FILO Podcast

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Episode 021: John Cassetto Jan 20, 2019

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In this episode of the FILO Podcast, Todd talks team culture with John Cassetto, leader of the worship ministry at Saddleback Church.

Episode 020: Jim Sippel Dec 30, 2018

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Todd talks with former Willow Creek co-worker, Jim Sippel about color temperature, camera aperture settings, and everything to do with lighting for video. It's basically a bunch of science, which we could all use a little more of!

Episode 019: Chris Wheat Dec 09, 2018

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Todd talks with Chris Wheat, the operations director at Soul City Church in Chicago, about project managing a new building program. They talk about dreams early in the process and figuring out what was most important for the new space, as well as lessons learned along the way. Juggling the new building project with your full-time job, how much to work to take on yourself versus hiring professionals to get it done, and many other topics.

Episode 018: Kristin Twilla Nov 18, 2018

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Christmas is coming! Are you ready? Have you been preparing all the details? Have you prepared yourself? Your family? Todd goes back to Christmas pasts to talk to one of the OG crew at Kensington Church Kristin Twilla, about the journey from less than healthy Christmas processes to the version it is today.

production generosity Nov 10, 2018

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I’ve been working my way through the New Testament and came across a verse that I had highlighted in an earlier reading: “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” – 2 Cor. 9:6 Photo from Shutterstock I’m sure I’ve read this verse countless times, and each time I’ve viewed it from the standpoint of money. However, this time it struck me completely differently. If I were honest, because so much of what we do as technical artists requires perfection…or at least no mistakes, it can be really easy to be protective and grabby when it comes to what I’m responsible for. It can be difficult for me to delegate, because what if that other person makes a mistake but I’m the one responsible for the outcome? I’ll just do it myself. I love new creative ideas, but because it’s new, it probably means I might not know how to execute it; I don’t know all the ways it could go wrong. I’m going to have to say “no”. This type of behavior is what I would call “Sowing sparingly”. In my earlier years as a technical artist, I wondered why people didn’t give me the benefit of the doubt more often. I wondered why most conversations had me on the defensive. Looking back, I was in the “sow sparingly” category. As a technical artist, the concept of sowing sparingly is about being careful. It is about trying to control each situation as much as possible. It is about protecting the idea of “no mistakes”. If I were honest, when I was fully living out my life this way, I was miserable. And I’m pretty sure the people around me were also. Or at least they didn’t want to include me in their brainstorming or their new ideas, because they knew it would not be a fun conversation. Somewhere along the way, I realized that I could be more open-handed with my craft; that I could be more honest about the “what might happen”s in any new idea. I didn’t need to live in a world where all success or failure landed on my shoulders. It was something that we were doing together and the point was that we were sharing that burden. When I started living a life of generous sowing, things changed dramatically. For one thing, I began to enjoy collaborating. I loved working out an idea together to figure out how to actually do it. Working out of a generous place opens up the possibilities; now we’re not just doing the same old thing, but we’re able to think outside the box a little. Sowing with generosity means that I’m delegating when I can; sharing what I know and developing those around me with potential. Living in a “no mistakes” world isn’t really possible. The idea is to learn and stretch each other, which means that mistakes will happen as part of the journey. If we aren’t making mistakes, our world is probably increasingly narrow and limited…sowing sparingly. If the body of Christ is made of people who are supposed to be using their gifts for the common good, we need to create opportunities for people to serve. This requires leading our teams with generosity. As a leader, the beauty of leading this way is that generosity becomes a part of your culture. The team will follow your example. I have been amazed in my life at what God can do when I live generously. On the opposite side of that same coin, it is depressing to think how many times I limited what God wanted to do in me and my ministry because I was too afraid of what would happen if I was more generous. Generous with collaboration. Generous with delegation. Generous with people. In what ways are you sowing sparingly? What is one area or one relationship that you can loosen your grip and practice generosity?

