John Post (Padova Media) - Matterpod Episode 2

TRANSCRIPT:

Carson Clement
Hey everyone. And welcome back. I'm Carson from Openhaus and we're really excited to be joined today by John Post from Padova Media and John's joining us from Vancouver, Washington, not Vancouver, Canada. I made that mistake earlier. John's coming to us from Vancouver, Washington, and just really, really grateful to have some of his time. What we like to do in these conversations is just basically spend time chatting among our peers in the industry and we want to kind of learn together and grow together from each other's businesses and kind of perspectives and the 3D capture space as well. So John's got a great business in Vancouver, Washington and the media and anyway, I just wanted to meet him and get to know him a little more. So, John, I'll give it to you. Why don't you give us kind of a an introduction and a background of yourself and.

John Post
Yeah. Thank you, Carson. I love telling people that, but it all started with a cowboy and a bucket list. So I took a fantastic bucket list trip with my grandfather and the rest of our family to a an old pioneer trail in southern Utah. We had this wonderful experience and just had a wonderful time learning about people that did hard things.

And we went to a place called Hole in the Rock and if anybody knows, this place is out near Moab. So the terrain is pretty rough. But the stories that come out of this area were just very inspiring. And I knew that there was an opportunity to share this space and these stories with people. And so I created a business.

That's our tagline is we connect people to places in a meaningful way, and how do we take those stories, those places and stories of inspiration and share them with the world and make them meaningful. So that's that's how I got started five years ago and really, really enjoying everything that Matterport has brought, the different overlays that you guys have, that present opportunities for us to make these experiences more immersive and inspiring.

Carson Clement
So yeah, that's awesome. Thanks very. Thanks for sharing that background. I think I kind of with Openhaus even our idea and you know, our business has evolved. We actually got started by really focusing on helping people share their homes and it wasn't for like real estate purposes, but it was more like, you know, social media creators, etcetera, sharing actual, you know, virtual tours of their homes.

Then our whole purpose was, you know, we feel like the home is such an important place and we want people to be able to share that in a better way on the Internet. And obviously, Openhaus has evolved to be more than that. But I think it's it's cool. You know, we've had similar experiences where you were drawn to start doing 3D photography and Matterport stuff because you're like, Wait, people, these places are really important and really cool and people ought to be able to enjoy them and experience them no matter where they're at.

John Post
That's right. That's as the whole crux. And we are technology that has evolved in creating opportunity for for anyone to grab a hold of something and to share with the world what their experience and those experiences from all over the world. Create insight for how I perceive the world and how I enjoy the world, how I enjoy my time in the world, because I get to watch creators, you know, in in Africa or in Europe or just down the street that creates something amazing. And I want to be a part of that.

Carson Clement
That's awesome. What about, you know, tell me about, you know, a today. What type of work are you guys doing? You work for a specific segment of the market specific clientele. What what's kind of like the status of Adobe right now.

John Post
We have two core components of our business and the first being virtual tours that I create for local and regional businesses. These could be hotels, fitness centers, worked with a lot of nonprofits which have really made a mark in our community helping share the services that are available to the community. And then on the other side, I use a lot of the scam data from Matterport with the pro to camera and the B okay.

John Post
360 and I take that and use that in an architectural setting. So I've created 3D models and 2D drawings for clients who need to go into a renovation setting with an as built drawing or want help modeling. You know, that whole HGTV before and after, you know, when homeowners can really see their project come to life, really make decisions based on what they can see in a model instead of what they can try to understand from a 2D drawing.

So there's those two sides of our business that have really taken off. I all I feel extremely blessed that through the last couple of years that business has grown and everybody's experience the last couple of years differently and I feel very grateful that it has allowed me opportunities that I didn't have before. So those are the two main facets of my business and always looking to connect with historic and cultural spaces.

My hope is that one day I'll see virtual field trips into the classroom. You know, there's enough content out there where kids can go and experience places from a classroom setting and really understands a greater context of the history or the culture that they're trying to study at that time. So I'd like to provide experiences like that.

Carson Clement
Yeah, that's awesome. That's really, really cool. I think I've actually seen one of the local nonprofit spaces think our my co-founder question or show me one of them and it's really cool that you have that be a focus and you did have a lot. Where do you see? I think it's a great point you brought up about how the last couple of years have been obviously experience a lot differently for people.

