The RTO Show "Let's talk Rent to Own"

Behind the Scenes of RTO Video Magic with EssToo Creative

• Pete Shau • Season 6 • Episode 11

Share episode

Send us a text

Want customers to stop scrolling and start walking into your store? We sat down with Stephen Stough of EssToo Creative, a veteran-turned-creative director who blends military-grade problem solving with story-led marketing that actually moves the needle for rent-to-own. From the origin of EssToo to the infamous “two guys in a bed” hook, we break down what makes a promo memorable, how to match concepts to real store talent, and why commitment on camera beats fancy gear every time.

Stephen shares a battle-tested framework for making videos on any budget. Audio is king, lighting is simple but crucial, and a tight script with a clear purpose will outperform long rambling reads. We talk through casting choices, embracing authentic flubs, and building a content library that balances humor, heart, and seasonal offers. You’ll hear how a few early RTO videos found serious traction, why “be brief, be brilliant, be gone” still works, and how to turn a scroll-stopping visual into a clean, compelling call to action.

If your team is DIY-ing with phones, you’ll get practical tips: invest in a lav mic from Rode or DJI, diffuse your lights, remove background clutter, and film at least three takes. If you’re ready to level up, consider buying creative time to map a month of concepts your staff can execute in-house. We also cover why cutting marketing and training is the fastest way to shrink foot traffic, and how small, consistent investments can make your store the standout brand when budgets are tight.

Subscribe for more creative playbooks tailored to rent-to-own, share this with a teammate who appears in your videos, and leave a review with your best hook that stopped the scroll. Your next great ad might be one brave idea and three clean takes away.

Support the show

www.TheRTOshowPodcast.com For swag and information

Pete@thertoshowpodcast.com

Facebook - The RTO Show

Instagram - the_rto_show

Linkedin - The RTO Show

Youtube - The RTO Show Podcast

SPEAKER_01:

Hello and welcome to the RTO show. I'm your host, Pete Chow. Today we're gonna come to you Christmas week. We have a little bit of time this time to kind of remember what's going on in the world and also give you a show and kind of tell you how to do it behind the scenes. I have a great, great interviewee today, but as I'm talking to you guys, I just want to say thank you for being with us this year. It's been a great year. It's been a spectacular time to see you, to see your family, and everything that's going on at Rent to Own. We appreciate it here at the RTO show. Now, getting down to it, my main man, my guest, the guy haven't been able to really get on the show in years. Side note, he is probably one of the main reasons that I'm still here doing this. We'll get into that because it's a backstory on that one. So, Steven Stow, hey, I gotta know. You do this for a living.

SPEAKER_00:

I do, and I do.

SPEAKER_01:

I want to make you rate this show later.

SPEAKER_00:

He's gonna I don't know if I want to rate my own show. Uh like when I'm you know when I do something. So he's gonna rate you. I definitely don't want to rate me being on your show.

SPEAKER_01:

No, no, no, no, no, no, no. We'll definitely we'll definitely burn you next year. I'm talking about you. So, Steven, like, listen, man, first off, thank you for being here. Yeah, yeah, man. I'm glad you're you are the best, dude. I love you, man. There's so much backstory that we'll get into. It's been we get a lot of history. It's been a ride. Yeah, it's been a ride. And I've been telling Stephen, I was like, listen, I gotta introduce you to the RTO world, you know, as as we do this. And I'm like, how the hell hasn't it not happened yet? Like, how is it not happened? Yeah, I have no idea, man.

SPEAKER_00:

All these shows, all the crazy things. Listen, if you guys like two, it was well, it's been three years of heart surgery, so you know, I'm I'm finally on the on the other side of it. We're probably a demand, right? You were like, hey, can I get you on a podcast? I'm like, well, I'm gonna be in surgery for a little while. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, listen, he's part of S2 Creative. Now, listen, S2 Creative is probably one of the best things that's ever happened to me. I'm gonna hope it happens to you too. It's veteran-based. This is the owner here. He works with actors, does a lot of producing, a lot of things that you might need for your situation. But I'm gonna let him explain it. Where did S2 come out? Now, you just said something that I actually didn't know. So we're green rooming this, and I just found out it might have come from your sergeant here.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah. So it comes a little bit in my background.

SPEAKER_01:

So where does it where does it come from? You're a veteran. We appreciate all your service. Where did it come from? You were worth it.

SPEAKER_00:

Uh you know, no one most veterans have no idea. And I heard somebody years ago when they said, you know, people say thank you for your service, and I I'm like, and I heard him say it, and I was like, ooh, I'm gonna pick that up. So I was like, yeah, you were worth it. We did it. Yeah. Together. Together. Um, no, uh, so um, like I was telling you uh earlier, I had a drill surgeon, you know, she asked me a question and uh you didn't know how to pronounce my last name, so I told her it was like you know, cow, but style remove the C, add an S T. So she called me Stal Cal forever. That drove me nuts. Um, and it stuck for a little while, but it kind of went away. And then my you know, my last name is Stal, first name is Steven, so it's an S, you know, you know, two S's. And so I was thinking that. And then it was uh I was I was on the Intel side of things for the military, so military intelligence, which is uh, you know, a brigade and below is an S2. And so, like, you know, it just kind of all stuck together. So um, and then I have uh five siblings, and so they're all S's. And so when people would look at me, they would say, Oh, hey, are you an S2? And I would go, I I am also an S. Yes. Okay, okay, wait, wait, wait.

SPEAKER_01:

The question is, are you the second S?

SPEAKER_00:

I am the second S.

SPEAKER_01:

Dude, that's sick.

SPEAKER_00:

I have an older sister, Stacey, and and so I'm the second S. That's awesome. So it fits all the way around. Yeah, so it's it's a bit of a whole thing. So S2 creative. Um, somebody asked me yesterday, it was like, um, is is the S too creative? Like, like, like, is it also creative, or is it just too much creative? Creative at what you do, and and I would go, uh, depending on the day, it might be.

SPEAKER_01:

So well, if you guys ever see what we've gotten ourselves into, you might be asking that question too. Is this too creative? I don't think so. But we had a good time.

SPEAKER_00:

I don't know if you can be too creative.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, what yeah, what you have this military intelligence background, and I swear that if I heard that, like if I said, you know, this is a military guy, this guy's a veteran, he's done it for a long time. It wasn't like a four-year stint, you were in it for a long time.

SPEAKER_00:

So, yeah, I did I did six years in the army, um, overseas deployments and all that kind of stuff, and then uh did another 14 DOD. So um working with Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, stuff like that.

SPEAKER_01:

So I would never thought in my lifetime that I would be laughing with a guy who has 20 years of military experience and military intel experience and the things that you might know, right? Don't kill me. But I'm just saying, like, you know, how how did video production come from that?

