Giggs Podcast
The Giggs Podcast, hosted by Nikki Sanz, Founder & CEO of Giggs, the professional career platform for the live event industry, dives into the world of touring and live events to share the good, the bad, the ugly, and the unbelievable moments of gigging life, along with invaluable lessons learned on the road.
We’re here to fill the gap in content about what it truly takes to work on the road. Our episodes explore every discipline within the live event industry, showcasing big wins, hard-learned lessons, and everything in between. We honor the pioneers of this industry, offering invaluable insights from the older generations who shaped modern touring.
Whether you’re an aspiring tour manager, a seasoned backline tech, or just passionate about the live event scene, this podcast is for you. Join us as we take you behind the scenes to explore the highs and lows of gigging life.
Giggs Podcast
#57 The Future of Virtual Production | Kingfisher by LEO Events
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Recorded in Nashville, TN, this special docuseries episode of The Giggs Podcast steps inside Kingfisher Production Studio, the new virtual production offering from LEO Events. Nikki Sanz walks through the space and talks with the team behind it to see how virtual worlds are built, lit, filmed, and finished.
This episode is worth your time if you work in production, post, creative, live events, or brand storytelling and want to understand what virtual production actually takes. The team breaks down how Unreal Engine, motion tracking, lighting, editorial planning, and post all work together to create worlds that feel real on camera.
You’ll also hear why this kind of studio can open new options for corporate shoots, music content, branded storytelling, and location-based concepts without the same travel, permitting, and logistics challenges of a traditional shoot.
We highly recommend watching this one on video on either Spotify or YouTube for the full episode experience.
What you’ll learn:
- How Kingfisher uses virtual production to build believable environments
- Why lighting and motion tracking matter as much as the digital world itself
- How Unreal Engine fits into the production pipeline
- What post-production teams receive after a virtual shoot
- Why pre-production planning still matters in a “limitless” environment
- How this workflow can save time, travel, and location costs
- What kinds of skills help people thrive in studio, animation, and editorial roles
About Kingfisher:
Kingfisher by LEO Events is a virtual production studio based in Nashville, Tennessee, built to help brands, creators, and clients tell stories in flexible digital environments.
In this episode, Nikki Sanz talks with members of the team behind the space, including Stacey Ladd, Sr. Director of Media Production, Brett Clark, Director of Studio & Editorial, Tyler Montanino, Video Production Specialist, Matt Dimodica, Senior Media Animator, and Josh Ickes, Senior Editor. Together, they walk through how Kingfisher blends creative development, lighting, motion tracking, Unreal Engine, and post-production to turn ideas into polished visual stories.
To learn more about the Kingfisher Production Studio and LEO Events, visit https://leoevents.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/kingfisher.made and https://www.instagram.com/leoevents/
Find your next Gigg and join the #1 community for the live events industry: https://www.giggs.live/
Stay up to date:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giggs.live
Youtube: https://youtube.com/@giggs-live
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/giggs-llc/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@giggs.live
Host: Nikki Sanz