Chris Laxamana – Carolla Podcast Network
“I have helped develop and produce over a dozen top rated shows for comedians and personalities, and the Adam Carolla show is the most challenging and rewarding thing I do. There is a reason why The Adam Carolla Show holds the Guinness World Record for ‘most downloaded podcast.’ The amazing natural talent of Adam and the other hosts and keeping things spontaneous and new so that viewers can’t wait for the next show.”
“I started with Adam and the show in 2010. I was a sound engineer and a friend asked if I could come by one day and help dial in their studio for a podcast he was working on with Adam Carolla. I didn’t listen to podcasts back then and wasn’t very familiar with Adam, but I agreed to stop by. I remember going in that day and realizing this podcast was something special: long-form discussions sharing original stories and thoughtful ideas – all while being hilarious and captivating. I just started stopping by every day after that until they eventually hired me.”
“We got into live streaming early and at the beginning it wasn’t popular. But because Adam has a live radio background, he was one of the few hosts that could actually do it well. So we leaned into it. Then we got the idea of trying it live at a comedy club. We quickly found out there’s an audience for that too! In 2010, we would even project remote guests at live shows onto a screen to interact with Adam. And thank goodness we figured that out early because once the pandemic hit, we were already prepared for the remote stuff.”
“In the early days, we would record straight to Quicktime on a laptop. We filmed with a camcorder. We used wireless lavalier mics. We just wanted to get it out to an audience. Back then there wasn’t a template on how to record a podcast so we experimented with a lot of things in the first year: different DAWs, mic configurations, export settings, etc. It’s funny that we were one of the pioneers in that medium because other shows were starting to look to us for guidance and in reality, we were just trying to figure it out too!”
“Now we are doing it all with a crew of about a dozen and with a cinematic look and high quality workflow that lets us quickly create shows even from the road.”
“We started using Blackmagic cameras a few years ago. It started off with just one Pocket Cinema Camera and we loved it so much and it was so easy to use.”
“Now we have four Studio Camera 4K Pro cameras feeding into ATEM 2 M/E Constellation HD and ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel switchers. DaVinci Resolve Studio and DaVinci Resolve Speed Editor for editing and color correction. And racks of Blackmagic capture and playback devices, routers, recorders, monitors and converters. All for what used to be the cost of a few high quality lenses.”
“All of this Blackmagic gear is needed because the growth of Carolla Digital has quickly outpaced the capabilities of the original production and post studios originally. I have to create high quality weekly programming that includes live streaming, multiple hosts, remote guests and live comedy events. And we have to support an ever increasing number of different formats.”
“The Studio Cameras have really helped. Personally what I love the best is their reliability. I never have to worry about anything happening with these cameras. They are so good. We take them on the road and the picture is superior. The ease of use for us is exactly what we wanted.”
“Also, the quality of footage is superior. Personally, I love the LCDs on the cameras. They’re so big and vibrant. The tally lights are great too. Along with the Pocket cam, we love how these cameras work with the ATEM and their ease of use.”
“We really need all of these features. Because the spontaneity of ‘The Adam Carolla Show’ is one of its biggest draws, but it also makes it impossible to use gear that is only good for one thing. In the studio we like to have wide and one shot angles for most shows, but sometimes Adam likes to bust out the focus pads and run drills with boxers and MMA fighters. We have musical performances too.”
“And beyond shooting the five weekly podcasts, Adam is known for touring. And we, and a smaller Blackmagic road kit, go with him. This includes Pocket cameras, an ATEM Mini Extreme ISO and the Speed Editor.”
“I still can’t believe comedies don’t get nominated for Best Editing at awards shows. Comedy is all about timing. So being able to go back into Resolve and tweak a cut that we may have missed live is huge. Back in the day, if you missed a moment in the recording- it was gone forever.”
“I love that we can record both the live cuts and the isolated footage with the ATEM Mini Extreme ISO. These remote shows are edited a little more, so it’s incredible to have the option of tweaking some of the cuts when we drop it into Resolve. And the portability of the switcher and Pocket cameras make it easy to set up a station in some of the tight spaces within comedy clubs.”
“In the studio and on the road, now we can focus on the content. We can focus on the comedy. We can focus on the great moments of the show. All without having to worry about what is going on with our equipment. Because we already know it is going to look incredible. It is going to feel incredible, and it is going to get to our audience in a great way. Everything just works in the best way possible. I swear- even our moods have improved!”
“We’ve had countless comments on YouTube and social media about the higher production quality of our shows since switching over to Blackmagic Design. It’s funny because using these new tools has actually made production easier for us too. Everybody wins! As for Adam, he’s over the moon.”