Actualize Stuns Audiences with Mind Altering Visual Experiences [Exclusive Interview]

Actualize has been a part of the visual realm, keeping audiences engaged over the years with his mind-bending visuals. Taking on many roles, his art spreads around the world as he creates for our favorite names in the game. Actualize riding unstoppable momentum after taking part in CloZee’s Microworlds tour and visually hyping the Electric Forest crowd. Today, we’re lucky to get behind the booth and sit down with him for a look into his VJ world. 

Khalila (Electric Hawk): Let’s dive into it by getting to know where you started with your visual/creative journey. When did you, how old were you?

Actualize: Sure. I started doing visuals around late 2016. My first show was in early 2017 with Dubloadz, at a small club in Manchester, New Hampshire. I was 24/25 when I first got into it. I’ll be 32 next month, so I’ve been doing it for a little while. 

I initially started because I was a software engineer and had the tools. My first festival, Mysteryland 2016 completely blew my mind. There were so many things I didn’t even know were possible. There was a thing that people were doing at the main stage with two hummingbirds, coming together, all cut out of wood with projection mapping of some sort. They had lights that would shine up and come through, with a LED wall, and it was like… wow. It was sick; I saw Skrillex and Zeds Dead for the first time too. As soon as I got back from the festival, I was looking into the next; I had money, time, and vacation time, you know, I was just bored.

It got to a point where I wanted to figure out how they’re doing it. So, I did some research, downloaded the software and started. I went online and started googling things like, “What software do people use to do visuals? How does it work?”

I kind of imagined that, it was exactly what it is. It’s basically just mixing videos like a DJ would music, you get effects and can fade opacity. However, for visuals, there are infinitely more effects that you can combine, customize, and trigger them in all sorts of different ways on the fly.  Once I realized that’s all they were doing, I was like, “Oh, that’s sick. I can totally do this.” Since I could write software and use software, I figured I can figure out how this f*cking works.

“At the time, I entertained going into music, but visuals were more intriguing. There’s not many people doing it and I think it’s just such a cool, unique art form that most people don’t even acknowledge.”

When I started, nobody even knew what a VJ was. I didn’t even know of any other VJ’s until about a year and a half into it. I’m self-taught for the most part. Meeting them, I was like, “Oh my God. You actually know what I’m talking about?” 

K: Building off your first few festivals, were they your inspiration to get started? Or would you say it was the artists involved?

A: I’d say, one of the people who really inspired me to really go deep into it was G Jones. He did visuals and music, and I was like, “If he can do both I can definitely do one. There’s no way that he can do both of these things, and I can’t even try ONE of them.” 

K: Once you became comfortable with it, how did you get yourself out there? 

A: I found a local promoter with ELECTRIC IMPULSE who gave me my first opportunities as a VJ for about two years. I did all his shows in Manchester, New Hampshire. I was involved in the first two Equinox Music & Art Festival’s he threw as an art director. The first year I was able to book an entire gallery; it was the first festival that I was able to handle VJ bookings and curate at. 

Once COVID hit, I was laid off from my software job and just did streams nonstop. I bought a 7000 lumen projector to use for festivals and events, but since everything was shut down, I started bringing it outside and projection mapping on houses. At the time, I just bought Lightform (a company that later ended up sponsoring me) but quickly realized that MadMapper was my true love for projection mapping. I started doing all these projection mapping streams, and a ton of visual sets with different fests online, like Couch Fest.

Initially, I thought my business would be focused around projection mapping, mainly because I didn’t know there was an actual market for full-time VJ’s. Especially up in New Hampshire. I was playing every cool gig that was happening and was making nothing… barely anything to be honest. There aren’t that many gigs or people who want to pay you very much either. There’s just, not as much appreciation or understanding for it there, as there is here, in Denver.

That’s why Denver is really special. People here care about the art and the visuals as much as the music. But, I do think it’s catching on in other places slowly. 

K: So, Denver’s the home base. We’ve noticed you’re always on the move though, hopping between events and festivals now. What do you do to prevent burnout?

A: I give myself a lot of time to rest and recuperate from all the gigs because it can be a lot. During the week, I’m working on content projects, communicating with clients, calls, proposals, and building mood boards.

“To reiterate though, I do give myself time to rest. It’s not for the faint of heart; if I didn’t love it, I would not do it. I’m not making a ton of money; I’m doing this purely because I love it.”

It’s extremely taxing on my body, mind, and wallet, but it’s great and the finances are slowly getting better over time.

K: As things get better, are there any developments you’re looking forward to that you’d like to share?

