Relationships, Determination & Drive
Gary Watkins is no stranger to the show — and his evolution since we last sat down with him is nothing short of inspiring. What began as a passion for photography has transformed into a full-blown creative powerhouse. Gary has expanded into videography, directing, film editing, podcasting, and even documentary work.
In this episode, he walks us through his latest milestone: landing a major project with Westside High School, where he captured the final season of their long-time Football Head Coach. Gary credits his rise to the power of relationships, relentless determination, and an eye for documenting moments that truly matter.
Tap in as we explore Gary’s growth, creative genius, and the bright future ahead of him. Tune in to our latest episode featuring Gary Watkins — a storyteller built for capturing history in motion.
https://payhip.com/b/JGbr4 (E: Book for podcasting)
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Gary Watkins is no stranger to the show, and
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his evolution since we sat down with him is nothing
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short of inspiring. In this episode, he walks
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us through his latest milestone, landing a major
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project with Westside High School where he captured
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the final season of their long -term football
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head coach. Gary credits his rise to the power
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of relationships, relentless determination, and
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an eye for documenting moments that truly matter.
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Tap in as we explore Gary's growth, creative
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genius, and the bright future that's ahead of
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him. All right, y 'all. We are tuning in for
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another episode of Banked Out Radio Show, and
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I have a returning guest. I think this might
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be the third time that we talk, but we have the
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impeccable, the untouchable. He's out here. Gary
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is doing things that, you know what I'm saying,
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one I love. He has all these, let's say titles,
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videographer, you know, photographer. He's a
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director. He's an editor. He's a content creator.
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He's a podcaster. He's a new mom back in the
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day. I hired him. You could have left that part
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out. I love it. Well, we have Gary Watkins on
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the show. Gary, thank you for coming back. Man,
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I appreciate you for having me. I appreciate
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those humbling beginnings. Just learning so much
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from you, man. You have been literally, you know,
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you've been very rewarding to my career and going
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into entrepreneurship. So I just simply want
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to get your flowers for that. Oh, man. Thank
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you. I appreciate that. You know, I don't think
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of it's hard for me to think of the impact that
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I've had on people because I just want everybody
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to win. And that's how I look at that or whatever.
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But like you were saying that Jeremy has said
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that to me and quite a few others. And I'm like,
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no, I'm just, I just felt like, you know what
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I'm saying? I was doing what I'm just supposed
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to do, which is to highlight talented people
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so other people can know all about them. So they
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can get the bar rolling and stuff like that.
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And to like just show them some tips and tricks
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along the way. So I'm trying to think the last
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time, it's been a couple of years since we talked.
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And I know the, we have a lot of different moments
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we can talk about. One, I want to start off with
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the sports and filming of the sports and how
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that has really transpired because the last monumental
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thing I remember discussing at that time was
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when ESPN had picked up your clip and it went
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viral. You know, you got to get permission and
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all that. Now I look up, you done shot an entire
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series with the head coach of Southwest? Westside
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High School. Oh, Westside High School. Yes, for
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his final lab, which I thought it was very appropriately
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titled. I've seen some footage of that. You did
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a phenomenal job. How did that massive project
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come about? Man, I'm so glad that you asked this
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question. So just to kind of give you the story
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before. how we got to the actual story. So two
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years ago, Veterans High School located in Houston
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County, they reached out to me and I did, they
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wanted a project done, whereas in they wanted
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pretty much a hype video for their football team
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going into the season. And mind you, when they
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reached out to me, this is like probably two
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weeks before the kickoff. So I'm working on crunch
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time at the moment. And but Lord, behold, you
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know, we made it happen. It came to life. The
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touchdown club there at veterans, they were overly
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pleased to the point where they hired me two
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more times to do content for them. And I took
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that opportunity as in to segue into the space
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of, yes, when I first got into doing sports content,
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I was doing it for the give. these young athletes,
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these kids, a platform to showcase their talent
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and just using social media for all the right
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things. You know, a lot of times it's used for
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negativity, drama, and things that's counterproductive.
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So I just wanted to take that narrative and use
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it for what it's really meant for. So now segue
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into a space where I want to do more documentary
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style content. speed up that with veterans was
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in 2023, speed up 2024, almost had another big
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opportunity with a local school around here,
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but didn't quite work out how I wanted to. So
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get into spring 2025. At that point now, again,
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this kind of goes to some of my sports content
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is donated to sports center and all these major
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outlets that you know, you never think about
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actually even having conversations with, you
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know, people that work closely to the Sports
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Center and ESPN, Borrowed Its Life, and just
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these countless platforms that generate millions,
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millions of views and spectators. So at that
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point, now I'm starting to get noticed by guys
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that's playing professional sports, and they
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want me to, you know, capture them working out
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and going to the gym. and doing a day in life
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with them. And so I had a local former athlete.
