and you're like, which one do you even go interrupt? So it is the challenge of networking. Networking isn't the easiest thing. I totally get it. I have, you know, it may not look like it because we're doing this podcast or whatever, but I am like very socially um, you know, um intro word. So I'm like, I don't want to just go start talking to random people. No, but it's like, see, it's like we're talking video. I can talk about video all day, but just talking about random stuff with random people that I don't know is just not in my nature. I just don't do that, you know what I mean? So I don't like being fake in a networking event. So I have to make sure that people I'm talking to, it doesn't have to be about video, but it's something relevant. Like we're talking about something I care about. Um, and uh I'm not gonna fake it, is what I'm saying. That's my entire point. I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing. I could go get a job if I just wanted to, you know, just make a living, right? I want to be myself, and I'm and and then that's why networking events are actually difficult for me, especially where I don't know anyone because I'm like, I don't know who I wipe with. And if I go and they start talking about some random stuff or politics or something that I don't care about that I'm like, I'm just gonna be standing there looking awkward. Because I'm like, I have zero interest in this conversation, right?

Jose Castillo: 29:47

I think those are the ones I like the most. The ones I don't know anybody at all. Because it forces you, you're not gonna go in the corner and just be like, okay, I'm I'm done. No, no, it forces you, it kind of gets you out of your zets out of your comfort zone. Yeah, 100%. And yes, sometimes it's it's very awkward to interrupt, you know, not interrupt and while they're talking, but interrupt as far as like, yo, I'm my presence already there, I already just walked up to you guys, and no one said anything to me, you know what I'm saying? But the those are are honestly for me, it's the best ones because then I will interject some way, somehow, somehow. Um, and usually to give value, right? In in anything you talk, right? Uh or just to giggle with them is the same thing. Um, but it's it gets you out of your comfort zone, and I like getting pushed out of my comfort zone. That's the reason why I left my full-time job. My full-time job was six figures, and I left there because I was uncomfortable with the situation there. Um, wholesome.

Vipul Bindra: 30:41

No, I get it. I wouldn't want to work with uh uh utility, is that the right way? Because technically cable is a utility, but whatever, you know, any kind of that type of entertainment cable type of company. Because yeah, you're right, the practices are not the the best of situation, yeah, especially if you're in sales. I'm sure there was KPIs or whatever that you had to do with it.

Jose Castillo: 30:59

There was, but it was it was definitely the boss that uh listen. When I got hired there, I saw myself for years there because the the boss at the time, super nice lady, awesome. She pushed you, motivated you. The next one that came up was we literally said, Who is that person gonna fight with this time? Oh wow. Every Monday morning there was a fight. Uh, but the boss said someone.

Vipul Bindra: 31:21

That's crazy. So you said I'm I'm out of there. Is that what happened?

Jose Castillo: 31:25

Yeah, my wife was uh she was like, Okay, we we need to figure it out. Um, and there was a prayer that we we both were involved in, and I was at a I was at a um what's it called? A it was a coffee shop. Panera. It was at a Panera there doing some work and not a coffee shop, but yes. Oh, okay, yeah, you're right, you're right. Panera, but yes, not a coffee shop.

Vipul Bindra: 31:46

But I was asking. I mean, they did have a didn't they I don't want to speak? Did they kill people? Panera's never gonna I mean they do have coffee, but it's not the best. Yeah, I'm just I mean I'd like to do a commercial for Panera, but I heard last time they had some drinks there with a lot of caffeine and a lot of people died or whatever.

Jose Castillo: 32:03

No, that's not Panera. I think that was Starbucks.

Vipul Bindra: 32:05

Can you Google Panera? I mean, what do we do? Did Panera kill some I have no idea? They could Panera's coffee. Um yeah, look, Panera caffeine drink, uh over caffeinated drink. I'm pretty sure it's Panera. Okay, well at least they had something like that happen.

Mario Rangel: 32:23

Yes, Panera. Was it Panera? Panera Bread is facing multiple lawsuits, including a roundful desk suits related to Tarta when it'd be rich due to his high coffee caffeine content.

Vipul Bindra: 32:37

Oh my god. All right, off topic, but yes, I was like, so technically not a coffee shop, but they did have a lot of caffeine up there, more than coffee.

Jose Castillo: 32:45

Yeah, really, really strong coffee that tastes gross. But, anyways, uh I was there and there was a gentleman next to me, and he was like, Oh, the best thing in the world is to work for yourself, and the only way to do it is implementing systems. And that's literally the prayers that we were talking about. And I already originally talked to somebody, this was for the photo boot side, originally talked to somebody about helping implement systems, but it was a high cost for me. 5K is a high cost. Yeah, I was like, you know what? Okay, what are we gonna do? Are we gonna do it or not? Well, that was an answered prayer. When we did, it did help. It did help. So it was like, okay, this was an automatic no-brainer. I'm gonna do it, jump the leap. And it's one of the hardest things to do going from a steady paycheck to not knowing when you're getting paid.

Vipul Bindra: 33:26

And it's not for everyone. Let's be real.

Jose Castillo: 33:28

It really is.

Vipul Bindra: 33:29

I am all for entrepreneurial lifestyle. I wouldn't go back to a uh a 95, but let me be real about it. It's not for everyone. Because here's the thing uh, you know, you if if all you want is to get a steady paycheck, you know, that a job is the best way. Where you go, you have a set schedule, you know if you make your hours, a good company, your payroll will come on time, and you know, you're you're you can manage your expenses because you know what the rough income is. You know what I mean? You life is a lot more predictable. Plus, usually, usually with those jobs, you leave the job, you're home, right? You're with your family. The thing about being an entrepreneur is there's the lights don't turn off. Yeah, yeah, and and again, you can have a work-life balance not as an entrepreneur, but it's it's still you work longer hours, you work harder, you're 24-7 technically worrying about your business. You have to do a lot more roles that you don't like. So there's a lot of negative, but then there's the pros. You make your schedule. If you don't want to work today, you just take a day off. You want to go spend time with your kids? You can. Now, business may suffer if you do that a lot. So you have but you have to be that self-um, you know, you have to have that self-correcting mindset or whatever. Yeah, you have to self-manage your own lifestyle schedule, which some people can do very well, and then they become entrepreneurs, hence they make more money. Uh and for some people, it'll be a disaster. If they don't have anyone telling them what to do, they're gonna get lost. But the the people have to understand then the income is where the difference is. And the reason is when you get paid by a company, let's say they give you fifty thousand dollars, they're at least gonna make, and remember on company side, if they're paying you 50 grand, their cost is at least 80 grand once you had healthcare, the FICA, you know, all the taxes and all that. So they actually it's more than what you actually get paid, and then on top of that, they're gonna at least get 3x their value. So if you're not making them at least, you know, $240,000, you're not worth you know $50,000 salary. That's the truth. So now you can reverse that, you can come work for yourself and make the $240,000. But you have to know you're gonna work that three X extra. Yeah, that's where the people lose that. They're like, you know, okay, and I make more money and do the same work. No, usually no. I mean, there may be some lucky business somewhere, but most businesses that once you're done with everything, I'm talking meetings, accounting, whatever, you know, uh sales, uh marketing, building systems, yeah.

Jose Castillo: 35:55

You you have to do everything. Exactly.

Vipul Bindra: 35:56

You have to do everything, and as slowly you start to do, you can now uh you know offload that uh to like you can get account and you can get you know a person who does let's say your inventory or whatever, you can start adding help, but then that increases costs. That means profit goes down and you gotta increase the revenue. So you know it's it's a it's a balance. Yeah, and and and and uh again, not for everyone, but who does, there's a high likelihood then you can make good money, you know, because you are putting in that 3x, that 4x work than you would in a nine to five. So it's kind of like which lifestyle is better for you. Yeah, um, but that's pretty cool though. That like you say, you you you have this experience, you used it, you you converted it into a not one, but technically two businesses, like I said, related, but you know. Um so how did how does your video business work? Do you have like a sales person? Is it just you? It's just me.

Jose Castillo: 36:49

It's just at the moment, it's just me, then a second shooter, which is usually my daughter. Um, if not, I'd hire somebody to help me with it.

Vipul Bindra: 36:56

And you said it's quinceaneras, it's vettings, it's not corporate events.

Jose Castillo: 37:01

It's now corporate events, yeah.

Vipul Bindra: 37:02

So you're starting to go into more corporate work. Uh what else? What other type of thing have you done? Brand stories, brand stories, so that's more corporate work.

Jose Castillo: 37:09

I I like to keep it. I I would love blanch story brand stories all day because it's yeah, I don't know, you just you feel a little bit different when you finish that video. Um, but the social media side, I have helped uh small businesses uh do social media, so reels and content, yeah. But I don't focus a lot on I guess you want to say funny reels, uh more of educational uh for them, and it's it's more beneficial, right? So I've I've done some lawyers, um, some different um they're very niche for all of them. All of them are very niche, uh, but it's worked, yeah, it's worked out. Um that's more monthly.

Vipul Bindra: 37:46

So and what camera are you on now? I know we know we heard you started with A72. What are you on now?

Jose Castillo: 37:51

So I have three cameras now. Okay. Uh I went from A72 to A73. This was like I said, back a couple years ago, and that was my workhorse for forever. And it worked. Yeah, and I mean I didn't have 4K 60, but I didn't, I was like, whatever, I don't need it. Um, I'll live.

Vipul Bindra: 38:08

You can do vettings without 4K 60?

Jose Castillo: 38:10

You really can. You really can. I don't do vettings, so I don't know. No, yes, you can. Yes, you can. And I I did it for for years, and it was at an event, and I was doing photo boot there, and I saw a videographer there, so I started talking to him, and he's like, Oh, yeah, yeah, what kind of camera you got? And this, and he's like, I'm like, I only got this, I got this and this. And he's like, Oh, so you don't have a video camera. I'm like, What? I'm like, uh yeah, the uh the 4K60. I'm like, yeah, sure, okay, but I don't need it, yeah. You know, because I thought my dumb in that mindset right there, I didn't really need it. Um, I wanted it, but I was like, you know what? Eventually. So my wife blessed me with a uh FX3. Look at that. Yeah, yeah, she was um, she's awesome. So she blessed me with the FX6 and I mean FX3, and that with uh I paired with two different lenses usually. Um Tamron. Uh the was it 28 to 75, and then uh 17 to 35, I believe. Okay, um, those are my two.

Vipul Bindra: 39:07

And that goes on your FXC. What's your second camera?

Jose Castillo: 39:09

No, second is the A73, and and then also the third cam is uh A6600.

Vipul Bindra: 39:14

A6600. So you got rid of the A700.

Jose Castillo: 39:18

Yeah, I got I I got rid of it for 500 bucks. Yeah, but I made sure I got my money back, but I made sure 100%. Listen, it's with this problem. Yeah, I don't I don't want to play around with that. Exactly. And they were like, no, no, no, we could fix it, no problem. Okay, no problem.

Vipul Bindra: 39:31

Yeah, exactly.

