SPEAKER_00 1:45

Welcome to the Hilltop Web Podcast. Today's guest is a past guest, but also a longtime friend of the pod and outside of the pod as well. Gerard Grip Richardson is a dynamic force in the world of cinematography and music production. Hailing from Columbia, South Carolina, Grip has carved out a niche for himself as a skilled jib crane operator, music producer, that's how I originally met him, and entrepreneur. His passion for capturing sunning visuals and creating captivating audio experiences has led to this to led him to establish Grip Type Productions, a company renowned for its excellence in professional jib operation and cinematography. Grip's impressive career is marked by his Emmy Award win in 2021. A testament to his exceptional talent and dedication to his craft. His expertise has been showcased on some of the world's biggest stages, including his role as a jib operator for the Winter Olympics. And that was in was that in Korea? Korea, Russia, and Beijing. Yeah, okay, that's right. Sochi, right? Was that the first one? Yeah, Sochi was the first. Yep, Grip has collaborated with iconic musicians working on live performances for legendary acts such as Red Hot Chili Peppers and Kanye West. In today's episode, we'll delve into Grip's journey in the cinematography world, exploring the skills and techniques he has to capture the perfect shot. We'll learn about the intra intricate intricacies of jib operation and how Grip's keen eye for detail and innovation, innovative approach have set him apart in the industry. How are you doing, Rip?

SPEAKER_01 3:33

How am I doing? I do it well. Good, good. That's what I do. But I'm I'm wonderful. I'm in one piece. Still in one piece.

SPEAKER_00 3:42

Excellent, excellent, man. Like I said, of course, you know, we follow you on, you know, on social media, of course, posting. You know, you have, like I said, lays in life, lazy journey. And the work that you do is very key when it comes to production. It's one of those things that people don't think about when they're watching TV, right? Especially when it comes to things with live action. Right? They don't think about the importance of a job operator in helping to communicate that experience or what that experience would look like if there was no such thing as a jib operator. What would it look like? Yes.

SPEAKER_01 4:20

Oh no man. That right there is a unique question. Uh, first off. First off, thank you guys for inviting me out to be here. You know, this is such a pleasure, you know, to be here for a second chance. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 4:35

You know what I mean? I think you are our first returning guest, right?

SPEAKER_00 4:38

No, no, you know what? I think it was though, he's our second because Queen was the first.

SPEAKER_05 4:42

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 4:43

Yeah. Okay. Well, that's a good thing to be in that lineup. You know what I mean? So that that means that you guys are doing something and you have a community. That's important. And I would say, think about community without unity. And that's there your shots are. Yeah, that's it. That that's your that's film production without a jib. Yeah. You know what I mean? Because it brings motion. Yeah. And motion is, you know, moving as a unit, it it's a unique thing, you know, to pretty much be a part of something, you know. So I mean, this community without unity. That will be that. That's the way to put it.

SPEAKER_05 5:22

I know that you have ever since, you know, being at Tiffany's J's live performance at ETV and seeing you actually put together the jib and the intricate parts of it, I have a whole new profound like look on everything. So every movie I'm looking at, I'm like, yep, that's the jib shot. You see that that zoom in, that zoom out. I said, You see that flow? So let me tell you, you guys, he's a genius. I've never the way you explain it and the way you break it down, because I even took your training. Right. Um, and it's it's easy, it's not easy, but it's like you're engaged and you're like, okay, what each piece plays a role in building the crane.

SPEAKER_01 6:03

Yes. Again, I'm constantly thinking about multiple things coming together to make one thing happen. Yeah. So that that's why I'm thinking community and and unity, because what happens is you have to make it a part of you. And first you got to find out who you are. Like what's your what's my dial on the on the radio? Yeah. I mean, it can't be everybody else's dial, it got to be my dial. Yeah. So what is it? And it's it's finding that out. And uh, you know, it's just putting all that stuff. And and to put it into, I would say, a product, it's the grip. Even though it's in the grip department, but it's actually the grip. You know, when you look and when you think about grip and when you break it down, which I'll kind of go and spow a little later, but it's the groove, rhythm, instrument, pattern, and phrases. The groove first is the way. Yeah. It's the way that it goes. So without knowing the way, listen, get out the way when you don't understand how something goes. So that's really, so it's just really finding that out and making it a part of you. You know what I mean? You have to become, it has to become one. Like, I mean, this mic, even though I know it's here, but I can't just be grabbing it and constantly paying attention to it and moving it around, like, okay, am I, am I, am I? No, it's a part of me now. So I made it a part of me. So that's really the same thing in the concept with that machine, because it will be intimidating. Think about a big bulky bully. Yeah. It's intimidating. I'm not even gonna promise you, I know for a fact he's suffering or she suffers. And they suffering from a serious place of disorderment, no, no, no unity in their community. Yeah, meaning themselves. You know, what's going on within themselves. Yeah. So it's really just slowing it down and making everything a part of yourself in order for it to, you know, operate at its best.

SPEAKER_00 8:08

So, with that said, because like I said, I know because there are a lot of people probably um watch this interview or just learn about you for the first time. So if you could, could you just share us a little bit about your story?