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He went to Strafford Academy. He's also to his
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county. A lot of people probably don't know this,
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but Quintez Cephas, he got in contact with me
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and came home for the off season. And so I went
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out to him capturing content. He also had another
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young guy that's from Westside High School. he
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goes by the name of Scooter Risper, which is
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Coach Risper's son. And Scooter, he played for
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Mercer University. He just won the conference
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championship back in 2024. And just speaking
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on the Risper family, you know, just a family
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structure that I admire so much because all their
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brothers, they come together, they work out,
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the parents show up and support them. And it's
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just outside looking in, you know. I think I
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would love to mold my family, my future family
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in that sense. So it just so happened to be.
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you'll get a promo discount as well when you
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try their product. Banked out B -A -N -K -E -D
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-O -U -T -T. Slide over to that page, check out
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what I have to offer and let me know. Quintez
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Cephas and Scooter Risper and he was running
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routes with the young guys, right? And he noticed
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that I was out there with my camera. Again, I'm
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originally there for Quintez, but just like any
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other occasion, if it's more than one person
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seeing me, they want me to capture them as well.
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So Coach Spoon, he was like, hey man, can you
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record me running routes and stuff? And that's
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exactly what I did. And he posted it on his social
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media. And this is when I found out the following
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that Coach Spoon has. He's another guy that's
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like taking social media and leveraging it, getting
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hundreds of thousands to millions of people viewing
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his content. And he's such an inspirational man,
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like really admired it. So during that workout,
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after we finished that workout, we exchanged
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contact info. And that's when he pretty much
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told me then and there, like, hey, man, I'm getting
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ready to go into my last season of coaching here
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at West Side High School. And I want to do a
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documentary. But he wanted this documentary to
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be very unique because he really wanted to highlight
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and focus on the legacy that he's left, the impact,
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the countless impact that he don't lay on people
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like, mind you, Coach Spoon has been at West
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Side for like 20 something years. Yes. since
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the opening of the school. So just imagine. Yeah.
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Been there 20 years. And on average, you're going
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to have like 30, 40 plus players on the team.
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Just imagine how many people he just encountered
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in that time. And he always say how guys come
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back and they just show them love. And he's saying
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this. And it's another thing. I'm seeing this
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in person, like game after game, some practices.
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He got former athletes and students that always
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come back and showing love. And yeah, man, that's
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how we got into it. I know I'm dumping a lot
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on you, but. No, no, it's fantastic. I love it
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because you're talking about the relationship
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building. You're talking about curating something
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to where you actually see the value in what you're
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doing to as you know, I'm saying film this project.
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I'm looking at it from the standpoint. So like
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I told you. I shot a reality show and there's
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nothing compared to this documentary that you
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did. You know what I'm saying? I followed her
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around for months and stuff like that, but what
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you had to do, you had to go and like sit down
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with other folks. You had to like really prioritize
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this and it's massive. I don't think the amount
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of work that people understand you have to put
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into a documentary type style product and to
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make it fantastic like you did. Yes, I think
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what videographers, photographers, and editors,
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what we do is really underestimated. And a big
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part of it is because of this thing right here.
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You know, a lot of people, they can just easily,
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you know, go to the camera and do what they got
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to do. And they think that's the same process
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of a photographer, videographer. And let me tell
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you right here, buddy. No, it's not. I promise
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if it was that easy, everybody would do it. I
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promise. Exactly. So you've done that. You put
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it out. How has the response been for that particular
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project? The response has been amazing. Again,
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originally, I'm a Twix County native. I went
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to Macon. I transferred to Macon with the Northeast
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High School. But even though I seem like I was
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so far away from Westside, I've always heard
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about the culture. I've always heard about how
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strong the culture is, how it's a winning tradition,
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and how they always producing young athletes
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to go to the next level. And mind you, I'm coming
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from places at the time, Twice County and Northeast
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at the time, they're just, it wasn't producing
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a lot at the time. So just hearing about. this
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legacy that Coach Spoon has left. And I get to
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see it firsthand and record it. You know, I just
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see how many people is like, man, we so glad
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that somebody is here for Coach Spoon and doing
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this for him because he overly deserves his flowers.