Jose Castillo: 39:32

Two months later, she asked me, Can I get a refund? This girl, that doesn't exist.

Vipul Bindra: 39:36

You told her, yeah.

Jose Castillo: 39:36

I literally told you, I have it in writing, you told me, and then she's like, Okay, I'm just asking. Yeah, like can't help you there. I'm sorry. But yeah, that's where I started, and um, that's where I'm at.

Vipul Bindra: 39:47

No, that's a pretty good kit to have as an event videographer. And like you said, all you're doing is vetting skin scenarios where you need you plus a second shooter. Uh, maybe you know that you could upgrade that A73 some point to get the you know FX 30 or something like that. Something you know matches better. But outside of that, I'm saying it's it's just a good kit to have because good lenses. And that's what why you know I do uh I want I I like doing this podcast because you know it's like passion product project is to talk to people like you you know you're doing different you know things but it's still videography and that and there's no single path yeah you know not nothing no nothing stops tomorrow someone to going doing interviews and b-roll making brand stories yeah or shoot a quincinera you know it's at the end they you find what you like or what is available because I do get it some markets you know you may have access easier to jobs of certain kinds yeah like I said could I go shoot a quincinera no you could you I don't know I don't know or maybe I don't want to sure I could I go do a vanning probably not I I stay away from personal stuff my entire thing is we help businesses and brands whatever that is right that's my limitation if it's not to help a business or brand because sometimes we'll do a documentary but it's to help a business or a brand you know so that's fine that's where and I know it's very broad in video people like to even narrow more but that's where I've kept myself is like I will help anyone as long as it's a business or a brand you know then I'm fine. But I don't if it's just personal then then no I don't do it. But that doesn't mean uh it's not for everyone because I know people who are killing it just doing weddings you could charge a lot of money for weddings 10 15 grand 20 grand for a wedding which is crazy to think about yeah uh I even think low end weddings are like two to five right yeah what what are you thinking about uh pricing wise weddings for for weddings right now around 2500 yeah and that's another uh the lower package yeah uh usually it's like highlight real um and I do interviews at weddings so I like the interviews because I like the storyline that goes with it you know yeah um so I kind of pair it you know like the brand story I learned a little bit how to use video and that's in that aspect of it um so I use the audio clips um to baseline the story first um I don't just do just pictures and that's it no I I I make sure there's feeling in it um and that's what I've I've always done in Quinceñera is the same thing same concept um so it just I love it so uh if you were to start again now and obviously you've done this for years now uh what would you what would you say like you went to YouTube University which I think is really good uh for people to be able to now there's a lot of trash content there too you just have to parse through and find the the golden videos but they're there everything is there you don't know is trash content when you're new exactly so everything may seem like legit so because you know a lot of people uh my issue is just that that that they're not actually out in the field so what they may be teaching you may be relevant in a you in a home office where they're making their content it doesn't really work in a real world you know so but uh what would you say is there's something that you learned on the job that you didn't learn from YouTube a hundred percent uh stop focusing on equipment I have the equipment but if everything went away I would literally get just my phone and a Lavalier mic with that you can you can make a video yeah I've made videos before on just phone and it works it works your phones are are are smart enough and good enough um so that'd be my first yeah and UCG content there's so much money in it but people TikTok yeah you can uh and just in for brand or even for Instagram or Facebook reels but like brands want now user generated content they want it to be shot on an iPhone right so so you're right you don't need money much to start with as long as you're creative and you know how to get the most out of that device right uh yeah it it depends on what you're doing yeah listen it's it's a couple of things right the I'd well actually I'd get three things and I would get a light yeah uh light what is light what is your iPhone and or oh if you're doing Samsung sorry just switch over that's a different story but I I would do that and then also the the lab mic to make it easier it right now you really even gimbals you don't really need because the the phone has a stabilizer in it yeah so it's easy it's good um but then learn the story time and learn how to chat GBT uh a lot of the the points to it yeah we talked about before by the way Samsung people are hating on you right now yeah I'm sorry okay log off no I know I know no I get it it's a personal preference yeah but no I I I use an iPhone too but I feel like any phone nowadays it's high end will have good video that you can use um and and get get good content out of it yeah for social media especially exactly and then once you get a little bit more in depth use the the off brand apps like the black magic to have more control of the you know all the the settings and things and that but realistically just go to cinematic mode at 4k you're good yeah you could you could build something really good yeah exactly yeah and or uh what what I'm trying to do so I'm trying to take a playbook out of David's thing so recently and uh I've been trying to vlog vlog ish it's not gonna be I can't be doing as good as David I got uh he doesn't I don't know how he does it he does what I what I did I was like uh but I'm still not doing as good that's what I'm saying he does it he's doing his dp job and he's being able to vlog um I'm trying I've been able to do as much as uh David but that's the only way I could do it I was able to yeah exactly so the only way I've been able to do is quickly uh when I remember I'm like oh grab my phone I would never be able to go grab an FX3 or something else like uh because that takes more effort time and energy this one's just literally like I was shooting yesterday like while I was filming a real thing I was like I need a shot I was like I need a shot of me operating how am I gonna get that right I'm not I can't move I have to actually do the real shoe that I'm getting paid for so I literally took my phone put it in selfie camera I just held it here and I hit record I have no idea what it's capturing but I know two things the ceiling no yeah but I'm like no I know two things that it's gonna auto uh raise the shot approach speed or whatever to get me somewhat in the shot uh and then it's gonna make sure that I'm focused I didn't have to even think about it tap anything I literally did this and I kept doing thing and it was done I was like I have probably something to put in the in the vlog right I'm trying like I said the the the thing is it makes it uh easy is what I'm saying so there is times where I think phone is a good tool when you're trying to tell these fast-paced stories that are raw and real I think it is a tool now is that gonna tell a story like you're trying to sell premium chocolates do you want that probably filmed on your phone probably not uh so I think it just depends on the product or service that you're trying to sell the platform that you're trying to sell it to usually so usually a lot of it a lot of oh I want to put it on Instagram Instagram or Instagram or Instagram uh so phone would work for Instagram just use chat GBT to kind of gonna uh guide you through the steps of what you want um and then do it to make it happen but um lately I've been using Instagram you know the close uh close friends have you seen that no you know how that you the stories oh yeah okay close friends so I just recently literally like three days ago um I did the close friends just I'm like you know what everyone that I see that has done video before or uh a lot of my um wedding vendors things of that nature um I put them in there and I've been doing just tips and tricks on how to use your phone for a video to make it look better and sound better and everything better um because they're professionals but they might not be video professionals and I mean I want to say I'm professional when it comes to that you know so but but honestly oh really are we professionals? I don't know I take that as a way to say no but honestly it's one of those things but like we have a little bit more knowledge when it comes to that so it's like why not give that information um just to help them yeah and and no giving value is a very good way to gain uh trust of clients and stuff because it hurts you nothing you're like you said you're already a subject matter expert you know how to make videos and you know how to make them good so if you can give a few tips here and there is that means they're gonna go grab an FX3 or uh whatever no but they can hold their phone properly maybe they can you know you know angle it right they can they know what frame rate to put it on and stuff like that you know basic basic tips yeah and and then they if they see the value in it A just they get the value in it but B maybe they'll think of you when they need another video or whatever or they're like everyone knows a video guy.

Jose Castillo: 48:39

Yeah exactly everyone knows a video guy so I was like okay well how do I stand out first and also even if you know a video guy they might the first person might be busy the second person might be busy well I might be the third person and I might not be busy that day so you know why not uh have that connection with them what so if I'm in front of their face on close friends because it makes you want to click on the green yeah um that's a that's a trick so I recently learned that I was like it makes you want to click on the green because it's like oh I'm considered a close friend yeah look at you really are uh you know especially if we worked together before or even met for the first time you you want to be friends with people exactly uh well at least I do I uh listen my wife my wife and kids is like oh we go to St. Cloud and everyone knows you yeah it's like well yeah yeah that's that's okay um but it just it's one of those things I want to be friends with the people I work with.

Vipul Bindra: 49:27

Yeah exactly makes it makes it fun too right yeah 100% I and I my biggest thing other is just being uh involved in the community so a lot of the clients that work with you know we we travel for whatever uh but that does not mean I'm not gonna be involved in my local community so I that's why I try to be so active um in chambers why it's Steven last episode I want everyone to join and get the most out of their chamber membership because you know it's one thing to join it's another thing to get most out of their their chamber membership because but I try to be very active in my community sponsoring events giving back because at the end of the day I want to not only hopefully get more clients but in general be able to uh to be active you know uh because this is the community we live in you know we this is where we live play and work right yeah um and that's it's very important and then the other people see it too it's not just uh you know obviously it's for me but then other people are like look you know this person even though he may fly to some other state to go work for this specific brand he's still coming back and giving back to his community where you know he lives I think it's very important for small businesses here who may not be yet ready for Bendra uh to see that you know I care is my thing you know whatever that is even if they have a video guy I'm all about like I don't care send me your script send me your plans I'm happy to help in any way I can as much as I can because I just want them to succeed yeah um even if it's not working with me you know I haven't I haven't traveled for work yet yeah I I have my passport ready so just let me know I mean to be real we don't do passport travel I I don't try I don't like to and I'll take it obviously if Canada is where a place I would like to go uh for work but I've I've uh never internationally I I mean I did a small thing in London but typically I'd say I don't travel uh for work outside I mean I travel a lot but it's within the US I'm not going internationally I I okay so I haven't got on a flight paid to go work okay but I have been obviously to different places but one of our places was uh Africa that I went with uh my church that was missionary and I got to film it and it is very different when you're the production side or you're the video guy because you typically you go first.

Jose Castillo: 51:40

Yeah there it well listen it was a it was a van of us um and we went to this huge event there is a worship event that they they start at eight o'clock at night till eight o'clock in the morning wow it's all night and it was it was awesome but I got to we got to the event and they were like okay everyone's got to stay here we got to make sure everything is good um but Jose you come I was like okay so I got out there as soon as I got out there it was insane it was beautiful amazing um but very very different than what we used to where this is Africa exactly this is so cool to know because I've had a few people here who have had that opportunity to go to Africa thanks to the church you know where they were able to go um you know on a mission trip or whatever and film it because that's how you can provide your services so that's I'm all for it like I said I I typically stay I've been offered to go to Guatemala and some other countries and I would happily go as long as you know I uh you know I'm going with a local or I have a local connect.

