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It’s been over a week since I got back from the NAB Show 2025 in Las Vegas. I’ve been hard at work releasing a new app and have only now had a chance to come up for air. I went into NAB with some very specific goals, so let’s dive in and see if I accomplished them!

Work

This was my first time attending NAB, and I was eager to experience the size and scope of the professional broadcast industry. My app for controlling Blackmagic Design ATEM live production switchers, MixEffect, has become quite popular over the four years it’s been available. Despite having the largest booth at the show, Blackmagic Design is just one player in a vast marketplace.

I’ve been looking to branch out beyond MixEffect, so I visited the booths of several companies that operate in the same space as my next product. These companies serve a wide range of customers, though many focus on the ultra high-end. It became clear that while my product could work with them, they weren’t necessarily my target audience. I wouldn’t say I got the cold shoulder — after all, I was just speaking with booth reps who could have held any number of roles within the company — but I could tell that the initial fit wasn’t quite there. I left NAB with a clearer understanding of my target market: essentially everyone but the ultra high-end — from prosumers to large production houses, schools, houses of worship, event producers, and independent studios — those seeking powerful, flexible tools without the complexity, infrastructure, or massive budgets of top-tier national broadcast operations.

Many booths were dedicated to live production in the cloud or using AI to create virtual sets. It seems like every company is trying to establish a foothold in this space. Blackmagic demoed an ATEM Constellation cloud-based switcher that was very intriguing. Are they using the same ATEM protocol wrapped in a secure layer over the internet? Will the third-party ATEM controller community — which MixEffect is part of — be able to communicate with such a cloud-based ATEM? No answers were forthcoming from Blackmagic, so we’ll have to wait and see.

As a user of the Ultimatte for over a year now, I can confidently say it’s one of the best chroma keyers on the market. But seeing what’s possible today with Nvidia GPUs and AI has me thinking I need to up my game. My videos currently feature simple backgrounds of my office in various configurations. I’d love to have a full virtual set behind me, with virtual cameras and switchable angles during my presentations. That’s all possible today — but the workflow can quickly become complicated and expensive.

Who doesn’t love accessories for their cameras and computers? I visited booths for several companies whose products I use — Neewer, Elgato, Accsoon, Canon, Zoom, RODE, and more — to check out their latest offerings and chat with reps. As a solo indie developer, there’s only so much I can do to integrate with all these products. It’s a balancing act to decide what to prioritize and what to put on the back burner. My general rule of thumb is to focus on what I personally want and see if that’s something I can turn into a product others will enjoy.

It was also great to connect with folks from the Blackmagic Design team. Without Blackmagic’s hardware — like the ATEM live production switchers — MixEffect wouldn’t exist. They’re doing fantastic work, and the new ATEM Mini Extreme ISO G2 is raising the bar for what’s possible.

Past and Present Meetups

I scheduled meetups with online colleagues I’d never met in real life. There are a number of AV professionals with YouTube channels, and through MixEffect, I’ve developed online relationships with many of them. Meeting them in person was a treat. There’s always a slight fear that the IRL version of someone won’t match up with their online persona — but in this case, everyone was just as great face-to-face as they are on Zoom or Discord.

• John Barker: Creator of H2R Graphics, Rundown Studio, and Spacecommz.
• Aaron Parecki: Level up your livestreams with his weekly videos on video switchers, travel cameras, and more.
• Doug Johnson: Detailed, no-nonsense reviews of video production gear. I need a trailer and studio like his!
• Ryan Somerfield: Came all the way from Australia. Ryan has given me great ideas to improve MixEffect over the years.
• Ben from Fluid Prompter: I use Ben’s app whenever I need a teleprompter. It’s quickly become the best prompting software out there, and he’s always improving it.
• SociallyU: I learned how to use the Ultimatte watching this video from them. They are doing fantastic work out of Tennessee.

I also ran into people from my past — stretching as far back as high school, the Newton days, and my years in tech journalism:

• Eric Cheng: A friend since high school, college classmate, and fellow tech veteran. Our paths have crossed through digital photography, blogging, parenthood, and now video production.
• Raven Zachary: A former Newton software customer and organizer of the first iOS developer hackathons. Raven is your go-to for all things VR and AR.
• Nick Walsh: Back when I was at Vox Media, we did a lot of live streams with LiveX. Nick was our favorite operator, and he’s now a full-time freelancer. If you need a technical director, he’s your guy.
• Michael Tow: My cousin and SVP of IT at NAB. If you want to be part of NAB, he’s the one to talk to. Reserve your NAB Show 2026 booth space with him today!

Zoom

Before going full-time indie, I worked at Zoom. I helped bring Shortcuts to Zoom and Zoom Events’ Production Studio, and I wrote some of the early code for Zoom Tiles. I was glad that Andy, Jonathan, and Eyal could carve out some time to meet during the show. I even ran into a former co-worker on the flight to Vegas!

MixEffect Customers

Finally, I loved meeting MixEffect customers. I spent a lot of time at the Blackmagic booth, and there were a dozen or so moments where someone standing next to me turned out to be a MixEffect user. They’d do a double take, I’d notice, and we’d introduce ourselves.

Hearing how MixEffect has leveled up their productions was incredibly rewarding. As early adopters, they’ve helped shape the app into what it is today. Thank you!

Traveling Light

In my last post, I mentioned my plan to travel to NAB Show 2025 like Jack Reacher — with only the clothes on my back and a toothbrush. While I did bring a few more items, everything still fit in my jacket or pockets. Total success. I was unencumbered all week. Honestly, I could have demoed my new app on my phone instead of the iPad mini. Had I left that behind, my load would have been even lighter.

My minimal travel setup led to some great conversations on the plane. Despite getting a B or C boarding group with Southwest Airlines, I scored excellent seats because I wasn’t dragging around carry-on luggage. I had a great conversation with Susan on the flight to Vegas (and again on the return trip) and with Michael on the way back to the Bay Area. I even ran into Nathaniel from AJA, who I spotted carrying an iPad mini into the convention center. Turns out, he was a Newton user back in the day. Small world!

On the last day, I picked up a bag from the Blackmagic booth and loaded it with brochures, handouts, pens, and candy from the various vendors. In true Reacher fashion, I skipped the Ubers and Lyfts — the Vegas Loop didn’t reach that far — and walked to Harry Reid International Airport. I love that you can walk to the airport in Vegas. While it’s technically possible to walk to San Jose International, I doubt it’s as easy — and it’s definitely not practical for SFO or O’Hare.

Reacher has no problem with public transit, so when I head to Deep Dish Swift next week, I’ll take the train or bus from O’Hare. I haven’t really decided what to bring yet. Last year, I brought a Patagonia Black Hole Duffel 40L with my clothes, toiletries, iPad mini, and 14″ MacBook Pro. I don’t recall using the MacBook much, so I may leave it behind this time. Even though Deep Dish is a developer conference, I didn’t find myself doing much development there. We’ll see what happens!

I’ll be back!

I had a productive and rewarding time at NAB Show 2025 in Las Vegas. My minimalist travel setup worked perfectly, I reconnected with people from every chapter of my life, made new contacts, and received valuable feedback on my upcoming app. I’m already looking forward to next year’s NAB!