SPEAKER_00:

Like you, like you that is. It was it was it's so wild because I've always been a bit of a creative on the other side of things, you know. And you know, in college, I you know was fascinated with theater and and and stuff like that. And then as I as I got older and I just you know, certain amounts of creativity have always been part of who I am. Yeah. And so like we anytime there was something creative or a solution that needed to be found, I was a creative solutioner. And so um it just kind of lent itself to kind of progressing. And then I got into working with nonprofits over time, and then they needed something, and then somebody needed something, and so that was kind of like taking some of my experience with the you know, with the government and going, oh, I can build you a website, oh, I can do this, oh, I can do that. And so that led into all of these different creative outlets that I was able to do, not just with the government and military, but also in the in my civilian life, helping nonprofits and helping, you know, things, you know, people that were struggling and stuff to get their stuff off the ground. Problem solving. Yeah, basically creative problem solving. With a smile, problem solving with a smile. I could I got this. And so that's kind of how it is, you know. And so, you know, that led that led to really cool opportunities. Years into my government service, we were doing a roast of uh a favorite general. He was he was unbelievably awesome. He was one of the greatest generals I've ever worked with. Um, and four. And somebody wanted to roast him really well, and they were like, How do you do that? And I'm like, Well, you can control it, you know, you can control the funny if you do it on video. And so we filmed these guys. Uh, all of the film has been since destroyed, all of the DVDs, there's nothing that exists anymore. But we delivered something that was utterly hilarious, and I was fascinated. I was completely 100% in, and I was like, ooh, video is a really cool thing. And you know, this is decades ago, and so it's all been redacted.

SPEAKER_01:

100% redacted. You're gonna be able to do that.

SPEAKER_00:

It's 100% redacted now. It's funny. So, like, wow.

SPEAKER_01:

Uh you know, because I I went on to the S2 Creative YouTube page, I'm looking at some of the stuff. I've I see you know the volleyball video where the girls were just like intense, you know. And I don't know how you get those young girls to be intense, but it was awesome, you know.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, if you look at all the b-roll, they're all they they stay, they stay a ser in a serious moment for about two seconds, and then it's like, ah, that was hilarious.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, I think that's one of the biggest problems that we have right now is making our videos is like, can you can you yeah when you and I work together, it's like most of it's b-roll.

SPEAKER_00:

Most of it's like outtakes and stuff, yeah. Regular rolls, b-roll.

SPEAKER_01:

That's the way it is. So, you know, as you're doing that, how just the differences and all the things that you're able to do. You do it very well. What do you do right now? Because S2 Creative is not 100% of what you do, you also do some other stuff.

SPEAKER_00:

I do, I do. Um, my my main gig, if you will, is I'm a communications director uh for a local church, and um, and just basically do exactly what I do in this in my side hustle. I guess you could call it a side hustle, but I I do both of those things. And so they all have to do with the same thing. They all have to do with web, graphic design, logo design, um, creative development, um, you know, social media, all of it kind of has to do in the same sphere. So, you know, it's it's you know, it's been a cool, you know, thing. You know, God kind of gifted me this way, and so um, you know, I I now use it to do all kinds of other cool stuff to help my family.

SPEAKER_01:

So absolutely, yeah, absolutely. Well, listen, you guys know that I do everything rent-to-owned. All those things that he just checked off is something that I know that we need very much show in the rent-to-owned space. We've talked about that a hundred times. We have, we have very much. We always say, and listen, I'm not knocking the guys with the cell phone out there who are kind of doing the five-second video.

SPEAKER_00:

Hey man, no, you know what? There's no shame in that game. You gotta, you know, you gotta do both sides.

SPEAKER_01:

You gotta it's good to do both. But it's also good to good, you know, just put it together, get some brainstorming, and get a good set out there. Whether you're gonna do a 30-second, whether you're gonna do a 60-second, get it behind in a YouTube ad, uh, you know, put a little bit of Google money behind it. I'm just saying, um, and and really in your stretch.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I mean, that's where we really saw um stuff with with our you know, our first couple of gigs together was working with you know, Amber Lee, making sure that not only were we were we filming quality, hilarious, hilarious content. I thought. I mean, people ask me, we used to ask me what what I did, and I was like, I make stupid videos. And you know, and I'm like, she they're like like dumb. And I'm like, no, no, no, they're I think they're brilliant, but like they're silly, like they're just silly videos. And so and you know, our mantra in those in for those years was yeah, Pete'll do it. And the amount of and the amount of times that I I would go, yeah I can get Pete to do that.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, look, you guys gotta go to the YouTube page. Look at S2 Creative, it's E-S-S-T-O-O creative, and take a look at their page.

SPEAKER_00:

If you like, if you like Pete, look, I'll just go right to the camera here. I'm not trying to ignore the camera. I'm I'm not normally in the front of the camera, but if you if you like Pete and you want to make fun of Pete, go go see some of the old videos that we did with you know with Pete and Rent King because um to me they are comedy gold. Uh and if not, you can at least take screenshots, send them to him, and you know, and insult him on a deep level. Say, I saw you acting a fool.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, you know, it is out there. There was a learning curve between the first video and the last. I will tell you. It was a definite curve. I you know what, I gotta touch on this because I don't know how many people remember this. I remember the first video we did. Danny had just lost his voice. He was the night before he lost his voice. And we are just like, What did you do? So he's trying to speak at the top of his lungs, which is about a 20 on the dial. Right. And uh, we're going through this, and I just cannot remember my lines. I cannot remember the lines. Dude, you are the worst at remembering lines. Like you are you might be the worst. So as far as terrible goes, I I am on that list. And so Danny's there, and he's talking to me, and I'm like, dude, I can't remember what I was supposed to say. So he's standing in front of me, and I'm like, where's the camera gonna be at? Well, it's he's he's it's coming in this way, and I'm like, dude, yeah, boom, and we put the I put my entire script on his chest, and nobody knows this. That's right.

SPEAKER_00:

I totally forgot that you did that. You taped into his chest and you were like, I'm just gonna read directly. I'm just gonna read off your breast.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, just that's so hilarious. You guys gotta see the scene. I'm sitting down in a chair and he's looking at me, standing over me. And Anthony, because the producer over there, I know you're thinking it's crazy, but listen, you gotta do what you gotta do, right? So he's over the shoulder shot, and I'm just like literally reading this off his chest. But it was so much fun.

SPEAKER_00:

Don't worry, I almost strangled you that day. So it was it was cool. I was glad we became friends afterwards. It was a trial by fire. It was definitely trial by fire.

SPEAKER_01:

That was our first rent-to-owned video. We hadn't done it before that. Yeah, yeah. And honestly, it kicked off something that I thought made a huge difference. We actually killed it during that time frame.

SPEAKER_00:

And I think that video got 70 or 80,000 views. It did. And then Amber Lee was running it in the stores too, which was just phenomenal. So, I mean, they just created content on content.

SPEAKER_01:

It was beautiful because not only did it allow us to understand a little bit of what we had been doing versus what we could be doing, but the differences made. It was like there's a script. We have something to say. There's a go-to point, there's something that we're trying to get at. We're gonna we're gonna talk about this ad in this way. We're gonna mention it, we're gonna have funny so that there's a reason to get from point A to point B, not just, you know. I'm not I'm watching the same guy saying that.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, it's just shoving content, you know, like people are peep people wonder why certain things don't do well. But if I stand in front of a chair and go buy this chair, then you know, I mean, what are the what is the likelihood that you're gonna stay around long enough to even hear about the qualities of the chair? But if I set you on fire and put you near the chair, then people are at least gonna hang out long enough to kind of see whatever we're doing. And and so, you know, I mean, there's a um uh there there have been several different you know, marketing companies that have done really well with this over the time, and and I think we all, you know, like recognize this is beautiful because we use great story to tell and and push great content and push great products, but you don't want to just shove product because if you're shoving product, people get bored with that. People have got that in their face all the time. But if you tell a good story, then they're willing to hear they're willing to hear you out.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, you know, every time that I catch myself in the middle of the night watching like an ad for for some kind of new medicine that's gonna give me 35 different problems, they're all having fun and they're eating dinner, and it has nothing to do with the bowel movement they're doing that.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, absolutely. They're like and they're like involuntary, spontaneous bowel evacuation. You know, if you experience this, then you're pretty much on track with what everybody else experiences. But have a great day. And then everybody's just waving, like you're like the people taking the medicine are in the toilet. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

