Welcome to KeyMax Madhouse — a blog about everything and anything to do with the media industries.

You may remember me from my column “Kable Kid” a few years back. I’ve been in the industry my whole life. (I know: it sounds so cheesy! But it’s true — and I have the insane number of pens, hats and t-shirts to prove it.) I love and respect the industry’s history and am fascinated by its path forward.

There is so much going on! New opportunities, new insights, incredible technologies and whole new ways of learning and reaching our communities. Sounds like I drank the Kool-Aid, I know…. But think about it. Without the invention of the internet and the cable industry’s decision to build an infrastructure that would allow broadband to be in everyday use, we wouldn’t have Facebook, Twitter, Hulu, Netflix. And we wouldn’t even be able to comprehend what Virtual Reality is starting to do and where it could go. The list is endless, the news is endless and there are so many dynamic pieces that I decided to try restart my column/blog and as a way to discuss what’s going on and, of course, to offer my opinions. (Let’s face it, I’m a Maxwell; I don’t think I’m good at not having an opinion!)

I dove into my personal Madhouse with Denver Startup Week 2016. Some of the best offerings included “The Future of Augmented and Virtual Reality” and “Fortune 500 Video Strategies to Get Your Business Moving.” Starting out with Augmented and Virtual Reality, AR/VR is such a dynamic technology that appears to have endless uses and is growing in popularity. The practicalities of the technology range from pure entertainment to exploring physical spaces like a house for sales to medical practices. The list is truly endless. But as with any growing technology, there are hurdles. Here we come to an old, old saying: Content is King. That rings true in the VR world as much as it does in any other world. As of right now there isn’t enough content out there. Yes, the technology is starting to get cheaper but without a good amount of stuff to see and do, consumers are understandably less than enthusiastic. AR/VR also faces the problem of getting enough bandwidth to make the experience worthwhile.

Switching over to Fortune 500 Video, it was by far the best session that I attended: Dynamic, well organized and kept coming back to how video can help a start-up. Sherrie Hawkins, CEO/Co-Founder of Beneath the Ink stressed that a video should be in your top five things to do as a start up. Paraphrasing here — she stated that it is great if everything is working on the back end, but if no one knows what you are doing, does it matter what’s happening behind the scenes?

Ms. Hawkins wasn’t the only one with good advice. The other top takeaway was from Rich Kylberg, VP Corporate Marketing and Communications at Arrow. He might not be from a start-up but he sure was engaging in what it takes and his experience with video. The takeaway that hit me the most: “Anonymity has a price.”

This week was all about Denver Startup Week. Next week, I’m heading to the well-known and affectionally nicknamed “Hell Week” for the cable industry. I’m really looking forward to exploring all the knowledge and networking during the week. Especially looking forward to WICT, NAMIC and Kaitz. I’m heading home before the CableFax Summit and am sure I’ll be jealous of all those that are able to attend!

Until Next Time,

Cody.

PS — At the end of each blog I’ll be including one of my pictures plus a review of a wine of the week purely for fun.

PSS — You also can find my blogs at www.keymaxmarketing.com

Picture of the Week

Wine of the Week • Gazela Vinho Verde • Lama, Portugal

Little bubbles hit the tongue waking it up as subtle floral notes bring a fresh crisp experience. Pineapple, kiwi, orange dance across each sip. Dry with just a hint of sweetness to it, this well priced wine is excellent with spicier dishes such as spicy fish tacos. The flavors are strong enough to stand up to a more robust dish but delicate enough to smooth out extremely spicy bites. Refreshing after a long of work or a hike, you might assume this sounds like just a summer wine, I’d argue to have it anytime of year — especially after a good day out and about. If you want to try it yourself ask your local wine store or you can find it at Wine.com.