Vipul Bindra: 52:36

But typically we tend to work with companies that are in America or I have clients so take that back the other thing is I have clients that are international but they come and film in US if that makes sense even if uh in their country's money you know but it converts to the dollar but typically yeah that's my thing I like to film in the US but I wouldn't mind going to a country if the the project was right uh but that makes it easy because you know airport all I got sure is a driver's license you know because we're going to different states but I fly a lot to different states uh I don't mind obviously I would prefer like I said I have kids so if I could just try like like I said last few days I've been shooting literally but literally not even half a mile from my home I was like this is possible too you never know so but it's rare yeah uh but I yeah if there was enough uh really good projects I w why would I want to you know travel for days yeah because we also don't get paid full rates I don't I don't know if I'm a fan of that you know uh travel rate typically in the industry is about 50% so let's say if you're if you're going paid by day rate or even if you're getting a full rate let's say a fixed rate like you're the company you still calculate based on that right you would you would say like your day rate I'm I'm just making number up is thousand bucks then your travel rate would be 500 typical is that or if you're 2000 then your travel rate would be thousand so I'm saying you spend all day traveling but you tip only get paid half of it. Half of it yeah so it's not like the most profitable thing in the world obviously you're not working you're just going through airports or whatever. Yeah but it can that's work. Yeah that's work still work especially if you have your gear yeah exactly yeah dealing with gear dealing with yeah and sometimes I've also have had clients are like it's a um like a only a travel day but then they'll be like oh let's have meetings or whatever and which I'm chill but I'm like now I'm actually working yeah and but you know you're you're being paid a travel rate so that can be uh that can be a thing um but again I don't mind traveling I like uh like I said I prefer local but I don't mind traveling we get to see cool things we just went to like it's a Chicago with Mario we got to touch the bean how was that Mario yeah oh a picture let me find let me find one huh yeah why don't you show a picture but I mean not that you have you have been to Chicago before so it's not like oh yeah it was my second same thing I it's not like I had not been to Chicago but see normally when I go alone here's the difference why I like going with other people if you send me people go let's say do a gig in Chicago I'm gonna go airport airport to my uh hotel or Airbnb there to shoot back maybe Uber eat some food maybe walk if it's right something close by and then I'm back home I don't get to see the city but now when you go as a group so it was the what four or five of us uh so I think it was Emmanuel Jared Mario me I think it and we had Xavier X Xavier with us point is all of us then we're like hey shoot's done right what do we do now at 6 p.m let's walk to the bean and and they were like oh let's let's get these bicycles oh bad idea but whatever let's not go there but point is it fell who fell nobody fell but you know it's it's my fault too like the uh I thought they were electric but they were just manual so I got in there was like oh where's the button oh we gotta pedal it okay it's all like we've been just standing for 10 hours working sure let's let's go exercise but uh but no it was very fun we went there saw the river you know uh had a drink by the river you know just fun and it makes the trip even more to me worthwhile because now you hang out with friends not only did we create great images you get to chill and have fun did you find any photo it also helps you guys uh more was it camaraderie modern yeah so now you yeah whatever that word is yeah yeah everyone knows what that word is exactly just you know yeah exactly and we're all friends uh so do you want me uh do you want a photo of of of of the shoot no maybe the bean or the bean okay you have one to show oh maybe yeah I mean I know he hasn't has them he has uh yeah it's not it's fine Mario I'm gonna say that yeah but it's it's pretty cool to just hang out and like I said after shoots we did something every day even like we were like we're in Chicago let's have deep dishes so we walked to Giordano no I know how the bean looks picture of you touching the beans you don't have that Instagram not in the computer I could probably airdrop it to you but it's fine I mean it's not that big of a deal uh I feel like now everyone wants to see people find it uh but Chicago so how is it is it scary is it Chirac like everyone says or yeah that's exactly what happened everyone was just trying to kill us the moment we got yeah okay and then they're back home I'm saying I'm airdropping it to you for people who are listening who are like about to see the bean we're about to see it you know half of the audience of this thing place does only uh listens to it so they're not gonna see anything anyway this is just for the YouTube people but hey you'll get to see us well go to YouTube and look at them up and uh then you can see the picture of the bean okay yeah I I will make a if it's already not been posted I'm gonna make a video about boom look at that look at that look at that is awesome that's awesome who took the picture some random stranger bro everyone's black and black you guys look like you're yeah rob somebody what the heck you know that's how yeah look at many logo too show Zay's logo can we zoom in more that's our uh buddy's production company just got the shirts in so that's why we were wearing work clothes you know we just came from the shoot so that's why that's awesome man yeah no that was a fun trip we uh and we had such a good time but that's what I'm saying it makes it just yeah you know worthwhile and it makes it fun to my wife says if if uh if I do get a gig outside of it and then we have to travel she's gonna come with me I mean yeah if as long as it works so sometimes and it depends on the production yeah so sometimes productions if and this depends on also if you're working with someone versus doing your own yeah so sometimes productions will get you an air your like a hotel room then it's fine because you know you can have whoever you want in your room yeah but then sometimes they'll we'll put in in an Airbnb that's where I'm like I don't know if I'll be bringing my family there because even though sure you have your you may have your own room but then you know there's also all the other boys intend to be typically boys not that many females yeah uh at least I see on our cruise so it's like Natalie uh yeah Natalia yeah but but she I've never traveled with her okay so what I'm saying is like travel mostly and it's not just me I'm just saying even other people shoots but I'm saying usually it's an Airbnb that's where I'm like I don't know if I'm gonna turn my family and the still boys plus usually you're then hanging out with the people that you're with so I guess it depends on the production and what they're booking you know yeah I've I've talked to a couple people that that travel and one of them he's an entertainment company so he travels a lot um he does a lot of like Tampa stuff and then also here but then he goes to like Punta Cana and Cancun things of that nature for all these events and it's it's amazing. I was like listen I have my passport ready I will be behind the scene I will pick up your coffee what do you want like you know I like traveling too but I've only traveled for like just fun like uh I like going on a cruise you know you can get see so many I know it's just ports but you if you kind of no you get to enjoy it yeah yeah and then it's fun day was really nice uh but uh the main thing is um for me again it depends on the production if it's my production then I can do whatever I want to right obviously within reason but like uh but if it's somebody else's production then usually a Working under their limitations, but you can have fun. Like here we did. Like I said, we we went for a buddy, we uh buddy shoot, and you know, but here's a few hours. Here's we can do what we want to do. We can go have a pizza, or we can go have uh, you know, uh a bike to the to the bean or to the river or whatever. I I don't know, it just makes the trip worth it, and that's why I like traveling with other people. Uh because our or at least even if you're traveling by yourself, being with other uh filmmakers or people that you're not your friends with, it just makes it fun. Yeah than just going alone. Like I said, I don't mind it, but it is a little boring because you know I'm I'm like, and maybe it works for I don't know if you're like that. If you usually don't mind but visiting locations by yourself, then you could. I just am not the type of that's what I'm saying. I would never be in a random city and go, like, oh, let me walk to the or bike to the beach by myself.

Jose Castillo: 1:00:48

I and um I haven't done that, but doesn't mean I won't do that. I went to the movies by myself and people thought was weird, but it was awesome.

Vipul Bindra: 1:00:57

Yo, I felt like a king for a long time I didn't do that, but I did do that for a couple of Marvel movies where because me too. Yeah, Marvel crazes died down, so nobody in my uh, you know, but up until Avengers Endgame or whatever is very popular, right? So everyone went to see, but now I don't think people care about the like I really want to see the new Fantastic uh 4 movie. Uh it looks amazing, but nobody I think in my family cares about it. So I've opened up to that idea, yes, that I'm like, I want to see in the theater. I'm a movie buff. Obviously, I love filmmaking, so I'm like, I I have to go see it. And um, if nobody has to come, then I'm just gonna go see it. You know what I mean? But that yeah, that is uh I've come around that. It was a for years I wouldn't go to a movie because I it's the you know, if nobody else wanted to see that specific movie. It is dope.

Jose Castillo: 1:01:43

Yeah, it is dope. It's different, right? It's very different because you're usually with somebody, whatever the case is. But no, it was definitely uh a good time. And I literally got my ticket, went to the seat, and then ordered there. So, you know, they had the scancode by the yeah, yeah. I loved it. I love the whole thing. I went to see Deadpool 2 um and also Gladiator. Uh Gladiator was fire.

Vipul Bindra: 1:02:02

You're drop with a new one, right? I haven't seen it. I obviously didn't go in the theater, but I have it on the streaming platform or wherever it is, and I want to see it. I just haven't had the chance.

Jose Castillo: 1:02:12

It was good.

Vipul Bindra: 1:02:12

Um okay.

Jose Castillo: 1:02:13

Yeah, it was good. So, but it was a cool experience going by yourself. But so I think I might. Um I think I might if if I was a different place, maybe like oh, just um TikTok where the next best thing, whatever it is, and then go see it.

Vipul Bindra: 1:02:26

So I guess you gotta find more weddings or whatever.

Jose Castillo: 1:02:29

Please that are your weddings corporate. Um cameraman, whatever. What do you listen? I carry bags, I'm pretty pretty strong.

Vipul Bindra: 1:02:36

Here's an idea. Destination wedding. You need to become a destination wedding videographer because then you get to do what you're already doing, but you get to travel to the destination, right?

Jose Castillo: 1:02:47

I okay. If if I were to become a destination, I wouldn't take as many. So I would not take as many because of my kids. Like I'm here away, then yeah. So like I would be like, mm, I can't unless you're in Florida, whatever the case is. Like, I don't mind being in Florida because I could go and come back the same day or the next day, whatever the case is. But um, I mean the furthest I've traveled is is Tampa um for a wedding. So that's not far from yeah.

Vipul Bindra: 1:03:12

I mean, that's pretty good though. That you've been able to do uh video and uh uh not travel further than Tampa because like I said, I'm I'm literally we're going to Miami or some random cities, you know, it's it's farther than Tampa. So that's pretty cool that you've been able to stay in this region and still do enough fittings and and stuff.

Jose Castillo: 1:03:32

Yeah, yeah. That's pretty cool. The the corporate events that I've done, um, one came from a um he's a photographer that that knows another photographer that needs both. He needed both. So I was like, okay, I could do the video side. And he just what's your price? I was like, this is my price, and that was my first one. And I was like, all right, I'm gonna make I'm gonna kill this. And I did, it was great. I I enjoyed the edit. I it was different. I had to learn how to do it. Uh I kind of just got some YouTube advice, you know, how to do it. But then, but honestly, it was it the same concept, right? Um, it built the story and then the visuals comes with uh come out for me. Yeah, I've always built the story first, and then visuals on top of that.