You can't see them. Hi, I'm Pete Shao. You may know me from the RTO Show podcast, but today I'm doing something a little bit different. April and Wild Brands have launched a special project to bring the story of our industry to life like never before. They've asked me to sit down with some of the true legends of Rent to Own, capturing their stories, their impact, and their vision for the future. And now I get to share those conversations with you straight from the legends themselves. All this leads to something groundbreaking, though. A new book. The Rent to Own Revolution, a definitive history of advocacy and consumer access, written by April CEO Charles Schmitterman and WoW Brand CEO Brian Kratz. The book explores the grassroots of RTO, the advocacy that has defined it, and the future that we're building together. Here's where you come in. We're giving away free copies once the book is released. Just head over to the RTORevolution.com and sign up for a chance to receive a copy in early 2026. Don't miss the chance to be among the first to hold this piece of RTO history. That's rtorevolution.com. Check it out and become a part of RTO History. What is the difference? Because this is always important to me. Because I didn't know about this kind of creation that we had and what we had gone through. And I I gotta say, I have to thank you for what we went through because it was a great time. I didn't go through it and go, God, this guy sucks. And then we did ours, and I'm like, oh, I love it. It was like we hit it off the front.

SPEAKER_00:

We we really I I really think that the a great relationship just lends itself so beautifully to really good content. I I think if you like as you and I were building our relationship and our friendship, I mean, like the second video we did together was just uh that much funnier. Phenomenally funny. Yeah, it was we we had a blast. Uh just to me, it's because the creative process really gets flowing. I I'm a I'm a hyperkinetic thinker. And so like I'm always like, oh, we could do this and then we could do this. So it's good to have a plan in place because you know, like otherwise you gotta wander off the rails. But but when we when we built our plan, we sat on we sat in that upstairs office and just mapped out what four videos or three videos that we're gonna do.

SPEAKER_01:

We have to upload that and and actually attach it to the bottom of this video at some point. But like, what was it what's the difference? Because I didn't know this stuff. What's the difference between regular retail ad creation and what we did for our to? Because I remember at first you were like, this is a little bit different from the norm of what you do because we're we're not really selling it.

SPEAKER_00:

Now we can't sell it, but normally the the excuse me, I'm gonna lean forward here, but get closer, maybe. Get closer.

SPEAKER_01:

I think we just need a piece of spaghetti.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm just saying. Yes, a little lady in the tramp for an RTO podcast. There we go. Um, no, like the the you know, most of the stuff that I mean, honestly, I mean the whole the whole thing is hilarious. Um, because Amber Lee connected contacted me and said, Look, I I I can't I can't partner with you. Like, there's no way we're my budget is like 12 bucks.

SPEAKER_02:

Right.

SPEAKER_00:

And I was like, okay. And she goes, Do you have anybody that costs 12 bucks? And I was like, I've got an intern. And and he's really gifted. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And so Sergio incredibly talented, but he wasn't gonna do it. I said, look, I said, she can't afford it, but if I'm mentoring you, then I'll do it for free. Yeah. And so I show up that day, and then I'm like, you know, make sure he gets paid a you know, a good mage or something. And then we started building really solid content, and I was like, okay, uh, if I'm gonna keep coming back, then then you're gonna you're gonna have to push this over to S2 Creative. But I think we had we had we had proven how well the content could go, and so it became worth the the the greater and greater investments.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, listen, just so you guys know, you always need a hook and you always need something. And that thing was Steven decided to ask us if, you know, this shot would be great if both you guys were in his bed. Is that an issue? Is that an issue if you guys were in the bed? And I think, you know, data and were like, at the time I was thinking, I've done, I mean, I know me, I know they're like, whatever. And it actually became a running joke that we did some stuff on Instagram and we did some other stuff because I had many of these.

SPEAKER_00:

We were in like seven different beds together. Yeah, it was hilarious.

SPEAKER_01:

But you were also under couch and like. So, yeah, so we so we do this thing, and out of everything that was done, I've been asked about that bed scene quite a bit. So, but it was catchy, it was it was something that, like you said, you know, previously before we had talked, it's like you need something to catch, yeah. Something to grab. And it was like, oh my god, dude. And at that point in time, not that I'm saying anything, it was freaking hilarious. It was, it was, it was something that I never thought of. It was hilarious.

SPEAKER_00:

The the marketing, the marketing, I guess the marketing parlance is to say you've got to stop the scroll. Right. Um, you know, I mean, we spend our lives doing this, right? And so, and we wait until somebody, something catches our eye. And if it's not a cute kitten, then I'm probably still going, you know? I mean, um, or some weird political thing that's like, oh, this is gonna make me angry. Right. But there there are those moments when something jumps out and you're like, oh, funny. And so you'll stay and you'll hang out for a while. And so our idea is is for every single every single customer or client that we have, it's it's trying to work with them to figure out what stops the scroll for people who might be interested in your stuff, and then what's gonna what's gonna pull them in? We really want to invite them in. So um creating that kind of relationship with you guys. Well, how does it work?

SPEAKER_01:

How when you're you're talking about the creativeness, we're talking about just this craziness, throw it against the wall. We did mention spaghetti until we're gonna do it.

SPEAKER_00:

We do throw spaghetti against the wall and see what's there.

SPEAKER_01:

So you go into this and somebody says, you know what, S2, Steven, like I this I want something to catch. I'm gonna do a free till, I'm gonna do buy one, get one, I'm gonna do, hey, you know what, this is a low-down payment because we know it's Christmas. Listen, we'll get you in the door, you get set up, take care of your family, worry about the payments later. Yeah. How do you get that creative juices going and say, this is this is my brand bland idea. How do you get it to go? I'm gonna create two guys in a bed.

SPEAKER_00:

Wow, I I mean, like, okay, well, one, the two guys in a bed. Okay. Specifically you and Danny. And the reason why that was funny was not because two guys were in a bed, but it was because you two were in a bed. Specifically, and you could you could probably sense the the the weirdness wafting off of Danny. And so it created a beautiful awkwardness that I just I loved from the moment we we were like, no, no, get under the covers.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. No, yeah. We were we were not laying on top of the covers. As a matter of fact, the bed looks exactly plain, and then all of a sudden it's you guys get up and are talking about you know tax sales that have nothing to do with anything.

SPEAKER_00:

Is it max your tax? Or is that max max max your tax for a point? We're talking and we're just like, hey, what about this? And it's a great idea. Whoop. You both put the sheet down and you sit up and uh like and Amber Lee ruined three shots of that. Like, and Danny just kept, and he was turning more and more and more purple every scene. But that was almost like we kept the full purple scene.

SPEAKER_01:

So, but like, where does that come from? And how do you how do you put all these ideas together? So I'm you know, I'm I'm John Doe rent to own, and I'm like, hey, Steven, you know what? I I got a couple of guys who aren't afraid to be in front of the camera, but they they just do the YouTube thing. They do a not a YouTube, excuse me, like a Facebook or a TikTok or whatever, and they try to have fun with it. Right. But I need something I need to get behind. I need something that's got a little bit of juice for the squeeze. You're gonna mention certain things that I know, some certain triggers. Hey, you know, free till, get this now, low, low. You could package this in, show up product, but I don't want them gone in the first five seconds, so I need this catch and stuff, and you're gonna like, I got all these things, I got these checks now.

