Meet Chad Neidt | Visual Storyteller at 37signals & Co-owner of The D-League, a boutique video production company.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chad Neidt and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chad, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
I know this term ‘Work life balance’ has become a bit of a cliche and to some extent Mission: Impossible for many.

But I think it’s not only possible, it’s necessary for sustaining your life and career.

I realize many companies play a big part in not giving enough slack for people’s personal lives, but it goes both ways – we have to set boundaries with our workplace so they’re aware of the shit we won’t put up with.

I am fortunate to work for a company (37signals) that is incredibly supportive of that balance. They have a rule 8/8/8 – 8 hours for work, 8 hours for personal time, and 8 hours of sleep. They also don’t claim to be ‘a family’ – that’s just a veiled way of demanding loyalty and long work hours from employees.

As a business owner (The D-League), we are also very keen on this concept. We do video production, and that world is so overdue for an overhaul when it comes to work life balance. People say “This is a cool job, so you should do whatever it takes to keep it!” Bullshit. It’s work like everything else. We hate long shoot days and strive to keep them reasonable. If someone gets sick or a family emergency happens? Take off and don’t worry about it. We’ll still pay your full day rate.

I still struggle to turn my brain off from thinking about work when 5pm comes around, and I’ve learned it’s a constant battle to win. You always have to be consciously unplugging, putting your phone away for the night, and drawing hard lines with email and post-work communication.

The better your personal life, the better you feel, the more you have to give for your career. It rarely works the other way around.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
When me and Woody first started The D-League, it was just a way to make jokes into dreams. Thinking of some funny scenario then bringing it to life on film is so fulfilling, and always will be.

We kinda fell into making comedic ads because we had enough proof that we could make funny videos.

I’m most proud of our ability to read a script or ad copy and elevate it visually and comedically. Ad Agencies often come to us with a script they want done. While we want to deliver what they asked for, we also want to create a version we believe in. Sometimes it’s hard for people to visualize what we are going for, so we just make their vison and our version on the shoot day. After the edit is done, we say “Ok, here’s the version you wanted, but also, check out this other version we think you’ll love.” This saves a lot of time convincing people to do something we believe in, but also saves our asses when they aren’t into it.

It’s not always easy to tell people what we’re thinking and get them onboard, so we just say “Ok, let’s show them.” That’s how we sneak our comedy vision into our projects. If they don’t go for it, hey, we still have it to showcase to other clients to show what we’re capable of.

Woody always says “Nobody is going to pay you to make what you want, so you have to make it.” This method is our little hack to getting paid to make what we want.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
First, we go to my couch and watch youtube videos of what to do in Colorado.

Kidding of course.

I’d say wake up and head to Denver Biscuit Company in Centennial (I’m a southy). The wait is worth the look on my friends faces when they take that first gooey bite out of their biscuit.

Then we head more south to go camping in Rampart range outside of Montrose. It’s all first come first serve, and it’s way out there, so you don’t really have to compete to find a spot. I grew up camping here and it really feels like you’re deep in it. Beautiful views with plenty of places to walk around.

After our trip, we come home and recover for a night or so, then maybe head into Denver for dinner at Coperta. Great corner spot that serves real good Italian food.

After that, ideally there’s a concert in town at either Ogden, Bluebird, Gothic, Globe Hall, or Mission Ballroom. To me Red Rocks is old news. Is it beautiful? Absolutely. Is it kind of a nightmare production to get over there and inside? 1,000%. Plus you’re not that close to the stage unless you pay that premium. Smaller venues beat that experience every time.

There’s plenty more to do, but that’s a good start!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Huge Shoutout to my Mom for A. supporting me and pursuing my passions and B. also forcing me to double major in something else besides Theatre so I could still eat.

Shoutout to my wife for listening to me complain about everything that isn’t going right then nudging me to forget about it all and watch some reality tv with her.

Last, shoutout to my creative partner Woody Roseland at The D-League who is always pushing himself to learn more while doing less. We don’t need to be busybody heroes. We need to be happy!

Website: http://www.thedleague.co/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chad-neidt

Twitter: https://twitter.com/chadneidt

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thed-league6256

Other: Blog: https://world.hey.com/chad.neidt

Image Credits
Woody Roseland Mackenzie Roseland