The cameras, software and gear I reach for every day
“What camera should I get? How do you make websites? What video editing software do you use? Etc...”
Every creative has the tools that they reach for daily. It's the things that help us make what we do possible. Over the years, I've found that many people always ask me the same question, especially when they are just starting out.
Well, this page is dedicated to answering all those questions, plus where to get them.
This bad boy still rips! It’s my daily driver for all my work. I put this guy to work. Running AI sessions while editing, and I’ve never once felt like it wasn’t enough.
I think the 14” MacBook Pro is underrated. Although this device has mostly become our home computer, it still holds up for most tasks I still need it for. Where it gets hung up is when you’re doing the heavy work. Your browser is open, rendering, running an AI task. It can get stalled, but overall, for casual home use and as a quick offsite work, it’s still holding strong. I’ll likely need to upgrade it in a year though.
My primary cameras of choice are a Lumix S5 II and a Lumix S5 IIX. This is a light, very capable workhorse of a camera. If you're looking to be a gorilla filmmaker, this is the camera of choice if you ask me.
I picked this up because I wanted it when it first came out, but it didn't have autofocus. When they released firmware to add autofocus, I bought it instantly once I found a good deal. It's a criminally underrated camera, and I've enjoyed it so far.
I often find myself needing more collaboration or access tools to help speed up my workflow, like automatic captions with styles, text-based editing, or auto multicam. Resolve has become my default editor of choice.
I still love Final Cut and will still reach for it if I need speed.
When working on audio-only projects, podcasts, or just having a remote meeting. I can't live without these.
Consolidates my audio setup while adding the ability to plug in an HDMI camera and bring in pass-through for other devices like game consoles.
This is a great audio interface to start out but you’re also looking to record music.
As a video professional, the only other thing that is essential for creating any video content is having good copyright-free music and sound FXs. I've used many services from Musicbed, Epidemic Sound, and Soundstripe.
It’s been a solid replacement for Artlist.
I used to love Artlist, but then they became some AI hub that ruined it for me.
It's a beautifully made monitor that's well worth the $1500 price tag. Its colors are vibrant and accurate, and because I'm on a Mac, it makes it super easy to use.
For the first four and a half years of creating videos, I used only my MacBook and no external tools. Eventually, the trackpad became my number one option for navigating my computer. If I were using a desktop computer, I would have had to get the Magic Trackpad because using a mouse felt weird. Like many others, I began experiencing wrist pain, so I investigated options and settled on the Logitech MX Ergo. Plus, because I have multiple devices that I use, I decided to couple my MX Ergo with the Logitech MX Keys.
The Resolve Editor keyword is something I did not expect to love as much as I do. It is honestly a must, in my opinion, if you're going to be a big Resolve editor, because of some of the features it provides to make the experience flow just a little bit more in Resolve.
I've never been very picky on hard drives and so I often carry around some Seagate 2tb hard drives with a USB-3 to USB-c connector. I got a friend's old Pegasus 2 R4 raid for work and long-term storage, but I'd recommend OWC Thunderbay 6 if I were getting a new one.
My on-the-go headphones of choice are the Apple AirPods. When working on my MacBook or in the office, I use Sony WH-CH700N noise-canceling headphones.
As mentioned above, I use Final Cut Pro as my main NLE, but I also use Motion, Compressor, and Logic Pro (This is a great tutorial on Logic if you're new). All four of these apps are fantastic tools and have been awesome to work with. Plus, I only had to pay for them once. I will say that Motion is the least appreciated, but it is an amazing tool, and I think everyone should give it a shot.
If you're not using a password manager, you need to stop and get yourself one right now. My wife and I chose to go with my apple keychain and Dashlane.
I use Statamic for my personal site. I love its page builder and its flexibility.
I use Flywheel for personal sites because they provide excellent customer service and tools.
For clients who prefer not to manage their hosting, I use SiteGround.
Here is a list of apps I install on every mac I use:
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