Now, I’m kind of on stable ground and working on building a team to help manage and grow my business.I’m really excited to have an agent, William, because of what I faced the last couple of years doing everything by myself. Setting up gigs, working b2b gigs, all while trying to produce consistent work and grow is difficult. With him, I’ll have a continuous workflow and a lot less on my plate. Plus, the time for quality communication with my clients. 

Hoping to bring on a social media director; somebody to help me with social marketing properly and consult on content. Eventually, I’d like to bring in revenue from my social media platforms. I’ve always invested in my project in terms of computers, software, VJ packs, and plugins. Now, I want to start figuring out how to put more back into my project and finding the people who can help me with other aspects. I’ve also started teaching lessons this year, which is nice for extra revenue.

K: I guess with developments, any goals? 

A: One of my goals this year is to get on more initial announcement flyers. It’s kind of one of those things, where people don’t figure out the VJ in advance of announcing their show. Something I think is a huge mistake. 

I don’t think anybody does it on purpose really. Traditionally, people figure out the show dates and lineup and then worry about the production. However, I want to shift this mindset to always include and advertise visuals on the original flyer. Now that that there is more recognition for VJs and how we can make the event special and unique, it only makes sense to advertise it. At this point we really can help sell tickets.

It makes it really hard to grow my brand when most of the people seeing my art don’t actually know who’s behind it. This is another area where the extra manpower will benefit. Coordinating with production teams in terms of when things are getting posted and what’s getting posted can be helpful for my brand’s growth. Just need the right person to communicate the importance of my placement on flyers, and anything else required for me to do my job efficiently. 

K: Personally, I feel like what you do is more of an A/V experience. You’re not just a VJ hopping on any show anymore. I mean, sometimes you can be, but I feel you’re at this point where your work is part of the show and part of the experience. So I do hope to see more of that for you this coming year.

A: Thank you. Lately, I put a lot of emphasis on working with the artist to build a set together, where the visuals perfectly complement the music. I’ve found working with one another together closely, can really create that unforgettable experience for the audience. Whenever I get a big gig, especially like the recent A Hundred Drums headline at Ogden Theatre, or the kLL smTH support set at Red Rocks, it’s kind of a big deal. I know these are huge opportunities for them and I want to make their sets as impacting as they can possibly be. In addition to being my clients, a lot of these artists are my friends, so helping them succeed is one of my strongest motivations.

I work with the artist, formulating a plan for the set list, and ideally, record a draft in advance. I consider the set list vibe and try to match it visually. So as they’re playing through their set, I have the right content that’s gonna fit all of these different elements. Planning in advance really helps create more of a cohesive A/V experience instead of just mixing along. 

All I want to do is make the best possible artistic experiences, which seems to happen when figuring it all out in advance. I’m probably going to dive into a lot of time coding this year. It’s basically when the video automatically triggers when a song is played on the CDJ’s. In short, if you have content, like a music video with lyrics for example, you don’t have to be like, “OK, here we go,” and hit the button at the right time to sync… which I’ve been doing for two years.

You used to need this software called Showkontrol and it’s so expensive. Now, in the newest version of Resolume they’ve included a way to do it for free, which is a game changer. You know, there’s a little f*ck ups when VJing live; things that I wish I could do differently. With time coding, I’ll be able to provide the absolute most, topnotch visual experience as possible.

K: I don’t know if this makes any sense but, I’m a visual person. So, when I hear a song, I’ll likely think of whatever you overlaid on it. 

A: That’s awesome to hear! Helping people just remember the track and want to go home and listen to it is always the intention.

“That’s the ultimate goal: to create those impactful moments that make that people remember or ideally, have some kind of emotional or inspiring impact.”

Reminds me of what we did for the A Hundred Drums album to leave that mark. When each track off the album is played, the animated album art plays along with it. So when fans are browsing Spotify, they’re like, “Oh sh*t, that’s the visual from the show. Is that the same song?” 

Our project can be considered cohesive branding. It’s a result of bringing us all together, which I love doing with A Hundred Drums. We also worked with Infinite Konceptz, who does all the album artwork. We have this nice little workflow, all get to collaborate, and it’s just really fun.

It’s really cool to work with artists who always appreciate everything we do. It’s extremely fulfilling to be able to help grow their careers and amplify their show experiences.

K: Aside from your project overall, I wanted to get into your last year. Was there any favorite show or curation in 2023?

A: Favorite show? Man… You’re making it hard on me. There were so many cool shows in 2023, and I played Red Rocks eight times, which were all awesome. Specifically, I got to play direct support at four Red Rocks sets last year: Manic Focus, EAZYBAKED, A Hundred Drums B2B Coki, and Lab Group. 

