Gavin Strange published his new talk on Gumroad

Gavin Strange, director and designer at Aardman Animations is a passionate keynote speaker. I have had the pleasure to attend several of his talks in person. They are funny, engaging, and energetic. When I saw Gavin's announcement on Twitter, I had to know more. More about why he published his talk on Gumroad, an online platform that enables creators to sell products directly to consumers. Why he choose the 'pay what you want' model, and the tools he used to record the talk.

Why did you create this talk?

It’s a brand new talk I wrote for 2020 but was only able to deliver it once, to FITC Amsterdam! I really enjoy giving talks, and I miss doing it. So it was my way of staying connected. (whilst hopefully trying to earn a few pennies if I can!)

How is this talk different than the in-person talks you give?

It’s the same content, but I feel the delivery is different because I have to sit in one position and in one focal point for the camera! I really enjoy moving around and being quite animated when I’m on stage, so this was a bit different in that respect. Even if someone has watched this talk and then sees me deliver it in person, I’d hope they’d get something additional from watching me present it in-person. The content always comes out a little different anyways, as I don’t script it, I use my slides as a starting point and go from there!

Why did you choose for the pay-what-you-think model?

Curiosity really! I’m not sure if it will work but I wanted to give it a go. I only launch it this morning and have had a few sales, so I’ll need to continue to push it and see if it works! I’m just happy to get it out there really!

You choose Gumroad as a distribution platform, above Vimeo or another streaming service, why?

Simply because I’ve used Gumroad before and it’s really really easy. I don’t really want or need all the bells and whistles at this point, so I thought to keep it simple was best!

Which tools did you use to record, and edit it?

It was a little bit of a bodge job - I used whatever I could find in my house really! I filmed the video on an iPhone but using the Filmic Pro App so I could lock the frame rate, exposure, and white balance. The audio was recorded on an old Zoom H2N recorder, and then I used Quicktime Pro to capture my screen. I then synced and cut it all together in Premiere, and added some nice graphics in After Effects! It was quite a faff but worth it in the end!

Why this is important?

Before the global pandemic, you where only able to attent keynotes in-person. If you are lucky a recording is available on YouTube or Vimeo. Non of the frequent asked speakers sold their talks online, and why should they? Your can generate a nice (extra) income by giving keynotes around the world. Conference organizers benefit from exclusive talks, because then they can sell more tickets. Pay staff, speakers and the venue. Now, everybody is at home, in-person events are canceled for the time beeing. Organizers and speakers look for new ways to stay connected with their community. Some organizers go online, but they are in the minority. Some speakers, started organizing their own virtual events, or created online courses. But non started selling their latest talk online, directly to their fans, like Gavin does. There is a great opportunity here for keynote speakers and creatives in general. Create a talk, sell it to your fans, like T-shirts and/or other merch. An extra benefit can be that conference organizers find you talk. Like it, invite you to their next in-person event. Its a win-win-win situation!

Gavin's talk on Gumroad
Listen to our 2018 interview with Gavin
Gavin's book: "Do Fly - Find your way. Make a living. Be your best self"