Vipul Bindra: 1:04:13

Yeah, I think that's that is the way to edit most videos, right? Because uh I don't know people who and I'm sure there's some editor out there who's like, I'll build a visual for to me, the story is the key thing. Yeah, you build a story, then visuals can just come on top, whatever is relevant. But but the story is the key thing. That what makes the video good or bad. It's not, yes, on the technical side, I'm sure you and I can look and be like, oh, that's overexposed, that's underexposed, or the colors aren't right here, or whatever, whatever, whatever. Yeah, but to an average person, it's the emotions that evokes, the feelings, the story, the the connection, right? They they care about that. And I feel like that's more important than uh, which is why I love having Juliet in most of my videos. It's not because uh, you know, she's doing something special, it's just she focuses on the story, she gets the the the core of what we want to tell, even if we you have to use shots that may not be the most cinematic in the thing. Because you know, sometimes you'll get a shot that may not be shot the best, but then you have a cinematic shot, but that the other shot is more relevant to the story that you're telling. So you use shots sometimes that you know may not be the best work, but at the end of the day, it tells the better story, and that is so much more important. Um, I don't know. I feel like at the end of the day, all I care about is my people tell me, like, hey, we loved your video, not because you know it was a high resolution shot in FX6. They don't worry about it, they don't they just want they get on their phone, they love it, you know, and that's all that matters. I had this happen. Talk about phone. I had a client, so they they wanted videos, uh well, some video that we edited. So I sent them, you know, four versions, and I've been using vTransfer recently, not happy with the program. Hopefully, it gets better. But uh, there was like four edits, you know, one with this in it, then one without, and then there it's the same video, but then one low resolution, whatever. So, you know, you it has to go through vTransfer. So I sent it, and the first thing like need tech support. How do I download this on my phone? I'm like, Well, v Transfer is not gonna download that to your phone. So it's like uh you have to use the computer, and then maybe you can airdrop, you know, the low res version to your phone or whatever. It's like but then I was like, customer service. I was like, hold on. Then I uploaded the main file to my Vimeo and marked it unlisted. And I was like, here you go. Here's a temporary link so you can watch it on your phone. Uh, but but otherwise, you want to definitely download those files because I'm not gonna keep them forever. You want to keep them in archive them. But it's so funny, clients who even pay for a video, they wanted it um you know sent to their phone. Yeah, that's where they want the file. And I'm like, this is so crazy the world we live in.

Jose Castillo: 1:06:42

So for the wedding videos, and I've done the corporate videos sent that same way, uh, not through Dropbox or not through um We Transfer, it's uh is it Vid Wedvid? Vid something like that. But it's it it's a pretty platform, but it works, and they're able to download it, they're able to stream it, everything from there. Exactly.

Vipul Bindra: 1:06:59

Um and then they may like that because you're right. A lot of people now just never even touch a computer. Yeah, they're gonna go straight to their phone, that's where they watch it. You're making content for this the device is why we we we bought 8k camera right there. I don't know if you see that, and I'm like, uh, what's the point? Yeah, yeah. And I was like, what's the point of it? Because uh, you know, people are gonna watch it like this tiny screen, and that's basically where it ends up most of the content.

Jose Castillo: 1:07:24

Yeah, yeah, it reminds me of a chicken. It is the chicken cam. That's what we're gonna call it. The chicken cam.

Vipul Bindra: 1:07:29

Do you see it in your angle, Mario? You see the chicken angle? Chicken cam?

Jose Castillo: 1:07:34

He's about to get it right now.

Vipul Bindra: 1:07:36

Oh, what are you cutting to? Oh, look at that. Yeah, it's it's very far back. But anyway, that's the chicken cam. So that's the 8K variant of it, because you know they have a 6k and an 8k variant. Yeah, yeah. So I'm like, but what's the point? You know, I mean, we're gonna do it.

Jose Castillo: 1:07:49

My computer couldn't even edit something like that if I wanted to.

Vipul Bindra: 1:07:51

Like, yeah, ProRes Raw, you're also even limited to the uh the editing software because I don't think every editing software can read pro Res Raw files. You have to have final cut or whatever. So yeah, it's a it's limiting. Obviously, it has MP4, it's not like you have to use the the high codec.

Jose Castillo: 1:08:06

What's the point of having something that I use in the higher codec, right?

Vipul Bindra: 1:08:09

I mean, um I think for me the main thing was OLPF. So essentially, this the 6K version doesn't have an OLPF and it causes some issues in shirts and patterns. So the new one doesn't that has the um the OLPF, the 8K version, so it's nice and the sensors better and all that, you know, more dynamic range. So it's like those stuff you'll see even on MP4, right? Um rather, actually, you'll see more because it's compressing 8k into 4K, so it's downsampled, so it'll look nicer. But again, that was the main reason, not that 8k matters, like you said. Yeah, most of the content nowadays is going, and as we still I'm surprised at how many 1080p deliverables we'll still do because most of the people are just still watching a 1080p. Yeah, it's true. I mean, which is crazy, yeah. Because I've been doing uh I had 8k cameras back in what 2018, so nobody cares about it. It's just it's there for us to reframe or whatever. I don't think a client cares.

Jose Castillo: 1:09:06

I don't think a client would even notice. Yeah, videographers would notice, or production companies will notice, editors a hundred percent will notice, but clients even social media won't notice because already you're already throwing it on Instagram, and Instagram already dumbs it down, so no one really notices. But we care, yeah. Why?

Vipul Bindra: 1:09:27

Because but uh because we care because that's what we are snobs, not no, but this is the truth. No, but to be honest, there is advantage to it again. Uh to speak from the editing perspective, you know, being able to reframe, being able to uh get more detail out, because a lot of these, like what I love about the FX6FX3 is the sensor, right? It's a 12 megapixel sensor, so each photo sight is bigger, which is why I can do better in low light or whatever, right? Uh, because it's uh you know, everything's uh bigger I compared to let's say, I don't know, a 33-megapixel sensor or whatever. But the the negative of that can be detailed can be a little lacking. I'm not the the fan of the amount of detail. I I like more detail at this point. I'm saying from FX6 or FX3. Uh so so there is an advantage to it, as I'm saying, being able to take a high resolution, being able to uh uh compress it, or not compress it rather, but you know, downsample it because then you can reduce the noise pattern, you can increase detail. Uh I don't know. I there's pros and cons to that.

Jose Castillo: 1:10:27

Have you ever used 4K verbiage to sell better? No, no, exactly. So it is nobody cares. Nobody cares about that.

Vipul Bindra: 1:10:34

Oh, no, some agencies will ask for deliverable. So a lot of times when I'm doing uh DP work, or even as a company, sometimes you know, we work with other production companies who don't want to travel here. But can you do this for us or whatever? Uh then absolutely we're you know, they they're like, we need 4K, we need you know, log, all that, whatever they need. I'm talking about direct client, no, but they don't care about anything. You could shoot on a phone. I'm sure they'll be a little uh a little worried if you, you know, they paid you 10 grand for a video and you showed up with a phone, they'd be like, uh, but but I'm just saying, no, typically clients don't care, they care about end result, and they do want to feel like their money's worth. So I do think there's a little bit of value, I'm gonna say very little though, in bringing a big camera to to the client perception, but it's not huge. I'm saying if you showed up with a mirrorless camera, it's not like there's gonna be a negative reaction, but like they'll be fine with it, and then they'll love the footage.

Jose Castillo: 1:11:30

It might be the the level of company that you go to. Okay, so like if they're uh I don't want to say it, like miss maybe 10 employees and under, and you bring FX3 without the cage, without the the Map Box, the Moneymaker, whatever, uh they're gonna be okay with it. Yeah, as long as they they've known and trusted you before or they don't know you, period. At least somebody knows you that was able to talk about you. Um, I think they'll be okay, but then maybe 100k plus, you know.

Vipul Bindra: 1:11:56

I think it depends again, and also uh what I tell people, it's also per what video. So I would have sometimes let's say I have a project that's 100k, but if it's like 10 videos, then technically it's 10k video. People also miss the the number of deliverables matters too. So if I have a 100k project uh with 10 videos, that's a 10k video, uh, it's not gonna have Aria Alexis, for example, in it, right? Versus I may have a $25,000 video, but that's one video. So the production quality may actually be higher on that because my uh because it's one video, so I only have let's say one shoe day or two shoe days, and I may spring for an Alexa or whatever. But the the thing is usually when my clients are trusting me, they are trusting me to make the best. That's why I'm the producer, right? Uh, because if they're already selecting cameras and all this, then I'm not the producer. I'm being brought in as a director or DP or just those roles. But on my personal, like my projects where they work directly with Bendra, we're doing everything for them, right? We are producing, directing, DPing, whatever. I decide the crew, I decide the shoot days, everything, yeah. Everything in that case, I'm on their side. I'm gonna do whatever's best for the project, you know? And uh the way at least I treat my clients is like you're gonna get the best for the project. So we'll obviously put parameters. I'm not saying just leave it open-ended. There is a contract, we'll put a contract, like this is what they get minimum. It's always more, right? The contract is there to set parameters in. But usually my thing is if they hired me and I'm working direct, I give them one number and then I can play around with that number. And the goal is to give them maximum value so I can decide, like, oh, on this shoot, I want five people there, or I want to use FX sixes, or no, like like we were gonna do a golf shoot that got post-woned, but I was like, no, we gotta move fast, so we're gonna just use FX3s, you know. The client didn't tell me what camera to use, it's us deciding and what yeah, what's for what's not best for yeah, exactly. We're we're figuring it out, and I liked shoots where you have that kind of trust with the client, but that does take a while to build, especially to have clients that will pay a higher budget because you know it's easier to go out and say to a business and say, hey, I'll give me 500 bucks, I'll make you a video, right? Yeah, than to go say, Hey, give me 10 grand and I'll make you a video. Those are two different things, you know. Uh, and and especially small business for them, 10 grand for a big business, 10 grand is probably nothing, but for a small business, 10 grand is a lot of money. And if they're trusting you with you, that they you better have good connection because they they they want to get see the value.

Jose Castillo: 1:14:26

Whatever that video is, it is 10 grand for a small business. Make sure they're making money back, yeah. Exactly. And that's more important. I think that's that question I had for you. Yeah, it the I remember the the the time that we just sat down and talked about all this, yeah, yeah, that one time. Uh yeah, it was.

Vipul Bindra: 1:14:41

Yeah, I know you had asked me a question. I don't remember now, but it sounded sounded really awesome.

Jose Castillo: 1:14:45

It was honestly, uh, so you you've mentioned before, you know, how to make videos to help uh businesses make money and things like that. Um, but then how the question was, I think uh kind of along the lines of how we know the video side, we can make it look pretty, we could make that, but how'd you come up with um the script idea of it, or is it just like a uh like a three videos that will 100% very good question.

Vipul Bindra: 1:15:13

So let me ask you this you own a photo booth business. Uh-huh. Um, how's the business doing?

Jose Castillo: 1:15:18

It's doing okay.

Vipul Bindra: 1:15:19

So, what could the business do better?

Jose Castillo: 1:15:21

A lot. It could be on social more, or it could be no, but that's content.

Vipul Bindra: 1:15:25

I'm just saying, what could the business need? Do you need more money? Do you need more people? Do you need revenue? Like, what's not going right? More marketing.

Jose Castillo: 1:15:32

More marketing.

Vipul Bindra: 1:15:32

So why do you think you're currently the marketing is lacking?

Jose Castillo: 1:15:36

Uh not I'm not visible to most people. Okay. Well, on Google I am, but not Is it because you don't have time? Because you clearly know how to do video. Okay, you're doing nothing to me.

