The conclusion of my NAB 2013 diary is at hand. I fast forwarded through the four days of demos and presentations and didn’t really cover them. Mainly because that entire time was a complete blur. Back to back to back eight hour days with strictly planned bathroom and lunch breaks. It was crazy. But the days flew by. Everything that I heard people say about NAB being a complete whirlwind was absolutely true.
NAB Impressions Thursday, April 18th 2013
Finally the last day arrived. By this time, I was a regular pro at the demonstration. I must had done it at least a couple of hundred times. What I really enjoyed most were the interactions that I had with all the people that stopped by the Black Magic Design booth. There was such an interesting range of people. And although it sounds a little corny, I feel that I learned as much, if not more than they did.
As the convention center cleared out and everyone made their way back home I was left without much to do. My duty and obligations as a demo artist were over. Somehow I managed to survive my first NAB unscathed. What a huge relief. At this point I was really excited to get back to my family, seeing as it was the longest that I had ever been away from them. But my flight was at 7 PM and it was only noon. As everyone said their goodbyes and exchanged pleasantries I came across several other folks who had some time to kill before their flights.
Alexis Van Hurkman, Michael Sandness, Catherine Pantazopoulos, and I decided to go out to one last Vegas meal at one of Alexis’ favorite Brazilian Steakhouses. Now maybe I’m a little sheltered or uncultured, but I had never been to one of these types of restaurants before. The whole concept of flipping over the “salt shaker” to either the red or green side was completely foreign to me. But, wow, that food was amazing. But the conversation was even better. Just listening to these seasoned Colorists was captivating. It wasn’t all about color correction, either. It was about theory, approach, influences, and past experiences. This is what NAB was all about. Somehow what was originally planned as a quick one hour lunch turned into a three hour gathering. Before I knew it, I had to bow out in order to make it back to my hotel, pack, and get to the airport on time.
While packing all of my belongings and making sure that I had everything wrapped up and ready to go, I reflected upon my week in Las Vegas. It exceeded my expectations tenfold. It’s amazing how much can be accomplished in one week. From starting with the behind closed doors training to dining world renowned Colorists, it had been one hell of an experience. As I jumped in the cab and headed off to the airport I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d be back next year. Wether I am or not, I think it’s fair to say that I’ll never have another experience like my first NAB.