Ok in case you didn't get the pun... I just made my intentions pretty clear with a paragraph of 11 of my videos linked in it. I miss making videos. I really really miss it. I love to share, entertain, make people laugh and see myself doing so years later. I am seriously considering doing a vlog but haven't quite narrowed it down to a specific niche so that I can maintain sanity, organization and profit. However as I was thinking this through I came up with 10 reasons to vlog to get the ball rolling. * 1. Create A Visual Image Of Myself I can become my own spokesperson for a product, affiliate or topic that is HOT on the internet. People build trust faster when they see someone daily and enjoy learning from a real person. Plus I love people watching me. Well you know what I mean. :) * 2. Vlogging Strengthens A Message The written word is nice but it can get interpreted in many different ways while it is being read. Sometimes things get perceived in the wrong way. I know I love to throw jokes in my blog but I always wonder how many people misunderstand me. Vlogging can make the idea clearer while being truthful to the viewers. 3. Videos Are Popular We are a population of voyers who love to watch other people. Practically everything on tv is a reality show. Reading takes brain power and more and more people are relying on the visual to get the idea across. If done right, DIY videos are extremely popular because it's easier to learn from a video than from a written script. * 4. You Can See A Video On Any Device There used to be a time where you could only see a video on a computer but today you can see a video on phones, ipads, computers, book tablets and many other devices that are currently being developed. When I was installing my kid's car seat I used my phone to get me through the parts I forgot about in the manual. * 5. People Love Being Nosey Oh did you see the video of the little boy who was high after coming from the dentist? How about Charlie bitting his brother's finger? How many times did you watch the mother throw the baby out of the window and being caught by the dad with 1 hand? Ok the last one isn't a real video but boy were you about to get nosey on the internet. :) 6. You Can Watch Yourself Get Better Will Smith was absolutely dreadful in the first year of the Fresh Prince of Bell Aire. Wether you loved him or not WS himself will admit his acting skills were asleep in the beginning... But boy did he wake them up fast. So fast in fact he used his stuff as a way to grow to one of Hollywood's most talented and entertaining actors today. 7. It's Your Own TV Show Who hasn't dreamed about having his or her own TV show? I used to hear Ed McMahon say HEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRREEEEESSSSSSSSS Jai every night while I was growing up. Ok so now I just dated myself. * 8. It Would Be Fun I think it is fair to say I love to have fun and what good is doing anything in life without the element of fun. Yes it would be a lot of work but I know the video field well and I know how to have fun even more. Well I used to know how to have fun. Having 2 kids has put the fun to bed earlier than I would like... I am ready to have hard working fun again. :) 9. Video Will Never Die First there was the book. Then there was radio. After that there was TV. Where do we go from there? I can't see the visual form ever dying because... well like I said before, aside from being lucrative, people are nosey. :) 10. Viral Baby Back when I was growing up I made sure I protected myself from anyone or anything viral. Now I can't wait to go viral again. After my Doritos Crash The Superbowl video went viral I never stopped thinking about how I could repeat that formula again. It was a great boost of success energy and... the payday was pretty good too. :) What kind of show would you like to see from me? Is there a product or idea you think fits me and my personality well? I would love to hear your thoughts. More about this coming soon... Until Tomorrow, Jai
17 Comments
Here are 5 wonderful things that have happened to me as a result of blogging.