SPEAKER_01 8:19

My story. Hmm, interesting. I tell you what, I literally changed my voice up because you have to own your voice. You have to own your voice. And if you don't own your voice, someone else does. And if someone else owns your voice, then don't guess what? Your story was is gonna always be a fake story because you're not even, you don't even own the property. Yeah, someone else owns your voice. So, first off is finding out what's your voice. Yeah. And I had to find out what my voice was. Um, growing up in a family of 14 siblings, and I ended up being the 12th out of the 14. So, how many were in the house of the same family? Okay, plus two, plus two. Hold on. And then I'll put it like this they were the primary. Okay. And now I'm gonna speak about a community again. Bro, the community stayed at our cribs. Oh, you're a expert community. Expert. And the unity part, too. Because listen, man, born in a family like that, you don't have no choice. You're you're forced to deal with what is here, right? And that's now, right? So, whatever that now was, it's like here, you gotta deal with that. So learn it. Like, you know, you gotta learn what works. Well, I'll and I will add this too. I got a mother. I got a mother, she passed, uh, well, I ain't gonna say passed. She transitioned in the on on last year, October, um the 29th of September. And you hit me hard, yo. Nah, I'm scared. I do that because most people that don't know my mother knows that I'm being honest right now, it's no way possible I could just break down and just stop living life. And then, you know, so it's like because of that transition and understanding that she, well, before then, she taught each and every last one of us. Find your tune to the song, and you stay in tune and stata out of everybody else's way without using that term. Because that's how she taught everybody as an individual. So, with that jewel and that that I mean, I I it's it's riches, man, that is what I call it.

SPEAKER_00 10:55

It's just growing up with that, priceless. Your mom sounded like be a powerful person. 14? It was planned.

SPEAKER_01 11:03

Yeah. She planned to do that before she got married. She planned to have as many children as her husband gave her before she got married. Because she seen how her mother did it. Had a blueprint. And my father, before he got married, they planned to have, he planned to have 12 children.

SPEAKER_05 11:20

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 11:21

So that actually lands on me.

SPEAKER_05 11:22

Oh, wow. So I'm a plan.

SPEAKER_01 11:25

Yeah, I'm a planet. I was planned. And here I I mean, literally, I explained it that way because it's a unique thing. And uh, again, I'll expound on it. I, you know, I'll touch here and there, but um the upbringing with that, you know, was so unique. Um with my father being the third, I found out like three days before I was born what actually took place with him. Because my father's a pastor. Okay. A lot of people don't know that. You know what I mean? He he's a pastor. I grew up, so I grew up in the church. What's that nomination? Uh progressive. Okay. Okay. And um it's unique. A lot of people, again, I'll and I'll I'll get there.

unknown 12:05

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 12:06

However, that upbringing, I would say, again, was a jewel for me because it again it taught me how to about community and dealing with people. But it was a very unique experience because study shows that children, when they're born, they get the worldview of their father and the conditioning of their mom kind of helped shape who they are. And you know, so I was like, well, the fact that my father, three days before I was I was born, was being sat down as a pastor from the church. I was like, well, man, I caught all that chaos. So I came in, none of that chaos. You know what I mean? So again, it's a jewel for me because a lot of uh growing up that way taught me a lot of valuable things with people. Yeah. And and how to deal with people. And to help myself, pretty much, but it was really deal with people because without service, then who are you? Yeah. Without being able to serve, who are you? Yeah. So, you know, it's it's a beautiful thing.

SPEAKER_05 13:14

That kind of goes into, you know, the work that you do with cinematography. How do you serve people?

SPEAKER_01 13:22

Through video. Ah, great, great question. Um it's called it's a few things it's called. However, what I do is I make sure that the call is because there is a problem. Because anybody can operate that crane. I mean, you can own it, you can have it, but anybody cannot set it up and operate that crane. So that will be considered a problem. So after learning that problem, I became the solution. And I just sum it up that way. And what happens is is you don't want to when you hire me or when you hire my company to come in and do what we do, um, leave leave me alone. Get get away from me. I got it from here. I I need you to understand that's what I'm bringing. Not the fact of just leaving me alone, and it's that, no, you you I I'm gonna own this. And I think enough, I don't think it's enough of that. You know, uh, and I think what follows behind that is a thing called fear, what with which I turn into an acronym, which means finding excuses and as reality. Or forming excuses as reality. An excuse on why you ain't done what you need to be doing. You know what I mean? So get on up out of the way. That's how we're gonna end that one right there.

SPEAKER_05 14:52

And that's how he tells you we're gonna end it right there.

SPEAKER_00 14:54

Yeah, just get on the out of there. Now, one thing I do gotta ask you, and I think the last time we talked, this is a question I wish I would ask before. Of course, because I know you from um from music production. Right. And like I said, guys, like I said, man, Grip is an amazing producer. He's yeah, sick with the drums, man, sick with the chops, man. Amazing producer. Yeah. How do you think um your experience as a producer connects with being a jib operator?

SPEAKER_01 15:21

Hmm. Awesome. Hey, th thank you for that question, I would say, first off, because as a music producer, how that has helped me into I would say the jib, you know, becoming a jib operator. Um, it's it's production. It's all production. Um, and I'll say it in the sense to whereas building a jib is like producing the beat. You you gotta have the thing to rap on. So, I mean, what are we here to film? Film smooth shots and movement of shots and things like that with a jib. You're talking height, reach, and okay, well, let me produce the beat, let me create the vehicle. So I just what what happened is I learned from the years I my first beat was in 1997. I made my first beat in 1997, and it was because it was simply because we didn't have Google. I would say unfortunate for y'all. Because it cornered me to go read the encyclopedia. Right? So I went to read the encyclopedia and I said, hmm, what's the definition of musical instrument? Musical instrument. Okay, this right here makes sound, okay. Cool, get it. What's the definition of MIDI? Oh, musical instrument? Digital interface? What what I got a dictionary now. I'm going to reference these words in front of musical instrument. Digital interface? Stop right there. Digital interface. What are you talking about? Digits, I know what a digit is. It's a number interface. What are you saying? Oh, it communic was blown off and it ain't came back since.

SPEAKER_00 17:18

We were just talking about that in a previous episode. We're talking about animal, we're talking about animal.

