Black Box Podcast

Hosted by Lee Fields, Stephen “Shep” Shepherd, Tyler Kerpsack, and Brad Bramer, the BlackBox Podcast is unfiltered conversation for church production teams, worship leaders, AVL directors, and creative pastors who actually carry the weight of Sunday.

This isn’t theory. It’s field-tested leadership, live audio philosophy, system design, and the stuff nobody talks about but everyone feels.

In this episode we dig into:

• DAW vs. Conso...

In this episode, Lee Fields, Tyler Kerpsack, Shep, and Brad Bramer are back together talking through the realities of church production during the Christmas season.

The conversation covers what it really looks like to lead production teams at scale during the busiest time of the year — from church staffing models and production budgets, to caring for volunteers, working with contractors, and making smart decisions around gear and r...

In this episode, Lee Fields, Tyler Kerpsack, Shep, and Brad Bramer are back together talking all things church production, worship technology, and creative leadership.

The conversation dives into creating production content that actually serves the local church, the platforms and channels currently inspiring us, and what it looks like to build meaningful voice and credibility in the church production space. Lee shares more about th...

In this episode, Lee Fields, Shep, Brad Bramer, and Tyler Kerpsack break down the real-world challenges production leaders face today.

We hit highlights from the ChurchFront Conference — smarter front light, LED strategy that actually serves the room, and the camera white-balance decisions that separate amateur from pro.

Shep unpacks his experience running the Charlie Kirk memorial, offering a masterclass in pressure, pacing, and l...

Season 2 of the BlackBox Podcast kicks off with Brad Bramer, Tyler Kerpsack, Shep, and Lee Fields back at the table — equal parts hilarious, honest, and technically nerdy. From Lee’s wedding weekend to Shep’s restaurant reviews, this one covers everything from life updates to leadership lessons learned the hard way.

They dive into summer projects, monitor mixes, Lauten’s new kick mic, time management in the chaos of production seas...

In Episode 6, the BlackBox crew dives deep into what it really takes to thrive in church production and creative ministry. We kick things off with a sneak peek at Service Reviews, launching this July—your chance to get honest, high-level feedback from the best in the game (sign-ups open soon!). Then Shep breaks down his time at the Army 250 event and what it teaches us about leadership, pressure, and team dynamics under real weight...

This week on BlackBox, we’re covering a lot of ground:

• How to build real leadership — and what to do when you have to rebuild trust and culture from scratch.

• Do you actually need two kick drum mics? Or are we all just flexing?

• What the MrBeast live stream teaches us about innovation, attention, and pulling off high-pressure moments.

• Plus, some Severance spoilers (you’ve been warned) and why the best leaders notice when ...

We go full throttle through some of the biggest production moments of the season—NAB, Coachella, and Easter. From cinematic broadcast trends in church to the sheer scale and precision of Coachella, we’re breaking down what’s worth paying attention to—and what’s just noise. We talk shop on the latest gear, what inspired us, and talk about the future of church content. If you’re leading in church production, creative direction, or br...

We’re coming in hot with a conversation that matters: excellence in church production and creative leadership.

Too often, mediocrity hides behind spiritual language. But let’s be real—excellence reflects the character of God. It’s not about perfection; it’s about intention, discipline, and grit. At Black Box, we don’t make excuses for half-effort. We sweat the small stuff because we believe worship deserves our best.

And we’re fire...

In this kickoff episode, Lee, Tyler, Shep, and Brad sit down to unpack what Black Box is all about—how it started, why it matters, and where it’s heading. If you're a church production leader, creative pastor, or executive leader navigating the world of worship, tech, environments and communication, this is the behind-the-scenes look you’ve been waiting for.

We get honest about the gaps we’ve seen in church production and creative ...