FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla.—As a radio host and journalist in Haiti, I developed a deep passion for storytelling, music, and digital content over the course of my 20 year career. That passion led me to create Chokarella in 2010—a platform that amplifies Haitian culture through interviews, live shows, and original productions now shared to hundreds of thousands of followers through social media and our app.
I opened the first Chokarella studio in Haiti in 2015, starting with a Pocket Cinema Camera 4K. During the pandemic, I shifted quickly into live streaming, building out a workflow with ATEM Television Studio HD, HyperDecks, Video Assist, and ATEM Streaming Bridge.
Second Studio
To expand our reach, I recently opened a second studio here in Fort Lauderdale, featuring Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K, Pocket Cinema Camera 6K G2, ATEM Mini Pro ISO, ATEM Mini Extreme ISO, and DaVinci Resolve Studio. We needed a production setup that could deliver broadcast-quality visuals, integrate seamlessly with live streaming and multi-camera recordings, and fit within our budget. The Blackmagic gear checked all those boxes, providing cinema-quality imaging without the price tag of other high-end systems.
For live productions, cameras with LUTs feed into the ATEM Mini Extreme ISO, and for pre-recorded content, we shoot in 6K Blackmagic RAW, then color grade and edit in DaVinci Resolve Studio, exporting in 4K. The ATEM Mini Extreme ISO handles our livestreams directly, which makes everything faster and more reliable.
The Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K and Pocket Cinema Camera 6K G2 have had an impressive impact on our productions by allowing our team to quickly deliver high-quality videos, even those that incorporate multi-camera live switching. The Pocket Cinema Camera 6K G2s are usually secondary cameras in our multicam setups because they’re perfect for wide or mid shots during live streams.
The Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K is my go-to for 4K interviews, music sessions, and documentary-style content. The image depth is beautiful, and open gate recording lets me reframe in post for multiple aspect ratios without losing quality. The built-in ND filters also make shooting outdoors or under studio lights a breeze.
Full Control With Multiple Angles
For smaller shoots with a straightforward two to three camera setup, I use the ATEM Mini Pro ISO, which works well for our one-on-one interviews, solo content creation, podcast recordings, or pre-recorded segments where we don’t need a ton of inputs. When I need full control with multiple angles, I turn to the ATEM Mini Extreme ISO—its eight inputs are essential for events like live panels, concerts, and events with multiple additional angles.
In post, I use DaVinci Resolve Studio for color grading to maintain a consistent aesthetic across content. I also love Resolve’s multicam editing for interview cuts, Fusion for motion graphics, and Smart Reframe to prep clips for TikTok and Instagram. On the audio side, I use Fairlight for noise reduction, voice isolation, EQ, and compression to make sure everything sounds clean and professional.
Most days, I handle post myself, but for larger projects, I have two editors who also work in Resolve. Blackmagic’s gear has helped us level up our production quality while keeping everything efficient, fast, and in-house.