SPEAKER_01 17:23

I mean, literally, it never the cap never came back on. Right? So that experience of now getting in front of a machine and music instrument and making instruments and making sounds and sequencing them and putting them into patterns. And and you mean to tell me it's speaking to another instrument to say that when I press that button, all these things move again, head blown again. It's like so that kept happening. So what what I'm getting at is I learned the principles of what was going on and what's happening because what made me get into music was the fact that I'm why is my head doing this and my foot doing that? Why? Oh my god, why? Like I had to figure it out, man. As a kid, I had to figure this out. And that was my way of figuring it out. So I had these questions to whereas life situations created and answered the questions. Okay. Right? So those principles never left. I learned the language. You know, recording, engineering, you know, you know, sequence, uh, you know, talking artists, bars. Okay. I get it. I can apply that to anything. So I shot some videos, shot some music videos. Uh um, an artist came in, traded in a camera for studio time. Sure, dude, I'll take it. I mean, I don't want it, but I'll take it. I take it. What kind of camera? Dude, it was a so it was a Sony like 10X. It was one of the flap out ones, the first you flap out, but it had the zoom on. I'm like, dude, this is this, hey, I can dig this. Yeah. However, I just began to start to shoot the artists that would come in in the studio, and I'm not marking years with this yet, but I just start to record the artist coming in. And as the artist comes in, I record that, get the music, the artist, I mean the music, and then I'll sync it up. I automatically knew how to do that because when music went from in front of the keyboard making beats the drum machine, and they threw it up on a screen. Again, principle. I can put the two together, I can match the mouse, I know how to do it. Right. And I put it together. So I was editing videos before I was really learning how to shoot videos. Which is again the principles. So then I was like, hmm, interesting. But I don't know this language. So it's like being in another country and I know how to do what I do, but I I can't ask for the food because I don't know the language. I can't ask for a ride because I can't speak the language. So I went to LA to learn the language. Life situations were happening, things happen, but that led me to going to learn the language. Once I learned the language, I applied the two. I mean, I applied the principle. The principal always came. I went to I went to LA with. So I just went to learn the language. And when I learned the language, I applied the principles, and it was like pulling out weapons out of my pocket whenever something occurred called opportunity.

SPEAKER_05 20:39

So, what are some key elements to consider when doing cinematography, photography, and videography?

SPEAKER_01 20:46

When you speak about that, um I come from a place of production, right? I could produce anything. Literally. I'm too stupid to sit and try to do it myself, meaning that I know too many people that can do it. So I'll produce the situation, I'll produce it. Right. So when we talk about cinema, like these things like music, you know, cinematography, photography, and things of that nature, to me, those are part of those are vehicles to tell your story. First, we got to figure out what it is. Right. Who you are, again, the voice. So I I I again I've actually heard some people give res a report back that, dude, you didn't know how you helped me by just being like you yourself at that time and at that moment. Right? So it's like I understand being in the moment to produce the moment because I stand on the stage, the big band stage, the stage of my life. You all are parts of my life right now. Hopefully, I think you guys see the same thing. So, therefore, the question is is what instrument are you playing in each in each band?

SPEAKER_05 22:08

Moment of life.

SPEAKER_01 22:09

Every moment of life. Yeah. What who are you?

SPEAKER_05 22:12

He has to come speak to the kids. Yeah, he has to come talk to you.

SPEAKER_01 22:16

I mean, and it and that, and and see, because I had to understand, I I went to understand, I would say that. What is the difference between AM and FM radio really? Did anybody ask? Because I did. You know what I'm saying? What's the difference? It's a major difference. It's a major difference. I will refer to back to his cough, which we would which AM would call an interruption or static. Right? It would be prominent. But technology and FM being able to monitor the frequency of it, the variation of the frequency and how much energy is being transferred versus just the height and not calculating it made the difference in what you heard.

SPEAKER_03 23:07

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 23:08

It made the difference. And that's why FM became the standard. So that's why I asked, what's the where should die? Well, you can you can monitor it by by monitoring the variation of the energy that comes in, uh-huh. Right versus just the peak, which is what AM is doing.

SPEAKER_05 23:26

Okay, I agree.

SPEAKER_01 23:28

Right. So it's like the tuning that goes back to tuning.

SPEAKER_05 23:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:32

One key thing I learned about motors, vehicles, was they're on the road because they're in tune. Not just that they work and you can press the gas and it go. No, they're in tune because the motor. Motor has to at a frequency at a certain frequency. And they have to tune it. It gets tuned. If you look at the the logo for Yamaha, it's three tuning forks. And they did motors and pianos first, three wheelers, and but they did pianos first. Tune in, tune it. It has to be it's it's the sound. So you have to be in tune in order to be recognized first. So if you can't get into your voice and bring it down and break the melodies like I'm doing, like the who are you? Is the question. Because without that, without knowing who you are and what instrument and and not knowing what band you're playing in, you're gonna be out of tune, man, and you're gonna get kicked off my stage. I promise you, by your head. I'm gonna grab you by the head and the back head. You get out of here. Mean it. I'm not even exaggerating that. Mean it. You gotta get off my stage. Hold on. I'm speaking about my life. I'm not talking about an actual stage. No, I'm talking about life. Decisions that I've made, choices that I've made. I'm not negotiating that. That's non-negotiable. So I the the thing is, is the elements to is to really is to find that. Find that because the grip is where it is where it at. It's the grip. You know, it's it's within the grip.

SPEAKER_05 25:17

I like that. Um talking about talk about more about your your training. Okay. Jib or die. Trying. Jib or die. Trying.