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Yeah, I love it. But you've done that. You've
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also been in the podcasting space like I am.
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And I've seen where you like, you know, I'm seeing
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you like have basically reformatted. I guess
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would be the word. How is that, you know what
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I'm saying? One, what made you want to get into
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that space, but then also what was the, how was
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the transition from going like what you started
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with to like, you know, you got to walk Wednesdays
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and things of that nature. Yes. So here's where
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I can be super duper honest. So I started quote
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unquote podcasting in 2020. Right? We all know
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what happened in 2020. We had a pandemic. So
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that's when I supposedly started podcasting,
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you know, just here, we all quarantined on board.
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I might set up a microphone, this, this and that,
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and just talk or whatnot. And I eventually started
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taking it more serious and visiting to equipment
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and really was going all in on it. But in the
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back of my mind, I never really started doing
00:13:17.580 --> 00:13:19.360
podcasting because that's what I really wanted
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to do. I'm just creating a portfolio for myself
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with the hopes that, hey, somebody is going to
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see this and want to invest in me and be like,
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hey, we need to hire him as our director, let
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him come edit our content and do our reels. Like
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I'm really just, it was really like my job interview.
00:13:40.960 --> 00:13:47.159
So as far as Work Wednesday, Shout out to my
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guy, my bro, Dark Wiz Denard, Twigs County native.
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He went on to play professional football and
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he's currently coaching football overseas. It
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was about two years ago, Dark Wiz came home to
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Twigs County and he invested into a new weight
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room, put money into the weight room. And I just
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so happened to be there and This was at the time
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when I was doing my podcast and I got in, I walked
00:14:20.269 --> 00:14:21.990
up to Darkwiz and I asked him like, hey man,
00:14:22.029 --> 00:14:23.870
I would love for you to come on my podcast and
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be a guest. And he didn't give me a yes or no
00:14:27.110 --> 00:14:29.029
at the time. You know what I'm saying? He was
00:14:29.029 --> 00:14:31.549
just listening and filling me out at the time.
00:14:31.610 --> 00:14:36.230
I've always followed Darkwiz by the way. I always
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follow him like dating back to when he was in
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high school. And I just, I know at the time he
00:14:41.090 --> 00:14:45.679
was likely filling me out. So he gave me his
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contact info at the time, and I texted him probably
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like a day later, like, hey man, you know, I
00:14:52.480 --> 00:14:54.159
would love to have you as a guest on my podcast,
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right? I never got a text back. Never got a text
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back. So I'm thinking at the time, I'm like,
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I got more work to do. I still gotta keep going.
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And come two years later, I'm gonna say, that's
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when he reached out and proposed to me. Another
00:15:14.110 --> 00:15:17.250
close friend, a brother of mine, Carlos Stevens,
00:15:17.690 --> 00:15:19.710
is also a Twigs County native. You know, I got
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to keep dropping these Twigs County. You know,
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come out of this small place. All right. So he
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reached out to us. Also another another guy from
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South Macon, Rashad Wines. And we all came together
00:15:35.429 --> 00:15:38.809
and formed Work Wednesday. Work Wednesday is
00:15:38.809 --> 00:15:41.429
a platform. It is primarily about cultivating
00:15:41.429 --> 00:15:45.299
relationships. motivating youth, entrepreneurship,
00:15:46.580 --> 00:15:49.940
self -development, and just educating all things
00:15:49.940 --> 00:15:52.399
positive. That's what Working Wednesday is primarily
00:15:52.399 --> 00:15:56.700
about. Because again, a lot of content is just
00:15:56.700 --> 00:16:01.379
so, again, counterproductive. It goes against
00:16:01.379 --> 00:16:04.559
self -development, cultivating relationships,
00:16:04.580 --> 00:16:10.500
and all those things. So we launched a podcast
00:16:10.500 --> 00:16:16.200
back in June, 2024, right? We just went on a
00:16:16.200 --> 00:16:19.740
series of episodes, just generated content, developing
00:16:19.740 --> 00:16:23.159
episodes, creating conversation, anything that's
00:16:23.159 --> 00:16:25.639
thought provoking, we're challenging each other,
00:16:25.840 --> 00:16:29.740
right? And man, we hear the platform is steady
00:16:29.740 --> 00:16:33.019
going up and we don't have like a series of guests
00:16:33.019 --> 00:16:39.399
such as Desi Banks. We've had our local legend,
00:16:39.500 --> 00:16:43.960
Marvin James. We had Mayor LaRonda Patrick, the
00:16:43.960 --> 00:16:47.519
mayor of here in one of the mayors here in Middle
00:16:47.519 --> 00:16:51.059
Georgia. So and it's just we got countless other
00:16:51.059 --> 00:16:52.940
guests getting ready to come on, whether you
00:16:52.940 --> 00:16:54.899
know them or not. But all these people, they
00:16:54.899 --> 00:16:57.419
are accomplished. They got a story they want
00:16:57.419 --> 00:17:01.019
to share. They have a lot of experience and knowledge.
