It certainly brought back some memories of the ESPN SportsCentury on Manning we created on back in 2005. Manning was entering his prime then…pre-Super Bowl win, but clearly one of the dominant quarterbacks in the league, along with Tom Brady, whom we also profiled in a SportsCentury. The contrast between the two was interesting.

Manning and his management team were extremely professional and willing to help arrange the interviews with Peyton, his family, and facilitate with the Colts management. Brady’s team while also professional, chose not to participate. Not only would Tom not sit for an interview, but they would not allow access to his family or teammates. We did the story anyway, but it was certainly a very different experience.

And that has been just a small part of the gift that Peyton Manning has been for this community. He understood that the media is the primary conduit to the fans…and the fans are what truly drive the game forward. They pay the bills, they generate the excitement and the passion. Columnist Bob Kravitz noted yesterday that Manning would always do local interviews immediately after the game, in full pads, because he knew the local writers were on a very tight deadline. Manning always “got it”.

So, thanks to Peyton for all he did here. And well wishes for health and success at your next stop.

Two clips here…one, to to recall what a master he was on the field for the Colts…

And the other…to remember that he will be out to prove all the doubters wrong when he starts playing again…

$15,000 per pop!

Insider insight on Setting Up the Super Bowl Halftime Show 

So much to do…so little time! Everything involved with the set up and tear down for the Super Bowl’s halftime show is precision timed…with fast and furious accuracy.

While Good Vibes Media was shooting in the north end zone at Lucas Oil Stadium for the Super Bowl’s Greatest Commercials 2012 show (CBS), all the rigging and prep work for the halftime show was going on behind us.  During a break in taping, we struck up a conversation with one of the guys doing the set up.  What he said was truly amazing.

First, we asked how much the individual lights, which were being rigged closest to us, cost.  He estimated $12,000 to $15,000 per light.  There were probably 200 of them!  But, then he leaned in and said, “But that’s not where the real money is…”  My mind was already reeling from the $2-3 million in lights, so I took the bait, “Well, where then?”

He pointed to a row of black boxes already mounted in the rafters.  “32 HD projectors.  $125,000 per.”  That’s a cool $4 million.  And I thought I saw an identical row on the other side of the stadium.   No folks, this is not your cheap knock-down stage!

Perhaps even more miraculous was what he described as the exact timing of the stage creation and tear-down. From the time football is done at halftime, the crew has only eight minutes to cover the field, and build and power the stage.  Eight minutes of absolute frenzy.  Madonna’s performance must then be exactly 12 minutes long….and then just seven minutes to tear it down.  That’s a total of 27 minutes for the complete halftime experience.

Keep this in mind as you take in the show. It brings a whole new appreciation to the skill and professionalism possessed by the folks that bring the halftime show together…no matter how well choreographed the actual stage entertainment is.

Boomer Esiason, Blue, and Jillian Michaels

A behind-the-scenes look at Super Bowl’s Greatest Commercials 2012 Shoot in Indianapolis, IN

Great talent makes for a great production…and on our recent shoot for the Super Bowl’s Greatest Commercials 2012, (CBS, Wednesday, February 1, 8 p.m. ET from IMG Worldwide) it was fully evident. The days were full–noon to well past midnight at Lucas Oil Stadium and loading in at 7am the next day to shoot at the Conrad Hilton, St. Elmo’s and out near the Indianapolis Motor Speedway–and the shoot could have been just brutal. But hosts Jillian Michaels and Boomer Esiason (trivia!–what’s Boomer’s real name?) made things a relative breeze. Not only were they great talent–working hard to not just to “get it done” but to make it great–they were also just fun to be around. That makes all the difference to the crew and, I believe, to what you’ll see on screen.

Jillian Michaels clearly enjoys connecting with people. You might think America’s toughest trainer, formerly co-starring on The Biggest Loser, would be a bit intimidating to approach. Nothing could be further from the truth. She’s funny. Quickly tweets back comments on Twitter. Takes time to interact with fans. She even sent a personal iPhone video message to a kid (my daughter) who is a big admirer.

Perhaps the greatest example of Jillian’s behind-the-scenes personality happened while we were shooting green screen takes for the open of the show. We shot this inside the Conrad Hilton, and in the hallway curiously watching the goings on, was a child who was clearly battling a long term illness. Jillian went to visit with her for a couple of minutes…but then, after the shooting was complete, went back to the child, spending another 15 minutes or more. I can tell you that her schedule that day was PACKED. And she kept on schedule, but the desire to make a meaningful connection was very high. Jillian gives a lot of herself…genuinely cares about interacting with people.

And that includes interacting with Boomer! In addition to following the script, Boomer and Jillian maintained a healthy banter. There couldn’t be more versions of “Booms,” “Boom-Boom,” “Boom-meister” to be teased out, and further jokes played out via Twitter (@jillianmichaels and @7BOOMERESIASON).

