Roll It! Take it! Media, LLC: The News!

I just got back into town after a week in Austin. This was my 5th year as the lead video director at the Austin City Limits Festival.
I was directing the coverage at the AT&T Stage, and some of the shows were webcast on the ATT Blueroom website

Some of the bands I directed were The Foo Fighters, Beck, Manu Chao, david Byrne, Gogol Bordello, Conor Oberst, Erika Badu, Silversun Pickups, Gnarls Barkley, and many more.

Over all it was a great weekend and that's due in large part to the great group of production professionals I work with on these shows.
Their hard work makes my job very easy.

Here's some pics from ACL 2008, enjoy!

This September is turning out to be a very busy one with a variety of jobs all peppered throughout the month.


Last night I was in Green Bay, WI running low end zone camera for an NFL pre-season game.


Today I'm in St. Paul, MN getting ready to spend the next week working as a Techincal Director for MSNBC at the GOP Convention. Should be very exciting considering the week they had at the Democratic Convention in Denver.


After that it's back to Madison, WI for college football for the Big Ten Network.
Other events coming this month include producing and directing video for the Forward Music Festival, producing a 5th anniversary Special for the Madison Area Music Awards, TD'ing a corporate meeting for Epic Systems in Madison, Directing the main stage at the Austin City Limits Festival.


Squeeze in some quality family time and my own projects and it makes for a full schedule.
Stay tuned!
-Ken

I'm recovering from a bad bug I picked up while working Lollapalooza in Chicago last weekend. Not sure if it was because I was in an air conditioned truck for 72 hours or if it was the sketchy catering.
Either way I'm glad it's almost over.
In the meantime the weekend went very well. It was my third time directing Rage Against the Machine since their reunion and Coachella last year and like the two previous shows this one was unique and special in it's own way.
I'm sure everyone had heard about the crowd issues, but little has been said about how amazing the band was.
"Stunning" is the way I'd sum up their show at Lollapalooza 2008.
All RATM shows have such a unique power and resonance with the band and their audience, which is something you don't experience at many concerts.
There's nothing like seeing a band that goes full out for 90 min giving no quarter to themselves or the crowd.
As a director shows like this are very special, and incredibly fun to direct because of the unknowns involved. You never know what's going to happen, you just know it's going to be HUGE in terms of energy and passion.
That's the way it should be.

So next up the college sports season, working for BTN, ESPN, etc...then it's on to Austin for ACL Fest 2008 at the end of September.
Can't wait.
Be well
Ken

Just got back from TD'ing the annual "Brush Run" WSORR race in Crandon, WI. It's an incredibly beautiful place, and even though we had some sketchy weather it was still a lot of fun.
Pics coming soon.
Now on to Summerfest!
Stay tuned!
-Ken

Looks like I'll be directing at the Mile High Music Festival (http://milehighmusicfestival.com/) July 18-21.
Tom Petty, Dave Matthews, John mayer, etc...
good times.

Check it!

Tangy "A Burning Heart is a Warning" Live at the High Noon Saloon from RollIt!TakeIt! on Vimeo.

The weather is getting warmer here in Madison, and the production schedule is filling up with music and sports.
As of today I'm directing at the following festivals this summer:
Coachella
Summerfest
Lollapalooza
Austin City Limits

Also on the schedule is work technical directing for the Big Ten Network, WSORR/Speed Network, as well as many others.
Stay tuned!
-Ken

I'm in Green Bay this weekend running camera for Fox Sports NFL coverage of the Packers vs the Giants. As you can see by the photo above it was a very, very cold day today. The low, with wind chill, clocked in at -30 degrees Fahrenheit.
While I love what do for a living, this is the one time that I definitely won't be having fun when we go live at 6pm.
Actually, the worst part of these shows is the strike because it's long, it's cold, and you usually put in a 14 hour day when it's all packed up.
There are a worse ways to make a living though, so I'm not complaining.
Enjoy the game!
-Ken

Here's more pix:

I've just finished editing my yearly retrospective reel of work I did in 2007.
This year's edition is called "Six Months in Six Minutes" and features footage from the 8 major US festivals I directed at from April to September of this year.
You can see the reel below.
Stay Tuned!
-Ken

It's a busy fall. I'm working on lots of sports productions.
In October I spent a week out in Nevada City, CA at the Grass Valley HQ learning how to operate their new Kayak HD switcher. Since then I've TD'd 3 games for the Big Ten Network on the Mobile TV Group TV production trucks, with another 10 on the schedule.
So far, so good!
have a great Thanksgiving!
-Ken