You know, some people have had businesses crushed by the last couple of years and some people have had, you know, the good fortune of having these circumstances kind of accelerate what they're doing, especially the need for more virtual experiences. Obviously, I think Matterport and just 3D virtual stuff in general has benefited a lot from the circumstances of the two years.

But now that things are getting a little bit more back to normal, what do you where do you kind of see, you know, the industry going over the next several years? Do you think we'll still see this acceleration and still see these things become increasingly important or what's kind of your it's kind of your vision, I guess, for the next several years.

I know it's kind of a big question, but.

John Post
You know, this is this is wonderful because this is how openhaus really can help me strategize those things. You know, virtual tours in the industry, we may see virtual tours versus photographs versus video, but Openhaus we get the opportunity to combine all of those things inside of a virtual tour. You know, with there are strengths and weaknesses to all three of those forms of media.h

And when you can express all three in a setting that it just helps that that experience become more tangible, more exciting. So one of the tours that you guys produced that I saw the aquarium and just a fantasy stick setting. And so when you walking through, you get you get to see some of that video of the aquarium.

You get to experience that that story about the trying to curb the plastic use in, you know, in our area and around the world. So those forms of media that you guys give me the opportunity to use is going to assist my clients in making decisions that will not only set them apart from their competitors, but make their return on investment that much more powerful.

So I can see that growing technology and what you guys are doing really propelling this industry forward over the next I mean, we've got a bright future and I'm excited about it and you guys are doing amazing things. I'm really excited to be be working with so.

Carson Clement
Yeah, yeah. No, I, we're happy that we're connected and working together. And I think when, when you mentioned virtual, you know, field trips, you know, focus that you'd love to do over the next several months or years. I think that kind of is a good example of where the industry should be going because although I think we did see an acceleration and, you know, the need for Matterport and from virtual experiences with COVID 19, I still think that people now realize like, okay, I can actually in a way virtual the experience, you know, places that I really may not ever have the chance to travel to.

And what we're trying to do at Openhaus, but then also on your end, you know, scanning clients and building more businesses or trying to make these incredible places accessible to the world. They're not just in like a, you know, kind of a blank matter point way, but in a way that's actually engaging and as close to as close to being there in-person as possible and as educational and engaging as possible.

So I think I just don't think we're going to go back from there. I think we're going to see more and more people realizing, oh, my classroom, I can take them virtually inside of this historical site. Or when we're planning a construction project, we can you know, all huddle together inside of a virtual space, which is much more cost effective than us all traveling there.

You know, I just think I think the efficiency and the the efficiency and the experience, you know, the engagement is something that people will hang on to for sure.

John Post
Yeah, I see. Every time that I find a virtual tour online, even if it's produced by a competitor, I get excited because that means that we are doing we are doing the right thing. People in general are beginning to know what virtual tours are and what they can do. So there's opportunities there that I get excited about because we're getting over that hurdle of people knowing what a virtual tour is.

We're getting past that, and that's been the biggest thing up until this point. And so and I like telling people is not just for real estate anymore. We've got such, you know, such a powerful tool. And Matterport does an amazing job of making that massive first step. But I got to say, a blank Matterport tour is not real sexy.

You know, we we can do so much more with it and that's what really impresses me about what you guys are doing at h You're making it more

Carson Clement
Yeah.

John Post
Creating better opportunities for that. Starting to look.

Carson Clement
Definitely, yeah. Matterport created an incredible canvas, if you will, you know, a great, you know, just incredible base layer technology for us to build, you know, just a variety of different experiences. On that note, to talk about how it's not just for real estate anymore, I think what we've seen internally is we need engagement metrics and how people interact with spaces is that people are spending a lot longer in non-real estate towards that real estate talks.

And so we're seeing, you know, some of these tours for non-real estate purposes being spent, you know, 20, 30, sometimes over 60 minutes, you know, people will spend inside of a space because they can listen to someone talk through it, they can see informational tags, etc., and really engage with it. And so I think we're on the cusp of some really awesome non real estate applications.