Electric Forest was also a big highlight. I was at Electric Forest with EAZYBAKED, played Sherwood Court at like 3 p.m. for like 20,000 people… it was crazy. Felt like the whole festival showed up; by the end of the set it was packed. Envision was also awesome; running the projection mapping with Zebbler Studios in Costa Rica. 

K: So many good ones in the books for you for sure. Was there a specific moment from 2023 that left an imprint on you? 

A: There are so many moments from 2023 that left an imprint on me. It was all getting imprinted all year. 

But yeah, the most impacting moments for me were traveling to Alaska and Hawaii because those are two places that I’ve always really wanted to go to. It’s just crazy for me to have my art bring me there. Plus, get paid to be in a tropical location or a vacation destination… like WOW. I was able to swim with rays and do all this crazy sh*t I’ve never done before in Hawaii.

More than a Retreat

Synthesis in Hawaii was really cool because it wasn’t your typical gig. It’s a music production retreat, which brought me out to teach visual lessons and do visuals for a little mini festival at the end. It was so cool to have people who bought these tickets for an expensive, week-long retreat, and flown to Hawaii to learn visuals from myself and the other artists. This year we’re planning our own sister event to Synthesis that will be dedicated purely to VJs, so keep an eye out for more details about that!

“Synthesis made me realize, this is what I’m supposed to be doing; I think I need to teach more. Seeing that people actually care that much, they want to fly to Hawaii, come here, and learn from me in the jungle, that was the most impacting.” 

So I started teaching more now. I’ve somewhat launched this little Actualize academy thing; there’s an Instagram which no one’s following and I haven’t posted anything yet. However, its purpose is to be my platform for teaching moving forward. For now, those interested can go to my website, sign-up for an available time, and pay right there with paypal. It’s kind of the first step.

 Teaching on the Horizon

I’m currently offering VJing lessons, but soon, I’m going to start offering projection mapping lessons. Eventually, I hope to create a central platform with myself, Glass Crane, and some of our friends, and offer one-on-one classes under Actualize Academy. Maybe then, we can also host retreats, where people could come out and learn from us in person. 

I figure I’m not going to be able to VJ on the road forever. It’s so much. Maybe I’ll do it, but not to the degree that I’m doing it now. That’s why, I hope to teach more this coming year, and maybe have extra time for projects. Out of everything I do, teaching people who really care a lot to understand, or are starting to learn to understand is the most fulfilling.

There’s just something about teaching someone how to do art. It’s such an important thing in my mind; for mental health and overall life enjoyment. I think it’s important to have some kind of artistic outlet. So when I find somebody who has the same weird, artistic outlet I have and want to learn more from me, I’m just like, “Yes. Let’s go.” 

K: That actually guides me to my next question perfectly. What kind of advice would you give a new creative or one of your new students?

A: Well, I always tell people to find their local promoter and try and start playing shows wherever they can at whatever level. That’s how you’re going to figure out how much you like doing it while getting experience. You also need the ability to network, which is really the core of being able to do it as a job.

“No matter how good you are, if you don’t network, you won’t be able to make a career out of it. You have to put yourself out there.”

I also recommend first downloading the software, try messing around with it, and see if you like it. There’s a difference between the two sides of what a lot of people see singularly as a VJ; there’s the content creation side, then there’s the actual Vjing side. It’s two completely different things, even more different than Djing and making music. You just have tons of layers. You can make live visuals in the mixing software, or take some visuals, distort them into something that’s not even recognizable, and reusing them in a different way. Which is my thing. I love to mix, I love that software. It’s crazy and it’s real time so I can mess around with stuff and see the result right away. 

Dive into a bit of everything

The content creation guys, like my best friend and close collaborator Glass Crane, their main bread and butter is making things in 3D, a totally different game. It’s really hard to do both. It’s one of those things where it’s like, you kind of need to specialize in one or the other. Then maybe, you can do a little bit of the other after. The earning potential with content creation is way higher than for VJ’s. If you become a really good content creator,  there’s tons of people who need your help, and they’re pretty much all willing to pay because it’s an investment for the future.

All in all, you should try a bit of everything and see what you like the most. If you actually want to make a living doing it, you kind of need to do a little bit of everything. Ask yourself a few questions as well: do you want to do it as a career? What is your life going to look like? 

Want to connect and learn from Actualize? Grow your passion and sign up for his one-on-one lessons! 

K: So with the two different sides, what other of the various roles in the VJ realm do you enjoy?

I really like being in roles where I get to curate and/or art direct, like when I manage content projects or am a visual director for a festival where I am booking the other VJs/visual artists and curating all the sets, like Soundhaven.