The personal touch of both Boomer and Jillian meant a lot. Boomer threw footballs on the Super Bowl turf with the Good Vibes Media crew, and commented, “I’m glad to see that the Super Bowl has finally come to a Midwestern city like Indianapolis. This is the ‘house that Peyton Manning built’…Lucas Oil Stadium… and is very impressive.”

As we wrapped, Jillian made it a point to say “thank you” to everyone involved in the shoot as she shook each and every crew person’s hand. The thanks was truly mutual.

Jillian Michaels shares a laugh while filming Super Bowl's Greatest Commercials 2012

Good Vibes Media handled all camera, sound, lights, and other production needs for IMG Worldwide to produce the show, which is directed by Paul Miller. Miller, who has directed Saturday Night Live among other things, had Lima open the show in a similar way with a, “Super Bowl’s Greatest Commercials starts NOW” playfully to the camera. Lima was a good sport, doing a separate scene with Butler Bulldog Blue 2. Michaels–who is no slouch in the looks department–had fun with it all, joking off screen, that never again is she doing a scene sitting next to a super model.

Super Host and Super Model

"The Scroll"

As part of an American experience, it’s fitting that Colts owner Jim Irsay would share with Hoosiers and Super Bowl visitors the chance to view famed author Jack Kerouac’s original manuscript for On the Road…which goes on display at the Indiana State Museum beginning January 27 through May 6.

As Super Bowl XLVI festivities kick into high gear, it’s a generous gesture from Irsay to share with Indianapolis and visiting sport fans alike the chance to view in person Kerouac’s literary masterpiece written in 1951.

On the day it was moved from Irsay’s spacious office in the Colts complex to the Indiana State Museum, Good Vibes Media interviewed Irsay about Kerouac’s famous scroll.  It is part of a feature segment this spring in the show 101 Objects that Changed the World, an upcoming program for The History Channel and Maryland-based JMW Productions.

Considered the Beat Generation’s bible, Jack Kerouac captured in an unusual 120 foot scroll format, his wild, youthful adventures that took place during a cross-country trip with a friend. Irsay first read On the Road when he was 15 years old, and it made a lasting impression. When he had the chance to purchase the original manuscript, he did…for more than $2 million at a Christie’s auction in 2001.

Irsay’s commitment to the importance of the scroll is impressive.  He graciously carved out time (and kept the appointment!) for our interview about the Kerouac manuscript–despite the tense hiring and firing decisions for new Colts leadership for general managers, etc. that were taking place concurrently.  Kerouac is clearly a passion for him, “A welcome break from the day.” as he said with a smile.

When not sharing the scroll with the world…it’s been on loan in Ireland, New York, Iowa,

San Francisco and more…Irsay proudly displays the manuscript in his office. He says he enjoys sharing the famous scroll with the public…making sure it never gets locked up out-of-sight somewhere. And in the spirit of sharing, there is no better time to put a famous American author’s work on display than during the quintessential American football experience—as Indianapolis hosts it first Super Bowl. Thank you, Jim Irsay.

Good Vibes Media captures Jim Irsay talking about famous Kerouac scroll.

I’m pretty excited to launch this blog, and I’m committed to updating it with stories, photos and clips from our lives here at Good Vibes.

I’ll be focusing on a wide variety of subjects but you’ll always see story as the central theme.

• Storytelling
• Updates from various locations
• Cool work, fun work, inspired work (ours and our peers)
• Our perspectives on trends, industry happenings and more
• Industry research
• Conversations within the space that are particularly relevant
• Best practices
• Thought provoking photographs
• And a whole lot more

My goals are to (a) provide you with valuable content (b) facilitate conversation and (c) build community participation around the subject matter of great stories and documentaries. I’m looking forwarding to talking with you!

You can read our posts here on our blog, subscribe via RSS, or simple follow us on Facebook.

At Good Vibes Media we specialize in emotional connection. Training, like any good story, needs context. We drive home why any training activity is valuable, how it will make a positive difference, and why it is mission critical.

It’s interactive, it’s online, and it’s memorable.

Lots of training can get you from point a to point z. Ours also tells you why it’s worth the trip.

Great stories take many forms.  We offer the services to tell them all.

Whether it be first rate animation to help visualize your brand, or audio recording in a state of the art studio, shooting a green screen interview in a massive studio, no matter what – we’ve got you covered.

Video is a key element in our events. We transport audiences to different worlds, motivate, and bring emotion right to the surface. Our intent is to elicit reaction that suits the client, whether it is tugging at the heartstrings, getting the blood pumping, or motivating an audience to get involved in a cause.

There is no bigger or more important trend in the digital world than the use of video to drive the Web experience. From direct to consumer to B2B, Web users are geared to watch something, to be “immersed”, rather than to read. Those web visitors are your potential customers. What you say to them via the video they crave, is critical. The value of your brand has to be infused in every frame.