Like Father, Like Founder. Screenshot from JD & Friends.
I was a guest on my son’s podcast, JD & Friends. The set was terrific. He had a screen with a fireside chat scene going in the background, and his actual backyard visible through the screened-in-porch. As the recording went on, the light behind us changed, as evening turned to night, on the last full moon before Halloween.
Drew, the D in JD & Friends, at one point, asked me about a TEDx Talk that I did back in 2012. He asked me if the concepts that I discussed then would still hold today.
That talk introduced the idea of Ideation through Enlightened Empathy. It was my best recipe, at the time, for maximizing creativity.
“Yes. The process still holds, and of course, I’ve grown a lot since then. That was one way. I have many more tools in my toolbelt now.”
One of those things that has remained constant, and to which Drew asked directly, was the idea of setting the stage.
I grew up in the New York City movie and TV business. I worked on commercials, TV shows, and major motion pictures. I’ve had the chance to rub elbows with Harrison Ford, Bridget Fonda, Reese Witherspoon, Nicolas Cage, and Howard Stern.
Let’s not forget Jenna Jameson. But, this isn’t the time or place for that … wink, wink.
Most memorable are the sets from The Sopranos and my conversations with the late James Gandolfini. That hit HBO show taught me another key ingredient to greatness. The Team.
Back to the set, though.
You’re going to get different energy from the actors when filming on location as compared to a large scale set built in a studio. And different still if filming on a small sound stage or in front of a green screen.
It turns out that environment impacts performance.
You’ve probably felt it. Gone to see live music and something wasn’t right. The audience was flat. The room was dull. The show wasn’t a complete flop. The band did all they could do, given the situation. They gave it their all.
Then there’s those magical nights when the crowd is alive, the stage is alive, and the band plays one for the books.
Drew did a great job with his set for JD and Friends.
There was energy in the room.
Funnily enough though, experiencing it, living it, and teaching it aren’t as easy as doing it. I’m currently right in the middle of a “set” struggle with my own podcast, Authbition.
I recently brought on a production team, the AGN Group, to help take some of the load off my back, especially editing. And AGN is bringing way more to the table than editing. They are assisting us with the entire workflow from guest invites to marketing automations.
We are seeing an impact right off the bat with our show thumbnails.
A loyal fan and friend texted me just last night, “That intro you’re doing at the top of your podcast is exactly what you needed.”
Needless to say, things are going good from the jump.
They are also weighing in on the recording platform, lighting, sound, and framing, in what is for Authbition, a primarily remote show.
My recording studio is my home office. Better to say, I don’t have a recording studio. Neither does Drew. He dressed a great set. It’s authentic. It has energy.
Authbition films on set and on location. The location is my Airstream. That’s a whole different set of issues and opportunities.
The home office set is a spare bedroom in an 1,100-square-foot house with no garage, two dogs, and two adults who work from home. My set has four bikes, two guitars and an amp, a bed, tool chest, desk, and everything else you can cram into it.
Before AGN came on board, my back was to my window. It was kind of like a Where’s Waldo situation. I also kind of loved it. It had just so much character.
But there were problems. Lighting problems. That window in the back faces east and when the sun is low in the sky, I turn into a shadow figure. Then there’s those reflections of my computer screen in my glasses.
Not ideal. Also authentic. The name of the show is Authbition, after all. It’s a blended word bringing together authenticity & ambition.
To get the lighting better, I swung the desk around. I gotta say, I’m not happy with the situation.
While recording an intro for my show, the same intro that my friend texted me the nice compliment, I felt like a bad actor.
There’s some best practices in podcasting. The face needs to be tighter to the screen. In the old studio setup, the shot is apparently too wide.
The new setup is better for how tight the image is to my face, but there’s still those pesky screens reflecting in my glasses.
One thing is for certain, I’m not settled on this situation.
The light from the windows, now behind the camera, is still an issue. Sometimes when the sun is coming in hot, the whole set is washed out and my face turns bright red, my glasses a blazing reflection of the sun.
The solution could be getting one of those ring lights. Oh the vanity!
I don’t think I can do it. I don’t think I can block the natural sun so that I can look better while standing in front of fake light.
Filming on location is extra hard. The director of photography is often seen running around with a light meter, often having a panic attack over the setting sun.
The position of the sun in the sky and clouds rolling in and out impact how shadows appear and overall brightness. If the scene has multiple takes, this could become a problem for continuity.
If you’ve ever seen a movie set, there are black and white screens all over the place which are used to adjust the light.
This year, many of us had the pleasure of seeing The Odyssey by Christopher Nolan. It’s a great example of what happens when a movie is filmed on location.
When I worked on The Sopranos, the location made the show. This was a depiction of thre Jersey mob filmed in Jersey with a lead actor who grew up in the same part of Jersey. The same county I grew up in.
I’m going to say no to blocking the natural sun in favor of fake light. That doesn’t mean I don’t want the set to look good.
If I dress my set right, it’s going to be authentic. I might not follow the rules when it comes to how tight the camera is on me. And I might ask my production company to break some rules, too. Let’s not get all tight on my face if that’s not the style of show I want.
I need to take the time and care to build out a set that I’m proud of, that looks good on camera, and that gives me the energy to record a show that maximizes my creative potential.
Check out my appearance on JD & Friends on YouTube or Spotify, recorded on location at Drew’s house on October 25, 2026.
Watch my TEDx talk, “Ideation through Enlightened Empathy,” recorded February 25, 2012, at the Wait Chapel on the campus of Wake Forest University.