I had the privilege of visiting the studio of JerryRigEverything, a popular YouTube channel known for its durability tests and teardowns of various gadgets. As I walked into the studio, I was immediately struck by its size – a spacious 26,000 square feet filled with gadgets, tools, and equipment.
"This is where I keep the big boy toys," said Zack Nelson, the man behind JerryRigEverything. He was giving me a tour of his studio, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement as I looked around.
The first thing I noticed was a gold-plated toothbrush that Zack had taken apart for a recent video. "This thing costs $8,000," he said, holding up the toothbrush with a grin. I laughed, still in awe of the sheer extravagance of it all.
As we walked through the studio, Zack showed me his lighting setup, which he admitted was "interesting" – a complimentary term, he assured me. He had two cameras and two monitors set up, with an old display for the top camera and a slightly newer one for the bottom.
"Everything is 60 frames," Zack explained as he showed me his Panasonic GH6, which can shoot 5K60 frames per second. "It just gives me the most data to work with when I'm zooming in on really small parts."
I asked Zack if he had always shot at 60 frames per second, and he admitted that he had. "Bigger numbers are better, and 60 is more than 24," he said with a laugh.
As we continued the tour, Zack showed me his desk, which was covered in various tools and gadgets. He had a piece of paper stretched across the top, which he would replace whenever it got scratched up or messed up. "It's a hospital bed," he joked.
We also talked about his truss system, which he had set up to hold his cameras and lights. It was a heavy-duty setup, with barn door rails and a DeWalt clamp to keep everything in place.
"I knew I needed something super rigid," Zack explained. "I can't adjust focus and wait for it to stop wiggling."
As we wrapped up the tour, I asked Zack about his editing process. He told me that he has an editor who lives in Texas, and they work together to get each video 80% of the way done. Zack then polishes it off and posts it to his channel.
Overall, I was blown away by the sheer size and scope of Zack's studio. It was a testament to the success he has achieved with his YouTube channel, and I couldn't wait to see what he would create next.