1. Yakezie Challenge - I joined the Yakezie Challenge after reading an article by PTMoney called How To Make $10,000... Blogging. The article lead me to the blog in topic which then directed me to Yakezie. I joined the challenge on December 27th 2011 and have made a lot of internet friends, opened up a small business and made much more money. * 2. Logo Design - I started a small logo design business that developed from the internet friendship I have made during my Yakezie challenge. I just started doing them a couple of months ago but today I have 7 logos completed and just finished a website for a client of mine. Website design too??? Let's see. One thing at a time. :) * 3. Front Page Of Google - If you Google how to become a good salsa dancer, Insanity before and after, wedding photography scam, I am so tired jokes, and many many more topics you will find that I rank in one of the top 10 spots on the front page of Google. Not bad for someone who is only doing this a year. * 4. Going Viral - I credit blogging for going viral on my Doritos Crash The Superbowl video. Why? Because I must have blogged about it 50 times in 6 months that it just caught on. In fact if you google Doritos Crash The Superbowl I pop up on the front page in both the search and video section. 5. Bottom Line - I have made some good money blogging. In fact, my Headshot NYC photography business has grown, my before and after photoshop services bring in some dough, my logo design business has taken off, my adsense has increased 1000 fold this year, and I have learned how to budget my money as well as make more money all because of the personal finance blogs on Yakezie. Well, happy anniversary to me again. Tonight I celebrate. But for now I will continue to blog. For how long? I don't quite know yet. I still have some things to say. I do want to make it clear though. Along with the great successes come some not so great moments. It's not all fun and games growing your own brand from your home. Blogging is challenging and a gamble. For now though I will continue to do it until my next great financial adventure. Until Tomorrow, Jai PS. Want to see my TIme Lapse - Sittin On Tha Toilet 
My wife and I live in an apartment in New York City where there is only one bathroom. Mornings are extremely tough with 2 kids and 2 parents trying to make it to daycare and work in the morning. For the last 2 years my wife has heatedly complained that I always find a way to lock myself in the bathroom for a really long time and can't believe that I am just metrosexualizing myself. So, recently my wife took it upon herself to find a way to see WTF I was really doing in the bathroom. Here is what she did. She secretly had someone come to our apartment, drill a small hole in the bathroom, install a hidden camera and film me. Then she hired an editor to remove all of the sound and added a stupid voice over to mock what I was doing. Finally the 40 minute video that she secretly taped was cut into a 40 second Benny Hill style time lapse - on the toilet video. Did my wife really do this cruel act to me? Would my wife really secretly film and edit a video of me in the bathroom for the world to see? You decide. Until Tomorrow,
Jai Week In Review - My 10 Stock Market Investing Tips I Learned 7 Tips To Looking Better In Photos5/19/2012 
Question??? What's wrong with the photo above?
2 more weeks of Insanity and I am done in case you missed my Insanity before and after blog. By the way if you google "Insanity before and after" you will see my blog on the first page. Pretty cool huh? So, I recently started to put my toe in the investment waters and the market has gone down 6 days straight. Naturally I am down on some of my positions. Am I scared? Only me and my underwear know. Don't worry... I am very patient so I am not overly shitting but I guess it's all a test of discipline. Hopefully I will survive. Well have a wonderful rest of the weekend. I have a husband and wife argument post next week that is pretty... well you'll be the judge. And a 1 year blog anniversary to share with you. So, If you missed the investment blog or any of my other posts this week please click on the links below and I will see you all next time. 1. My 10 Stock Market Investing Tips I Learned 2. 7 Tips To Looking Better In Photos, Even If The Mirror Says You Are The Ugliest One Of Them All * Until Monday, * Jai 7 Tips To Looking Better In Photos, Even If The Mirror Says You Are The Ugliest One Of Them All5/17/2012 
1. Hire A Photographer Who Cares - A truly professional photographer is more than just a photographer. He or she creates experiences and moods with you and your features in mind. We compose the shot and direct you so we can photograph real moments that hopefully you are going to cherish for life.