I'm heading down to Bryan-College Station, Texas to direct the mainstage at the Big State Festival.
Ass kicking music, stock car racing, and finger licking BBQ!
What could be better?
Check it out:
http://www.bigstatefestival.com/
Stay tuned!
-Ken

This just in...I'm heading down to Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind this Wednesday to direct my first game for the fledgling Big Ten Network.
It's a women's soccer match, and should be alot of fun.
I've also got two Wisconsin Men's Soccer games on the schedule, but I'm running camera for those.
Much has been said about the BTN, but anyway we can get more college soccer on the telly is fine by me.
Ten years ago I pitched the idea of putting Wisconsin Men's Soccer on on Wisconsin Public TV and was told by the management "nobody wants to watch soccer on TV". Now 10 years later Wisconsin Public Television's sports programming is all but gone and Big Ten soccer is going to be seen regularly BTN.
Go figure.
Be well.
-Ken

Oh, yeah...forgot to mention.
Last Friday night I directed an 8 camera all HD shoot of Rage Against the Machine at Alpine Valley, WI. This was my second time directing a show for the RATM reunion, the first being at the Coachella Festival last April.
The shoot was produced by Hank Neuberger of Springboard Productions.
Hank and I have done a few shows together now, and he is the "go-to" guy" for producing shoots of live concert productions as well as web casts.
The show was incredible because the band laid it all out for 90 solid minutes. It makes my job very easy when the band I'm shooting is as dynamic and powerful as RATM is.
Hopefully the band will release it in some form in the future. In the meantime all of the fans, including myself, hope the guys make a new album. Like the songs says, "What better time than now?"
Testify!
-Ken

I've added some clips of Pearl Jam's closing night performance at this year's Lollapalooza.
You can see them below, or with other clips of my work on the "Who Is?" link on the top of the page.
While the all the songs from the the web cast can be seen here
I'll give you a teaser with this amazing performance of "(Do the) Evolution"


Next on the schedule is the Austin City Limits Festival, as well as some Big Ten Network sports. Plus my daughter heads off to kindergarten for the first time!
Cool stuff.
Be well,
Ken

I saw my first Pearl Jam show at the Glenn Miller Ballroom at the University of Colorado-Boulder on 05.05.92. I had graduated the previous December and was hanging around Boulder coaching the CU Women's Hockey team, playing in a band, and going to alot of shows.
Since then I've seen PJ alot less than I would have liked to, but more than I think most people have.
I was always a fan of their music, but really connected with their politics and world view.

Last night I felt like the luckiest PJ fan in the world because here was a band I admired so much on 6 cameras in front of me, and it was my job to use them to present the show to a worldwide audience of fans.

No show is perfect, but I think we did a good job putting a cut out there for people to enjoy. I know my camera operators and techinical crew gave everything they had last night and I hope our passion for the band and the music translated across the web and on the screens at Grant Park.

This was by far a career highlight for me, and I as always I was inspired in my direction by the great music of all the bands on the AT&T Stage at Lollapalooza this past weekend.
Sunday's lineup was my favorite, from Lupe Fiasco, Kings of Leon, and My Morning Jacket to the ultimate thrill of directing Pearl Jam's epic set.

Not sure what you follow something like that up with, but I'll be doing the same thing at the Austin City Limits Festival in September and I'm sure that will be equally exciting.

Be well.
-KAL.

One of the producers snapped a shot of me directing Daft Punk on Friday night and posted it on my myspace page:

http://www.myspace.com/jammybastard

Muse was amazing last night, despite the fact that they had some tech issues to deal with.
Incredible band, with a world class show.

A full day today with Pearl Jam as the grand finale.
Can't wait to crawl back to Madison on Monday and finally get some sleep.

BTW - here's a aerial shot of *my* AT&T Stage.

-Ken

It's time for Lollapalooza 2007. This is my second year directing at the AT&T Stage, and this year we've got Daft Punk, MUSE, and Pearl Jam as the headliner.
Just like last year you can see my work, as well the rest of the broadcast crew at the AT&T Blueroom which will feature various acts live from the festival.
Tune in and check it out,!
Be well!
-Ken

Hello from Bark River, MI!
I'm up in the UP working as the technical director for the SPEED network's coverage of the WSORR racing series.
Summerfest is done, and a good time was had by all. Highlights included Wax On Radio, Bang Bang Bang, and seeing Buddy Guy throw down in a driving rainstorm.
Now it's on to Lollapalooza which should be as good, if not better than last year.
Stay tuned and be well.
-Ken

Hi,
since I'm spending alot of time out of town this summer, I'm picking up more and more reading material on my days off.
Here's two books I'm reading at the moment that I'd recommend.




Hope you had a good Spring and are ready for Summer.
Be well,
Ken