00:17:01.139 --> 00:17:04.700
And I just encourage everybody, any and everyone,
00:17:05.220 --> 00:17:08.680
young, old, black, white, red, blue, no matter
00:17:08.680 --> 00:17:11.960
just subscribe to Work Wednesday on YouTube because
00:17:11.960 --> 00:17:16.220
this is what we all need. Yeah, I love the fact,
00:17:16.319 --> 00:17:19.519
like you said, y 'all building something, you
00:17:19.519 --> 00:17:23.180
know, that takes on what everybody else is accustomed
00:17:23.180 --> 00:17:25.359
to, you know, watching and viewing and stuff
00:17:25.359 --> 00:17:28.059
like that. And you're highlighting folks, which
00:17:28.059 --> 00:17:31.500
is phenomenal and showing all the positivity.
00:17:32.220 --> 00:17:35.550
Do y 'all have like defined roles within? the
00:17:35.550 --> 00:17:39.589
podcast itself platform, like, are you just mainly
00:17:39.589 --> 00:17:43.150
editing, someone else handles booking, someone
00:17:43.150 --> 00:17:46.250
else handles promotion, or do y 'all just pitch
00:17:46.250 --> 00:17:52.829
in with different? So right now, Work Wednesday
00:17:52.829 --> 00:17:55.650
is at, we're fully independent at the moment,
00:17:55.970 --> 00:17:58.750
right? So I'm behind the scenes, I'm setting
00:17:58.750 --> 00:18:01.589
up the cameras, the microphones, lights, and
00:18:01.589 --> 00:18:03.829
it's not meet by myself, because those guys,
00:18:03.869 --> 00:18:07.130
they contribute as well. They do play their part.
00:18:07.390 --> 00:18:12.250
Of course, they do more of the they focus on
00:18:12.250 --> 00:18:15.549
what guess meets our credentials as far as who
00:18:15.549 --> 00:18:17.990
can join the podcast, because that is really
00:18:17.990 --> 00:18:20.970
important. Yes. Just don't want anybody to be
00:18:20.970 --> 00:18:23.210
coming on your platform. Exactly. Because, you
00:18:23.210 --> 00:18:25.210
know, people take advantage of platforms and
00:18:25.210 --> 00:18:27.210
try to spin narratives and stuff like that. And
00:18:27.210 --> 00:18:29.130
I get it. So I love the fact that you actually
00:18:29.130 --> 00:18:32.920
have. a criteria for us to come out, like everybody
00:18:32.920 --> 00:18:37.960
can come on. But you can finish the rest. Yeah,
00:18:37.980 --> 00:18:41.200
so it's fully independent. We're coming out of
00:18:41.200 --> 00:18:45.539
our pockets for the locations that we shoot at,
00:18:47.019 --> 00:18:52.779
the equipment that we use, and traveling. Let
00:18:52.779 --> 00:18:55.539
me tell you, even though Work Wednesday is a
00:18:55.539 --> 00:18:58.079
little bit over a year old, we've already been
00:18:58.079 --> 00:19:01.890
to the lights of Michigan. You know what I'm
00:19:01.890 --> 00:19:05.210
saying? So like, we really working on continually
00:19:05.210 --> 00:19:07.170
taking this thing on the road. We almost went
00:19:07.170 --> 00:19:09.009
to the Super Bowl. You know, that's a little
00:19:09.009 --> 00:19:11.150
gem I want to drop. We almost went to the Super
00:19:11.150 --> 00:19:15.769
Bowl. Almost. But but yeah, man, we really out
00:19:15.769 --> 00:19:18.670
here making moves. But more importantly, we really
00:19:18.670 --> 00:19:21.890
want to make an impact. I love the fact that
00:19:21.890 --> 00:19:24.410
you are chasing impact instead of like, you know,
00:19:24.509 --> 00:19:27.859
this. Being in the podcasting space for so long
00:19:27.859 --> 00:19:30.920
and seeing the landscape change over time and
00:19:30.920 --> 00:19:33.359
what some people are using it for versus what
00:19:33.359 --> 00:19:35.940
other people are using it for, it's like a money
00:19:35.940 --> 00:19:38.980
grab for some people right now. And I'm like,
00:19:39.079 --> 00:19:41.819
