Today we’d like to introduce you to Ian Wells.
Hi Ian, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
It all started in 1992 when – just kidding.
I was running Track & Field in high school and using my accomplishments there to fund and fuel my path into a good University. That University ended up being Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa and I ran there for all 4 years, earning a few championship titles and a lot of amazing memories. However, upon entering college, running was my focus, and I was not looking further ahead in time than the next 4 years. Going in as a general psychology major because I thought the brain was “cool”, taking a few of the 101 required psych classes like biology and psych stats, and almost flunking some of them, I quickly realized that this was not for me. A few mental breakdowns about my career and life after running track and a semester later, I met with my advisor and told her what was going on. She talked to me, learned what kind of person I was, what my interests were, and decided I should talk to this advisor Todd Evans in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications (SJMC). I was so worried about my academic life and path after college, but after talking with Professor Evans, and finding a place at the SJMC in Radio & TV Production (Electronic Media), my path started unfolding before me.
Getting involved with this life of broadcast and production any way that I could was my goal. Taking various classes related to journalism, shooting and editing video for TV, producing radio shows, being a local DJ on the campus radio station, running cameras for sporting events, producing and directing newscasts, filming documentaries, this whole new life that I never knew existed was all around me. It was actually beneath me, the TV studio, radio broadcasting studio and editing machines were in the basement of the SJMC building. I spent a lot of nights there editing and working on projects for classes, and I loved it. In my limited time between practices and track meets, you could find me in that basement working on my projects and maybe taking a nap on the floor during those late night project deadlines.
During my last two years at Drake University, I landed a sweet internship at the Des Moines Radio Group (DMRG) on their promotions team, and after graduating I worked full time for a year at a local TV station, WHO 13. The DMRG was the job I loved, I was basically leading and creating a position for myself in their promotions department, going to various events, capturing footage, throwing together recap videos for their social pages, and working with the station to create impactful videos. It was a ton of fun, but it was part time, and low pay. The TV station was regular wages and steady, predictable work in the studio, but not the job for who I am as a person. I like to be challenged in the work that I do, and WHO was not challenging me, so I challenged myself by moving to Colorado in 2015 to pursue a life totally different from the life of a flat land-cornfield-Midwesterner.
Finding my place in Colorado was rocky, no pun intended. After a few months of odd jobs, I eventually found some stagehand work with a company, worked full time for an AV company Multimedia AV (MAV), and then found some fulfilling and rewarding work as a part-time tech at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA). I grew exponentially as a tech at MAV and the DCPA. I really dove into the world of live events and productions from 2016 – 2019, as I honed my craft as a Live Events Video Engineer doing corporate events and fundraisers for various companies and businesses. Work at the DCPA was always creative and technically challenging, as we would do large screen blends or creative mapping projects. Finding a way to engineer these elements on the backend, in a space that, at the time, was a little behind on the gear side of things, shaped me into the creative professional I am today. As I was making my way out of the DCPA around 2022-2023, the last thing I was working on was integrating and installing a Ross Video switching and routing system to upgrade from the previous Panasonic system, thus creating headroom for any venue upgrades and expansions for the future. This project’s budget was set at 150K, and we used those funds to purchase a Ross Ultrix Carbonite, Touch Drive Control Panel, and redesign and upgrade the patch bay.
As I finished installing and upgrading the video system rack, I exited the DCPA and started on my own Freelance adventures where I would work with whoever I wanted and do whatever kind of work I felt challenged me. I created Creative & Technical Media Services as an umbrella to focus all my freelance income and create more of a professional face to myself and the services I provide. The first few years I spent working and travelling wherever the work would take me, and I felt like I was learning and growing all over again. As I grow as a business owner and video technician, I never feel bored or stagnant in my professional life. I am always looking for ways to grow my skills, create new experiences, acquire sweet new toys (professional video equipment), and foster a great community of people around the work I do.
Today my work keeps me a little closer to home in Colorado, which I am very happy about. I still travel for work every now and then, but I try to stay home with my Wife and 2 dogs as we build and grow our life in the foothills of Morrison CO. Work these days consists of corporate AV clients, music and entertainment jobs all around town at venues like Mission Ballroom, Red Rocks, Fiddlers Green Amphitheatre, and Ford Amphitheatre, my first TV crew appearance with We Got Time Today (aired on Tubi), and various other jobs with clients and partners around the state. I would not be where I am today without my friends, family, colleagues and partners in the industry!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not been an entirely smooth road, there have been bumps here and there. Especially when I moved from Iowa to Colorado. It took me a year or two to really find my niche again.
There were also some bumps in the road in college while running. I kept getting injured and tearing my hamstrings, which prevented me from being my best and giving it my all. It was frustrating and challenging dealing with that kind of injury. Along with it, I also had a fear of losing my scholarship if I didn’t perform well. It was rough, but injuries heal in time, and I did not have anything to worry about in hindsight.
We’ve been impressed with Creative & Technical Media Services, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Creative Technical is a place where companies, businesses, artists, any kind of group to come together to tell their story. Typically, when creating an event or production, you have a message of some sort. Creative Technical is here to help tell your message or story and assist with the technical elements of broadcasting that message in a way that is well received by your audience.
We do this by means of live events, live streams, a mix of the two (hybrid events), and captured/edited content (edited videos). You can find us setting up large LED walls and switching a 5 camera show in an event space, creating a sports broadcast for any kind of sport, on location shooting video, or livestreaming a small personal meeting or event with an organization. There are many types of live events and avenues we can go down, so I really try and work with each person to lay out the process and create a production that works best for their situation.
Alongside that, I am always pushing the envelope to what is possible. So, if there is a crazy idea that traditional AV companies would turn down, I am here for it, and I will engage with the idea to help make it a reality. A lot is possible with the tech and tools we have available in the world today; I am here to make use of the right tools for what you’re trying to achieve.
Currently I am most proud of our generative live camera visuals. I can take in live camera inputs, or any kind of photo/video, and create beautiful and mesmerizing visuals for the more entertaining or creative type of events. I use this same model in corporate AV as well, but just dial it back, and input more brand elements that help us integrate the visuals in with the show. I’m pretty sure corporate bankers don’t need festival visuals at 8a on a Tuesday!
What was your favorite childhood memory?
Favorite childhood memories are the ones of me being outside with friends and doing, sometimes dumb, outdoor activities. Playing sports, running around the neighborhoods, gaming, making bike ramps, surfing down streets during heavy rainfall, car sledding in the winter, making music – I just loved being active and being outside.
Pricing:
- Every show/event will have a different budget and scope of work, so unfortunately there is no standard pricing aside from my personal day rate as a contractor/freelancer
Contact Info:
- Website: https://creativetechnicalservices.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imw.media/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ctservices303
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianmichaelwells
