The Blackbar Podcast
Tune in every other week to the Blackbar crew as they break down church media, marketing, and tech in today's scene. Jump in to stay up to date on media and technology relevant to the church as well as deep dives into mastering the art of sharing the greatest message ever told!
Episodes
124 episodes
3 Conversations Your Church Can't Ignore in 2025 (In Our Opinion)
The guys look back at some of their favorite conversations from 2024 to reflect on what lessons are most important for church teams to prioritize in the coming year. Check out each of the previous conversations referenced in this e...
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Season 2
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Episode 33
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48:55
Media, Ministry, & Leadership with the Blackbar Discord Pros
Nick and Zach are joined by three of the Certified Pro community leaders from the Blackbar Discord to share some lessons and encouragement they've picked up from their time in ministry. Follow Abner on Instagram: @axc_phot...
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Season 2
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Episode 32
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1:06:28
How To Tell Good Stories Well w/ Brent Reese
The guys talk with Brent Reese, professional cinematographer and digital storyteller, about how to identify good stories and turn them into something that captivates others. Follow Brent's work and connect with him for your storyte...
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Season 2
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Episode 31
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56:02
Tech News Your Church Needs To Know About
Caleb & Zach dive into some 2024 tech-focused news stories that church creatives and media professionals should be aware of. From the DJI Drone bill and YouTube copyright to Meta VR and the price increase of Canva, the guys cover a handful ...
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Season 2
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Episode 30
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55:19
Stop Following Trends And Start Developing Strategy w/ Redwood Marketing Co
The guys talk with Carmen Galeano of the Redwood Marketing Co about social media, trends, and how churches can best develop sustainable and achievable social media strategy.
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Season 2
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Episode 29
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53:07
Everything Your Church Needs To Know About LED Walls w/ Ben Kristijanto & Tim Jackson
The guys talk with Ben Kristijanto & Tim Jackson of BNY and OHR LED about the ins and outs of LED walls for the church space and where to even begin when considering them for your services.
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Season 2
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Episode 28
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1:22:54
A Critical Analysis of Christians' Response to The Olympics
Caleb & Nick review the general Christian discourse surrounding the 2024 Olympics opening ceremonies, and they discuss whether Christians are ultimately helping or hurting the church’s goal to reach the lost in digital spaces.
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Season 2
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Episode 27
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51:59
Why Your Church's Website Sucks (And How To Fix It)
The guys (alongside a special guest) dive into some tips and practical examples of where to start when creating or improving your church's website.
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Season 2
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Episode 26
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1:04:04
Turn Good Events Into Good Content with Tessa Voccola
The guys are joined by Tessa Voccola, Brand & Content Manager for RVRB Agency, to share about what it takes to capture high quality content for live events. She also shares some tips on the value of pre-production and the importance of fuel...
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Season 2
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Episode 25
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47:02
Building Online Communities, Not Just Audiences with The Monochrome Podcast
On this episode, the guys are joined by Luke McElroy and JT Bowling of the Monochrome Podcast to discuss how to build online communities and how to develop deeper connections within those communities. Check out the Monochrome Podca...
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Season 2
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Episode 24
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47:06
Surviving and Thriving in Church Media Teams: Insights with Phil Bowdle
The guys are joined by author, leadership coach, and friend of the podcast Phil Bowdle to discuss how to navigate leadership, conflict, and tension within church media teams. Visit Phil's website for the resources that were discussed in...
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Season 2
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Episode 23
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49:29
The Church Media Playbook: Top 3 Tips For Freelancers
In this community-inspired topic, the guys share three of their top tips for how to survive, grow, and thrive as a church media freelancer.
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Season 2
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Episode 22
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1:07:22
Let's Interview Chat GPT 4o About Church Media
The guys chat with their first ever AI guest: Chat GPT 4o! From recommendations on sermon resources to suggestions for event ads to encouragements for the Blackbar community, Chat GPT 4o provides a unique look into the capabilities and potentia...
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Season 2
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Episode 21
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49:32
The 3 Biggest Marketing Mistakes Your Church is Making
On this episode, the guys dive into 3 common marketing and advertising mistakes that churches tend to find themselves stuck in. They also discuss the potentials of Canva's acquisition of Affinity and how it might actually give Adobe a run for i...
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Season 2
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Episode 20
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1:07:01
What Your Church Needs To Know About All the NAB '24 Announcements with Tim Jackson
On this episode, Caleb & Nick are joined by guest host Tim Jackson, team member of BNY productions and Ohr LED, to discuss some of the most exciting (and noteworthy) announcements for Christian churches and creatives from 2024's National As...
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Season 2
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Episode 19
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57:14
Can God Speak Through Secular Art?
On this community-inspired episode, Caleb and Nick dive into the topic of religious vs secular art and whether or not God can work through something if it's not explicitly "Christian."
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Season 2
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Episode 18
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1:29:46
Meet The Man Who Can Make Anything! with Troy Picou
On this episode, the guys are joined by guest Troy Picou, the children's pastor at Grand Rapids First, who has made a name for himself by creating extravagantly creative props, puppets, illustrations, character animations, and many, many other ...
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Season 2
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Episode 17
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56:33
15 Totally Free Creative Tools We Always Use
The guys share 15 free tools that they use to support and simplify their creative workflow, and Caleb does an intro to 3D animation training with a focus on the free animation software called Blender. NOTE: Zach discovered after the fac...
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Season 2
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Episode 16
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1:28:26
Is Social Media Good For Society? with JP Dorsey
The guys are joined by guest co-host JP Dorsey, previous President of North Point Bible College GR and pastor at Grand Rapids First, to discuss whether or not social media us truly a good or bad thing for society at large. They also discuss Ope...
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Season 2
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Episode 15
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1:26:12
Using Media To Evangelize, Not Just Advertise with Dan Desrosiers
Nick & Caleb are joined by guest co-host Dan Desrosiers (S1 Episodes 6, 7, & 85) to discuss how churches can best leverage media to connect with and grow their communities in 2024. They also discuss how to approach the nuanced ...
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Season 2
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Episode 14
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1:05:04
You're Putting Your Congregation at Risk: Cybersecurity with Mike Soroka
Nick and Caleb talk with Mike Soroka, IT and networking guru, about why churches should care about modern cybersecurity, and they share some easy first steps every organization should take to protect their data. They also discuss Disney's expir...
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Season 2
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Episode 13
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1:11:20
What Makes A Perfect Sermon Clip (According to Passion)?
The guys share about what they learned from the 2024 Passion Conference team on how to gather the most effective and impactful sermon clips for your church. They also talk about the new podcast format alongside their newest Q&A style segmen...
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Season 2
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Episode 12
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1:31:35
Why Church Attendance Is Declining & What Can We Do About It?
On the last episode of 2023, the guys share some thoughts from a church creative's perspective about Carey Nieuwhof's recent blog post on declining church attendance. They also discuss the implications of the conclusion of the SAG-AFTRA strikes...
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Season 2
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Episode 11
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1:23:20
How To Be Creative When The Plan Changes Last Minute
In the church and ministry creative field, last minute changes are as frequent as Sunday service, so on this episode the guys wanted to share some practical tips on how to navigate the unpredictable in a healthy way. They also share some predic...
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Season 2
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Episode 10
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1:28:19
Beyond Fear: Embracing AI with Faith and Wisdom with Alex Lyons
The guys welcome guest co-host Alex Lyons as they discuss how to approach AI with faith and wisdom. They also kick off the episode analyzing and learning from the new Eddie Bower logo redesign. Episode Timestamps:3:20 E...
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Season 2
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Episode 9
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1:17:43