BC behind the scenes

John McDonough - "I would love to know the behind the scene stuff like who helps you with filming, editing, travelling etc. Also what it looks like when you are playing a slot machine and filming it. I always wonder what the people around you are thinking ( and how they are reacting ) when you are talking to us while filming, lol"

No question, I lead an interesting life. As I often say however, it is not as interesting or as exciting as you may think. Today's blog for example is being written at 10:43pm after a long day full of meetings, interviews and work. (I also managed to squeeze in putting together a new chair for our living room and cooking an awesome meal on the grill for dinner!)

Filming. 
Generally on a regular trip to my local, I go it alone. It's just me, my iPhone, phone charger and monopod. I leave the house between 12 and 1pm to avoid rush hour traffic which takes me about 90 minutes. In rush hour it can double! If I need to film some videos for the channel, I'll head straight there. Otherwise if I'm just going to do a live stream, I will make a stop at a coffee shop near the casino and work on my laptop for a few hours. 

Double Camera Set-Up

​Now if I need to film for my weekly series, I film it on two cameras and from two different angles. For that I'll bring double the equipment and ask my Rudies if someone is available to help. I don't like asking, but they sure love to help (and I also pay them for their time, so it's a win/win). If I'm flying out of city I will often fly out a friend to help me, ask a friend who is local or another slot channel too. I've had Slot Queen accompany me on a few trips as her and I get along awesome and she's a huge help. I'm also helping to mentor her for her channel, so it's a great opportunity for her to learn. I'm currently hiring for a full time personal assistant (as opposed to a part time one I had in the past), and they will accompany me on my trips going forward so it will no longer be a hassle to organize. 
When I'm filming alone and talking to myself, yes, I get a lot of looks and stares. It used to bother me more at the beginning, but not any longer. I've gained a lot more confidence over time so I think people now see me filming and they get a sense that there is a purpose to what I'm doing as opposed to some crazed guy filming a losing session haha. 

Editing. 
Once filming is complete, I'll have hours and hours of footage on two different cameras. I upload them both to my computer and start to organize them. (That said, I haven't organized my videos in 3 weeks, so I have to organize videos from Vegas, Niagara Falls, Detroit, Reno and California!!). Then I will put them into proper folders by days and then upload all of them to the cloud along with instructions for my editor. My editor's name is John and he lives in Kentucky. We've never met, but he's worked for me for the past 2 years and does an amazing job. In fact I recently moved him into full time from part-time as well! 
There are still times I do still edit myself - such as a HUGE surprise that will be on my channel either today or tomorrow (this is the biggest editing job of my LIFE!). I do enjoy the editing process, but it became too lengthy for me to handle alone.

Traveling. 
I love to travel. Traveling for work is somewhat of another story since I don't really spend time out of the casino to explore the city. That's something I need to start working into my schedule. I employ a manager reaches out to casinos on my behalf to try and set everything up. His name is Scott and is relatively new, but doing a fine job. I've instructed him to set me up with 2 trips per month maximum so that I don't overwork myself and still get my quality time at home with Marco. As much as Marco would like to join me for my weekend work trips, it's not fair to expect him to spend his only time off traveling and working. As much as I'd love to go to every casino people ask of me, you would be surprised just how long it takes to gain permission from a single casino. Mohegan Sun took me 11 months! But it was darn worth it and we'll be returning for sure!

Social Media. 
The other aspect of this world is all of the social media I have to put out there. I have a Social Media agency who helps me set up all of my posts across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Every single post is approved by me before it goes out there and we work on everything in unison. The main lead at the agency is Stephen, and he's also from Toronto and a neighbor! We ended up meeting on a neighborhood site when he was looking for poker players haha. (I'm a kick ass poker player FYI...though I never won a tournament at his house!). Stephen will give me a concept, I'll approve or make any changes, then he'll send it to his team to create, then send it back to me to review and give final approvals. It is because of this whole song and dance of everything I have written above, why it takes me 2-3 months on average from the time I film something, to the time it appears on YouTube. I try and always be one month ahead on my videos and social posts. Currently I've slipped behind, but we have all videos and posts created for the next 3 weeks!

CRAZY the amount of work that goes into something so silly as a little slot channel. So no, I don't just gamble non-stop every day as most people assume. I work super hard with numerous staff members and another one on the way. It is a blessing that I can am able to do what I love and  also provide job security for others. I don't take any of it for granted, which is why I'm not answering to Marco's calls to come to bed at 11:38pm, haha. Actually, no, it IS time for bed as my alarm is going off at 8am for another day to start all over again! 

I tell you it is one thing trying to avoid all of the negativity in the world, and it is quite another trying to avoid getting eaten alive by the casinos themselves! How on earth can we as gamblers protect ourselves from getting in too deep? I'll offer some tips next week to ensure your gambling adventures don't get too far out of hand!

​Brian xoxo ❤️

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