Vipul Bindra: 1:15:46

Okay, I get I'm I'm genuinely asking, but I'm saying that's what you do. You just ask. And I'm because people will tell you. To me, the biggest thing is you're right. The client does not know what they need, right? But they do know what they need. It's so convoluted. Okay, let me say it more clearly. No, no, no. That's pretty clear. You know what your business needs, but you don't know how to get there. Maybe it's the right way to say it. Because you're like, I want more money. Let's say that's simple. It's a re it's a more common thing, you know, than most businesses. Like, we need more revenue or we need more profit. Sounds fair. Absolutely. How would you get there? I don't know that. I don't work for them. And a lot of people think when I say that, like, I'm gonna give though they're give them some magic formula of how to make more money. No, I'm gonna ask them. I'm just seeing is how can video achieve that or not? I talk to them, and if I see a place where a video fits that can get them what they need to get where they want to be, I will do it. And and that, and let's do it with you for real, for example, for real. So, like you said, you need more marketing, right? Yes, you know how to make content. Why are you not making content right now?

Jose Castillo: 1:16:54

Because it's hard to be on camera. Not not hard to be on camera. I don't I don't mind being on camera, but I guess it's like because I don't have anybody doing it for me. I guess it that makes any that makes no sense actually.

Vipul Bindra: 1:17:04

No, that's fine. But my thing is if people are booking photo booths, don't they usually want to see the photo booth in action? Wouldn't that make me want want make them want the photo booth more? Yes, yeah, right? Seeing it at a real event, actually people using it. Yeah, right? Have you tried using any of that to make marketing? Like maybe at an event you're not supposed to say you ask for permission to stay and make some reels? Um, yeah, I've I've yeah, I've done that before. Did that work or no? Uh it helps. Okay. It helps. So what could we do now to to like take the photo booth business to the next level? Do you have anything in mind? Or no? No, I don't. No. So so what could you use more right now? Money, more uh more uh revenue, more profit? What more profit, obviously.

Jose Castillo: 1:17:46

But yeah, yeah, I think anyone could use more profit.

Vipul Bindra: 1:17:49

Every company you told me, what the rate you told me seems like it was already profitable. It is like you just need more bookings, yes, right? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, so these you need to be out there more in front of people, right? Have you tried social media ads?

Jose Castillo: 1:18:01

Uh no. So I haven't done social media. I I've done social reels, but I haven't put money in behind.

Vipul Bindra: 1:18:09

So based on yeah, based on see there you go. But I'm saying that based on what you're saying, and this is an initial assessment. Usually I talk to people for an hour, right there. I think what you need is to show people what you do. You already have the product, you're creating, you know, your photo boots are awesome. You've got the processes down, you can drop it, you can pick it. Yeah, so people just need to know you exist, and people need to know how fun it is because a lot of people offer photo boots, right? They need to see your photo boots, they need to see them in action. So there you go. That's what I would offer you now. I'm like, hey, sounds like you want more revenue, and the best way to get there is to get your business out in front of more eyeballs, which is offensive marketing. Defensive is you're getting leads, but they're not closing, right? Which is also very important. But I would say, hey, you need offensive marketing, which would be you we need to go offensive on social media to show people why your photo boots are awesome, right? Yeah, which is very easy. You already have photo boots, they're already going on event. Let's pick some really cool events, and you just get plain permission from them. So there should be no cost. Like, hey, is it okay if you film a little reel or whatever? We're not doing fancy production. And if they say no, then you can offer them a discount. Hey, how about I give you a hundred dollar discount for just letting us do that? Most people, I'm saying you should be able to get that. And we come in, we not only show people using the photo booth, we film the emotions, the laughs, the smiles, them having fun, the event going great, right? It's the experience, it's not the photo booth you're selling, right? We make that, we put them on social media along with you talking about it, why your photo boots are different. While you're showing it, we boost those reels. I think you'll achieve what you want to achieve. I can do that. I I already see like I can do that. Yeah, does that make sense? Yeah, it does. Then it's just like what can you invest in it? Obviously, we don't need to go there here as a sample thing. Yeah, but then we're like, okay, so what can what kind of budget do you have, right? Yeah. So so and then you go into that and see how much time you can spend on it and how many people. And the more I can, the better it looks. It's not like I'm gonna put extra money in my pocket. Yeah. You know, it's not like there's a raid and I just add extra. It's like, no, I'm bringing more people, more camera, more time, more editing, more whatever. And then that solves your your problem. But then I would also look at defensive marketing. Most people will stop right there. I'd be like, no, no, no. Next thing. So now let's say they did see this ad. They did click on the link we put there to book you. Where are they going? Oh, they're going on your website. Or are they going straight? Is there a process that they can book you straight from Instagram? If not, they're going to your business they're going to your website or they're going to call you. How's that going to be answered? Because it doesn't matter how many leads I get you, they're not closing or they're not sparking. So then we probably need a video on your website. Now that doesn't need to be a vertical video, that needs to be a horizontal video. Or most likely we need a landing page than a website. I would make you a total brand video again. Yeah. Most likely. That it encompasses what you do, why you do it, how you're different, how to book you, what's the next step, how easy the processes, everything 60-90 seconds. You've said, I mean, beginning, that's all you need. It's it's a small project. Yeah. But for me, it's like, hey, I need to go there, I need to make some social ads, I need to make a brand video. You're looking at about 5 to 10k of investment. Can you do it? Right? Yeah. Exactly. And and and it's it's high likely that you will get 5 to 10x return in the next three to six months. It's worth it.

Jose Castillo: 1:21:38

Yeah.

Vipul Bindra: 1:21:39

And do you I hope that that made sense? It does make sense. Yeah, you just broke it down. It's no cut not complicated because the business owner will tell you, and usually, like I said, this is just an initial. Usually I'll talk to them for 45-50 minutes, trying to understand where they want to be, why they're there, what's working, what's not working, what's additional things we can do for them. And then just offering a solution that I believe that will work. If I don't believe it, I don't offer it. But to me, it's not that complicated because the reason it becomes complicated in my experience, most videographers just listen. Oh, you want an event video? Let's go. One camera, two camera. Do you want you know they it's you're taking an order at freaking McDonald's? Then obviously it's not gonna work, it's not gonna give them any results. I'm not promising them results, I'm saying this is my experience. I've done this 15 years, I know what works, I know what doesn't work. Yeah, and my I'm I'm not I cannot predict the future, but I can predict my performance. What I guarantee you is you will have the sickest video for that price point. Nobody else can take five grand and make that high quality for video. And the reason we can do that is because everything's in-house. Our costs are low. We have all the editing in-house, the post is in-house, all the equipment's in-house, and we take the least amount of profit that we can because I love doing this, right? Uh, we're I'm doing a volume game, so I'm willing to put most of the money back into the production. So hence the only guarantee I'm actually giving people is that I'm gonna make you the sickest video for that price point. That's it. Anything else is not a guarantee, but my expertise, I can tell you that what you just told me, like for example, with your business, it would work. I don't know why it wouldn't work, right? And if you don't believe in it, then we're not the client. Then we need to step back and be like, okay, what do you think will work? Let's see. Because I I break it down. Yeah, yeah. Because at the end of the day, you're right. If if the client, if like, for example, let's say I make a website video, decide that they need a brand video, and social ads to drive to the brand video, right? Or to the landing page with the brand video. They don't never post the brand video. Will it ever work? No. So I need to make sure that I have their buy-in. I hope that makes sense. Yeah, it does. Because if I make them a brand video, but it never gets posted, and then they'll say, So I also want to make sure that they have their buy-in, like they see it, how it's gonna work.

Jose Castillo: 1:23:52

Yeah, the implement in implementation process.

Vipul Bindra: 1:23:54

Yeah, and I would even love to even have at the bottom where they can just pick a date, time to get on a call, or to even be able to just straight book the the photo booth, right? But these are the things that at least I am trying to do. Simple conversations, figuring out where video fits, and going by my past experience of what has worked and what hasn't worked, right? Yeah, and and and a lot of these simple things you can probably do it for most businesses. When you start out with usually it's that social ads, brand video, testimonials, you know, right?

Jose Castillo: 1:24:26

That's so does your production company offer the brand the the ads as well, or is it just yeah, if they want it?

Vipul Bindra: 1:24:32

I mean, I obviously I'm not gonna do it, but I can connect them with someone, or if they have someone, I'm happy to partner with anyone they already are working with. But if not, I have enough people that I can introduce them. It's not hard. I mean, to be real, Instagram, you can do yourself if you want it to. But if yeah, they need help, absolutely I'll connect them. Obviously, that won't be part of my pro thing, but I'll I'll happily bring it. I even have clients who are like, no, we only want to go through you. Then I'm like, sure, I'll add my 10% and I will manage it for you. I don't I don't mind. I mean, that's just an extra thing, but you know, it's it's and and and to be real, as a business owner, I get it. Sometimes they don't want to deal with multiple vendors, yeah. Just like why we do photography. I don't own any photo equipment outside of headshots. We don't do photo in-house, but I know enough photographers that I will bring. They're like, we need a photographer, otherwise, we're not booking your video. I'm like, sure, absolutely. Here's a rate, all of my friends' rate, plus 10%, they can have it. You know, I I have no mind. And to be real, once you take out credit card fees, it's not like that huge of a profit. But I don't mind because at the end day I'm there to provide my client the service. Plus, now they know if it's through me, it's gonna be a good photographer, they're gonna be reliable. You know, all the advantage.

Jose Castillo: 1:25:44

They trust you already for the video side, they're gonna say, okay, it's the same quality, or if not more, uh, for the photo side.

Vipul Bindra: 1:25:49

So I'm saying it's to me, and again, I know it sounds uh I don't want to sound condescending to somebody, but it's just as simple as that. Talk to people, be real, be genuine. And the biggest thing you can say is if you don't know, just stop. Because most people, I also hate sales when people have an agenda. They're like, I'm gonna go through a meeting, make it seem like they're I'm doing something custom for them, and then just present three packages that you were gonna present anyway, right? To me, that's disingenuous. Now, yes, you can have standard packages work for most businesses starting out, but after this initial project, no client is the same for me. Because usually most people like said, need brand videos and also content. But after that, it's always custom because they don't need another brand video, right? They don't need more social media. Somebody changed the process videos, they need uh, you know, training videos, they need uh like if you send someone, how easy would it be for you to show them a two-minute video that tells them exactly what they need to do? No training required with your photo booth, how to handle it, how you're right? Those that could be sign time savers. There's things like that. So there's process videos. You can always go back and make their business better, but that's gonna be different stuff, and that's where custom comes in. Because I don't know what you need until I was like, Oh, yeah, do you have a this right? Do you do you how many new people are hiring? Because if you only have, let's say, two people, three people that you need to train, a training video is a waste of money. But you're like, no, I have a lot of churn, you know. Then every time I have to spend an hour teaching them, you do that a hundred times, it's so worth it to get a training video. Yeah, yeah, it makes sense. It's kind of like that, and then and then you can go from there. It's like businesses will tell you, I'm saying, usually. Yeah, and if you do get one of those clients who says, Tell me the price. No, tell me the price. I want a 90-second video. Tell me the price. Like they're not giving you any details, then uh to me, they're not the right client. Either I would try to educate them first, like, hey, this is I don't know. I could have one person crew, 30 person crew, one shoot day, ten shoot day, ten cameras, one camera. I don't know. Yeah, I need more details. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, that that project was over six figures, right? So, and it was like uh so you never know. You finished it? No, no, that was in October. I don't think we're gonna win the bit. It was like 40 FX6s, uh, yeah, it was like 160 grand or whatever. Uh we'll see. I mean, it's the communication's gone a little cold, but that happens, you know. So projects you're uh when you're trying to do big and small projects, uh some you know you will get, some you won't. But yeah, that was that project. Okay. Um but uh yeah, that's basically my agenda always has been is just okay uh do this for not to be a job. Because if I started to have that fix this, fix that, like even with Mario, he's been helping me build some landing pages for specific clientele, even though we put packages there, that's why I was telling him is like, hey, this is just so they can get an idea what the standards are, but we build custom. Like when they call us, be like, hey, which one do you think is appropriate? Is this all you need, right? Yeah, or let's figure out because we can always custom this. I don't want to be in the game of there's a package, don't buy it. Like I can give them some standard options, like this is what most businesses pick, but I don't want it to be, you know, where it's like you buy this, you don't need headshots, but I'm still selling you headshots. You know what I mean? Yeah, true. It's silly stuff.