2. Use A Make Up Artist - Television personalities, movie stars, thespians, models, newscasters, and even the President of the United States uses a make up artist. It's what a lot of people do to even out skin tones, cover up blemishes and accentuate beauty. If the leader of the free nation is getting make up done you should too. 3 - Avoid The Evil Double Chin - A photographer must position the camera properly or else you are photographically screwed. The lens must be at your eye level or higher because even Kate Moss would have had a double chin if shot from below. Bend your knees slightly if you are taller than the photographer, suggest sitting in a chair or lift your turkey neck to stretch out the evil double chin. 4. Tilt Your Head - Turning your head slightly away from the camera will be much more appealing to your eye when you look at your photographs. It creates more depth and is more interesting than looking at a football sized head with a mug shot of you from lobe to lobe. Plus if you have big ears (I have tiny ones) you will undoubtedly want to avoid the Will Smith look. 5. Don’t Smile – Whatever you do... DO NOT SMILE. The word smile is a bad 5 letter word that brings out the constipated fake tooth showing look that will make you run for the hills to burn each photo individually. Let the photographer bring out the special moments by his or her direction. If you hired a bad photographer (or didn't hire me) then just think something funny like if a cow laughed would milk come out of its nose or how cruel it was to put an "S" in the word lisp. 6. Strike A Pose - Madonna does it why can't you. Put your hand on your hip and sit into it lowering one shoulder. Try turning around then face the camera. Squat down jail style and put a little attitude in your photo. Let your personality shine through your actions and you’ll be surprised at how much more photogenic you really can be. Also keep in mind that if you twist your body slightly you will appear thinner and ultimately happier with your photographic results. 7. There Is Always Photoshop - When all else fails there is always photoshop. The before and after photoshop look is no longer a big surprise because we all know it exists. Every client I have ever had has asked me to photoshop something out of it. I do it all the time to my own photos because I want to look like Johnny Depp. Also, it usually comes with the photographer's package deal. If it's a random photo that someone took and you know it doesn't look good then take the camera and throw it out the window. :) Well there you have it. 7 tips to looking better in photos, even if the mirror says you are the ugliest one of them all. Without sounding too cheesy appreciate these photographic moments. Even the ugly ones. Who knows... if you are smart it can be the conversation piece to your future loved one the next time you show your driver's license. :) Until Tomorrow, Jai 
It's been 3 months and my portfolio and brain have started to see a pulse. Here are some of the tips he has given me or I have concluded along the way. Please read them over and let me know if I am on the right track. If I am missing something please add it as a comment at the bottom because, even though I am picking up a lot, I am still a newbie.
3 months in and I am loving all that I am learning. I credit Yakezie for all the wonderful blogs that make me question my financial future, however without my step father I would have felt completely lost. Thank you Ciro for being a great teacher and allowing me the opportunity to learn from you. If I am missing some points please chime in as it's all about learning. Until Tomorrow, Jai Week In Review - RIP Rich Ramirez & 7 Reasons Why Mother's Day Should Be The Number 1 Holiday5/13/2012 
Do you want to hear something funny?
After working out with Insanity, taking my wife to workout out with her trainer, getting my son to swim class and then to the park we somehow found the energy to go home and get dressed up to have a nice Mother's Day dinner together. Yep daddy made a romantic 8pm reservation at a restaurant we have wanted to try for a while. When we arrived we decided to sit outside which made the night even more romantic. We talked about her being a mom and all the wonderful things that my wife has done in the last 3 mother's days. And, I didn't tell her how great of a dad I am because I do that every other day of the year. Anyway, we ate a delicious appetizer, a wonderful meal and a smooth tasting dessert. We then decided to go walk around the neighborhood and talk some more about how great of a mother my wife has been. And again I didn't mention how great of a dad I am. Then we stopped to get ice cream. Yep we had a second dessert. We talked some more and then I gave her a card and a gift. She cried and told me how much she loved me and I refused to tell her how great of a dad I am because I was telling her how great of a husband I am. After all of that we strolled home because we were totally exhausted from a LONG day and night. Here is the funny part. Remember we arrived at the restaurant at 8pm. Guess what time we got home? 10:27pm Happy Mother's Day to all of the women who have pulled watermelons out of their nostrils. Missed any of my blog this week? Here are the posts. Until Monday, Jai  Me, my mom & my grandmother
And that is what makes Mother's Day the number one holiday. On that note... Thank you mom. I love you. Until Tomorrow, Jai Take a look at the father son talk about mother's day I filmed 2 years ago. 
In 2001 I was hired to be one of the premier dancers in a dance musical called Latin Madness. Rich Ramirez was one of the writers and stars of the show in which he, along with Herbie Quinones, desperately tried to get their creation on Broadway by taking the audience down the Latino historical lane. At the time I was just a dancer but after the run of Latin Madness I went on to train with acting legend Maggie Flannigan and voice/speech with Shane Anne Younts. I became a commentator for ESPN for 3 years. I made short films, webisodes, commercials, viral videos and have been on several stages for a nice chunk of my adult life. Who do I have to thank for that? Rich Ramirez of course.