Matterport And just 3D technology in general, that's not even going to speak to the, the hopeful, you know, oncoming wide consumer adoption of virtual reality. Right now, most of what we're talking about with Matterport and Openhaus and we're talking about these 3D experiences, is still viewing it on a phone or a computer, but I think as we see more, you know, VR headsets in people's homes and people having 3D experiences in their homes via VR become more normal.

The future is bright, like you said.

John Post
To bring up a very specific use case there in Seattle. The University of Washington has this historic boat house. Have you heard of the book, The Boys in the Boat it out in 2000?

Carson Clement
I've heard of the book, but I don't I haven't read it.

John Post
In Seattle, there's a historic show House. And in 1936, there was a group of boys that went to the Olympics in Germany and won a gold medal for rowing. And this group of boys came out of Seattle and rode out of this this boathouse. So they they are currently doing a campaign to raise money to preserve and renovate this space.

So I'm building a virtual tour for them. It's not only going to preserve the history and what the space looks like currently, but it's going to tell the story of of that space. They're also going to use that to raise funds for the construction of the space. So it becomes a a marketing tool, a fundraising tool, a teaching tool.

And then from the scan, I created all the the documents, all the construction drawings, a 3D model, and there is a group of students at the school that is going to use that information to design out the interior of that space. So we have one amazing tool that combines to create so many different opportunities, and it's just so powerful once it's exciting and inspiring to help tell the story like that.

Carson Clement
So yeah, that's awesome. That's really, really cool. I think you know that point and that last point you just made about how basically you can create this 3D experience. But if you just think of business, for example, or any organization, you can create this core 3D experience. But that can be used by so many people. One thing we're talking about with some of our business clients is like, We'll create this 3D experience for you, but we can have a version that can be used for marketing purposes, that can get leads, and people can tour your showroom or your store or your property.

But then you can also have a facilities management version where, you know, your facilities management can keep a good record and make sure things are maintained properly. And then you can have a, you know, construction management, you know, anyway, there's just so many different aspects. Once you have this 3D experience as the asset that organizations can utilize, a lot.

So one last question I kind of wanted to ask you, John. It's along the same vein as if you're talking to a client. I know clients are really diverse, so this can be kind of generic. But if you're talking to a client that's considering whether or not they want to create a 3D virtual tour, what are the types of things that you say to them?

Like, Why should someone want to create a 3D tour of their property?

John Post
I'd like to talk about stories, and business owners typically have their own story, and it's not always as exciting eating as a historic boat house, but there's a purpose behind what they're doing. So I often talk to them about their goals and we try to detail and customize a virtual tour to suit that need. I have found a couple of customers that it wasn't a good fit and it isn't always.

I'm able to use their, I guess, their knowledge and understanding about their business to help decide that. But I mentioned earlier about the different forms of media. When those things are combined, you have video and photographs on your website, then a virtual tour. Well, then we take that virtual tour and we publish it to Google Street View. Now you're getting local search results.

You talk about your search engine optimization, those keywords and and then analytics as well. If you can follow the traffic on your site and really learn who your customers are, then your marketing becomes more reliable, it becomes more efficient. And so those dollars spend is more powerful than it might be otherwise. And so it really is an amazing opportunity to set yourself apart.

It's a lot about branding. Who else has a virtual tour? Their showroom, their fitness center, their hotel. It really sets people apart. But the key thing is really understanding what that business needs and what its goals are. But it's usually we can find a good fit.

Carson Clement
Yeah, well said on the last point. We're just talking about that they can provide so much value in a variety of ways and so it's good to tailor your your message based on what the goals are. Sure. So just before we close you, you are located in Vancouver, Washington. You and you guys kind of service just the Vancouver major area or Washington. What's kind of your geographical region? How should people find your get in touch if they watch this and are in that area within your reach, how can people find you.

John Post
Service the entire region? So all of Washington, Oregon, parts of northern Idaho and we're happy to help serve any customers. We're part of a national network of reality capture experts and service projects throughout the country so happy to help out at padovamedia.com after we answered questions info@padovamedia.com and I'd love to hear everybody's story.

Carson Clement
Awesome. Okay. Well thanks, John. We appreciate you taking the time and for connecting with us today.

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