I Have an Unexpected Problem

Capt Jim

Capt Jim

I've Got It
When I got back to my hotel room this afternoon I checked my emails and found that one of the Producers with NBC Peacock Productions had sent me a message on Youtube. He said he would like to use some of my videos for news segments and an aviation special. In addition, he was curious about whether or not I had additional video that wasn't posted and to email him if interested so that we could “discuss more details”. I did a search and apparently this is all legit.


Here's the problem. Only a few people I work with know I post videos to Youtube. I'm not embarrassed by anything I've posted nor do I think there's anything in my videos that would be a problem. But, if a video were to be used that was made in an aircraft I've flown for my current employer I would need to march into the owners office and confess that all those times they thought I was working, I was actually making videos for my YouTube channel and hopefully get their OK. This could be problematic.

It sounds like the video would be just a clip in the show and I doubt it would reference my channel or provide any money.

Or, I could just say F**K it and if any one made the connection deny everything.
 
Could the thing with NBC be good publicity for your employer? That could give you some leverage? :)
 
Crown said:
Could the thing with NBC be good publicity for your employer? That could give you some leverage? :)
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Don't know yet. The company I work for recently lost an aircraft with fatalities. But, they don't know who I work for and most of my aviation videos are just plane jane landing videos viewed from the cockpit.[DOUBLEPOST=1395788646,1395788536][/DOUBLEPOST]
Rouge said:
I think you should just go for it and see what happens|!
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I'm leaning towards rolling the dice. Just sent him an email saying I would like a little more info.
 
Does the company have an official policy on this sort of thing? I take it you're not holding the camera and that it's in a fixed position? I am sure you're professional enough to ensure you're following all SOPs and FAA regulations etc while flying, so it all comes down to company policy IMO.

I'm guessing NBC are doing an aviation special in light of the Malaysian airlines disaster. Maybe the angle they are going after is the fact the Captain of that flight also had a YouTube channel. Personally I think it's a pretty sensitive subject / time. Since we don't yet know the outcome of the investigation into that accident, it might not necessarily be good publicity for you. The media can take your video but put their own commentary / analysis which doesn't really represent your intentions. Just something to bear in mind.
 
First, congratulations. That's an awesome problem to have.

Honestly, you've got 1.3 million views. It's probably only a matter of time before you have to address the issue of using your employer's resources for your video. There are at least two issues with shooting during company time: one being the uncontrolled security/publicity element should anyone link you to your employer, the other being that you're profiting from it. Both are potential problems.

NBC would probably provide attribution if not payment. Perhaps you could give them footage on condition on anonymity?

Being proactive and talking to your employer, they may be interested in putting their name on the footage rather than your own. They may even make the case that since it was shot using their resources they own the footage. This seems like really murky water, legally speaking, and I'm not sure what the repercussions may be.

Regardless of what you do, I would never deny anything or lie to protect yourself. You may face negative actions, but denial can only make them worse, as the evidence is right there on your channel. If the worst were to happen and you lost your job, you want to be cast in the best light possible when approaching a new employer or addressing any media attention you may get.

Crown said:
The media can take your video but put their own commentary / analysis which doesn't really represent your intentions. Just something to bear in mind.
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I'm going to take a guess and say they're looking for b-roll. It's not the easiest thing to get a camera in the cockpit these days, with both the federal and company restrictions. That said, Jim's company might want to distance itself from any air disasters period considering their recent history.
 
YOLO. With all your fans it's bound to come out, so why not now that NBC's going to promo your channel!?

Maybe they'll even call you in as a specialist in a following channel. This could be huge for you! Congratulations :)
 
I shot a couple videos at work knowing that I could be disciplined or even removed from my job. I did monetize the video on YouTube but I doubt that I would have given approval for an outside entity to use it. Now that I don't work there anymore, somebody call me, would'ja!
 
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