SPEAKER_00:

So we look at the yeah, we do, so we take a look at what your checks are, and then we take a look at honestly, we take a look at your environment. I'll I'll try to I try to meet with the the you know, we call it the talent, but I try to meet with the guys who are gonna be in the video and really try to tailor things to who those guys are. Because I mean, um, you know, we did you know, we did major freedom, and and he's a good guy. He was a great guy, but but but he was also like the strong silent type. And so we try to create something that was not not that he, you know, I mean he was totally willing to speak, but I think he was I think it lent himself more to being strong and silent. And so we talked about you know doing Rambo and and putting the whole Rambo idea together because you know we were gonna do, you know, something. Yeah. So I mean, we just draw from from what we're seeing, what is currently trending, but also we take a look at what works inside your environment and we look for a a silly hook. We look for something that's going to, you know, kind of punch through the noise.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. But James Harvey, we love you. Uh we'll just say you you are hella stoic and we could see it in your face.

SPEAKER_00:

The the most uh and Marcus Aurelius could, you know, I think he could give him a run for that.

SPEAKER_01:

I think he could have just stood in and nobody would have noticed. Uh I love you, dude. I'm just letting you know for sure. And and so when when we're doing that, and I love the idea of taking not just the idea, but of blending it with what's already there, because that really makes a huge difference. If I'm if I'm a little bit more if I'm okay with talking about some silly stuff, that might be great. If I'm a little bit more straight leaning, then I might have you in a part versus the whole thing. And you know, talking about all that, sometimes they're flubs, right? There are things that are like just don't go right.

SPEAKER_00:

They're like, that's weird, but it works. Not only does it work, but it also like so I try to be when when we create, right? We have a we have a plan, we have a script, we have stuff that's written down. But I also try to be ready for the moment. So if something is happening and I'm like, oh my God, that is hilarious. Let's let's lean into that. Sometimes the the video that we're shooting can take on a bit of a different texture. Um, and and that ends up being a really beautiful thing. I mean, how many times have we been what we've shot all the content and then I was like, we need wigs, we need wigs immediately.

SPEAKER_01:

Dude, half of the stuff that we did was seriously off-rail, I've got to be honest.

SPEAKER_00:

It was, you know, but it was hilarious. Like the stuff we did was was but it was it was seeing it was working together, but it was seeing the the it was seeing it develop inside the moment, and then having the patience in the moment to to pursue it. Um and sometimes that takes some takes a little bit of time, takes a little bit of tweaking and and stuff, but when you can lean into it, you've got really great clients who can really lean into that moment or some of those things. Um I will say not every idea is a good idea. Um he said it out loud. Yeah, I was waiting for that to come. There are there are times when when clients are like, hey, what if we and I go, um, that is a that's awesome. That is a bold idea. That is bold and brave, but I don't necessarily know if if we, you know, if if you're that's in your budget, or I don't know, you know, I can't hang P Pete off a helicopter. Um like because the budget wouldn't cover the safety guy. Right. So, you know, or the insurance. I'm not telling you no, we can do it, but I I know some, you know, we can get into some real heavy stuff, but uh but that stuff is the reason I bring it up is because there was a there's a couple scenes in the world.

SPEAKER_01:

I love watching things and learning. So when I'm on YouTube, besides watching our videos, I start you know tumbling on some stuff, and I'm like, you know, there was a scene in taxi where they're walking across the street, and I don't know if a lot of people know this, but the taxi that came up and almost hit him and he hits the hood. He says, you know, hey, watch it, I'm walking here. Right, yeah. That is a completely improv. That's an improv scene.

SPEAKER_00:

Completely improv scene.

SPEAKER_01:

But they loved it so much because it was the heartbeat of New York as he's walking through there. Oh, it was totally left in. I mean, he could have got his legs crushed, and they're like, that's a great thing, you know.

SPEAKER_00:

I mean, like one of the greatest things in in recent, you know, in recent flub history is the the Marvel movie with when um Chris uh Pratt is handling the ball and he drops the ball and he picks it back up, but that was so in line with his character. So there was plenty of times when I mean do you remember when we were trying to, you know, uh trying to get Danny to say 30 days.

SPEAKER_01:

You know how Black Friday is just one day? Yeah, 30 days. 30? Yes, 30 days. So I'm watching, I'm watching that our Black Friday thing, right? And I'm and I was going through it. And I I love that one because it's it's not long, it's it's straight to the point, but it was hilarious. And I rem I played that scene three times last night because I was just like, I remember she took it was 30 minutes of outtakes, and he's like, I'm like, how do you not hear what I'm what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_00:

But he got so flustered, like he couldn't hear anything anymore. Like, all I'm sure his ears were ringing. 30 days, 30 days, 30 days, 30 days, 30 days, 30 days, and so he just kept saying it, and I was like, Danny, breathe, man, get it donut.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

But I you know, so those things really help lend to it.

SPEAKER_00:

And I would say if somebody, you know, but it's gotta be fun. Like you want it, you want it to be fun, you know. I mean, what we're doing, I mean, come on, we're making videos to to help connect people with great product. I mean, like, that's that's what we're doing. So why not enjoy it? Well, you know, what's catchy, right?

SPEAKER_01:

So let's say let's say we leave a flop. It it makes sense because the guys that we're gonna be using, guys and gals, let me phrase that, but the guys and gals that we're gonna be using are in the industry. A lot of times we're not gonna bring outside talent because we want people to come into the store and see the person that they saw in a video, right?

SPEAKER_00:

We brought in outside talent. And we brought outside talent. We've we've done both.

SPEAKER_01:

And and you know, it's gonna be up to you guys whether you do it or not. But my thought is if you're trying to keep it in budget, you might want to use that.

SPEAKER_00:

If they have a talented side, guys, let me just let me warn don't don't pick if if you if you if you don't have talent, we can find somebody with talent.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, we can sit them down for 30 minutes and explain rent to own. But the thing is, is like if they have talent, because it there, I have yeah, there were there were a couple of times I'm like, dude, yeah, look, there's some emergent talent out there that's really, really good.

SPEAKER_00:

And I love I love finding organic talent. I do. But every once in a while, somebody will hand me someone and be like, here, this is the star. And I'm like, oh, awesome. And I'm like, we're gonna rewrite this script. He'd be like, why do they have uh no scenes? So yeah, I'm not trying to be a terrible. In the first Rocky, he only had so many dialogue lines. There's a reason for that. So we're gonna we I mean you try to grow into it, and some and sometimes it is you find emergent talent. Like Danny was really awkward in the first couple, yes, um, but he really found his rhythm. Like he was, I mean, so he really found his rhythm. So sometimes it just takes a little bit more experience, a little bit more time. So you try to you try to deal it. I mean, like if you look at somebody who goodness, I'm throwing things. I'm beating it up over here. Once I'm getting more like you can see when I was getting more Connecticut, he's like, uh, it's gonna be twenty thousand dollars. You broke my uh entire podcast studio just moving around. And then he's like, guys, what are you doing? Exactly. So, so um, you know, growing that and and la allowing people to to kind of step into it is is you know, I mean, like they just get comfortable over time. Uh, you watch it, um, a lot of people will be in like a Facebook video and they're like, Hi, I'm Bob. This is a great chair, and you know, you should come down and and and and enjoy this chair. Every day is in this chair, and this chair is amazing, and we chairs are awesome. And so you you go, well, I mean, he's willing to be on camera, he's willing to be in front of the camera, but there's some there's some things that we need to add to that to help him deliver to the camera better. I mean, even your social media, even the stuff that you and Danny were doing on a cell phone right before, like it got so much better as you guys were were exploring some of the sillier sides of who you were.