that's not what podcasting is about. It's about
00:19:41.819 --> 00:19:44.599
presenting value to the community, into your
00:19:44.599 --> 00:19:47.460
audience. So when they listen in, they tune in,
00:19:47.460 --> 00:19:50.319
whether it be audio or they watch it, you're
00:19:50.319 --> 00:19:52.259
giving them some type of via that they can walk
00:19:52.259 --> 00:19:54.900
away with. That's the whole point of it. Now
00:19:54.900 --> 00:19:59.220
you reap benefits outside of that, yes. But money
00:19:59.220 --> 00:20:01.799
shouldn't be, you know what I'm saying? Oh, I'm
00:20:01.799 --> 00:20:03.079
gonna start with a podcast so I can make some
00:20:03.079 --> 00:20:05.059
money. Or I'm gonna start with a podcast so I
00:20:05.059 --> 00:20:06.480
can get sponsored or whatever, get the bag, whatever.
00:20:06.539 --> 00:20:09.079
Like, no, because then you're just like all these
00:20:09.079 --> 00:20:12.200
other people who start stuff in the number show.
00:20:12.920 --> 00:20:14.359
Like, I don't feel like, I had this conversation
00:20:14.359 --> 00:20:16.859
earlier with a fellow podcaster in, she's in
00:20:16.859 --> 00:20:19.759
North Carolina. And she was like, she felt like
00:20:19.759 --> 00:20:22.359
it was oversaturated. I felt like it's not. because
00:20:22.359 --> 00:20:25.799
there's not a lot of active podcasts. So like
00:20:25.799 --> 00:20:28.559
Apple, 5 million, just on Apple alone. Yeah,
00:20:28.640 --> 00:20:30.680
there's 5 million podcasts on Apple, only 500
00:20:30.680 --> 00:20:33.240
,000 are actually active. And that's across every
00:20:33.240 --> 00:20:36.700
single genre. So you're talking about competing
00:20:36.700 --> 00:20:41.519
sports with movies in true crime and entrepreneurship
00:20:41.519 --> 00:20:44.579
and business and music and all that. Only 500
00:20:44.579 --> 00:20:47.940
,000? That's a very small number considering
00:20:47.940 --> 00:20:49.740
the amount of people that we have in this world
00:20:49.740 --> 00:20:54.730
and 500 million people listen to podcasts. So
00:20:54.730 --> 00:20:58.710
there's not enough subject matter yet for those
00:20:58.710 --> 00:21:03.690
500 million people because all the other people
00:21:03.690 --> 00:21:06.250
who are not active have gotten into it for the
00:21:06.250 --> 00:21:09.910
wrong reasons. But I love it because it's a low
00:21:09.910 --> 00:21:13.970
barrier entry industry. Anyone can start a podcast,
00:21:14.009 --> 00:21:21.019
but not everybody can build a platform. And that's
00:21:21.019 --> 00:21:23.920
another thing too. I want to clear up what I
00:21:23.920 --> 00:21:26.519
was saying about Work Wednesday. Work Wednesday
00:21:26.519 --> 00:21:31.519
is not a podcast. That's just, that's a segment
00:21:31.519 --> 00:21:34.660
of our platform. We're really working on building
00:21:34.660 --> 00:21:38.539
this into a brand. You know, like we're really
00:21:38.539 --> 00:21:40.759
serious about building a bridge with the youth.
00:21:41.180 --> 00:21:44.960
Like myself, I got three mentees. Oh, wow. You're
00:21:44.960 --> 00:21:49.089
busy. Yeah. What? Three mentees? I got wood and
00:21:49.089 --> 00:21:52.630
I'm busy with her. Yeah, so I got three mentees
00:21:52.630 --> 00:21:55.789
and I'm constantly checking in with them, making
00:21:55.789 --> 00:22:00.490
sure they are right and they are, make sure they're
00:22:00.490 --> 00:22:03.349
on the right direction. So just as well as my
00:22:03.349 --> 00:22:07.750
guys, Shard, Carlos, DQ, they have mentees as
00:22:07.750 --> 00:22:11.289
well. Exactly. So we really, we really want to
00:22:11.289 --> 00:22:15.900
build a bridge with the youth and build relationships.