Episode 017: Andrew Stone Oct 28, 2018

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From the outside looking in, it seems like Church on the Move has unlimited funds to do whatever they want. In this conversation with Andrew Stone, we look at how to work with limited resources.

martin luther and the perfect mix Oct 25, 2018

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The cobbler praises God every time he makes a decent pair of shoes. I read this quote a few weeks ago. It is attributed to Martin Luther…you know, the guy who helped kickstart the reformation. Using the interwebs, I went looking to see if he actually said this, and I only found anecdotal evidence. Instead of spending any more time looking, it seemed like it was time to just write what I was thinking about it, since it is a great idea, whether or not Martin Luther said it. As a technical artist in the local church, it is really easy to lose sight of the fact that what I do matters. And it doesn’t just matter from the standpoint of executing a service flawlessly or helping to create an environment where people can experience God. The reality of Herr Luther’s statement is that doing what God created me to do and doing it well, is an act of worship. My personal act of worship. Martin Luther talked about a guy making shoes. I’m talking about those of us behind the soundboard, or backstage, or editing videos. God doesn’t create all of us to be on stage leading people in worship or teaching God’s word for our congregations. Most of you who read this blog are behind the scenes. For most of us, it is easy to assume that we do all this work for the sake of other people, so they won’t be distracted and can worship freely. While true, it is just a shadow of the truth. So many times, technical artists that I talk to end up worshipping excellence or the perfect mix; the goal of their art form is the art or the technology itself. There is so much more to what we are doing. God created us as technical artists to worship him. By practicing our art with excellence, by creating the perfect mix, when editing the next video we were designed for worshiping God. What motivates you? Is it the technology? Is it facilitating worship for others? Is it using how God has made you return worship to him?

Episode 016: Dave Hunter Oct 07, 2018

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If you've been to the FILO Conference, you know Todd's guest Dave Hunter as the MC of FILO and the leader of Green Room Improv, who performed at FILO in 2016. Dave and Todd talk about all kinds of things, some interesting and some not so interesting, but mainly about storytelling through the medium of video. Dave shares some of the values he follows as he tries to tell the most effective story possible.

help me understand… Oct 03, 2018

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I have been struck again this week by the fact that the world of church production is a mystery to non-production people. This isn’t a bad thing or something to try to solve. Andy Stanley would say “it is a tension to be managed” (he would actually say it twice for emphasis, but I’ll just write it once). I agree that it is something that is ongoing, but the word “managed” sounds too much like the word “tolerated” or even “giving up on it being any better”. Almost resignation. As I have been talking to the various production people I work with, and then speaking to the producers of the ministry they support, I am amazed at how easy it is to misunderstand each other, to assume something that isn’t necessarily true, to make conclusions about people without knowing them or asking for more information. As I write this, I am realizing that there are tons of dynamics going on here and that I could write all day about ways to improve things or how things should be different, but I am going to focus on one. Help People Understand Your World. For crying out loud production people, start communicating with your counterparts that don’t get your world! You do so much behind the scenes that nobody sees or even understands, and instead of giving you a pat on the back for all your hard work, they end up wondering what you do with all your time. All they know is that they don’t see you around. They also know that you say “no” to all their great ideas without any kind of alternatives or options. When someone is wondering what you do all day, and then you tell them they can’t do something, it's no wonder there is a gulf between the booth and the stage! For years, I would wait for the stage people to come to me to understand my world. After all, I’m an introvert, and it’s OK if I just hang back here by the booth because everyone should come to me and get to know me and ask me how I’m doing and be amazed at all the gear I re-racked this week...It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke. Get out of your cube, your office, the booth, and engage with the people on stage on stage or whoever you need to, in order to bridge the chasm of understanding the exists. Make the move to help the non-production people you work with understand your world…in a language they can understand. Create opportunities to connect outside of the tension of services and rehearsals. Is there tension? Yes. Will it go away? Probably not. Do we need to just live with it? No. Should it be managed? I believe we must get beyond “managed” and figure out ways to leverage the differences for the benefit of our churches. How can we take what makes each of us unique and celebrate the differences so that we can push each other to create the best services possible for our congregations? One thing is for sure, it won’t happen without tons of communication. That starts with you.

Episode 015: Sara Emmerson Sep 16, 2018

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On this episode, Todd sits down with Sara Emmerson, the Creative Pastor at Soul City Church in Chicago, to talk about pretty much everything. Soul City Church just finished a new 800 seat auditorium, so Sara and Todd talked about the challenges and excitement that comes from leading a team into that new space, collaborating with senior pastors and creating a culture where there is freedom to fail. It's a good one!

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