SPEAKER_01 25:29

Hey. Well, I tell you what, after getting through that course, you either kill the old way you thought about it or you keep it. So that's pretty, that's that's it in layman's terms. But however, what happens is is I designed the course to more so like a life skill situation, not more so related to my niche in the career in career. Okay. It's something that you can read it, but I break it down to where it's you can literally take it and apply it to whatever. So, but what's involved in it is, you know, I I mean, I got, you know, ebooks. Um, you get ebooks, you get a lifetime uh uh membership, you know, a community, social media community type thing, to whereas we share ideas, stuff of that nature. Um you get a uh um an hour one-on-one, you know, these are things that'll be pretty much mandatory, and also the opportunities too, after taking the workshop, you know, going through the workshop, you have an opportunity to come out and assist me on the job. And I don't know what's better than it, hands-on and seeing how it works than anything else. So, you know, something I mean again it's my life just to see it because again, it's you what I did was I put shapes in the air in an augmented reality that I live in. I put shapes in the air and I sh and I I moved the jib accordingly because people were there on the floor. I had a height of a front of house camera, I had to consider that one. And then we got a wall over here to consider, which is a profile shot. So I put shapes up in an augmented reality that I live in. So I teach people how to see these things, your spatial awareness. Like right now, I'm looking at you, but I see him and my glass, the glass, the shades is blocking them, but I still see him. And I know those two is back there. So I have to I have to measure for this when I'm moving this machine around. Oh, yeah. All right, because that's where I kind of use the whole concept of the the 50 cent, you know, get rich or die trying. The concept, if you really break it down and listen to a lot of the stuff that he speaks about as far as his uh approach to it, is there is no plan B. I just got shot nine times, y'all. It's like, come on. I'm not playing. This is no, there's no plan B. It's this and or just do it. And that's kind of the approach, meaning that's how you have to approach it. Other than that, you can harm somebody with that jib. Yeah, that's a dangerous piece when you turn it into something that someone is afraid of or intimidated of or don't really understand. It's just an extension of you. They call it a jib arm. Nope, I rearranged it, I call it a jib neck because that's just me looking around. What do I want to feel? Oh, here we go. Yeah, that's it.

SPEAKER_05 28:36

That's really how you direct it, too. He's like so smooth with it. He's like, he's so comfortable. This thing is heavy, it's big, like it's people around, it's cords, it's long, it's heavy.

SPEAKER_02 28:47

It's crazy.

SPEAKER_05 28:48

It's just so much to consider. It's like you, you when you see it, you're like, oh my god. Like, it's it's you want me to work that thing?

SPEAKER_01 28:55

Like, hey, it's just it's a it's a piece of machinery, it's a simple machine. You know, I tell you what, Cameron and Mace, it was the name Mace would kill that response.

SPEAKER_05 29:08

We're not even gonna get into that. We're not even gonna get into that.

SPEAKER_00 29:13

But no, I remember though, now the funny thing about it is I remember when she told me about the class. She was just like, Yeah, I took Grips classes past as Maze was barbable. I was like, okay, that's cool. It's pretty neat. And I didn't think anything of it at the time. Yeah. I mean, I think the kids would like it.

SPEAKER_05 29:28

If they if they actually see it, that is and that and we do have it. You're like, oh my gosh, like your whole world just opens up.

SPEAKER_01 29:36

And that's the that's the thing about it, you know. I mean, hearing is believing. Seeing is all of that. When you it it it engulfs everything, because I can look at, I mean, I can. I can look at something, I can hear it. I can hear something. Like, I'll I'll give you this example about gibbing and how you need to become one with it. When someone is speaking, like a speaker, how do you think what's the approach? What would you what would you think the approach would be? Like, what do you think the approach would be? To just filming a speaker, no music involved, no beats, no, no, no. Just a speaker. Like a speaker, when they're skilled or when they're not skilled, they have a thing called a beat. Right? And that beat starts when I first see them. I'm studying things about them, they're even their just it could be from the shape of their head, not to not, I'm not, it's just the fact literally, because I'm a shaped person. Well, I'm visual, right? Yeah, so the detail comes again after you got your sample, right? You're a music producer. After you got that sample, you didn't chop it up, bro. You okay, what you might have an idea, but the detail is gonna come once it hit that beat and it's like, hold on, I gotta pitch this. These are details. So I'm looking at this, I'm looking at their movement. Whether it's, you know, they could be the handstands, it could be all these. Okay, if it's him, okay. I already know he may not, he may be standing, he may not move around. Yeah, he may, she may just stand. That energetic, okay, that's movement. All right, that movement. You may have someone that may blend in between. Yeah, you may have one that works up to the two, right? And you don't know where they're going with it. So, what I'm getting at is this from the first beat of when they come out and walk and talk, they're gonna say something and do something to give me a rhythm, a groove that a groove that I can follow. I find that flow. From that first, you think about James Brown. What did James Brown explain in the movie? Yeah, that on the one. Yeah. Don't sound good, ladies and house. That's good, done it.

unknown 31:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:58

It's the one. So when the one starts, that's the beginning of life to me. Meaning to think about your your bird, like when you that's the one.

SPEAKER_00 32:11

So I got a question about that. Um, so do you um when going back to the speaker? Are there some speakers that you have to add more energy to? Um, somewhat like I'm filming them.

SPEAKER_01 32:23

Okay. Okay. What I can do though, if I get an opportunity, if I know them, if I know about them, if I've shot them before in sequence and I and they're there to take my input, I would only suggest it.

SPEAKER_05 32:35

Okay. Only a jib.

unknown 32:38

Hey.