SPEAKER_01:

And and I'm glad you said that because if you guys have people on video, it let them explore that, let them grow into their talent because we we learned really quickly that it was almost like an Abbott Costello kind of thing. Like, you know, there's a funnier side and there's a little bit of a serious side. And if you know who can play that part a little bit better, who who naturally embodies what they're saying, hey, it might just be a better take, right? You know, like like this guy does it a little bit this way and this way. And we came up with the uh it was the Christmas one where you know where we turned you into the elf. Right?

SPEAKER_00:

So they wouldn't have to be like, it's happening, it's happening, and then we turned you into the elf.

SPEAKER_01:

But um, and then there was the uh there was the one in the lake. Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_00:

So that was that was awesome. Uh that was that was the first time I'd ever said Petle do it. And Amber Lee were in the we're in the production meeting, sitting down and trying to come up with some of the ideas for it. And she was like, Well, and I looked over and I was like, Petle do it, and you're like, dude, you treaded water for a long time. It was like an hour and a half. I was like, put your feet down, and you're like, I'm not putting my feet in the thing.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm surprised that my name, uh my sergeant, didn't give me socks as a name because that I needed his socks.

SPEAKER_00:

He gave me his socks. I'm just gonna say that I took my socks off that day and I was like, fine, put these on. And then you tried to give them back, and I was like, dude, I was gonna wash them. They're leg socks.

SPEAKER_01:

I tell you what, I enjoyed making that video. Probably, you know, it was hard. It was hard treading the water, it was hard seeing, it was hard to see that only lasted 1.5 seconds, but I loved it. I loved it. And I think that also part of the creativity is getting your people behind it, right? So they can see what it takes to really put something out there. Because, you know, as you're talking about big brands and you talk about, you know, you know, mattress firm and you've got Macy's and you got all these guys, there's not somebody standing in their store. Now, I'm not saying that's a bad thing because we're a lot, what a lot smaller, square footage is a little bit smaller, we do a lot of different things. Yeah, you you you're just yeah, different footprint. But there's there's also that you need to be, you need to be out there the right way. They need to be able to look at you and go, yes, I know those people and they create social media content, but they're also professionals. These guys are gonna take care of me because I know that they're gonna, you know, in the ads, they look like they're just gonna handle some business. They're gonna take it out the right way, they're gonna service me the right way, they're gonna sell me what I need with a little bit of jazz in their ass, right? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, I mean, not everything has to always be hilarious either. I mean, you can do straightforward content, you can just do it well. I mean, one of the things we did with you was the, you know, the the emplo some of the employment stuff. We were trying to show a different side. Yeah. And so when we were looking at the employment side, I mean, we had a, you know, we were it was a season for heartwarming, and and and and so yeah, I mean, we've got you, and you know, I got the job, and we did the whole I've got the job talking about, you know, building a career inside of RTO, and and and so I I felt like that was probably one of the best ones we've done. Yeah, and it was and it was not hilarious, but it was really, really heartwarming. I want you to know, I I felt like Jim Carrey, right?

SPEAKER_01:

I was doing a all this comedy, and then all of a sudden they're like, You gotta do something serious.

SPEAKER_00:

And I was like, Yeah, but but I think it I think it really really went well. Yeah, it did. It did. And and and so we scripted the crap out of that though.

SPEAKER_01:

But well, we we're gonna talk about ad library very very soon. But like you did some acting yourself, right? Yeah, you like like you know what you're talking about. I mean, you've been able not only to say it directing, producing, hey, this is this is this is what you want to embody. This is the emotion that we're coming from, this is the last scene, this is where I want you to look, this is where I want you to feel, but also you've had somebody tell you, hey, Steven, this is I've had a director, you know, metaphorically shove his hand up my butt and move my mouth and move me around a stage.

SPEAKER_00:

So yeah, no, I've do this. Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01:

So how how is it that you use that to because I can tell you what, when somebody comes up through the ranks, it's so much better. Rent home is just like that too. Is you start as a driver, you get to collections, you get to sales, you get to run a store, you get, you know, that's what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_00:

Build your own place someday.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, hopefully. So in acting and doing that and directing, you know what it's like to be the the guy in the back, the guy in the front.

SPEAKER_00:

As a matter of fact, I know what it's like to be the stage hand. Not in the stage, not in the stage manager, not the backstage manager, but the stage hand. Hold this. Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01:

So so you you've seen it, you've done it. How does that help translate in making some of these videos that, you know, let's say I come to you and you're like, man, I I know from the bottom to the top. How beneficial is that?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, it's it's been absolutely invaluable because looking understanding like from the logistics side of things to the the execution to the lighting to the audio and all of those kind of things, each one has its own place in in what you're doing. And each one is vitally important from even you know, costume selection to script to um you know actor positioning and and what we call blocking, so moving somebody around on purpose, you know, and then not having people wander in a stone. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01:

It was so much fun because I've never gone through makeup, thank God. But we did have a lot of changing, and this is what you're gonna wear, and this is where you're gonna stand.

SPEAKER_00:

I didn't put you in makeup because I felt like that might be too far for you. Uh it is not because I did not look here, it is not because I didn't have a makeup bag in my car ready for like to get at least put some powder on you. So, and Danny, Danny was shiny one day, and we did get some powder on his face, and and I thought he was gonna blow up. So um, yeah. I understand it.

SPEAKER_01:

I underst I understand it. I have no problem with that. But how does being in in, you know, when you direct people, because you know, we have talked about people being in front of the let's say cell phone camera. I'm not gonna, you know, and I'm not trying to take away from that, but like how important is it as you get into this? Because you know, time's money. As as you go in there, you you want to do as much pre-planning as possible because once the film means rolling, it it costs every second costs money. Yeah. When you're looking at this talent, not only hopefully that they know a little bit of rent to own, how how comfortable do they need to be in front of the camera?

SPEAKER_00:

I I I I used so I used to teach like drama classes to to kids and stuff. Um and he's a teacher. Yeah, and so um, but one of the things was you know, I used to tell kids all the time, well, I've told adults this too, on on plays and stuff that I've directed. But comedy is pretty much about one thing, and that's commitment. And so it's very much the same for everything else. If you're awkward in front of the camera, then the audience will be awkward for you. Like they will feel awkward about you. But if you are absolutely committed, like there's you'll see stuff like, you know, there's there's guys who are just like they're weirdly all in and they just are relentless. And because they're so all in, at some point of the day, you're just like, all right, that's I mean, you know, at least at least he's at least he's about it, you know. And so sometimes if you're allowing your voice to to fall back because you're shy or you're you're not confident in what you're saying, it it really does kind of jack with the video a lot. And so having really good planning up front, making sure that you know what you're gonna say, know what you're gonna talk about, make sure that the you know you're you remove distractions as much as you can, how to focus on the subject. There's all kinds of stuff like that. But you can do that with a cell phone. But making sure that the person is like confident in what they're talking about or confident in what they're doing, even if it's ridiculous, is probably one of the most important things. I think comedy is about commitment.

SPEAKER_01:

I love the way you say that. Even if it's ridiculous, it's absolutely ridiculous. It's in follow through. Make it happen. Yes, follow through. Follow through with it. If you're gonna be if you're gonna be janky, just just stay janky. Okay.