Jose Castillo: 1:28:59

Like it's the custom, not you don't want just here's a package, that's what you get.

Vipul Bindra: 1:29:03

Yeah, then they would go work with a marketing agency because you know that's what a lot of small marketing agencies do. They'll charge them like 10 grand for your video package, then they keep 9,900 in the pocket for coming with the creative, then they give a uh you know, student like, here's a hundred bucks, go make a little list video, you know. And then the video doesn't look that great, and the client goes, I paid 10 grand for that.

Jose Castillo: 1:29:24

Yo, that's crazy.

Vipul Bindra: 1:29:26

So so that happens a lot in this industry, you know, because a lot of people don't know that when you go through a marketing agency, they're gonna and again, I don't want to discount, I get a lot of money for marketing agencies, but I know that that whatever they're paying me is double, triple. But that's the that's good marketing agency. At least you know if a client says 10,000, they'll give you the 5,000. So client gets some value, yeah, right? But then there's I'm saying that you want to be very careful, there are tons of and those are mostly for small businesses because they can get away with that, yeah. Uh, where mostly they do website and stuff, but then when they do video, they have no idea, or they'll have one in-house videographer, but then they they they're like, Oh yeah, yeah, we'll do video, and then that person only can do so much, right? So they don't get the value. Like, if you bring me 10 grand, we're going all out, you know. Uh, but versus uh exactly versus if you give a market that who knows what they're gonna get for that, right? It's definitely not gonna be what we can do.

Jose Castillo: 1:30:20

Yeah, because they they hire out at that point, yeah. Yeah, exactly.

Vipul Bindra: 1:30:23

Or or even if they're in-house, then it's just one or two people that you know it let's be real. They can uh you can only do so much if it's just one or two. You probably don't have the best equipment because they don't want to invest, yeah. You know, especially if they're not like video focused agency, which a lot of small agencies are.

Jose Castillo: 1:30:38

So what is um what's the coolest shot you've not shot, what's the coolest video you've made for you? Not coolest as like, oh my god, graphics and stuff like that. But what what do you feel like yo yo?

Vipul Bindra: 1:30:49

I think it's what we're doing. I know uh Esteban asked me this too, but I think what we're doing right now is we're doing a campaign for this car release. I can't talk much about it, but we we've been doing a couple of shoots. I really like it because like I said, I do a lot of cool products. I've done a lot of makeup, you know, uh like even sold car washes and chemicals. I'm saying I've done a lot of cool stuff, but it's still corporate stuff. I hope that makes sense. So it's not like the most you know, I don't know, innovative things. Like we're about to go shoot fertilizer stuff. You know what I mean? Like it's it's cool what they're doing, but it's not like the most riveting content, right? But what we're doing right now, I think we're doing a basically a project, it's like a series of videos for release of this car, and that's what I was telling my client, look, there's not that many car manufacturers, you know, in the world, and in Orlando, there's so to be able to have that partnership is really cool. So we're basically making a series of videos for a car that's going to be released, so it's exciting. So we're getting to do track days, FPV drones, uh, you know, rollers, all the stuff that's you know, and most as corporate side, we're making some commercial for dealers, so we may do like one roller, yeah, versus here we're like on a real track, yeah. You know, stuff you wouldn't even do for a car, so it's like it's more intense. Yeah, then also be doing their factory, get the part being made installed. I think the B-roll like on them on a computer file, designing a CAD file.

Jose Castillo: 1:32:10

I think it's all going to be really does the car company rhyme was Sunday.

Vipul Bindra: 1:32:14

No, no, uh, yeah, it starts with an R, that's all I'll say. But I mean it's not that hard to see company that we worked with. There's it's only one of the few car companies locally. Okay. Uh so uh, but that's an existing client of mine, but we're doing uh you know a series of videos. But I'm really excited in terms of like you said, yeah, cool, visually and cool and gratifying. It's gonna be because we're gonna do even more track days, more FPV stuff, more just cool stuff. So I think that this project has to be it, which is so cool that it's now we're doing it, uh, you know. Uh, but I've done a lot of cool stuff. Like I've done, like I said, I one of the cool shoes I remember was for a chemical company years ago. But like I got to sit in a car as it's going through a car wash. That was really cool with me seat. Uh the cool idea I had was like, it'd be cool. There's no one in the driver's seat, you know, or whatever it's going through like a car wash. And we weren't even selling uh the actual car wash, it was the chemical that comes down, so we have to show the colors. So it's in the backseat, and we put my expensive Mercedes in there. I was so worried that it's gonna crash. Uh, but anyway, and then I'm I had a C200, so I'm literally in the backseat of C200 trying to get a shot. I it was fun. I mean, but it wasn't like nothing like what we're doing here, yeah. So that's why I said this shoot is I'm really excited about these videos, they're like mini documentaries, um, like mini five minute, I would say. So together it'll make a full documentary, you can say, but individual episodes are like five to ten minutes. Nice. Uh, but it's really cool. I say most of it's still corporate interviews b roll. Yeah, but but the the track elements and uh all that I think is very exciting. So I'm really cool, but like I said, this type of stuff doesn't come around all day because uh most companies aren't selling, you know, like they're selling products or services like plumber, chiropractor, dance doctor. So these are not like the most rivetingly cool thing. Now I've seen surgery talk about okay, talk about I wouldn't call it cool, but I've seen like you know, hammering your body. Like it's so different when you think surgery, they're doing intricate things, you know. But a lot of surgeries are just them hammering you in place or whatever.

Jose Castillo: 1:34:18

Oh my gosh, there was a uh for the longest time on Snapchat. Um, one of the plastic surgeons in Miami literally was snapped the whole surgery. And I'm like, yo, this is crazy. I'm talking about like this are the body makeovers, and they're literally pulling and cutting these people up, and I'm just like, yo, this is on camera.

Vipul Bindra: 1:34:35

Yeah, and and I mean it's yeah, it wouldn't be I don't know why they use that to add it's cool stuff to see how it's done, but it's not if you're trying to get someone to come in. I don't know if that's the right move.

Jose Castillo: 1:34:46

No, he had he had a big following, so I get I get it, but maybe I don't know, but yeah, I don't understand, yeah.

Vipul Bindra: 1:34:51

Yeah, but you're absolutely right, but that's what it is, it's not like they're doing something wrong. Surgery is very, you know, it is like building something, you know. So so they're building, it's just a human body that they're doing they're working on, but they're working like a construction worker on you. So but I'm saying, unless you've seen a surgery, uh yeah, it's so so it's it's not as as you would think, you know. At least my brain goes like, oh, if I have a brake arm, they'll go, they'll they'll put it on a nice table, thinly, you know, they'll open it. It's it's usually from what I've experienced as a filmmaker, it's like it's like they they are hammering, they're using like just literal tools, they're just all yeah, yeah, yeah. They have an expensive um uh you know, like a hammer. It's still a hammer, it's just medical grade hammer. But they're literally like if you're doing working on knees or hips or whatever, they're like literally hammering you in place. Construction worker, yeah, yeah, exactly. And then I'm like, that is legit what what's happening, and like you said, when they're doing sculpting or whatever, skin removal or whatever, yeah, they're literally just cutting you up and then cutting the excess and sewing it back up. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Obviously, I don't want to discount what doctors do, but there's a lot more you to be able to do just my gosh, but what they're doing, yeah, is so but stuff like that is also very cool. Having done that, I'm like, oh wow, this is this is not what I thought happens in a surgery. Uh but again, nothing um you know as cool as I think to me uh recording a really nice car that's custom made, going, you know, really fast on a track is just it's a different feeling, especially if you're doing cool stuff like with FPV and stuff. I think it just it just makes it fun.

Jose Castillo: 1:36:31

Yeah, that's cool. I like that. Yeah, what about you? Uh the coolest one was Africa, man. Africa trip was amazing. Just it was you talking about country were you in?

Vipul Bindra: 1:36:41

Huh? Which country?

Jose Castillo: 1:36:42

This was uh Nigeria, and we went to Nigeria and Lagos. Oh wow, Lagos was a little hot, you know, like as far as like um crime-wise. So we we showed up to the airport. Long story short, it was like a 24-hour uh flight to to destination because uh we missed a flight because of a connecting flight. Not our fault, it's the airline's fault, anyways. But but we needed to make it there by that time. On top of that, we were supposed to fly out from Orlando. Well, guess what? Florida is known for hurricanes. Well, you know what? Orlando decided to shut down, so then we ended up going to Miami. Our the the vehicle that we go into Miami with that we have a total of like I think 12 people. Uh, the vehicle broke down midway. I talk about everything that went wrong, went wrong. Wow, okay. But but there was there was a reason and a purpose we were out there, man. It was it was awesome, man.

Vipul Bindra: 1:37:33

And you made it. That's the key. We made it. Did you try any local food? Did you like it?

Jose Castillo: 1:37:37

We did, and oh yes, I did. Um, maybe I didn't try the there was one that you literally eat with your hand, it was gooey. I didn't like that. Yeah, I that was in a but that was uh like a chicken spot like KC out here, but it's so good, so so so good. But uh that was a good experience.

Vipul Bindra: 1:37:53

So you went to Africa deep fried chicken.

Jose Castillo: 1:37:55

I really did, yeah, yeah, yeah. But then also on top of that, we were able I was able to uh fly a drone over there, so it was an awesome experience, man. You're talking about over 10,000 people in uh you want to say like a like a field, but then had the stage, huge, huge presence. It was really good.

Vipul Bindra: 1:38:10

Did you have any trouble bringing the equipment there?

Jose Castillo: 1:38:12

No, no, not no other than I didn't care for the the fact that my batteries um expanded and the drone, and I was just like, oh I don't know, I think it's DJI batteries.