SPEAKER_01 32:39

Hey, hey, you haven't. It's never like a hey, listen, here, I'm a jib operator. No, man. Come on, man. Don't no, no, no, no. I'm gonna help you understand, man. You cannot do that with me. Do not do that around me. That's not what this is about. Yeah. What this is about is having them to understand I appreciate you giving me this opportunity. Yeah. What what if you're into getting better at this thing? Because I'm only watching you. You're in the moment. You ain't never seeing you until you get it played back. So if you allow me to say it, then be quiet and let me give you this feedback. Yeah. That's what the approach is. Because I can't tell them what to do. I need them to be natural as possible. Unless we're acting and it's scripted, then you still don't say nothing until it's you don't offer it.

SPEAKER_05 33:31

But you attune yourself to them. I'm here to serve you.

SPEAKER_01 33:35

This is why I said first, first off, business is built around products and services. That's what runs the world. Products and services. If you decided to provide a product first, the end result is service. Because if your service sucks and you got an A1 product, I'm gonna tell you to do the same thing with your service because you got to get on with it. If you decided to do a service first, the end result is product. Because if you're providing a service which is that after it's done, it's one thing that people can talk about youth about. So it's a product. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 34:15

I didn't think about it like that.

SPEAKER_01 34:17

I mean, so so so with that approach, knowing that, it don't matter where you start at, you're providing a service. It don't matter which one. Yeah, you are always providing a service.

SPEAKER_03 34:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:33

That's true. And when you can't serve, again, my question is, who are you? Because who do you think is gonna serve you? And you ain't serving no one else.

SPEAKER_05 34:43

That's how it's like an all circle.

SPEAKER_01 34:46

Yeah, it's a thing. So that's why I say it's music. It's a grip, it's a rhythm, it's a pattern, it's a phrase, it's all of these things that go together that create something. Because you're we we come from a place of thinking when thinking has to settle down and become a thought. After the thought, then that right there receives action. Produces action.

SPEAKER_00 35:10

Yeah, that's what I was about to say. Service is action.

SPEAKER_01 35:13

So it's like, who are you? It's like if you ain't here to serve, like, dude, that come on. So I'm there to serve them. So I teach it, I teach you we are servants first. So I need I need the person who called me to rely on the fact and trust the fact that, bro, thank you for allowing me in your community. This is what I'm saying. I get hired, thank you for allowing me in your community. I appreciate the opportunity. Yes, you can trust me. I ain't gotta push it down your throat. What I'm gonna say is, what I'm gonna say in my action is this. Hey, can't nobody replace Grip energy. Where grip at? Hey, call him and see where he's at. Yeah. I that's all I need. Anything else, I promise you, I will leave for everybody else because my spot can't be filled by nobody else, so I'm gonna keep it filled. As soon as I get out of the way, then I don't want ownership of what I am and who I am. I ain't gonna never display that to no human being. I'll go on off myself before I display that to any human being. So when I show up, don't be asking me, do I want to be there?

SPEAKER_05 36:20

That is the first thing most people actually are gonna say.

SPEAKER_01 36:22

No, no, don't do that, sir, ma'am. I'm gonna help you out with that. I'm gonna start right now. I'm gonna help everybody out that look and seek to hire the gripper. Don't do that. Because if I show up, I'm obligated. And your equipment, if I gotta use it, is not yours until I'm finished. We'll straighten it out. Your confusion and why I'm there. Because that's not your equipment. I just explained, you have to become one with it. Yeah. If you did not just hear what you heard, then please stop. I will stop talking. I mean that. That equipment is not yours, sir, ma'am, until I leave. Other than that, you operate it. I'm out. You see how it goes? Yeah. So that's why I know what I know. I ain't gotta shove it down your throat. You cannot replace my energy. You can't replace me. I don't want to be you. Oh, speaking of you, bear with me, y'all.

SPEAKER_04 37:20

Why owe you?

SPEAKER_01 37:25

I know it sounds elementary and crazy, but that's the point. Look at the letters. Why owe you? Now think about what it's saying. Why owe you? Why owe yourself an explanation why you didn't take the opportunity? Which is right now, to make better of your life, make better of yourself. Why owe you? Because I owe you. And the question before that is, what are you doing when me, myself, and I show up?

SPEAKER_05 37:58

Yeah, you gotta bring him in for the kids. You don't have this speech to this. I can't wait. I'm I'm just itching.

SPEAKER_00 38:05

Yeah, the kids are, yeah, the kids are.

SPEAKER_01 38:07

It's music. It's music. I learned to produce as a kid. I would listen to music and break it down. I was a kid that was able, I was a child, I want to say keep saying, but I was a child that listened to music and I heard because I grew up watching instruments. Again, as you recall, instruments, this is it was furniture.

SPEAKER_03 38:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 38:24

Those it was instruments that was the furniture as I grew up. When I would hear music, I'm looking at the drums. I seen my brothers playing at guitar, bass, piano. Hold on. When I hear it, I'm like, I separate it. Yeah. I'm separating, I'm like, oh, I hear that high hat. I seen that. My brother was playing the music. Not knowing that, that's multi mixed, multi-track. Yeah. Mixing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 38:49

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 38:50

And this is this is four, five, six years old. Yeah. This is this is so that was the training. That was my training, my upbringing when it came to music. So it's all music. It's it's all a music. It's all related to music. And children, children, they're in a state up until eight, nine years old, a state of theater. And they learn under this thing, this state of theater called hypnosis. So they're learning by what they watch. And it's easy, like the children, the ABCs again, it's a story. Yes, it's a song, but it's a story. It's telling a story. Because you're talking to an adult and you're saying, hey, look at me down here. I can sing the song. And I need you to tell me how great I am afterwards. Because that's the question asked afterwards.

SPEAKER_04 39:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:47

So tell you, tell me what you think of me. So it's stories that are remembered when they're put in melodies.

SPEAKER_03 39:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 39:57

They're put in a song. Yeah, because my daughter loves ABCs. She loves singing too. It has to be.