SPEAKER_00:

Like people don't understand, like lean in. Right. But a lot of times things take a second, third, fourth, I mean, in some cases, the 20th take. And and a lot of people don't understand that that like you're gonna put this online and people are gonna see it, and just shooting it quickly is not always the right. It doesn't put your best foot forward, it doesn't give you the best look. And yet, I mean, even you know, even you guys out there who are just working with with uh with limited budgets and and limited assets and resources, film it a second time, film it a third time, make sure they're confident in what they're saying, and and then have a reason for talking. Don't, you know, um, you know, in the in the government, it was, you know, we used to have a mantra and it was be brief, be brilliant, be gone. So, you know. The triple B's. Yeah, absolutely. The triple B's to the S2.

SPEAKER_01:

But it's it's you know, it's because I I've I I love what you're saying because I've I've done it a couple of times myself. And and I so I have a rule of three. Yeah, you at least got to try uh certain things, and if it's important, three times. Now I'm gonna say you can't have the one catch-wonder because it happens, but like Oh no, no.

SPEAKER_00:

Sometimes you I'm sometimes you just nail it and you're like, cut, print. Hey, I don't want to do that.

SPEAKER_01:

I think uh I think Anthony Mackey one time used to used to say on one of the uh on one of the Avengers shows, like, cut the check, he was done and cut the check, dude. You're not supposed to say that. You're not you're not the director, and then cut the check. I'm good. But yeah, you know, as you do that, especially with a phone, if you if you're not if you haven't done it before, you're not good in front of the camera, I would always say, do it, and then look at it. Because sometimes you see things we're like, oh my god, what am I looking at? What am I seeing? Where am I standing? What's behind me? Like, I don't want that sofa behind me. I didn't, I mean, it's that green that we got on sale. What I want to do is put the leather on it. Or a weird sign that's out of date.

SPEAKER_00:

And you're just take take an extra five minutes, walk through the area of the video that you're shooting, and be like, oh, let's remove these things. Like if you've got like mops in the way, like maybe don't maybe don't have those in the way. Like, you know, maybe just maybe just you know, hey Tim, can you take the mops? You know, like move the mops, you know. So move the mops, A.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, get it get it out. Yeah. So do you prefer being because because you you know both sides. Do you prefer being behind it or in front of the camera?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, I like both. I I don't know. I mean, I love so I love the creative aspects of of being behind the camera, directing, producing, writing. I I love that. And it's kind of what S2 Creative has become. Um, and so I I suppose if you're asking what I prefer like professionally, I really I love what I do behind the camera. But, you know, I mean, actors are actors, man. We love the we love the spotlight. I got it. So somebody's like, I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. Demil. I am ready for my close-up. I'm ready.

SPEAKER_01:

Uh all right, so we're gonna we're gonna pivot to Anthony for a second. I know you're behind you, nobody sees anybody. Andy, are you are you a front or behind the camera kind of guy? Behind the camera. Behind the camera.

SPEAKER_00:

You hear those glorious notes?

SPEAKER_01:

No, he's like that deep. I can't even do it. I can't even the camera. You know, the reason I say that is because I've actually seen you in action. I actually went to go see you, which I thought was freaking phenomenal. I loved it. Um, and so I go in and I thought he was gonna have a part. The uh part was the entire part, it was a whole thing. You were almost in like every scene that happened. Oh, which one did you go see? Uh like you were like the the main guy, and then you were another.

SPEAKER_00:

I can't remember. It was the one Oh, was it the one I changed characters? Yeah. Yeah. So it's like we call it the plot. Yeah, like like it was like a murder mystery. Yeah, it was everything.

SPEAKER_01:

And like every time I looked at him, it was just another guy. And it dude.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, huge shout out to the Missing Piece Theater Company out in uh in in um Mango. They're phenomenal. No, it was sorry, not Mango moment. Mulberry.

SPEAKER_01:

Mulberry. Yeah, Mulberry. So it was great. It was good to see that. I was like, man, you know, because some sometimes you always wonder, like, these guys telling me what to do. Can you do it? Can you do that? And then he's like, yeah, I can. You know, I can tell you, I'd do it.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, but in that one, I had April, and April, April was moving me around. So I was taking her, I was taking her orders for sure. April Golenbeck was the uh was the director up there.

SPEAKER_01:

She's brilliant as a director. I think that being able to do both sides is important. Yeah. You know, especially if you're trying to make videos for your store, if you're trying to get behind it, try before and after. If you're in front of it and it works, great. If you're behind it and you're better at camera positions and lighting and angles, that might be the position you want to take in order to get the guys to look a little bit better and your store to look a little bit better and represent a little bit better.

SPEAKER_00:

Let me do a quick note. Let me do a quick note if I can give some advice. So if you're out there and you're doing and you're doing cell phone videos, people don't believe this, but audio is king. Audio is king. Make sure you invest a couple of bucks, and by a couple, I mean a few hundred dollars in in uh, you know, um, you can get it inexpensive or you can get something from DJI or from Rode, R O D E, right there. Um and uh that can plug directly into your phone and provide um audio right up like a lapel mic. Yeah, like a lapel mic. Um because if you are shooting and you've got all kinds of room noise and all kinds of other stuff and your voice is not isolated and it sounds like you've got a really bad echo, people will scroll away because because the audio is so unattractive. People will endure fairly unattractive video if the audio is good. You try to say something about the way I record things. I'm just telling you, all right. Yeah. No, I'm saying you do great work there, Pete. But um, but no, but if you're anyway, good audio.

SPEAKER_01:

And I agree with you. I think I've said that on previous uh podcasts that you know you just just have something that you can be heard clearly because a lot of the times when I'm seeing somebody, you know, you can tell they're a room away. Uh even the eight feet, and and I think those what people don't understand is those cell phone mics are meant to be picked up from right here, you know, like right here. Like I'm talking to you, I'm either video chatting or talking. Yeah, but then if you get someone like way out there, it's like you sound like you're a room away.

SPEAKER_00:

Seriously, if you if you take it beyond 18 inches, then yeah, then I mean you take it to a full arm's length, your audio just like it's not.

SPEAKER_01:

For my stubby arm people, I'm hey, you're good, but like you know, like me, but you got the long arm guys, there are guys out there that can know.

SPEAKER_00:

Sorry, I mean maybe I've got I've got fairly long arms, my bad, dude. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm just saying, you know, it is what it is. But yeah, and I agree with you. You know, if you if you if you're heard clearly, if something if you have something to say, let that be heard. Yes, say it. There's so many times too where I have done something, where I've put something down, and as long as I can hear it, as long as it can send me that message, whether it's through headphones because I'm busy or I'm driving or I have to put it down because I'm doing something with my hands, I can't hold my phone up to me. At least I know what's going on in this. Right? So I I I I love that idea, and I can I can say 100% that regardless of what's happening, put your heart into it. You know what I mean? Try to do the best you can do.

SPEAKER_00:

Seriously, it's about commitment. Like put your heart into like I think that's probably my big thing is I I I've run into people in our in our industry or or you know, stuff, and and they just they show up and they they plonk down a camera and they scan a room or they put it on a slider and and they just and then they and then they pick up and they leave and they're like that'll be you know whatever.

SPEAKER_01:

That'll be a few thousand dollars.

SPEAKER_00:

And I just I can't stand it. I it it it creates in me like uh I don't know, anger.

SPEAKER_01:

Sergeant, Sergeant S2 is coming your way for sure.