Vipul Bindra: 1:38:23

I need to see I have never had issue with uh expanding batteries outside of maybe a phone or two and the DJI stuff for some reason. Everything DJI owned eventually will just expand. Yeah, it expanded. I don't know what type of batteries they're using because again, I have camera batteries from you know 10 years ago. Never done any battery has ever, whether I leave it alone, because you know, sometimes also is you have to leave it at a certain charge level. Yeah, yeah. I think it's halfway through, cannot be fully charged or fully undercharged. So you have to every so often, if you're not using a battery, pull it out and charge it so much. Who has time to do that? So, but I personally never had an issue any company I would say outside of a cell phone or DJI swelling up, but this does happen a lot to DJI batteries, so I don't know what they're doing for that to happen.

Jose Castillo: 1:39:08

Once when I got there, it was it looked different, but it worked. Yeah, yeah. I was like, I was up in the air, no problem. And then just like with time, okay, I had to get new ones. Yeah, it's okay.

Vipul Bindra: 1:39:19

It's just part of yeah, buying DJs. Like I said, they make really cool stuff. I was surprised with Pocket 3. We used Pocket 3 for this uh rollers because we wanted to move fast, yeah. Uh, because we only had an hour, hour and a half at a track. So the the sh footage was amazing, which I think I saw you using one too. You have one in the yeah, yeah, you brought one, so that's pretty cool. It's recording us. Yeah, oh really?

Jose Castillo: 1:39:38

Yeah, it's right there.

Vipul Bindra: 1:39:39

Oh, I see. I see. See, you have I can't believe I didn't even notice that. I think I saw it in your life. I think it's recording.

Jose Castillo: 1:39:44

Hopefully, I hit the record button, but it's supposed to be.

Vipul Bindra: 1:39:47

Yeah, so uh basically, no, I I was very impressed to be honest. Like I said, I already have DJ drones. Obviously, they're they're big camera. Yeah, but I will I was I was definitely turned uh in like interested in buying a pocket three. Like I will. Sure, be um uh buying a pocket three, and I was never interested in one. It's worth it.

Jose Castillo: 1:40:05

It's worth it for BTS and like uh a lot of times I put that on the camera on a uh tripod in corner and just watch me doing my work.

Vipul Bindra: 1:40:13

I think uh and the price was fair too. I should have just bought one when Justin told me about it. Uh it was cheaper before. Yeah, because they've increased the price on it like 300 bucks tariffs, obviously. But that's kind of annoying because the camera, I think now it's too expensive. Uh again, I think the footage is great, but yeah, the camera is uh it's cool.

Jose Castillo: 1:40:30

I mean, the it the I I guess there's a there's a cool part because as SD card you can just put it in your computer and stuff like that, but then uh you could transfer it right there to your phone. Um, I do it a lot for social, for social media, things like that, but um well on the on the video side, right? Even when I do photo booth, I put it there and people just react and stuff like that. So it's fun. Um, it's definitely worth it. That was also a gift. Yeah, but yeah, but who gave you that gift? My wife.

Vipul Bindra: 1:40:54

Wow, your wife has a lot of money.

Jose Castillo: 1:40:56

No, no, no, no. She just knows the perfect time. She's amazing. No, no, I'm just yeah, but no, that's pretty good.

Vipul Bindra: 1:41:01

She knows exactly what you like and need. That's that's a good wife to that's a keeper. Yeah, definitely, man. Is she giving you a FX6 next? Maybe let's record this. I don't want it.

Jose Castillo: 1:41:10

No, I don't want it. I saw uh somebody uh recently posted in the chat uh that they were selling FX and I was like, Yeah, I don't need it. Yeah, I'm needing it.

Vipul Bindra: 1:41:18

For weddings, I don't know. Yeah, it may not be.

Jose Castillo: 1:41:20

Or even weddings for corporate for anything, I don't need it. Like I mean, I I have I've got hired twice uh for the corporate. The second one was awesome because it was uh I got to interview um Barbara Corcoran from uh Shark Tank Tank, yeah. Shark Tank, yeah. I got to interview her. Uh she was at the Aspire event. Um, so it was it was awesome. It was cool for have somebody like at that caliber to be on your camera, and it was kind of just like nerve-wracking, also, because there was other video professionals there looking at you doing your thing. And I'm like, yo, don't judge. All right, just leave me alone. Just let me be. It's like what's the one?

Vipul Bindra: 1:41:53

Oh, but what were you filming on a pocket three? No, that was the FX3. That was the FX3, yeah. No, I mean that's pretty acceptable, like for what so that's pretty cool. So you did help film, you know, not that it matters, but high-profile people. Yeah, uh, that's pretty cool. Yeah, that's the thing I like about what we do. You never know where you end up, who you're interviewing. Exactly. And uh I had this happen on a shoot, so I had um uh Fernando take me on a shoot in Miami, and like I'm I'm filming, you know, like help them with whatever they needed. Point is it was mostly all my equipment, but then um uh uh somebody was standing next to me. I don't know who they are. I'm just doing my thing, and I was like, yeah, that that's Michael uh what was the name of it? I told you the name Mark Anthony, yeah. So they were like, That's it was Mark Anthony? They were like, That's Mark Anthony, you know how to people. Yeah, he was literally standing right there and he doesn't know, and I have no idea because you know I I don't know, and I'm I'm just doing my thing. So we were doing commercial basically for his wife or whatever. But now I could tell after, you know. As soon as we talk, I was like, okay, I see there's a bodyguard there or whatever, or something's like at least a uh handler. Uh you know, you tell after you notice, but I'm just doing my work. I don't I don't know. I'm just like, whatever you guys need. So we're just setting cameras, dinner dolly, lights, whatever. You know, you know how it is. It's all it was in J-Lo.

Jose Castillo: 1:43:07

No, it wasn't but it was two X Wives ago.

Vipul Bindra: 1:43:12

So yeah, his uh apparently uh wife is also very famous because that's who the commercial was for. That's who we were actually filming. Oh, but anyway, but that's what happened, and it was kind of funny to me because um next to right next to me, I'm like, uh I was like, this guy you're talking about? They're like, yeah, I was like, oh, okay, so is he some famous? And then they played the music and everything. I was like, okay. I mean, not that I understand. It sounds pretty good. I mean, but you but but anyway, so that happens a lot. Like, and you never know who you end up with. Like I just went there because I wanted to do a cool commercial with them, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then you're like, oh, there's you're you're filming some famous uh you don't even know. Yeah, yeah. And and I'm like, okay, awesome. I mean, it's good to know, but not that it changed anything, yeah. You know, but I was like, oh, it's good to know. But like that, you never know where you end up or who you meet and things like that. Yeah. Um, and uh so yeah, no, I like that part about it.

Jose Castillo: 1:44:00

Yeah, yeah. There's definitely a lot of pros of being the video professional. Um, like I said before, you get to go first, yeah. Um, you get to go into areas that no one sees, you know what I'm saying? Like behind the scenes. I um I I filmed a uh kind of like a recap for a uh for my brother-in-law that he was the skin distinguished graduate for Valencia College. Um and I was with him all day, and I would decide, you know what, we're gonna make this a thing. Yeah, and then we're like, all right, so we ended up on one of the campuses, let's do the story first, and then the day off, then I'll just follow you around and capture what I need. And it was awesome, but it was so cool seeing like the behind the scenes, like the empty stadium, like graduate, everyone just coming in and out, me being like VIP going here and there, and I'm just like, yo, this is awesome.

Vipul Bindra: 1:44:47

My entire thing, yeah. Usually, you know, uh, and not people shouldn't take advantage of this because we do really need this for a living, like access, but yeah, uh, to be honest, if you grab a big camera and you put on a you know, like a vest or whatever, you can basically go anywhere. Yeah, yeah. Uh, and you can also make if you're a legit production company like I am, I have a you know, media pass, so I can use my press pass or whatever and essentially go wherever a media pass made media pass or no, because we can issue one. So I have uh for all my people that work with me, we have yeah, media pass.

Jose Castillo: 1:45:17

Gotcha, gotcha.

Vipul Bindra: 1:45:18

So that's what I'm saying, because we're a media company. Yeah, so what I'm saying is like I have a legit you know, media or press pass basically, because you know, there's not like a standardized one, yeah, company can issue one. So what I'm saying is I can use that and gain access to uh different areas, yeah. Yeah, so not like I said, I try not to abuse it, but it is pretty cool. I have been in places where, like, for example, I love doing India Day. You helped me with that this year, right, Mario? You remember like India Day?

Mario Rangel: 1:45:42

Yes, yeah.

Vipul Bindra: 1:45:43

So we had full access to the court, the Kia Center. We could do go wherever we had court access. Uh we could literally be on the court, we could go wherever. So it's cool. They had some uh, you know, obviously halftime show, uh, and then at the end they had like a post-uh game uh show with the yeah, this famous singer, whatever. But we were right there, like we were allowed, like everyone has to, you know, stay on the other side, but you know, you as a you're allowed to like literally go in, uh do whatever you want to do. Because, you know, again, at the we're trying to be professionals, but I'm saying if you look on the other side of it, you know, we have full access, we could go back, we could have food. Yep, you know what I mean? Like in the press room or whatever.

Mario Rangel: 1:46:21

Yeah, well, they had a restaurant, yeah. Yeah, everything. Yeah, like there was like a buffet, right? Yeah, that's also the good part about being your professional.

Vipul Bindra: 1:46:30

Yeah, you get it, and and now it's not all uh clients because uh uh and I don't mind, I don't do this for food, but I'm thinking some clients will be like, okay, we're all drinking subs or whatever, which is fine, good sandwich. Yeah, but then some clients will go all out. They're like, Okay, we're going to the steakhouse, you know, or we're we're going to this fancy place, right? We're gonna go over here. So, you know, you get to go to a lot of cool locations, you get to eat good food. Yeah, they treat you well because you know, at the end day, you are treating them well, and you're also making the money, ideally, you know. Uh so it's like a it's like a good thing, and then that makes you want to, at least for me, I'm like, oh, I'm gonna do good for this company because you know, they're treating you right, you treat them right, you work with good people. That's what I'm saying. That's what it's about. So it's a it's a healthy relationship, there's no negativity. Uh, you know, you you learn each other, and and at the end day, we're all working towards the same goal, which is whatever that video needs to achieve, right? Um, it's the reason for the video, yeah. Exactly. And how can I do my best, and how can I bring other people who can do the best? I don't know. I I I just like, and that's what I'm saying, that's why it doesn't feel like a work. Like you, I had a job before this too, and I was like, this is this is just miserable. I don't want to do that. So it's really cool to be able to do something which you love. And I I don't know. It doesn't, even though I work like 18 hours a day, I'm running on two hours of sleep right now, it still feels uh fun because I'm having this fun conversation with you that I'm actually enjoying versus forcing it just because to do it, right? Yeah, any anyway. So what's next for you now? Okay, so you're doing event photography uh videography, you're doing your photo business, photo booth business.

