The Blackbar Podcast

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Nick and Caleb talk with Mike Soroka, IT and networking guru, about why churches should care about modern cybersecurity, and they share some easy first steps every organization should take to protect their data. They also discuss Disney's expired copyright of the Steamboat Willie character, and how important it is for creatives to understand copyright and public domain.

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The guys share about what they learned from the 2024 Passion Conference team on how to gather the most effective and impactful sermon clips for your church. They also talk about the new podcast format alongside their newest Q&A style segment called Blackout!

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On the last episode of 2023, the guys share some thoughts from a church creative's perspective about Carey Nieuwhof's recent blog post on declining church attendance. They also discuss the implications of the conclusion of the SAG-AFTRA strikes as well as Instagram's most recent algorithm changes.

Read Carey Nieuwhof's full blog post "5 Church Attendance Statistics Every Church Leader Needs to Understand in 2024" here:
https://careynieuwhof.com/church-attendance-statistics/

Episode Timestamps: 

• 2:59 SAG-AFTRA Strike Resolution
• 25:47 Instagram Updated Its Algorithm... Again
• 37:55 Why Church Attendance Is Declining & What Can We Do About It?  

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In the church and ministry creative field, last minute changes are as frequent as Sunday service, so on this episode the guys wanted to share some practical tips on how to navigate the unpredictable in a healthy way. They also share some predictions about the potential of Unreal Engine's Project Avalanche software, and they take a look at what can be learned about church photography from the advanced features of Sony's A9 III camera.

Episode Timestamps:

• 5:00 Could Unreal Engine's Project Avalanche Dethrone After Effects?
• 27:36 What Can Sony's New A9 III Teach Us About Photography?
• 44:18 How To Be Creative When The Plan Changes Last Minute

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The guys welcome guest co-host Alex Lyons as they discuss how to approach AI with faith and wisdom. They also kick off the episode analyzing and learning from the new Eddie Bower logo redesign. 

Episode Timestamps:

• 3:20 Eddie Bauer Logo Redesign
• 28:40 Beyond Fear: Embracing AI with Faith and Wisdom

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With the success of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour movie, the guys discuss how experiences like this could impact the ways that we both approach and engage in worship within our faith communities. They also get back into the Mac vs. PC debate on the heels of Apple's newest M3 Chip showcase.

Episode Timestamps:
2:42 Mac vs. PC in 2023
23:48 Could Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Affect Our Church Services?

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The guys lose their minds over the exciting new Adobe software features showcased at this year's Adobe Max event! They also circle back to last week's conversation to tie in how Meta's new social personality AI can impact the way we create social content, and they break down how the technology used for the recent Toy Story Funday Football broadcast could help churches approach children's ministry in a new way.  

Episode Timestamps:

• 3:31 - Meta's New personality AI
• 28:33 - Toy Story Meets Football?!
• 50:00 - First Impressions of Adobe Max 2023

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Caleb & Nick welcome guest co-host Garrett Vandenberg as they discuss the ethics, theology, practical application, and potential future of Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and AI generated music all within creative, faith-based spaces. 

Episode Timestamps:

• 4:53 - The Ethics and Theology of AI Generated Music
• 45:31 - The Future of AR/VR Church

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The guys have a little gear envy drooling over Sony's new Burano cinema camera while providing some practical explanations to cinema camera specs alongside more budget-friendly camera recommendations. They also discuss the potential implications of the ChatGPT based Open Interpreter with special guest Blaise Nelson, and they share some initial opinions of the featured products from Apple's September 12th keynote. 

Episode Timestamps:

• 2:18 - OpenAi's Code Interpreter... in Your Terminal w/ Certified Pro Blaise Nelson
• 20:13 - September 12th Apple Event
• 40:27 - What We Can Learn From Sony's Ultimate Cinema Camera

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Throwing back to Blackbar's very first video on church marketing, the guys add a few fresh tips that they've learned over the years on how to best create church ads that are genuinely effective. Also, featuring Lifehouse Church's creative arts and worship Pastor Sharayah Bishop, they discuss the filters a church can develop to help determine what music is most in line with Scripture and the culture of their community. And finally, Caleb shares some practical tips on how to choose and leverage fonts for your project in the best way.

Check out the video that inspired today's main topic -  "How to Make Church Ads That Don't Suck":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVdbauk7SEc&t=22s

You can check out Pastor Sharayah's harmony & tutorial channel at Lifehouse Creative:
https://www.youtube.com/@UCqKl6OmJC8-pguvHcd69rOQ

Episode Timestamps:

• 1:20 - What Is Not Church Music? w/ Pastor Sharayah Bishop
• 27:46 - How To Pick The Right Font For The Job
• 1:00:01 - How to Make MORE Church Ads That Don't Suck (Again)

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