Jeff Whetzel enhances events with live video

Jeff Whetzel, a systems engineer who livestreams PEO EIS events and provides web-hosting services for Army websites, is a creative problem solver with a can-do-it attitude, Whetzel has always enjoyed working with computers. He served in the Virginia Army National Guard as a computer operator for six years and subsequently became an IT expert troubleshooting problems for more than 400 Washington Examiner employees. To unwind, he and his wife enjoy watching Blue Bloods, a TV series about a multi-generational family of police officers. Whetzel answered nine questions about his career and life.

You livestream everything from town halls to virtual industry days and training sessions. What challenges do you have to overcome to make livestreaming work?
Bandwidth is the number-one constraint and challenge. Some locations have WiFi or wired internet connectivity that I can use, but in most locations I am limited to using a cellular network connection. I have to be ready to adjust the video resolution and bitrate in order to adapt to the conditions.

I have livestreamed events from a variety of venues and each one has a unique set of challenges. For example, some venues are super dark, and I have to figure out how to light the speakers. At other venues, tying into antiquated audio systems is problematic.

Did anyone train you to livestream?
No. I learn a lot of things online. I often joke with my coworkers: “Never underestimate my ability to Google stuff.”

I monitor a lot of tech websites like anandtech.com, endgadget.com and macrumors.com. I use these websites to learn about technologies and equipment that I can leverage to enhance the livestreaming experience.

What are the benefits of livestreaming?
PEO EIS has employees who are scattered throughout the country and world. The ability to pull a remote audience into an all-hands meeting enhances employee engagement.

Livestreaming is also useful when people are not able to meet face-to-face. In response to COVID-19, PEO EIS hosted a virtual Industry Day supporting the Global Force Information Management (GFIM) program on March 20. I managed the livestream and pulled in two speakers from remote locations. We didn’t postpone the event—we adapted to overcome the challenge.

What advice do you have for someone who is livestreaming their first event?
First and foremost: test, test, test. And then assume that if something can go wrong, it will during the live event. You have to be fluid, flexible and quick to figure out how to adapt to anything that arises.

How do you remain calm during live events when things go wrong?
My wife says I have the ability to be super-hyper focused, which drives her nuts. But during livestreaming, the ability to focus is useful.

What is your proudest moment at work?
I was honored to receive a HOOAH pin from Ms. Smith after livestreaming a PEO EIS town hall in July 2019. She gave it to me right after the event. My bosses made me show off the HOOAH pin around the office.

What is the best advice you received?
Be satisfied with what you have and don’t compare your everyday life with someone’s social-media-highlight reel.

Who inspires you?
I am a realist—some would say pessimist—and know that people will generally let you down. But American small business owners—people who can build a business from nothing and turn it into something—are inspiring. My grandfather built a steel-erection company from scratch. The company helped build malls and hospitals. If my grandfather saw somebody doing something, he would say, “I can do that.” And he would teach himself how to do it.

How would you like to be remembered?
I would like to be remembered as someone who was generous with my time, talent and finances.