Thanks to today’s technology, creatives can complete a compelling podcast or video in just a week’s time.
OWC interviewed power couple Jeremy Lewis and Lauren Riihimaki, the co-hosts of relationship-based podcast Wild ‘Til9, to learn how they depend on OWC solutions to get the job done.
Jeremy is a tech entrepreneur who works in enterprise software sales and cryptocurrency, while Lauren, affectionately known as “LaurDIY,” is an online content creator, entrepreneur, and host/executive producer of HBO Max Originals Craftopia.
In hosting their podcast, the couple was looking for different things in relation to technology. Jeremy was seeking reliability, performance, and achieving the fastest speeds possible, while Lauren needed her tech solutions to be durable, intuitive, and affectionately “dog-proof.”
Wild ‘Til 9 Podcast
Consumers digest content in different ways based on what suits their unique lifestyles. This is precisely why the co-hosts record both an audio and a video version of each episode of Wild ’Til 9.
“We wanted to create a place where people can come every single week, hang out, and do what they were going to do already, and have either an audio or video version to choose from.”
Jeremy Lewis
When shooting video, Lauren and Jeremy use a multi-camera setup with 3 different cameras all shooting in 4K. They need to be able to use all of their equipment at the same time, which requires a great deal of bandwidth. Fortunately, thanks to OWC’s technology, they are able to do just that.
OWC solutions
From the time the couple shoots content, it is usually posted live within a week. They use three different full 4K video files and up to 4 different audio files. The files need to be taken off of the recording devices, moved over to hard drives, then sent to an editor. After final edits are made, the finished file then goes to a captioning house in order to have captions ready for the following week.
The challenge in this industry is that time windows are very small, and it can sometimes come down to the “day” when things need to be turned around. Jeremy was seeking a solution to help keep them up and running for several days straight.
“The tech has to work because if you stand up after an hour and a half or you’re with a guest, and they’ve already spent 90 minutes, they’ll need to get on to their next engagement. If something doesn’t work, that’s another week of delays before getting the content out, and that just can’t happen,” said Jeremy.
The solution?
Jeremy organically stumbled upon OWC and after trying just one product, was quickly curious to learn what other technology was available. He was seeking the absolute fastest speed and connections and wanted a solution that could be used with all of his devices.
Envoy Pro FX
With the help of the Envoy Pro FX, Jeremy is able to successfully use all of their equipment at the same time. “It’s the perfect mixture of being able to be both tough and compatible,” he said.
He uses two Thunderbolt hubs—one connected to every single one of his computers—because they have peripherals needed for any type of Thunderbolt device. For Jeremy, the most important piece is the hard drives that act as the heavy-duty transfer. “In a world where every time a new Mac comes out, there are fewer ports, you need that peace to be as reliable as if it did come with the computer,” said Jeremy.
For Lauren, durability and intuitive devices were her top priorities, which she found with the Envoy Pro FX. She admittedly doesn’t always treat her equipment with the TLC it deserves. “I was looking for user-friendly equipment because if Jeremy’s not there, I’ll have to read a long manual or watch a YouTube tutorial to figure things out,” said Lauren.
Thunderbay Flex 8
The couple also uses the Thunderbay Flex 8, a machine that does everything at the same time, versus other tech solutions that work individually. The Flex 8 feeds their cloud transfer all day to upload terabytes of footage. It can sometimes take 8, 12, and even up to 24 hours, and they’ve been using the unit at least 3-4 straight days every 3 weeks since they purchased it.
“It’s as if they [OWC] looked at a podcast and the way we turn content around, and said, ‘let’s build it for them.’ We’ve never had an issue—everything goes through this device. We could not do our podcast without this unit,” said Jeremy.
Summing up
Jeremy and Lauren don’t have film school backgrounds nor do they have audio engineers on deck in the room when shooting. According to Lauren, what they’ve accomplished with Wild ‘Til9 “can be attainable for almost anyone.”
Admittedly, Jeremy said all of the technology had to fit into a tiny little corner in the room in their home, and finding the right setup took six months of trial and error. But, it was ultimately worth all of the time and effort for the couple, because their podcast is a huge hit—and to date, Wild ‘Til9’s YouTube channel alone has 189K subscribers. For this team, identifying the right OWC solutions to get the job done, has truly been a game-changer.
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