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Backstage Interview with Craig Swanson

It is very much an honor for me to sit down with Mr Craig Swanson, who is the co founder of Creative Live. This is very much a honestly, it's a personal honor. Craig has been an inspiration to me since I met him about a year and 1/2 ago. Um, I can literally say that he has changed my life. The company that has made this change my life, and it is just truly magnificent honor to be able to sit down with you for a good minutes here and talk creativelive. Craig, how are you doing? I am doing fantastic. I you know, I don't come on camera as much as I used to, like the early days on camera all the time. And it's kind of weird to be back on air, but walking around this bill, you see what this is like becoming. It's just absolutely amazing. It really is. I mean, I know, like a year and 1/2 ago when I started, we were in one room studio with a little loft space for office. But I know that even that was growth from the the humble beginnings of creative life talk a little bit about those early d...

ays. So when creativelive. So the first, the first broadcast that that is now creative life was with a $25 Plantronics headset and a $40 webcam. So we started with really, really basic roots and then just grew and grew and grew entirely from the audience. Basically, the the audience that supported early on made this all possible. Um, And so yesterday there was all this energy here in San Francisco. Everybody is putting everything together. I mean, there's so many moving pieces in order make this stuff work. And, um, it remind me a lot of the the first big workshop we did it crave life, which has been slow ferree. Um, and I'm trying to When that was, that was 2000 and 10. April mais oui, May of 2010. Um, and that was the first time we ever did a multi camera shoot. A creative life. Up to that point, everything had been one camera software instructor teaching andan Vincent lock for a Pulitzer Prize winner. Came in to teach basically a workshop on filmmaking. And the only way that that works up worked is because visit offering was our first instructor because there were so many moving pieces. We had so much gear showing up, we went live on Friday. Um, we started putting it all together on Wednesday. So Wednesday we got all the gear and crave Love is huge now. I mean, there were about people. Now, at the time, there were three people. There were there were basically three full time staff members and we had boxes of gear Onley theory and how it was only gonna work and basically about 24 hours to put it all together. Not even sure if it was going No, the the the night before. We've got everything working, and we hadn't quite figured out exactly how to make this one critical connection between the main cameras and the like, the broadcast work. Everything was coming down the last minute, um, and then and that works up. I mean, that that works up is what made creative life today basically possible. Now, when you were sitting there trying to figure out connections and all that, did you have the vision of what's gonna happen or what we're doing today? Was that something that you even were conceiving of it. So what? I mean, that's hard. I'm always thinking about possibly so, yes, What creative life is becoming a day was within the realm of possibility, but I But that doesn't mean I necessarily believed it would happen. Um, the the size and scale of what this is becoming is just been mind blowing to me. It's just been the biggest honor of my life to be involved in, Um, we have had so many incredible people be part of this. You You are a big part of this. I mean, there are so many people working behind the scenes on everything happening here. Um, it it's hard to understand when you're sitting here, you see what the cameras point at, how much work goes into and bringing everything together that makes one of these events possible. And I am just incredibly honored that the people we've attracted because one thing about about that Vincent of that first works up enough for a one thing that people don't realize is a lot of the key people crave life. You know, they worked a creative life volunteer for the first, probably the first year. There was an awful of into volunteer for about half of the staff of volunteer. I think you were volunteering words for a good three or four months at least. Yeah, and And can a volunteered for the first year? Four months? Maybe that so much of creativelive was built because the people inside a creativelive willed it to be even though we didn't have the resource, is the technical backing all the other things to make this thing come true? And we now there's still that same energy. They're still that same belief, and we also have the resource is and we also have, you know, the experience, having made the impossible possible. And that's one of the most amazing things that I've been able to watch is just, you know, I'll be sitting early days I was behind the scenes, and then now on stage, I just I have no idea how some of the things happen that, as we're in the middle of making them happen, But I think the people that you've directed is absolutely key to the success of what we've done here. And can you talk a little bit about the culture of creative? I mean, this is something that people don't necessarily. I mean, whenever we have a student come in, I always love talking to them and getting to know them a little bit And one of things they always say is it's really cool to be here because people behind the scenes are just like they are on screen. And you always wonder whether it's like a front or, you know, whether I'm like guys. But, uh, but it is something that that was when I first came I fell in love with the people. You talk a little about the people of great life. I I I just I I am absolutely astounded at the people that we have got. I mean, yes, I'm not So So you know, Chris, Chris was just talking about entrepreneurs. 101 100 $100. Actually, creativelive, I think qualifies $100 start up. I did the way we actually did start with less than $100 to actually start this thing. Um, and I have been a self employed entrepreneur my whole life. The largest company prior to creativelive that I owned had I think and employees 11 if you accounted may crave Life is not like employees. And I think, you know, with contractors were upto were nearly 100 people involved in everything that's involved behind the scenes, what's happening here. And it still feels like a small group of really core true believers. I mean, yes, 1/2 in the sound booth. You know, Adam, I mean, there's just this this whole crew when you come like when the students come and spend, like, three days a creative life, you get to see what the group with the team is like behind the scenes. And that is the feedback I get again and again and again is just that it is. The people have told me again, again is the most how much your funds the right word. But the most dedicated, meaningful people feel like they're creating something with a purpose, and I I can speak to that. I mean, that's absolutely why I got involved. Why I started volunteering was just because I believed in what was happening, and I wanted to get back on. I think that from around from every every aspect of it, everyone believes in what we're doing here. So This is our second studio. I think this is our fourth studio. It's our second location. Second location, fourth studio. Where we gonna be a year from now? A year from now, Actually. OK, John, who's our CEO? Who basically makes all the trains run on time, has told me I can't talk about stuff like that perfectly, because I will talk about things that I believe we're gonna happen in a year. And then employees will go tell John I want to put in the job for this thing I heard about from Craig. Well, and that's one of those things that just I've absolutely loved is that very open atmosphere here of, you know, I do feel like