00:22:17.519 --> 00:22:22.000
So what's next for Gary Watkins production? What
00:22:22.000 --> 00:22:24.700
did you personally want to take on? And then
00:22:24.700 --> 00:22:26.880
from a business standpoint, what do you feel
00:22:26.880 --> 00:22:32.579
is next? So for Gary Watkins production, right
00:22:32.579 --> 00:22:35.819
now what's up next is got another documentary
00:22:35.819 --> 00:22:39.660
cooking up. It's going to be with Veterans High
00:22:39.660 --> 00:22:43.720
School basketball. I want to give a shout out
00:22:43.720 --> 00:22:46.160
to the new head coach for Veterans High School,
00:22:46.380 --> 00:22:50.059
Brandon Driggers. I want to give a heavy shout
00:22:50.059 --> 00:22:53.319
out to this guy. This is why, and just to kind
00:22:53.319 --> 00:22:58.859
of give you a story right quick. Building relationships
00:22:58.859 --> 00:23:02.900
and networking with people is so, so, so important,
00:23:03.200 --> 00:23:06.119
especially in this space of entrepreneurship.
00:23:07.139 --> 00:23:09.819
You remember when I was telling you that Veterans
00:23:09.819 --> 00:23:12.059
High School football, the touchdown club, they
00:23:12.059 --> 00:23:13.900
reached out to me a couple years ago for hype
00:23:13.900 --> 00:23:18.200
videos. And that's when I met Coach Driggers,
00:23:18.519 --> 00:23:21.519
right? And he told me, you know, like, you know,
00:23:21.660 --> 00:23:24.099
per usual, everyone asks, like, what all do you
00:23:24.099 --> 00:23:28.220
do? And I give them the best answer I can at
00:23:28.220 --> 00:23:31.160
the time. And he was like, oh, okay. Well, when
00:23:31.160 --> 00:23:33.460
I get this head coaching job in two more years,
00:23:33.500 --> 00:23:36.740
I'm going to be reaching out to you. two years
00:23:36.740 --> 00:23:39.640
later here in 2025, he did exactly that right
00:23:39.640 --> 00:23:42.619
after he got the head coaching job. So right
00:23:42.619 --> 00:23:45.119
now we're working on a documentary for his first
00:23:45.119 --> 00:23:47.799
year as the head football coach for Veterans
00:23:47.799 --> 00:23:50.400
High School. That's currently what's going on.
00:23:50.920 --> 00:23:55.180
The next major move that I really want to put
00:23:55.180 --> 00:23:58.980
in place. I want to get a studio. Okay. I want
00:23:58.980 --> 00:24:04.740
to get a studio and star, of course, the indoor
00:24:04.740 --> 00:24:09.880
photo shoots, podcasts, is going to be right
00:24:09.880 --> 00:24:12.119
here at Gary Walker's production. I want to get
00:24:12.119 --> 00:24:16.279
a location. You ever think that when you do your
00:24:16.279 --> 00:24:19.700
studio, and with all the contacts and stuff that
00:24:19.700 --> 00:24:22.799
you have, and the content creators that you know
00:24:22.799 --> 00:24:25.539
that you'll open it up to others to use as well,
00:24:25.660 --> 00:24:28.759
or will this be specifically under the guise
00:24:28.759 --> 00:24:34.089
of, you know, contracts? in development that's
00:24:34.089 --> 00:24:36.529
supposed to come up under the Gary Watkins brand.
00:24:38.630 --> 00:24:42.250
So I haven't thought that far ahead as of yet,
00:24:42.690 --> 00:24:46.490
but I mean, that would likely be the end goal
00:24:46.490 --> 00:24:49.309
or the second half goal to where people can rent
00:24:49.309 --> 00:24:52.390
out this space. They can come in, do their photo
00:24:52.390 --> 00:24:57.069
shoots, post their podcasts and network with
00:24:57.069 --> 00:25:01.180
others. What's the feedback been from the community
00:25:01.180 --> 00:25:03.059
now since, you know, you're putting yourself
00:25:03.059 --> 00:25:05.700
out there more. More people have known about
00:25:05.700 --> 00:25:08.339
you and they see the massive project that you
00:25:08.339 --> 00:25:11.039
take on. Do you feel like, you know what I'm
00:25:11.039 --> 00:25:14.240
saying, you're more like a celebrity status now
00:25:14.240 --> 00:25:17.700
or at least brand recognition and people might
00:25:17.700 --> 00:25:21.259
be a little out putting to you at first because
00:25:21.259 --> 00:25:24.359
Gary, you have accomplished a lot of great things.