Jose Castillo: 1:48:04

Uh so you've done some corporate So I want to scale the video side of the businesses, I guess you want to say. So I have it for like two, like instant memories is the photo booth and then Castillo videos for the the video. I do want to scale the video side. Um because I see that I could uh send people more for the photo booth, I don't have to be the the the person showing up. And I've at one point my mind is like, no, they've talked to me, they've they worked with me, and they want me. Uh when I started sending people, and I was like, Okay, uh, your attendant's gonna be Christian, your attendant is gonna be careful, whoever it was. They it it was like normal, and oh, we loved it, thank you so much. It was the same thing. So I was like, okay, I could remove myself when for the events, so as long as I have people to work it, that's fine, I'm good.

Vipul Bindra: 1:48:54

And you can use the advantage, like I was saying, your video skills. Most people would have to hire, you can make yourself you can actually make videos to teach these people how you want your company represented. Hey, when you go to the location, do this, this, whatever, so that you know that every time they go, the experience is consistent too. So, yeah, so that would make it easier to scale.

Jose Castillo: 1:49:13

Next step for me is the video set, but also being on YouTube. Um, maybe I I don't want to say the same as you guys. Um well, I like yours, yours is a different level. It's a different level, man. If you look at this place, uh I wish they could like turn around the camera over here.

Vipul Bindra: 1:49:28

Yeah, which we're doing. So, by the way, like I said, I'm trying by the way. I'm not a YouTuber, right? I'm a filmmaker, I make films for other people. It's already awkward being on camera. Um, no, but this is easy because we're just having a conversation. I'm saying when I've been doing the YouTube video, we did this a little bit before this, and I was like, uh, I started three times. I was like, we did a two-hour podcast, no stuttering, and then I started recording a YouTube video. I'm like, uh what? What do I say? But I did make a so Josh uh Leclerc Media was here last season. Shout out to him. He was nice enough to come and help me shoot a couple videos. Mari's editing them. So we're gonna show people obviously not this set, this is completely different, but how it used to be. There is a video coming how I converted this place. Uh, and when you see what it used to look like, yeah, I gotta share that video with you. Because this, this so when we bought this house, this house whole house was renovated except for the garage. So we renovated the garage to make this into a studio. But once you see it, you will be like surprised, like before and after. Yeah, so um, it's almost done, it's basically ready to go. We just need to post it. So I am trying, and like I said, my inspiration is the people that David got like David Moorefield, Cranky Cameraman, all the people that David got me into watching, and I'm like, that's actually really cool. I like it because it doesn't have to be cinematic. Yeah, to be honest, I'm not doing any videos like they're not fancy. All my YouTube videos are gonna be with a cell phone, probably edited with a cell phone art edited by uh Mario, but they're nothing crazy, they're just me talking off the cuff, no scripts. And I think uh that's the type of content I like enjoying. And I think so other people will, and then there's so much value. Uh, because the three that we've done so far, and I think by the time people watch this, it's probably out, but uh the it's like studio tour and then also audio tour, like hi, what's in my audio bag? Let me show you because so many people have looked at my audio and go like, oh, what's all in there? So you know, so so being able to show all that, and so I think, and then uh a few I'm working on is the projects that I've been on the last few times. The Chicago one, we're gonna do a couple of videos on that, and it's really cool how to take a man full of gear across, you know. We he drove it. Uh what 2,000 miles? Oh no, yeah 1200 miles? Where what was it, 17 hours, 820 hours?

Mario Rangel: 1:51:39

It was well, really 20 hours. Yeah, this was with all the stops. Did you sleep in it? No, no, they slept. We tried. Yeah, we tried for but no, we we got a hotel. Yeah, okay for the night.

Vipul Bindra: 1:51:55

Uh the heyman jared, like the whole way, and I think that's gonna be a cool vlog. Again, it's not that much detail they were driving, but it's cool to share like how it like we recorded a few clips to show like how we packed it, how it went, how it helped us. So stuff like that. I think it's really cool. I don't know how many people on YouTube are sharing uh, you know, them going 1200 miles away to do a shoot and how they're taking a van full of gear. I think it's really cool content. I'm just making what I'd like to watch, but it's also not like like you said, it's not what I would do for a client. I'm not fixing big lights and big cameras.

Jose Castillo: 1:52:30

David literally explained uh expressed this a couple times on how his YouTube has helped him gain business. Yeah, and not because hey, I'm selling again, it's because they're getting to know him, they're getting to know his style, how he does it, how he got this tripod, how he got this, whatever the case is. They already know kind of what he has and what he has to offer, um, but they enjoy his content because of that, you know. But it's also that the networking part of it, right? Like I know somebody that has a van that could come and shoot a huge commercial for somebody, you know. So it's one of those things that it's like YouTube is connecting pieces. Um, that's how I got to the group. That's how I'm in that the chat that I watch. I I literally I'm on there all the time, um, trying to see what you know what everyone's going up to and stuff like that. So it's cool, man. Um, you're when you started the podcast, I started watching because it was one of those things that you know what, why not? And it's interesting.

Vipul Bindra: 1:53:22

Did you get any value out of it? So uh what you what do you think? So having watched it, uh, this is obviously like trying to same thing but slightly different. What do you think about uh season one?

Jose Castillo: 1:53:32

I I enjoyed season one.

Vipul Bindra: 1:53:34

I enjoyed any real value. Let's be honest with me. Do you get any real? Did someone say something or do whatever that you thought was oh uh you can go take that in your business and maybe you know help help your business, your business.

Jose Castillo: 1:53:45

I think the the one that comes to mind it was two things, two people. I don't remember his name, one of them. Uh the one that he does it on the Osmo. He's into Justin, yeah. Yeah, yeah. He's on the Osmo all the time. And I've met him before. I'm just really bad with names. Yeah, so I'm sorry, Justin. I'm really bad with names, but uh, but what the case is like he does everything on the Osmo and and it works, it works for what you do it. Like, obviously, everything is about your gear, but like your gear doesn't have to be really expensive, just go get a $600 piece of equipment. Uh, and it works for him, it works. Um, the other one was um um Ben that I've worked with before and his version on how to use social media, yeah. And I have those saved because those things are important, you know. He broke it down literally what to do exactly. He literally broke it down, and it was it was definitely a good uh good video, you know. And even even I hope that everyone sees what you just did. Um, because I haven't seen it done. Yeah, you break it down a business and you break down how they could help. That's also an aspect that you know that you don't see often. Yeah, um, you know, David, and you see how he does this and how he does that, and how his client is this, and even in Miami, and how he prices like all those things, like everyone's um version of it, but yours, I I've uh you know I don't know how many times I've I've played it, put it on the speaker, and I clean the house.

Vipul Bindra: 1:55:03

Oh, really? Yeah, see, and that's what's designed. By the way, funny enough, this is literally made for what I listen to when I'm driving. Like we're like I said, we're about to go uh um uh to uh a four-hour drive, right? I'm like, what am I gonna play? Right? This is literally yeah, exactly. This is exactly so you know, this is a perfect uh you say that it's it's funny to me because that's exactly what I designed for. You just play in the background, you listen, you're just listening to people that you know think or at least feel like you know, enjoy the same things as you do. So it's like a not only you get to learn other people that you can actually hire and collaborate with, but also you can learn something from them. Because I've had, you know, we're talking and then somebody will just grow up a golden nugget, right? And then and then you go back to just chilling and whatever. So it's pretty cool when you're like either driving or you're you're cleaning or you're just I don't know, building a rig and it's just playing in the background, right? That's the point of the the this yeah.

Jose Castillo: 1:55:56

Literally, that's what I've enjoyed. Yeah, like it's because it's two hours, yeah. Literally, you could just play it and listen to it throughout the whole time that you do it. I've had it that next to me on my computer while I'm editing. Um, obviously it's just a visual part because I'm listening to more to this, and sometimes I it kind of like distracts me so and I was like, no, okay, I gotta stop. Hold on. Let me let me get back to what I'm doing.

Vipul Bindra: 1:56:16

No, I had somebody tell me they were like they played it and then they only got to half the episode on this because they had a short flight. So and then they did a three, four-day gig and then return, they watched the other half. Yeah, because that was the best time to watch it. They're not gonna watch it while they're working. I was like, yeah, that makes sense. Look, I have no idea who's watching this. I just wanna like, for example, when we met last time at the meetup, I was like, oh, we gotta talk more. Yeah, and this is a perfect opportunity for us to have this conversation and for people to hear, like, you know, the the journey that you're on, the things that you're learning and what we're doing, and just I don't know, two filmmakers kind of just talking. Exactly. And uh, you know, that's basically it, it's just entertainment. I if if somebody finds this entertaining, I would I would I hope other people would, but no, but that's why I'm making the YouTube. The goal with that is to like show people real stuff. Like, here's a real audio kit, here's a real, you know, what I do, here's a shoot that we actually did that was paid for. You know, because YouTube isn't for me, and I'm sure David says the same thing, but he's uh getting at least some money from YouTube. But my entire thing is I'm not doing this for um income, right? Uh I luckily, thank goodness I don't want anything to change. I have enough clients that just call me because I've been doing this long enough, right? Yeah, so I have enough income. This is more like how can I now give back, build a community, help other people. I want everyone to be able to make six figures, and but it takes a mindset change, right? And if I can help even one, two people or just entertainment, then why not, right? Yeah. So anyway, the crazy thing is we're coming to to an end. It's been almost two hours. Uh sometimes I'm like, how did how how did that happen? Yeah. So before we go, tell people uh about your two businesses. Where can they look up? They want to follow you or find more about you, where do they go?

Jose Castillo: 1:57:56

Of course, of course. Uh Instagram, social. I'm always on social. You're gonna see in the stories. I'm in social. Uh Castillo Videos is one of them. And then um instant memories or instantmemories.com or castillovideos.com. Simple as that. But great.

Vipul Bindra: 1:58:10

Yeah, if anyone wants to learn more about uh, you know, I don't I don't know. I I'm really intrigued about the the photo booth business. Like I said, I don't do it, but I have been asked about it. And uh now A, I have a referral, now I know exactly who to call. And then B, uh it just helps to know that look, there's so many other avenues. Because even though I'd like to be just exclusively a video company, photo video is a thing. That's what people assume. It really is. And it makes sense for us to either a invest in photo or if not partner with people like you. Yeah. Uh so it can just be a together thing. Because if we can offer both photo, video, and a photo booth, yeah, we're covering most of the event, you know. Uh I think add a event planner to the mix, then you're basically almost there, right? Exactly. And then you can then offer like the whole thing. You're like, hey, we can do everything, plus it'll be better than individually hiring, because now you're hiring people you know are are good at what they do, they're not you know flaky or whatever. So this is awesome, man. Thanks for coming. I've I've I've thoroughly enjoyed the last two hours and uh can't wait to do it again. Thank you, man. Appreciate it. All right, have a good one. Thank you for watching.

Jose Castillo: 1:59:18

I don't know which camera we're at, but yeah.

Vipul Bindra: 1:59:21

Uh, but and thank you, Mario. This has been a fun episode. Yes.

Mario Rangel: 1:59:24

Uh, until next time. See you later. Bye, bye bye. Bye.