I'd like to just say a few simple things in response to all this drama and then hopefully get this thread back on track... I'd like for it to be a repository for all my PHP videos and discussions related to my channel. If people would like to discuss the pros and cons of different disc golf media outlets that's cool with me, but perhaps it all belongs in a new thread!
With that out of the way, let me try to clarify a few things here:
It's not Terry's fault that there are new media regulations being put in place by the PDGA for Majors and NTs, so please don't think that he is personally "boxing me out" of being able to film the lead card in any way. And for the record, I support these new regulations being put in place! As much as I'd like to just be able to cover any tournament I want, I recognize that disc golf has grown immensely in popularity within the last few years and something had to be done to prevent 7 camera people from showing up and just assuming they could film the MPO lead card at a huge event. They would all be getting in each other's way (either accidentally or purposefully) and be a distraction to the players. There wasn't a need for these regulations as recently as a few years ago, but just look at how many people were covering the open lead card at the memorial this year. I support the PDGA's decision to put media regulations in place for Majors and NTs. It's an inevitable side effect of the growth of disc golf, which is ultimately a very positive thing for everyone involved - players, manufacturers, and us video guys!
As for the criticism of Terry's videos, I'd like to point one simple thing out: He gets videos up FAST, just like McFly. Guys like Terry and McFly can cover the lead card for several consecutive days at an event and get the videos up extremely quickly. The tradeoff with quick turnaround times like this is that production quality like that of PHP simply can't be expected.
If I filmed three rounds at the same tournament and edited them all PHP style it would literally take a month and a half before the final round would even be posted, since it usually takes me about 2 weeks to put together PHP coverage for a single round. That's a huge negative in many people's eyes, and I'm well aware that I made the decision to put PHP on the opposite end of this spectrum from channels like Terry's and McFly's. I really do appreciate how much my fans notice the quality of PHP, but just realize that there's no way to achieve this kind of quality and still get coverage up within 24-48 hours.
This is the primary reason why I mainly only cover the final round at tournaments I film - because if I film more than one round it takes way too long for me to even get to editing the final round! Even if I can some day dedicate myself to PHP full time, I don't see how I could get my turnaround time per round to be any faster than 1 week, so we'd still be talking about a 3-4 week delay for final round coverage of longer tournaments if I covered every round. Especially with huge tournaments like NTs and Majors, a lot of people want to see the coverage as soon as possible, which is something that guys like Terry and McFly really excel at, and if I tried to post videos within 24-48 hours my production value would be no better than either of theirs.
I'm never in a hurry to watch coverage myself; I'd rather wait longer and watch a quality production, and I'm guessing my PHP fan base feels the same way, which is great. My personal favorite DG channels to watch are SpinTV and Disc Golf Monthly, and they take the same approach - slow turnaround times but high quality production value. I'm glad there's a demand for our end of the spectrum, but being able to turn around videos as quickly as Terry or McFly is something I'll never be able to do unless I make big quality sacrifices, and there's a huge demand for their end of the spectrum as well. As Terry said, "different strokes for different folks", that's all it is!
So it seems like all the good cards are already claimed at Master's Cup - MPO lead and chase, FPO lead, Masters lead... but it's all good. Pure Hyzer Productions is still the new kid on the block. With these new media regulations I may be able to build exposure throughout 2015 and then try to secure exclusive rights to cover the MPO lead card at some Majors and NTs next year, who knows. Ultimately the media regulation is a good thing. It's the right thing for the sport, and it's the right thing in respect to the players so they don't have to feel distracted by a bazillion camera people all over the place, and it will also lead to less redundant coverage with more cards being covered.
Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely disappointed that I won't be covering anything at Masters Cup this year as I was hoping to, but I still have to voice my support for these media regulations.
On an unrelated note, I just teamed up with Ben Baker from CCDG this past weekend to film the final round as well as the final 9 at Daisy Chains, a women's only tournament at Pinto Lake in Watsonville. We are sharing source files with each other so you can expect multi-cam coverage of this event from both PHP and CCDG in the future! The players in the videos will be Paige Pierce, Ohn Scoggins, Valerie Jenkins, and Jessica Weese. Should make for a good couple of PHP episodes!!! :-D