00:25:24.579 --> 00:25:26.660
I don't know if you understand the magnitude
00:25:26.660 --> 00:25:33.230
of what you've done. And that is huge, especially
00:25:33.230 --> 00:25:38.230
for that area, because sometimes that area can
00:25:38.230 --> 00:25:42.089
cultivate a small mindiness when it comes to
00:25:42.089 --> 00:25:46.049
stuff. But you've been able to pull out stuff
00:25:46.049 --> 00:25:49.549
that people in bigger cities have resources to
00:25:49.549 --> 00:25:52.009
that have not even done what you've done yet.
00:25:55.680 --> 00:25:59.319
Man, it's crazy that you ask that because when
00:25:59.319 --> 00:26:08.339
I first started in 2018, I never, it's kind of
00:26:08.339 --> 00:26:10.240
like similar to what you said in the opening.
00:26:10.619 --> 00:26:12.839
Like you really don't realize how much of the
00:26:12.839 --> 00:26:15.359
impact that you're making when you're doing what
00:26:15.359 --> 00:26:18.640
you feel like, either you feel like you're supposed
00:26:18.640 --> 00:26:21.400
to be doing it or you just enjoy doing it. When
00:26:21.400 --> 00:26:23.660
I first started this, I was just simply doing
00:26:23.660 --> 00:26:26.900
what I enjoy doing. I never did it with the thought
00:26:26.900 --> 00:26:30.700
of, I wanna impact someone, change their life,
00:26:31.480 --> 00:26:36.140
or I want mentees. I never asked for those things.
00:26:36.180 --> 00:26:40.299
I'm just doing what I enjoy doing most. Kind
00:26:40.299 --> 00:26:43.779
of like the, I guess, celebrity factor. I almost
00:26:43.779 --> 00:26:50.799
feel like a celebrity to the kids. I get approached
00:26:50.799 --> 00:26:55.220
a lot by kids. Which is cool because they see
00:26:55.220 --> 00:26:58.940
what you're doing. And like I said, I think you've
00:26:58.940 --> 00:27:04.759
elevated the space to a whole nother level. And
00:27:04.759 --> 00:27:07.900
you will go down in history as one of those people
00:27:07.900 --> 00:27:12.539
who helped change and was a trailblazer. So if
00:27:12.539 --> 00:27:14.079
no one, you know what I'm saying, tells you that,
00:27:14.140 --> 00:27:16.619
I'm telling you that here now. You're going down
00:27:16.619 --> 00:27:25.490
in history. I love it because I know other people
00:27:25.490 --> 00:27:27.930
had the opportunities to be able to do something
00:27:27.930 --> 00:27:29.470
like that, but I don't think they would have
00:27:29.470 --> 00:27:31.750
pulled it off like you because you can tell the
00:27:31.750 --> 00:27:35.609
way that you shoot. You are definitely passionate
00:27:35.609 --> 00:27:41.690
about how you present your subjects. Yes. Yes,
00:27:42.329 --> 00:27:47.180
I'm overly passionate about how, if you're in
00:27:47.180 --> 00:27:49.400
front of my camera, I want to get this right.
00:27:49.500 --> 00:27:51.900
I want it to be perfect. Even though perfect
00:27:51.900 --> 00:27:55.259
is not always obtainable, I want to get close
00:27:55.259 --> 00:27:57.299
to it as possible. You know, they say, shoot
00:27:57.299 --> 00:28:00.119
for the stars, but if you don't reach the stars,
00:28:00.259 --> 00:28:02.539
you will at least land on the moon. Exactly.
