The top five Dead Pixels Society podcasts from 2023
The Dead Pixels Society podcast continues to grow, thanks in part to the support of our lead sponsors Mediaclip, ip.Labs, and Advertek Printing. In 2023, 50 episodes were published, for total downloads of more than 9,700, up nearly 2,000 from last year. In total, the Dead Pixels Society podcast has more than 25,000 downloads.
Here are the top 10 most downloaded and streamed episodes of 2023. Stay tuned for more great content in 2024; subscribe to the podcast on your favorite listening platforms like Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Podcasts, iHeart Radio, and more. You can also visit our YouTube page for complete episodes and video clips.
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The top five episodes from 2023 are:
In this episode, Gary Pageau of the Dead Pixels Society talks with four former Eastman Kodak Co. executives – Ben Gibson, Bill Jackson, Mike McDougall, and Craig McGowan – who were there on the front lines of early consumer digital imaging.
In this conversation, our very first-panel discussion traverses the winding path from film to digital, dissecting the trials and triumphs that marked this monumental shift. The panel describes the challenges faced by the evolution of Kodak’s business units and the challenges they faced. The panel elaborates on Kodak’s entry into consumer electronics and its strategic partnerships with Japanese manufacturers.
We begin by discussing the transition from film to digital photography. Our panel of experts, hailing from various divisions within Kodak, share their firsthand experiences of this shift. We explore the trials and triumphs, technological breakthroughs, and marketing strategies that have marked Kodak’s evolution in the digital age.
A significant portion of the conversation focuses on the challenges that Kodak faced in the digital camera market. As the company navigated a transition from a traditional film-based model to a consumer electronics-based model, it grappled with rapidly changing technology and market dynamics. Despite these challenges, Kodak made several significant breakthroughs that marked the beginning of a new era in digital imaging.
2. Expanding from digital printing to personalized photo, with Joe Montalbano, Advertek Printing
Gary Pageau of the Dead Pixels Society talked with Joe Montalbano, co-CEO of Advertek Printing. In this interview, Montalbano talks about the start of the company’s digital printing business and its expansion into the personalized photo printing market.
Founded in 1996, Advertek Inc. is one of Canada’s leading commercial printing/packaging and personalization companies. Co-CEOs Joe Montalbano and Simon Spina bought the business in 1999, three years after its founding. The company has its headquarters in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada, working out of a 30,000-square-foot digital and dye-sub printing plant in nearby Brampton, Ontario, as well as a 30,000-square-foot litho and finishing plant in Vaughan, Ontario.
3. WhiteWall’s Evolution: A Tale of Photolab Innovation with Jan-Ole Schmidt
Step into the world of top-notch photographic printing with Jan-Ole Schmidt from the award-winning European photo lab, WhiteWall, as he pulls back the curtain on the company’s evolution, from its humble beginnings to an international operation delivering gallery-grade images to more than 50 countries. Schmidt tells Gary Pageau of the Dead Pixels Society how WhiteWall has maintained the essence of a photo lab, blending traditional silver halide printing with Ultra HD prints, and their unique collaboration with LUMAS enables the offering of limited editions at affordable prices, without sacrificing quality.
Then, Schmidt breaks down WhiteWall’s multi-channel approach. Hear how they utilize physical stores, galleries, and sample sets to replicate the in-person experience for their customers and the swift delivery process all the way from Germany. He shares his insights on the importance of physical photos in this digital era.
4. Reliving family memories with photos, with Lisa McCabe, Capture
Gary Pageau talks with Lisa McCabe, president of Capture. In this interview, McCabe talks about the rebranding of YesVideo to Capture, how technology has changed the company’s offerings and how memories are the core of the consumer photography business. Capture (formerly YesVideo) is one of the leading photo and video media transfer companies. Capture helps users digitize all formats of older media so they can easily view and share them with friends and family forever, and from any device.
5. Reinventing a volume photography business, with Eric Miller, MillerFoto
In this special 100th episode, Gary Pageau talks again with our very first guest, Eric Miller, of MillerFoto. Since the launch of the Dead Pixels Society podcast in March, 2020, the global pandemic reshaped how many businesses operate. Volume photography is no different, and Miller walks us through the decisions he made to reinvent his business operations and marketing practices. These changes included outsourcing production and ramping up video marketing. MillerFoto is a woman-owned school photography and yearbook company based in Metairie, La.