on the road Archives - Amy DeLouise

Production is a team sport, and this year I’m so thankful for my extended team! The year kicked off with a nonprofit board retreat with co-facilitator and master strategist Ed Spitzberg of Spitzberg Advisors. Remote workshops at the Visual Storytelling Conference were packed, thanks to the team at Future Media Conferences. We had in-person shoots in DC, Miami, Albuquerque and Maryland with talented crew, including DP Sheila Smith, DP Bunee Tomlinson, Sound Engineer Brian Buckley, Shooter/Editor David Godbout, Producer/Director Danilda Martinez, plus post team Adam and Rachel at RHED Pixel, editor Abbey Farkas, and motion designer Chris DiNardo, plus Cheryl and her fab team at OttHouse Audio. And we shot remote interviews with people all over the world, and in-person actors in the studio thanks to the talented team at Interface Media Group and production managers Frankie and Grant.

NABShow Las Vegas was a blast, and our first in-person #GALSNGEAR Women’s Leadership Summit was a success thanks to visionary coach Ellyn McKay, talented workshop leader Eva Jannotta, and our team that included Samantha Cheng, Danilda Martinez, Kimberly Skyrme, and our student camera operators Beatriz Rodriguez and Myrka Morales. And of course our lead sponsors at DELL and NVIDIA!

Summer included a reinvigorating creative conference at SUNY Fredonia with my academic colleagues at UFVA, including the insightful Ruth Goldman and Allie Sultan. More production and more travel…and thanks to my new friends at Vimeo for including me in their boating evening during IBC Amsterdam! The fall kicked off with a challenging 100th anniversary project, shout out to archival producer Malkia Lydia for scanning and keeping track of thousands of historical images. And I couldn’t share ideas without social media mavens Maria and Zury to carry the day! What a year. THANK YOU ALL. I’m so grateful for each and every one of your talents, skills, and good cheer. Let’s do it again next year!

In a few weeks, I’ll be spending time with more than 60,000 colleagues in media, tech & entertainment at @NABShow, producing our first-ever #GALSNGEAR Women’s Leadership Summit there, and sharing some of my production and business strategies at these conference sessions.

If you’re headed to Vegas, too, here are some of my tips from years of navigating this town for business (which isn’t quite the same thing as going there for fun, although we definitely have that, too). One of the big challenges is food, since this is a large event. Luckily you can get discounts with your NAB Show badge. You can also try some of my top local food picks:

1. Lotus of Siam. This Thai restaurant–now with two locations!–offers beautifully made, authentic, and seriously spicy cuisine. Try the spicy prawns or the sea bass in any of the three sauces–I had the ginger sauce with mushrooms one year and it was divine. For folks who love spicy (me!), beware. The scale at Lotus is the real deal. If you ask for 10, you might need a tableside fire extinguisher.

2. Kaizon Fusion Roll. Step inside this strip mall sushi place and discover a chic Asian fusion dining experience. On offer are unique (and gigantic) sushi roll combinations in a low-key, hip bar atmosphere. Just across street from Hard Rock Hotel but not nearly as pricey as their famous sushi place.

3. Sen of Japan is another local favorite, with consistently high reviews and more authentic Japanese fare.

4. Lindo Michoacan A local Mexican 3-restaurant chain well regarded, including by my local friend whose wife hails from Mexico.

5. Echo and Rig Vegetarians, avert your eyes. This place let’s you pick out your cut of steak, then have it grilled up at the restaurant next door. Talk about “on-demand” dining!

6. Piero’s A Las Vegas institution and close to the Convention Center where we’re all living for this conference. Dinner only.

7. Tamba Indian A family owned place with plenty of tables for big groups. Except heads up, don’t go the Tuesday night of NAB Show (4/26) because Women in Streaming Media, RISE and #GALSNGEAR are hosting an event there (email me an I’d be happy to send you the RSVP link!)

8. The only Vegas eatery on the strip that makes my list consistently every year is Beijing Noodle No.9 at Caesar’s. Try the soup dumplings (they’re not IN the soup, the soup is IN the dumplings!) and a bowl of Lanzhou noodle soup.

9. The Peppermill. Everyone tells me about this place and I’ve never actually made it there. But they say the breakfast will keep you alive on the show floor for an entire day!

10. Walgreens. No I’m not kidding you. There are three on the strip. With food truck lines at the Convention Center often long, and with little turnaround time between sessions, I’ve come to learn that grabbing some yogurt or a freshly made sandwich in the morning from Walgreens is a reliable go-to food solution. And that saves more eating fun and funds for dinnertime. There is one exception–the Indian carry out in South Hall, which is excellent.

I hope to see you soon at NAB Show in Vegas!

Amy DeLouise is a writer-producer-author-speaker and foodie who operates out of Washington, DC but travels the world.