SPEAKER_01 40:03

It has to be. Meaning, I'll say this. Because it is, because it is, every every story that is remembered because of the melody. That's why it's remembered. It's because of the melody. And we we have to learn how to speak in melodies. You think about what a scale and all these things is. So you melody is what got you jamming to the rhythm. Yeah. It's the melody of the song. So melodies is how we remember things. So the best way to get to children is through stories. Think about it, man. Back in the time when humans were dealing with hunters gatherers era, right? When we had to go out and hunt. And who fire you gonna sit around if they didn't tell the best story on, or if they couldn't tell me, man, I killed this shape of tooth. Look at this tooth. I got it on my chest right here, buddy. I know how to kill. You wanna follow me? I'm gonna hang out at his fire. Yeah, it's a cool story. I ain't going to the other dude's fight. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. So, but his story is who's telling the best story. Again, find your voice because you're the instrument. The grip, the eye is in the in the middle of grip for a reason. Because if you don't recognize your instrument, your instrument is being played by someone else.

SPEAKER_05 41:30

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 41:31

So you are being played grown up. So I'll challenge any grown up to come to me and say, bro, I ain't getting. Yeah, I just played you because I'm saying what I'm saying. And if you got moved by, you came to play with me right then. So, bro, you're getting played. Yeah. So find your find out what your instrument is, your voice, which is your voice, and play it.

SPEAKER_05 41:55

Yeah. Can you talk about the potential career paths that can lead to the work that you do?

SPEAKER_01 42:01

Sure thing. Um potential career paths that can be taken. I mean, again, you can get right into film, you know, and that determines whether or not you want to shoot sports, live music, I mean, just government functions, meaning corporate functions, you know, faith-based stuff, meaning just churches. I mean, the Olympics, it doesn't, it just depends on, you know, scripted stuff. You want to shoot movies, it just depends. It's endless. Where you want it. And that's just in that aspect of it. You know. Um, gibbing is, you know, it's plenty of places. It can, it's taking me around the world. You know, and I've shot every style of thing I just named.

SPEAKER_05 42:43

What have you enjoyed the most? Yeah. Out of all of those?

SPEAKER_01 42:47

Which one has music? Music. I mean, just the music experiences. I mean the Olympics experience, because they that was the first out of the world, I mean out-of-the-country experience that I had. So it was it was unique. It was a unique experience, each one of them. But that music, man, just that because to me I'm a dancer, y'all. As you know, I'm a dancer. It's nothing like, man. It's nothing like moving to music. I think that's a complete that's where all the the mechanical, that's where the brain is really your brain is is at its healthiest when you're moving.

SPEAKER_04 43:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 43:30

When you're in motion because it has to operate. All those those those units has to operate. So it's exercising. Yeah, I mean, so I put it all into one, man, and make the best of it. I just I just love it. It's it's the music. The music. A lot of music. Live music. Concerts and yeah, live music. I love I mean con music videos are unique, but the live music aspect of it. And also it can take you into um construction. Learning this. Because the same science applies, just the numbers are different. The same numbers apply when it comes to weight. You're on when you're talking a simple machine when it comes to the the effort load uh section of the simple machine and and and the workload, the the calculations apply the same. It's just learning the numbers. I mean the uh the machines. So it's really you can get into the industrial aspect of it. You can get into it. I'm actually seeking to be certified to inspect those types of jibs.

SPEAKER_03 44:31

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 44:32

Yeah, I mean, it goes with it. It's amazing looking at it, driving around cities and looking at the city.

SPEAKER_00 44:41

Look at these things.

SPEAKER_01 44:44

So inspecting them, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 44:45

I'm gonna I'm gonna get that certification to inspect them, to be able to inspect them. It's just beautiful just being able to hear how I like that particular skill set, you know, how it applies to so many different aspects.

SPEAKER_01 44:57

I let me share this with you guys before I'm mad. I know a lot of people don't like to share these things. I don't mind because it's healthy. Madison Square Garden, December the 3rd, last year. Kiss. The legendary Kiss. They're into the they're not touring no more. Yeah I have a I have a jacket from it. Like it's yes, yes, it's big, it was big, right? I build the jib, I get it built, I get built, well, the stage isn't there yet, right? They hadn't built the stage completely. So we can't be in because in Madison Square is a union. So we had to find sections in Madison Square to actually build. So we found the section, we were completely on the opposite end of where the jib had to live. So I'm on the opposite end of Madison Square on the outskirts of it. Build the jail. We out there just doing our thing. All right, time comes up. Stage is in place. It's time to move up to the section. Get there. Well, we're rolling. I get to the section to enter into the dome. We got they called cable ramps, where you know they run cables by. So you gotta, in order, my I have a three-wheel base. It's a crab dolly. Same base. I got to go up the thing first and then rest before you come down. If not, if you just go up and then the force comes down, two wheels hit, it's gonna tilt fall. Got a guy walking with it in the front. I got a guy in the back, and I'm driving it. I got the wheels. Turns all the wheels. So we get on the top. I look to get the guy's attention. By this time he's turned and he's I had a jib fall. First one ever. First one in the history of the hip hop jib hop, but I proudly stated. Well, not really proudly, but I I speak it with confidence to say I don't mind sharing that. You know why I don't mind sharing that? Because I will never pay for that again. Because it could have been prevented. That's the quote, that's the point that I'm getting at. Yeah. It could have been prevented unless the humans involved died. Yeah. Other than that, it could have been prevented. So I share that to say those are that's another part of the business you have to prepare for. Yeah. Do not prepare for the food to be cooked on time every time. Don't prepare for the delivery to come in on time. Do not prepare for it to not be raining when you want it to sunshine. Please stop it with that. Prepare for whatever and leave it right there. Dot, dot, dot. Because it will happen. And if you don't, you will be in it for a surprise. And think about what you have done in your life when you were surprised. First off, you couldn't breathe. So how are you gonna help the situation? I was about to say panic. Well, before you you can't breathe. That's why you're panicking. Yeah. You stop breathing. So what are you gonna do? Yeah. You need to just breathe. Okay, that's the first thing you have to do. Process it.