00:28:03.740 --> 00:28:08.660
So that's always my goal with anything that I
00:28:08.660 --> 00:28:13.160
do, man. And yeah, and there are times, like,
00:28:13.259 --> 00:28:15.369
here's something I have to grow into. I used
00:28:15.369 --> 00:28:18.450
to be the kind of camera operator where it's
00:28:18.450 --> 00:28:23.210
like I'll shoot any and everything. Now I'm at
00:28:23.210 --> 00:28:26.170
the point where I'm selective and I'm more intentional
00:28:26.170 --> 00:28:28.569
about what I want to shoot because that's how
00:28:28.569 --> 00:28:30.809
you're going to get the most out of my skills,
00:28:31.049 --> 00:28:34.890
my crafting experience. I love it. You should,
00:28:35.150 --> 00:28:36.630
yeah, you're definitely at that point where you're
00:28:36.630 --> 00:28:38.150
supposed to be selective. That's just the natural
00:28:38.150 --> 00:28:41.640
state of people who are dope like you are. you
00:28:41.640 --> 00:28:44.019
shouldn't be shooting everything and you know
00:28:44.019 --> 00:28:45.940
the people who really want you if they want you
00:28:45.940 --> 00:28:50.180
like you should have it to where you should have
00:28:50.180 --> 00:28:53.259
a waiting list and people will wait two three
00:28:53.259 --> 00:28:55.440
years just to do a project with you because they
00:28:55.440 --> 00:28:57.019
know when it comes out it's going to come out
00:28:57.019 --> 00:29:01.460
that fantastic and they would be happy to get
00:29:01.460 --> 00:29:04.000
the phone call talking about hey i'm about to
00:29:04.000 --> 00:29:08.240
be free in the next two weeks clear your schedule
00:29:08.240 --> 00:29:11.279
because here i come This is your opportunity
00:29:11.279 --> 00:29:14.799
to shoot with Gary Watkins Productions. And if
00:29:14.799 --> 00:29:17.640
you miss your opportunity, that's it. It just
00:29:17.640 --> 00:29:23.680
is what it is. So yeah, I see that for you. So
00:29:23.680 --> 00:29:25.579
yes, I'm trying to think. Is there anything that
00:29:25.579 --> 00:29:30.319
I've missed? Man, you essentially hit all the
00:29:30.319 --> 00:29:36.019
main pillars and talking points. Where Gwensday,
00:29:36.099 --> 00:29:43.269
GWP, Man, you hit all the main talking points.
00:29:43.309 --> 00:29:46.390
Of course, the projects that I'm doing, man,
00:29:47.369 --> 00:29:50.450
your own point. Your own point. Well, Gary, let
00:29:50.450 --> 00:29:52.569
everybody know, how can they get in contact with
00:29:52.569 --> 00:29:54.150
you if they want to get on that waiting list?
00:29:55.589 --> 00:29:57.829
Hell yeah, man. So again, this is Gary Watkins
00:29:57.829 --> 00:30:01.170
Production. I am a middle Georgia -based digital
00:30:01.170 --> 00:30:04.829
creator. You need photography needs, videography
00:30:04.829 --> 00:30:10.019
needs, graphic designs. Pretty much anything
00:30:10.019 --> 00:30:13.259
related to content. You can find me at Gary Watkins
00:30:13.259 --> 00:30:18.240
production That's Facebook Instagram tick -tock
00:30:18.240 --> 00:30:22.019
They got this thing called threads now. I just
00:30:22.019 --> 00:30:24.059
met I just met somebody off of three is today
00:30:24.059 --> 00:30:28.619
in person Yes, I love their friends as well But
00:30:28.619 --> 00:30:31.420
those are the primary way is to get in contact
00:30:31.420 --> 00:30:34.599
with me. I also have a website. It's Gary Watkins
00:30:34.599 --> 00:30:39.440
production calm and Yeah, man Tap in with me,
00:30:39.519 --> 00:30:42.960
man. We're going to get you right. And you're
00:30:42.960 --> 00:30:45.259
going to love it. Also, please tap in with Work
00:30:45.259 --> 00:30:49.579
Wednesday on all platforms as well, especially
00:30:49.579 --> 00:30:51.940
on YouTube. Subscribe on there. Again, we got
00:30:51.940 --> 00:30:54.980
great content on the way, and it's something
00:30:54.980 --> 00:30:58.460
that we all need. There you have it. Gary Watkins
00:30:58.460 --> 00:31:01.000
with Gary Watkins Productions. You can tap in
00:31:01.000 --> 00:31:06.259
with him. Tap in with Wednesdays. I said that
00:31:06.259 --> 00:31:10.529
right, right? OK. Sorry, see now my brain went
00:31:10.529 --> 00:31:13.329
somewhere else work Wednesdays network work work
00:31:13.329 --> 00:31:17.009
Wednesdays work is phenomenal Content I've seen
00:31:17.009 --> 00:31:19.609
it y 'all go and subscribe keep supporting his
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platform support that platform For all the positive
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platforms out there y 'all can always keep supporting
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this platform as well