I can come to the co founder of Creative Live and sit down and have a conversation with you about things. Is that something that you consciously created, or is that just part of who you are? I don't I don't know how to be someone else. Um, I cannot create without people. So So, um, one of things. I think it's different. Creative life is a lot of learning institutions. A lot of a lot of small companies are built around the founders of being a voice for the founders and creative life is different. Creative life is a platform that is designed to make available the best people that we can bring in and that doesn't and you don't see me on stage. You know, it's like see chase on stage on a regular basis. You know, this is a place to bring in other people to share the best that they can give to enlargement audience. Um, this was never intended to be this. This what creative life is all about providing an opportunity for people out there in the world to take the next up creative live from me exist to take the next step for everybody and everybody's next step is different. Um, some people's next steps seems so small to someone else, but to them, that next step can be a small as just daring to dream. They want something better than that, Um, just the act of even just wanting to get paid for something that is a creative passion, just to be just to created to share their some a little steps that people need to take in order to be able to make themselves available to take the big steps. And and for me, that's what crave life is about is every every opportunity that we're doing something someone is moving forward with something in their life. Um, we were talking we were talking with with potential chattels. One things we do is we do some internal kind of training with with with the team, kind of because a lot of there's a lot of new team members coming in and figure out how to communicate what great, if life is and how it works. Um, and we're talking with new incoming host roles, and I was talking about where I see creative life in the future and where's craft lives gonna be like 10 years? I don't know where creative lives could be 10 years, but I think and I know this from from listening to people out there. I think that there are moments in time when innovators and leaders kind of come into existence in society, and it it's not random. It's not random. A cop across the population. They come in little pockets, pockets of time. There, certain innovators that came at critical moments during development of society. You know, you look at like the actors. They're usually they're groups of really leading actors open to the same high school or different areas like that. It's not because that's where the innovators were, and that's where the leaders were. It's because there was something about that environment that allowed people who could be great toe unlock that greatness and take the next step. And I think 10 years now there's going to be a new generation of leaders and innovators in the world that are going to share in their common story a moment at and this place watching something happen here. Now that doesn't mean that creative lives to be around 10 years. Now. What happens with creative Live 10 years? That's for us. Toe to do, execute well, honors excellent, poorly and it. But there is a change that is happening in the world based on the people who were watching this and what they're doing their own lives. And that's that for me. What this is all about may think, Um, yeah, that's enabling people to really just live the life that they want. That's such a magical thing. It's I don't know that the word magical is right. It's kind of a silly word to use for it. But it is, uh, like I said, Aiken, look at myself a year and 1/2 2 years ago and what I was doing versus the way that I am now. And it is a complete 1 80 because of the way that because of your personal belief that we can be in charge of our lives and that we can make that happen. And that's something that I am very thankful for. There are many people out there who watch great of life who have been a part of this. The community talk about the community. What are your thoughts? What? Your feelings on on them When you said the Vensel operate like it, we wouldn't be here if it hadn't been, you know, supported in those early days. So I want to talk to the camera. Don't talk to the camera. Um and I don't know why, but, you know, this is kind of awkward. You think I'd know how this works? Because I'm totally around Crave live all the time. Um, nothing that we have done would be possible without the support of everybody out there, especially with supporting us in the early days, because it is the audience, the community that that supported us early on, that makes everything we're doing possible. And for me, I am absolutely living my dream. I mean, I I feel so incredibly. Fortunately, time I come to work. Um, and we're able to attract really great instructors were able to attract some of the best staff in the world doing this, and none of that's possible without the audience. Without you guys that are out there supporting us, tuning in, talking back, arguing, sometimes poking us when you don't like what you're seeing. You were the people that make creative life exists, and I never forget that for a moment. Um, and it's really easy for me not remember, because when we started, like I said, it was a $25 microphone and nobody had any reason to pay intentions to us all. And the only reason people pay attention to us is because the numbers of the audience became significant of and people spoke on our behalf strongly enough that other people start to listen. So especially for those of you have been watching you for over three years or sometimes longer back. Um, thank you. Um, and that sense of community is something that is felt whenever people come. They say that they you know, we're in their homes a lot of the time and they just feel like part of the family. And that's and that's always been true. I can say that from having watched great of life before I came here. How do you see that changing at all as we grow? Or do you see that changing? Because if it if it is so key to our business, how do you feel about that as we grow and bring in new audiences? Well, I mean, it's all gonna come down to whether we are serving the people that I mean, look, there's nothing there. There's no reason people have to watch grill creativelive exist, provide something special in the world. And when we hit it, the audience shows up in droves and we and we can we see the difference. We see the difference people's lives, you know, we see people creating businesses that didn't exist Previously. We see people taking risks. We see people telling the story of what they're doing, and it's not us doing that work. They're doing the work in their own life. We're just Sometimes we're just doing nothing more than giving them excuse. Um, I feel really humble about the audience. I don't feel like, you know, for me, it's responsibility. It's it's, you know, there are people that have given us the amount attention they've given us. It's our responsibility. Live up to that. So what? I see the community going, Um, if it's becoming bigger broader, Um, you know, we started very strong and photography, and now we've got a very strong entrepreneurial side of creative life. There's other areas that would be focusing in terms of bringing really new areas of combining that sense of creating a sustainable lifestyle for yourself underneath your creative passions. But ultimately, I mean, I consider us part of the creative community. I mean, you know, there's like this blurry line between creative life in the community because so many people that get hired a creative life, we've got people right now that I that are in the audience, that might be coming a larger part of creative life, and that's just how it happened. People show up become part of this place because they believe in something