Sitecore Virtual Keynote with Leslie Odom Jr.

A Virtual Keynote for Sitecore Symposium

Capitola Media produced this virtual keynote video for Sitecore’s annual Symposium, featuring Paige O’Neill and special guest Leslie Odom Jr. The program brings a company leader and an acclaimed performer together for a conversation about ambition, creativity, and learning through experience.

The session was part of Sitecore Symposium, presented under the theme “Moments that Make Experiences.” It was the event’s first all-digital edition, bringing its community together through virtual presentations and on-demand programming.

Failing Up with Leslie Odom Jr.

Odom’s featured session, “Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning,” connected his experience as an artist with questions that resonate beyond the stage. The Tony- and Grammy-winning performer, known for his work in Hamilton, joined O’Neill for a Q&A, with a musical performance also included in the session.

The program explored following your passions, recognizing your potential, and surrounding yourself with people who help you grow. Its emphasis on taking risks and learning from setbacks gave the technology conference a personal dimension, complementing the event’s business and product programming.

Executive Conversation for an Online Audience

O’Neill’s participation connected the guest session to Sitecore’s leadership and conference audience. The conversation paired a marketing executive’s perspective with a performer’s experience of creative work and professional development.

For an online event, a keynote can provide a shared moment across a geographically dispersed audience. This project brings together virtual event production and executive interview video in a long-form program built around its speakers and their exchange.

Bringing Remote Speakers Into One Program

Capitola Media brought simultaneous remote video feeds into one switched program, connecting O’Neill and Odom from separate locations. The production combined individual speaker views with a split-screen layout, allowing the audience to follow both the person speaking and the other participant’s reactions.

Switching between these views gave the conversation a live visual rhythm. Individual shots focused attention on an answer or a question, while the split screen brought both speakers together within the same frame. The approach made their exchange easy to follow without requiring the participants to share a physical stage.

A comfort monitor supported the presenter during the remote conversation, providing a visual reference alongside the camera. This setup helped bridge the distance between the speakers and supported the back-and-forth of the interview.

Managing concurrent feeds, screen layouts, and program switching was central to the production. Each remote source became part of one coordinated presentation, giving the virtual keynote a consistent viewing experience throughout the discussion.

Conference Content Beyond the Event

The complete video preserves the keynote as a program viewers can return to after the summit. The conversation explores its themes through personal stories and considered responses. For organizations planning a virtual summit, executive discussion, or guest keynote, the project illustrates how corporate video production can bring leadership communication and a guest’s personal story into the same program.