Connected Lives: Real stories from Ziply Fiber customers
We're launching Connected Lives, a new series featuring real stories from customers across our network. In each installment, you'll hear directly from the people who rely on our fiber internet every day, in their own words, about their own experiences.
We're kicking things off with Josh Naugher, a videographer who’s been a Ziply Fiber customer for five years. Josh works with clients, colorists and sound engineers, moving massive files around the clock. For him, a slow upload speed isn't just an inconvenience; it's a business problem. Here's what he had to say.
Q: As someone who works with video professionally, how important is your internet connection to your day-to-day work?
A: Honestly, it's everything. Every day I'm moving large files back and forth between clients, colorists, sound engineers, other producers, you name it. Video production is such a collaborative process, and pretty much all of that collaboration happens online now. So, a fast, reliable connection isn't some nice-to-have; it's just how I get work done. Without it, I'm dead in the water.
Q: Can you walk us through what a typical workday looks like in terms of data demands?
A: It really depends on where we are on a project. On a shoot day, we could be pushing terabytes of raw footage out the door, sending files to other editors, getting stuff up for clients to review, shipping footage off to colorists. And that's just the start. Once you're deep in post-production, it turns into this constant back-and-forth of uploading new versions, getting notes, making changes and sending everything back out again. Some of those files are gigabytes; some are multiple terabytes. It just never really stops.
Q: How long have you been a Ziply Fiber customer, and what made you switch?
A: About five years now. Before Ziply Fiber, I got my internet from one of the big internet providers, and I was just fed up with the inconsistency. When I moved into a new office it felt like a good time to find something better. I needed a connection that could actually handle the kind of workload I was throwing at it, and the other guys just couldn't do it. The difference was obvious pretty much right away after Ziply Fiber was installed. The speeds were just phenomenally faster than anything I'd had before.
Q: What would you tell another freelancer who is still dealing with a slow or unreliable connection?
A: Make the switch, and I actually tell people this all the time. It comes up a lot when I'm talking to other creatives or producers who are complaining about their setup. The thing a lot of people don't realize is that download speed alone doesn't cut it when you're in video production. A lot of providers advertise these big download numbers, but then the upload speeds are just terrible. That's a huge problem when you're constantly sending large files out. With Ziply Fiber, the upload and download are both fast and consistent, and that's a total game changer. I'm not sitting around waiting on uploads anymore, and that's kind of a big deal when you're on a deadline.
Q: What Ziply Fiber plan are you currently on?
A: The 1 gig plan, which honestly still feels like plenty for what I do day to day. It's not even their fastest option, but it has never once been a bottleneck for me. I think people assume that because I'm moving such large files all the time, I must need the absolute fastest tier available, but that's not the case. The 1 gig has handled everything I've thrown at it without breaking a sweat. And knowing that there are even faster options available if my needs ever grow is reassuring. But right now? I haven't seen a reason to change a thing. It works, it's consistent and in this business that's really all you can ask for.
*Josh Naugher is owner and producer at 36 Arms Video Productions and occasionally performs freelance videography services for Ziply Fiber.