SPEAKER_04 48:01

Yeah, yeah, process it.

SPEAKER_01 48:02

That's that's not easy to say because people don't do that in that thing we call heat of the moment. Oh no, of course not. No, that's you can't be around me, sir. You gotta go home for the day because you're not paying attention. And that sends you home for the day with grip. That will send you home for the day, paid. You gotta go home, sir. Oh, you gotta sit this one out. You're not you're not ready for this one. It ain't going nowhere. You're just not ready for this one. Yeah. Because any sounds of that are hiccups in a thing that we call groove. Now think about something as is as delicate as a needle in the groove of a record. Take it at scratch, take it out AM feel.

SPEAKER_00 48:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 48:40

All right, Brian, with that. Nope. We ain't gonna do that. We'll do that. Before we do that, we'll put a nickel and quarter on it, right? Yeah. We'll attempt that before I allow you to sit right there and knock that needle out of the groove. Yeah. Because that's what it's about, man. Yeah. It's about getting in that groove, man, finding the groove, finding your flow, man. What's your state? What's your state of flow? And again, I can go any and everywhere with it. The point is, is that get out of your own way. Amazing. That's that's the that's just that's the meat of it.

SPEAKER_00 49:15

Get out of your own way. So with that said, what are some of the current projects you're working on?

SPEAKER_01 49:21

Well, I got um current project I'm working on now is some tennis coming up. Uh the end of this month. Okay. Uh that that is fun. Oh, and it's down here, actually. Oh, famous circle? Yep. Okay, awesome, awesome. Be back there, shoot some tennis. And um, I am working on my book. Wrapping that up. I'm still I am not in a rush to do something that I is gonna be a part of me forever, and it's gonna stand out. So it's like I've been working on it since the last I started on it then. So it's like I'm I'm working on that diligently, stand on that. And just juggling a few other things, you know, entrepreneur that I will not speak about, but the entrepreneur spirit started in sixth grade, and man, I've been entrepreneuring ever since. So I learned this key thing, though, which I'll share with you guys. Until it's done, don't speak about it. If no, if the people are not involved, don't speak about it. Don't even speak about it to the your wife or your girl if she's not really involved in that sense, until you get it to a place to share it. Yeah. Because it's important to hear your voice and not hear everybody's voice before you make a decision. It's that important. So it's it's it's that important.

SPEAKER_00 50:39

Awesome. Awesome. So um, with that said, if people want to find out more about the hip hop jib job, how do they contact you or reach out to you?

SPEAKER_01 50:48

Uh, right now you can go to the website www.griptightpro.com. And I am it's under constraint, it's live, it's up and live. Okay. And after this interview, it's gonna be shut down because I gotta revamp it and get it prepped for whatever comes after this, right? Because I would like to get with you guys and put some type of link type thing that's associated through, you know, and make sense of it. You know what I mean? Because I'm about the mission. I I try to run away from what I am. I like what my calling is. I learned what my calling is, and that's just to help people get out of the way because I ain't gonna allow you to be in mind. So I'm gonna help you get out of the way. So is it simple as that? So, you know what I mean? With those things right there, it's just just kind of keeping that in the forefront. You know, awesome, awesome, awesome. But uh the social media place, yeah, definitely there. But we'll re but all the social media uh platforms is uh at grip type pro. Okay, got it. That's all the social media platforms. Got it, got it.

SPEAKER_00 51:59

And I know one of the things is I definitely with two P's, pardon. That's very important. One of the things is I definitely want to um thank you for being a guest because, like I said, you've always been somebody um who's seen the vision of what we've been doing since day one. I'll be like one of the very first guests um that we talked to. And as a matter of fact, like I said, and you've always supported us. That means a lot. Yeah, and so we've always been appreciative of that.

SPEAKER_01 52:24

That means a lot. I I'll tell you again, you guys got a community. If you are you familiar with self-go uh Goten, G-O-D-I-N, please look him up. The reason why I say that, because he was the first guy to market on the internet, y'all. Like before the WWW hit. Yeah. He was marketing. Right? So when it comes to marketing, this is where this thing about community, like, you know what I mean? This is where I get that kind of understanding by listening to these things and grabbing what works. Because I grew up in a community of 14. Yeah. Well, 16. So they but the community, you guys have a community. It doesn't take a lot of followers. There are people that I got a video that went viral of me performing my work. Cali Roots 2022. 40 million views. I I ain't I didn't make a dime off of that. Why I'm saying that is because it's it, I didn't start it, it happened, and it's like how it just happened naturally, genuine. I wasn't trying to go viral with me being at what I do, what I love to do. So I I would, I'm asking people to fall in love with what they do. Because in your community, they will trust you, and you want the community marketing you. You never want to market you. I can promise you, my community got me to this place 13 years later. The community I built with the people that I started to work with. The guy I met when I first got to LA work with him to this day, and we send me jobs to this day.

SPEAKER_05 54:10

I was just gonna ask you, how do you find jobs? Are they gonna be able to do it? It's relationships, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 54:15

It's but it's relationships. You only get referred after the what? The what the job is done. It's the relationship. Relationships is what builds it. Think about relate and then the word ship. The point is, is take relate off and concentrate on the ship.

unknown 54:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 54:34

Who you got on your boat? You got somebody on there that's gonna rock your boat, you might want to get them off your boat. True. Because it's about the ship. Again, you're not performing in my band if you don't know the equipment or the material.