SPEAKER_00:

It it creates a real frustration because I'm like, if you're gonna invest, like get your money's worth, like have somebody show up and and and like move a camera around, talk to somebody, do do so do dear God, do something. Right, right? Like you know, make your make the money stretch or something. You know what I'm saying? Sorry, I don't want to I don't want to be able to do that. No, but that's what we do for sales.

SPEAKER_01:

Like, don't walk in and let somebody just come in and buy something. If you haven't given them experience, you you're not taking care of your customers, plain and simple. They have to feel it. If they don't feel it, what you did is transactional. You know, you can go to Walmart for transactional. I don't go there for the funny, fuzzy feeling. I go there because I want some chips. Right. And that's it. If I go somewhere that I'm gonna spend some money and you're gonna take care of me, we're gonna have this 18-month, you know, two-year relationship where I'm gonna see you all the time and you're gonna know me through my good times and my bad times. Get to know me a little bit, you know, it's take a little time. And so what do you what do you see? What are some of the biggest mistakes that you see when somebody is doing it? Is it the audio that that the biggest mistake could be?

SPEAKER_00:

Again, like like you know, if we're if you want to categorize that, you know, I think audio is probably one of the biggest mistakes that people make. Um, I think not being well lit. You know, I mean, like if I've got a you guys we're talking RTO, right? So move the damn couch. Right like like like if the couch is in front of a bright window and you're filming at noon and the sun is blowing through the window and you're like, well, it'll be weird, but you know, everything in the background is completely blown out or uh too shiny, basically pure white. And then your guy is like practically, you know, sh in shadow or black, and you're like, you know, hey, this will be great. And I'm like, What why are we like why even hold the camera up? Let's move the couch or or change the position of the talent so that they can be so that they can be lit instead of shadowed, so that the background doesn't have to blow out. So I mean, just small attention, like distractions inside the video, weird signs that are gonna date the video if you're gonna post it. And then for me, planning. Don't just show up and be like, let's get a we need to sell that Ashley uh uh love seat along with, you know, maybe a coffee table. Everybody gets a bonus if you do that. Or I don't know how you guys do it, but but but don't call us out like that, man. It's not how it works, okay? But it's you know it's but yeah, but if they show up and they and they're just like do that, and then somebody goes, Cool, buy this. With that, you'll save some money. Nobody's watching that video. I mean, I don't know. I don't care if you boost it, nobody's watching that video.

SPEAKER_01:

Hey everyone, it's Pete Chow here from the RTO Show Podcast, and I want to tell you about a company that's making a real difference in the rent-to-owned space. WoW Brands. I've seen firsthand how they approach marketing. And let me tell you, it's not just about ads. WoW Brands builds complete digital ecosystems designed specifically for the rent-to-owned industry. Their e-commerce and lead generation strategies are built to bring qualified leads. And did I mention that they are actively working with the rent-to-owned industry while also being members of APRO and Trim? Listen, these folks are passionate problem solvers. They don't just slap something together, they design, build, and scale the kind of digital retail tools your business needs and your customers actually want. So if you're serious about growing, reach out to WoWBrands at WowBrands.com. I trust them, and I think you will too. I love that you said that because I think a lot of guys are like, well, you know what? If I boost it, somebody's gonna watch it. No, it just means that it's gonna be three or four seconds before somebody else.

SPEAKER_00:

They're just irritated with you that they had to wait.

SPEAKER_01:

And they had to wait, right? And you know, it's funny because uh we're gonna go back to Anthony a little bit. So Anthony's helped me out in in another studio. And dude, I had your lights up. I looked like it was in a baseball stadium. And he had to help me out because I'm like, I was like, there was lights.

SPEAKER_00:

Did you get him down in, Anthony? There was some lights going on. I was like, hey man, use some use some brightness control. Like, like these are these are tunable. They're not, they are not the highest end lights you can have. I mean, we weren't changing colors, but at least like put a diffuser in the front of it. I get a light box. Take a sheet of paint, take a sheet of paper and just like diffuse that light a little bit.

SPEAKER_01:

We were talking about, and I swear to you, they were so bright I changed races for a little bit.

SPEAKER_00:

You became you became startlingly Caucasian. You know, I was I was a whole different thing.

SPEAKER_01:

Look at like me in the depths of winter, which is crazy, but it's it's but you're right though, because it makes a difference after we had dialed it in versus when we started, complete different. You almost didn't recognize the same room. Yeah, right? Yeah, yeah. So and I have a problem with that. That's why I got to buy the topic.

SPEAKER_00:

Spending some real effort. And and you know, I mean, you know, I mean, Anthony's got to get paid too. So I'm sure Anthony made a couple bucks on it. But at the same time, he he probably added great value to your ability to produce quality content. And so, like, I mean, it's it's just worth it. A lot of people don't they would they don't have a marketing budget or the marketing budget, they're just like, how are we gonna shove content and how are we gonna shove product? And and you you you just want to marketing dollars are limited. And when times are hard, marketing dollars are really limited. And so you want to make sure that that you're investing in the in the right ways, but you want to make sure you're you're focused and investing um in specifically in ways that are gonna stop people from scrolling and get them into your store. And if you can entertain them, engage them, make them laugh, make them feel good, then they give a positive feeling. So then when they pass a store, you know, all of a sudden they're like, ah, let's go check it out.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm glad you said that because that's really why I wanted to talk about this. Listen, we're talking about this in the Christmas season because next year seems it's gonna be a little bit harder than this one. Now, when we came into this one, it was a boat anchor on the back of the boat. Now the boat ain't moving. This is just, you know, every time that I read, there's more.

SPEAKER_00:

All the sides.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, the engine's just cut. You know, there's there's a lot of people doing layoffs, and you know, there's a lot of different things. And so one of the butts. It's tough out there. It is, it is, especially when you have one or two store owners or any any amount of stores. Like you said, the marketing budget comes up and it's very difficult because you're like, I gotta, I gotta make payroll, I've got to order, I've got to keep the trucks on the road. What can I cut? And usually people look at the marketing budget and go, well, it can probably get stretched a little bit thinner.

SPEAKER_00:

And I will say they'll they'll cut training and they'll cut marketing, which are weird because if you're like, if you want exactly if you want better employees and you want more customers, those are the two you you don't cut.

SPEAKER_01:

You don't market, you're gonna die. And here's the thing because as you go into it, right, you're gonna say, Well, I can cut the budget a little bit. And it's one of those things you never see it the day of. Yeah, you always see it as a rotating, it's been two, three weeks. I can't tell why the customers aren't coming in two, three months, this quarter hasn't been the same, six months, and I'm comparing something to last year's numbers, and I'm just I don't understand it. Well, you cut the marketing budget, right? So, you know, as you go on, uh one of the great things I I I would love to say, and I listen, you know your budgets better than I do, but what I would say is as you're going into it, the last guy standing is the last guy people are gonna go to. Okay. And when you start grabbing market share that way, because your market starts shrinking, but you're the you're the shiny star and a dark sea of everything's closing, it can help. It really can. And so take a little bit of your budget, whatever that might be, and listen, I I would never say go all in, but you can find lights cheap. Like you said, you can get you can get some of the off-brand or you can get some of the name brand. Like if you want to get road, great. I got some road, I don't even use them, but you can get some off-brand ones, something on the phone, something that connects, do it two or three times, and dude, what is make it catchy? What what is a cat because I see people rolling off their couch after somebody flipped on a dirt bike, or I feel somebody, you know, saying something and well, I mean, what is it?