When I manage larger content projects, like for CloZee’s Microworlds tour, I get to work with the artists and their management to come up with ideas and then bring on friends like Glass Crane and Arkitekt to make the content with.  I will usually head up things like storyboarding, moodboard creation, putting together paperwork, and post-FX – while Steven [Glass Crane] and John [Arkitekt] take on the bulk of the 3D work. As I learn more 3D though I am starting to take the lead on some of the clips. 

Steven, John, and I are actually in the process of launching our own studio together called CONFLUX Creative which will be focused on content and branding projects for artists. We work really well together because we are all specialists in our own areas – Steven is the real-time 3D master, John has the ability to dial in render settings to make things look realistic and super clean, and I have the most VJ experience so I can advise on how the clips should be built and designed to be the most impactful in a VJ set. 

VJ > projectionist > content creator

I love projection mapping too. When you’re projection mapping, you’re like out there, at four in the morning at a festival, waiting for the team to finish building the stage so you can map it. Projection mapping is something that you can just do for fun too, like mapping your bedroom or living room. Or it can be more of an art install thing; you get more freedom, you can do all sorts of cool stuff. It’s not even limited to the music industry either. You can do brand activations and projection map sneakers for Nike, it’s like a whole other career path. 

Recently, I learned Notch, a software that you can do real-time 3D visuals in. Think about real time like a video game versus like a Pixar movie. If you’re doing real-time 3D visuals, it’s not rendered, it’s not a video, it’s a video game. You’re moving around, inside this 3D scene as it’s being rendered. So basically, a video game and you’re playing the camera, and you have audio reactive inputs, can feed in a live camera and have it do all this really cool stuff. And that’s kind of like what Steven’s (Glass Crane) been doing. He’s deep in the 3D side, working with Pretty Lights doing some crazy sh*t. I just used it for the last A Hundred Drums gig and it was super cool. Now it’s something I can add on to what I’m already doing and bring it to the next level. 

K: While we’re talking about these big names, what was it like working on the Microworlds tour with the CloZee team?

A: That was an amazing experience; I love working with her and her team. She has the same manager as LSDREAM, Brandon, who I love working with as well. I worked with Glass Crane and Arkitekt art directing the Microworlds project. 

I didn’t make any of the base content for that myself, partially because Steven and John are the pros at the 3D side of things… More so the post effects, cleaning things up, and batching things together. I worked with CloZee’s team and mine until we dialed in exactly what we wanted. So, it was another one of those projects where I didn’t make it, but was heavily involved. I basically got to dream it up, manage, and ensure everything we produced was what they were looking for.

The one concept I’m the most proud of was the music video for the “Glow In the Dark” track, which they had time-coded in the set. Glass Crane created the scene and created the different clips. After, I pieced them all together into the music video, did a whole bunch of post-effects, and kind of mixed it. So it’s kind of like, my mixing with his content, and my post effects, so we collaborated on this awesome music video for Chloe.

I’m excited to hopefully continue to work with them in the next few years, and more with LSDREAM too. We were able to do his cavern show, making immersive content for him like we did for CloZee’s Voyage a few years back.

K: That’s actually a great way to wrap things. Aside from the LSDREAM collab, anything else that you’re looking forward to for 2024? 

A: I would love to play the Gorge Amphitheater. I don’t know if this is the year, but it’s my biggest bucket list venue right now. 

I’m definitely excited for Sound Haven. I’m booking the VJ lineup again this year, which would be my fourth time working with the team. Applications are open right now for anyone interested, but keep in mind, it is highly competitive and please, don’t take it personally if you’re not selected. Last year we received over 70 applications! Unfortunately, we only have the budget to bring on a very limited amount. 

But, I’m excited to just continue what I do and to work with the people that I work with. I’m excited to see the artists that I’m working with grow and get more opportunities. I’m also excited to learn more Notch, and integrate that into all the shows with all my clients.

K: Well now, before I let you go… the rise of Actual Crane in 2024?! 

A: Yes! Our first set together was for Ultrasloth at Shpongledroid last year – and for our first set this year we will be doing kLL smTH’s first Ogden headline together on March 29th!  

K: Wow. I know we’re excited to witness your collaboration come to life as well. 

Join us at the Ogden theater on March 29th and witness Actual Crane! Grab your tickets here.

Actualize has captivated audiences while inspiring and teaching those around him. After dedicating years to his dream, he seamlessly collaborates with artists like A Hundred Drums, EAZYBAKED, and kLL smTH. Collaborating aside, he’s claimed his spot at the biggest festivals and venues across the world. Now with development and goals to grow his brand even more, we can’t imagine what 2024 has in store for him. 

Cover photo by Actualize

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