One day while I was rehearsing for Latin Madness (which was chaotically funny) I was fooling around with a character voice trying to make my fellow dancers laugh. Rich, listening to the foolishness that was coming out of my mouth, called me over and asked me if I wanted to act in a small scene in Latin Madness. "Hell fu**ing yeah," I said, but I had never really acted before. He explained to me that it was a small part but he was toying with an idea of adding in a gay character and wanted to see if he could use me if I was up to the challenge. He gave me the script and told me to be ready for an audition at the next rehearsal. The next day my body was rehearsing the dance numbers but my heart was rehearsing the the scene while I was waiting to be called for my audition. In my mind I had come up with a gay character idea that I knew was genius and couldn't wait for the moment to show Rich and the rest of the cast my untapped skills. I was raw but the reality is that my narcissistic side had been stroked. "Jai. You ready?," he yelled over to me. I nodded and ran to the wings for my cue. Then the moment came. I swung the acting bat like Babe Ruth, dunked the scene like Michael Jordan and then knocked out the audience with my one two Muhammad Ali. Everyone was laughing hysterically and people congratulated me as we continued rehearsal but I was still a dancer and had to get back to why I was hired in the first place. So, with confidence I went back to dancing and graciously (but eagerly) waited for the rehearsal to end so Rich could tell me how great I really thought I was. When it ended, Rich called me over and said that he needed some time to think about it and was going to call me later that night to tell me his decision. I was nervous. I waited by the phone like a dog anxiously waiting to be fed. The phone rang around 10pm and I answered as cool as I could be. Rich said some small talk like anyone else would do and then said that he really loved my performance. He said he loved my over the top character idea and wardrobe choice but had to cut me out of the show for being too funny. What? Too funny,? I thought to myself. I was too shocked and devastated to speak so I just unconsciously listened. He told me that he and Herbie felt that my humor was going to steal the scene and that having 3 funny people on the stage at the same time was going to be a conflict for the show. Before hanging up he apologized to me several times and then told me how great of a job I did. I was devastated. I was confused and I don't mean my blonde hair is getting the better of me confused. I mean I was really truly confused. I thought, you don't take Derek Jeter out of the line up. You don't ask Marlon Brando to be an extra. You don't tell Frank Sinatra to sing back up. Hey this is my blog I can compare myself to whoever I want :). Anyway, I went to bed that night without sleeping because I couldn't handle the pain of hearing how great I was and being fired before I was hired. The following day at rehearsal Rich called me over and asked me how I was feeling and wanted to know why I looked so tired. I snickered and said something about being over worked and under appreciated. He laughed and said that he really truly enjoyed my scene the night before and then he stared at me. I then looked at him and he continued to look back at me some more. Then he told me the news. "We are putting you in the scene and taking Herbie out because you did such a good job." I screamed like a 13 year old girl at an all boy band concert. Rich walked away and I had a small but very memorable scene in Latin Madness that lasted for the entire 3 year run of the show. We did tours in New York, LA, and parts of Europe and that scene and I went along for the great ride. That was the first time I had really acted on stage and Rich helped open up that door of desire and I walked through. He hired me a few times throughout the years and I got him a reading for a movie that a friend of mine had written. We remained friends and spoke a few times late last year about doing a comedic video together once his health got better. Unfortunately that day never came but I am truly grateful for the time that we got to spend together both on and off stage. I learned a lot from Rich and Latin Madness and I am very lucky that I had that opportunity. I will never forget all the fun coming out on stage in my tight pink shirt and red sweatpants that hung low enough to see my black g-string underneath. I am sure Rich didn't have the same fond memory because he was the one who had to look at me every night dressed as I was. However, Rich if you can hear me and there is internet in heaven I thought you might appreciate the video I posted below. RIP my friend. Rich Ramirez & Jai Catalano 
Anyway, I am going to keep this one short. Thanks for reading, keeping me inspired and caring to come by. It means a lot to me.
If you missed any of my posts this week please check out... 1. My Multiple Sources Of Income 2. Insanity Workout Review - Half Way Through The Pain Until Monday, Jai |
Loading
Jai CatalanoThere are 3 things I can't change... my 2 kids, my 1 wife and my 0 rights. Archives
January 2013
 |
JAI CATALANO - Photographer | Videographer | Editor
973.715.0018 | New York, NY | Morristown, NJ
973.715.0018 | New York, NY | Morristown, NJ
Copyright Jai Catalano © 2004 - 2021