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In this episode of Strings to Your Bow, Chloe sits down with Gareth James of Clockwork Eye Video, a video marketing trainer and producer, to talk about an unconventional career path, and a deeply personal project that grew out of it.
Gareth's route into video ran through the army, where he trained as an armourer, an unplanned turn into amateur dramatics, and extras work on television, before he and business partner Mick built a video production company from scratch, and later the Video Creators Club, teaching small businesses to make their own confident, authentic video content.
Gareth talks candidly about why he's never shied away from change, from the arrival of the smartphone to AI, and why he believes "the only perfect video is a finished one." But the heart of this conversation is the Memorial Map, a project Gareth started after losing his father-in-law and mother, and watching his father move into care. Prompted by his sister's comment that nobody would know who their grandparents were, Gareth built a public map where anyone can add a lasting tribute to someone they've lost.
It's a genuinely moving, funny and practical conversation about embracing change, being useful, and making sure the people who mattered to us aren't forgotten.
In This Episode
● Gareth's unconventional path: from army armourer to IT to amateur dramatics to video production
● Founding Clockwork Eye Video and later the Video Creators Club
● Why "be useful" is Gareth's guiding rule for any content he makes
● Embracing change rather than resisting it, from smartphones to AI
● Why perfection is the enemy of authentic video content
● "Famous people syndrome" and why video builds trust before you've even met someone
● Why he ignores negative comments online rather than engaging with them
● His forthcoming children's book about the life story of a water molecule
● The personal loss that inspired the Memorial Map project
● How a members' map for a networking group grew into something much bigger
● Balancing a meaningful project against the risk of abuse or liability
● Why being remembered matters, and how the map lets ordinary families do that
Key Takeaways
● Embracing change, rather than resisting it, is what's kept Gareth's business relevant through 15 years of shifting technology.
● Perfection isn't the goal in video. Usefulness and authenticity build more trust than polish ever will.
● Ignore the people who only want to argue online. Engaging with them rarely leads anywhere useful.
● Grief and loss can become the starting point for something genuinely useful to other people, not just something to carry alone.
● Meaningful projects still need proper structure and safeguards, even when they're born from something personal rather than commercial.
● Consistency beats intensity. A weekly video that takes forty minutes to record has quietly built a loyal audience over time.
● Your life experience, including the hardest parts, can become the thing that makes your work distinctive.
Memorable Quotes
“There’s no point looking backwards. We’re not going that way.”
“Be useful. Whatever you create, be useful.”
“The only perfect video is a finished one.”
“It's actually a camera with a phone attached, not a phone with a camera.”
“I've never been one to shy away from change.”
“I'm not doing that any more, I'm doing this instead.”
“Video is the start of a conversation.”
“There's three types of people on the internet: people who'll agree with you, people who'll disagree with you, and the ones you just ignore.”
“You're not truly dead until your name's forgotten.”
“It's a shame really, because nobody will know who these people were.”
“She won't be forgotten, and that's what the whole project is about.”
Call to Action
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Thanks for tuning in—I’ll see you next time for another inspiring conversation. Until then, keep discovering your strengths and adding new strings to your bow!