SPEAKER_00:

So for me, there there, you know, I mean, sometimes it's sometimes it's not even, you know, um I I I mean, you know, I'll I'll do a shameless plug for S2 Creative specifically, but sometimes it's not even having us come in and and shoot video. Sometimes it's just having a creative come in and go, okay, what is it you want to do? All right, let's create a series of ideas that you can do on social media. Here's some stuff that you can do here, here, and here. Here's some trends that you can follow. Here's some and basically just come in for a few hours at, you know, and I mean it's you know, it's not cheap, but at the same time, it's way cheaper than having somebody come out and and do all of the work, right? You know, so if you're willing to come in and you know, and you want to build some stuff for a cell phone, but you're like, well, I like that stuff to be catchy, then let's build let's let's sit down and let's talk about what that looks like and let's build, you know, let's build a a plan for some posting schedules and and let's get some stuff, some content built, and then maybe, you know, maybe maybe you got a guy on your team that's you know, he's shooting shooting music videos for a friend on the weekend, you know, with his with his with his new iPhone 17 that he got, you know, at a at the local RTO store, and and he's like, okay, cool. And and the next thing you know, you know, you're like, well, let's, you know, let's set you up with a you know, a MacBook and and some easy editing software. You know, I mean, NLEs, I mean, you can get DaVinci Resolve, not studio version, but you can get DaVinci Resolve, which covers almost everything out there for free.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

So I mean, there's some brilliant stuff available through Black Magic and some other stuff that you can use even locally if you're not if you don't want to invest in it. And then usually you're like, hey, look at our social media content is I mean it's it's it's not hard, but it is incredibly difficult.

SPEAKER_01:

It is.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, I mean, does that make sense when I say that?

SPEAKER_01:

Going going into the end, like I I really want to know now that a lot of people have cameras, right? A lot of people are podcasting, a lot of people are doing it. It's almost like the do-it-yourself time of being in video. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

And it can be. It can be for sure. But the limits are the limits on you are always gonna be, you know, your idea.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, then that and that's what I'm getting at. Like, how much more so a lot of people think, you know, hey, if I'm coming back from the marketing budget, I can do it myself. I can get behind the camera, I can say these things, I can buy lights, I can try to do this. There's got to be a reason why S2 stays in business. There's a reason why Blue Box stays in business because you guys do a great job. What would you say to people who are like, I I I want to do a great job, but I want to be budget friendly, and like you you have to draw that line somewhere because you have to know that this is only gonna get you so far. I don't mean unless you really start investing on the cameras and the lights and and you know the brainstorming that takes place in the second floor.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, you can do things that are incredibly cinematic. Um and and a lot of that is the is the equipment that you're using and the way that you edit it. And some of that is really I mean, it's 20-something years of experience. I mean, like he's not he's got great equipment here, but the great equipment isn't gonna do him any good if he doesn't know what he's doing. So I mean, so and I've seen some of the stuff, and Homeboy knows what he's doing. So, I mean, you know, so that's why we're here. Yeah, that's why we're here, Anthony. I'm just saying. So, so the the truth is that I mean, those awards that he's got on the on the mantle over there are not those are not flippant awards. He's you know, he's received recognition for hard work. You didn't get that off of Etsy, I guess. Absolutely. Yeah, he wasn't able to buy that from eBay, you know. Hey, uh$62 for eBay. Looks good, you know, for some awards.

SPEAKER_01:

So I'm gonna get into some rapid fire questions real quick. We're coming into the end, and I want to know a couple things. All right.

SPEAKER_00:

Favorite piece of equipment you can't work without. Uh I have a Sony Alpha One, and I I swear by it. I love it. You do. I will I will I will agree with that. He's everything. I swear by my Sony Alpha One. Uh you're talking about non-camera equipment or or no, whatever, whatever you. That's your Yeah, my Sony Alpha One. It's my it's my running gun. I I love it. I I should get an FX3 or an FX6 and and put that as my as my primary, but I love my Alpha One.

SPEAKER_01:

I swear to you, if I if I knew that I went to his house and there was a crate with one of those pillows inside that you and there was it there with a I do have it in a crate with the pillows inside.

SPEAKER_00:

It's in a nanook 980 and a rolling top back, and it's got lenses and all the 980s. It does creak. I need to get some, you know.

SPEAKER_01:

No, that's the ambulance of it. That's the ambulance of it. Best advice you ever received about video production. Beetle do it.

SPEAKER_00:

Beetle do it. Yeah, yeah, almost beetle do it. Um best advice I've ever received about video production. Um, plan the shot better. Plan the shot. Yeah. Plan the shot. Don't let this guy in the wake. Yeah, don't don't just wing it. Don't wing the shot. Yeah, plan the shot.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, if you've ever watched the other tax man that we did, wow. That was fun. That was fun. You're probably like, how did you guys let this guy be the main actor?

SPEAKER_00:

You talking about the one where we put you in the costume. That was hilarious. Yeah, we plan every one of those shots. We did.

SPEAKER_01:

It did look like it, but we did because Pete was crazy. Um if someone is listening and thinking about working with you, what should they know?

SPEAKER_00:

I I I mean, I really care about my customers. I really care about my clients. Um, I I try to know what they know. Um, I it takes time, you know. Yeah, you know, but but I I care about the people I work with. I don't work with everybody. So I uh You know, I like that though.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. I like that though, because you have to know this just isn't gonna work. This is just not gonna work.

SPEAKER_00:

Sometimes it's sometimes somebody's asking for something and you're just like, I don't, this is not gonna work.

SPEAKER_01:

So well, I'm gonna throw you an easy softball here. Okay. Where can people reach you? Where can they find you at? Oh, yeah. Uh they can find me at S2creative.com. So listen, guys, if you guys want to get booked up this holiday season, buy yourself a gift, get hooked up with S2 Creative. Steven Style's gonna take care of you. Listen, whether you need ideas, whether you need him to come out and do it, whether you need something for your brand, whether it's gonna be small budget, big budget, he can help you either put it together mentally or put it together physically, which is why I love you. Because, dude, we've done some crazy things together. If you guys want to see some stuff that we've done, go to YouTube, look up S2 Creative, go to that channel, and go down to the videos and wow, you're gonna see some stuff. You can also go hit me up and uh at Pete at the RTO Show Podcast.com. Hit me up in the emails and tell me what you think about this this particular one here, because I want to know how Steven did. I'm just kidding. I'd like to know how I did too.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm usually never on this side, I'm usually where he is.

SPEAKER_01:

Jeez, but I feel like I'm gonna pay you a 1-800 number every time you say.

SPEAKER_00:

Listen to those milky bass notes right there.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, uh right, or say have a face for vi uh for radio. I think my mama said the same thing about me, dude. We all do. I do, I'm not gonna lie. Um, if you want to hit us on the website, go to www.thertoshow podcast.com. Listen, take a look at some stuff on there. You can see what I'm doing now, you can see what we've gotten into in the past, me and Steve, and you can see what's going on in the future with some of the things I have on the calendar. You can also hit me up at the DMs on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube where you're gonna see this. Steve my man, it's been a pleasure having you on. I love talking to you. Listen, this green room is probably gonna last forever, but I love having you on and just all the insights and the things that we talk about because we're gonna probably get into more shenanigans in the future. I want to see you guys there. Yeah, Steve and I've got to do that. We'll have to do it again, man. We do, we do. Listen, guys, have a great Christmas. Enjoy your family, and I will tell you guys as always, get your collections low to get your sales high. Have a great one.

Head Shot

Pete Shau

Host
Head Shot

Stephen Stough

Guest