SPEAKER_00 54:51

Yeah. Makes sense.

SPEAKER_01 54:53

I'm grabbing you by the back of your neck where the collar is and by the back of your pants where the hip, and I'm slinging you off the stage. Guaranteed. But I mean it in a way of politely asking you to, if you're working with me, sir, today is not the day, ma'am. Today is not the day you you're not in your rib, not in the flow. It's okay. Go breathe. If breathing ain't gonna do it, you gotta go home. Yeah. It's not nothing to be forced. So, with that, you know, I'll again.

SPEAKER_05 55:23

Let's just say the rest of the day, I'll be breaking down all my words.

SPEAKER_01 55:28

Hey, I'll tell you what, it's a job in that.

SPEAKER_03 55:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 55:32

Yeah. I found it. Again, that's why I said I've been entrepreneur for a while, y'all. Entrepreneur since the sixth grade, since I heard seen the word wrote on the board, and it didn't sound like what it looked like. Man, so I know we can talk all day. Right.

SPEAKER_00 55:49

But this is what I need to know. What were you doing in the sixth grade?

SPEAKER_01 55:52

Looking at this teacher write these words on the tech on the on the board, and I'm like, I'm bored. Like, I'm creating worlds like of today. Like, I'm having thoughts of today. Yeah. Right then, though. Okay. Meaning I wasn't there. I'm I'm dreaming. I'm dreaming about, man, one day at least I'll be a rapper, a beat man. At this time, I'll be a dancer, man. I want to dance, man. Like, that's what I was doing in the sixth grade. And then when this lady came across, because I drew.

SPEAKER_00 56:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 56:21

I sold my drawings, man.

unknown 56:23

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 56:24

Hold on. From kindergarten. I was in kindergarten drawing. Listen, I'm not exaggerating. I used to, I used to sell my drawings to the the students who needed my assistance to keep the bullies from beating them up. And they used to no this isn't this is facts. Like this is actual facts. That's that's I came like I knew these things. Meaning I could draw, like you can't, oh, let me see. Come here. Hey man, you can't bother him no more. So it was like, dude, I was the tallest kid. So I had clout. I was a tall kid for a long time, right? But again, I didn't have a filter either. Because I'll test you. Like again, I'll and I'll share this story, like again, because we're having it, right? Because one thing is what helped out with me and is being transparent. You have to be transparent. You can't be transparent later on. People won't respect that. You have to be transparent from the beginning. I can trust you there. But it the guy sitting beside me was a Caucasian student. And this is the early 80s. And you gotta understand, I'm still, this is not too far from issues that we've been having in society, right? But I'm like, oh man, oh my god, look at his skin. His like my I grabbed his hand and my handprint stayed in his hand, and that blew my mind. I was like, oh my god, what did what just happen? So I'm like, what? So I tried it again. And by that time, I didn't, I'm doing it by force because I didn't got overwhelmed by the fact that I can't beat it. This is not changing. Like, oh my god, what is happening? So the teacher's like, oh Henry, how no, you can't do that. What I'm getting at is that right there, like it helped me because again, I didn't want nobody else to beat them up. Yeah. Because everybody was the student. So I used my drawings. I use my creativity. So entrepreneurship has always been with me. It was just that I never was out to make money. I had the entrepreneurship in me, meaning that I don't want no boss. I don't want authority, I hate it. And that's another story that'll take a whole nother different thing. But and it happened in preschool. And you gotta understand why I'm saying these things because we have to be aware more so than careful, because without the awareness, how do you be careful? We gotta be aware of what we're doing in front of children because these children are recording. I am a 50-year young man, right? That remembers when I was three years old. I can walk you through my mom's house. I'm not exactly like I remember it. But you don't know what child is not gonna turn on that thing of, I'm gonna forget what happened to me that trauma. No, no, no, no. I'm not doing that. We're gonna address this right here and right now. We're gonna deal with that. So it's these things, it's those things again. Like I say, it all it's finding that voice. I had to find my voice. I'm gonna speak up. If not, then beat the voice down. You can't beat me down, it's a body. No, it's a body. You can beat it. Go ahead. But you can't beat that voice down. You're gonna hear what I'm gonna tell you. What I gotta tell you. You're gonna hear that, you're gonna get every piece of it. Cause I can't live with that. I gotta go to sleep. Keep that in mind. If you can't go to sleep with it, you might need to go put it down. Go give it to whoever's luggage it is. You carrying their luggage. Give it back to them.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:12

Living rent-free in the mind. Yeah, don't do that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:15

Yeah. So it's just that.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:17

It's just those things. So, with that said, I'm gonna go ahead and wrap up. And I would just once again just want to thank Um Grip for joining us today on this awesome episode. I appreciate you guys and my co-host, Tamaia. And then in the back. Mike. DJ What? And yes. And Lady.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:39

Yes. Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:41

Well, it was a pleasure, you guys. It was definitely a pleasure. And uh look forward to any more.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:45

Yeah, okay. I'm here. Reaching out to you.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:48

I'm here.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:49

Definitely talk to the kids because they need this information.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:52

Hey, I'm just uh an adult child.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:56

I never lost my imagination. Yes, I put away the peep pooping in my pants and wanting to play on the swing. I know I did. I traded it in for possibly not getting into it at Penn. But the truth being is that I never laid away my childlike imagination. Never.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:22

Awesome, awesome. And with that said, with that, let's have fun. Yes. Shows um, like I said, just um show everyone out there um that you love them. You appreciate them. Also shout out um links recording studios. Um definitely awesome space that we're in. If you're interested in looking at the space, um, we'll have the um links in the episode description. And um that said, um, peace.