Creator's Gear List

Ryan โ€” The Creator's Chair

Creator's
Gear List

Everything I use to film, record, and run my business โ€” organized by category and budget.

๐Ÿš€ = My top pick in that category for that price range ๐Ÿ’ก Pro tip: I bought most of my first kit secondhand. Don't overlook used gear.
๐Ÿ“ท

Camera

Low Budget

๐Ÿš€
Sony ZV-E10 (Mirrorless) crop sensor Best entry-level camera for creators. Excellent value and image quality.
Canon EOS M50 Mark II crop sensor

Medium Budget

๐Ÿš€
Sony a7CII full frame A more compact version of the renowned "a series" โ€” worth it.
Sony a7III full frame

High Budget

๐Ÿš€
Sony a7IV full frame Next level quality and bluetooth connectivity. Exceptional in low light.
Sony Alpha FX3 full frame The gold standard for cinematic video.
๐Ÿ”

Lens

Top Picks

๐Ÿš€
Sony 35mm f/1.8 prime My go-to for talking-head shots. Beautiful background separation.
Sigma 16mm f/1.4 wide ยท crop sensor
Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 GM zoom ยท high budget
๐Ÿ’ก

Lighting

Low Budget

๐Ÿš€
Elgato Key Light Simple plug-and-play. App-controlled. Great for studio setups.
Neewer RGB LED Video Panel Light Budget-friendly and surprisingly powerful for the price. Comes as a 2-pack.

High Budget

๐Ÿš€
Nanlite FS-300B Bi-Color LED Professional quality. If you're serious about lighting, this is it.
Godox FW 47" Octagon Softbox w/ Honeycomb Grid ๐Ÿ‘† Pair this with the Nanlite above. Diffuses and focuses the light beautifully โ€” makes a huge difference in the quality of your shots.
๐ŸŽค

Microphone

Low Budget

๐Ÿš€
DJI Mic Mini Clips magnetically. Massive audio upgrade for the price.

Medium Budget

๐Ÿš€
Shure MV7 Perfect for podcasting and voiceover. USB + XLR. Sounds incredible.
DJI Mic 3 Upgraded wireless lav system โ€” a game changer for on-location filming.

High Budget

๐Ÿš€
Shure SM7B The podcast mic. Used in every professional studio on the planet.
๐ŸŽฌ

Tripods & Stands

Top Picks

๐Ÿš€
Joby GorillaPod 5K Flexible, packable, works anywhere. My everyday tripod.
Manfrotto 190X Solid full-size tripod for studio setups.
Peak Compact Travel Tripod (Light-weight) Affordable and sturdy for mounting lights.
๐Ÿ–ฅ๏ธ

Optional Gear

Nice to Have

Elgato Stream Deck MK.2 Automate scenes, shortcuts, and workflows while recording.
Elgato Teleprompter Read scripts while looking directly into the lens.
DJI Pocket 3 For on-the-go b-roll and vlogging. Tiny but stunning quality.
โšก

Digital Tools

Website & Course Platform

๐Ÿ—๏ธ
Kajabi ๐Ÿš€

All-in-one platform for courses, memberships, email, and your website. What I run my entire business on.

๐ŸŒ
Wix

Easy drag-and-drop website builder for creatives. Great if you want a stunning portfolio or business site without any tech headaches.

Video Editing

๐ŸŽž๏ธ
CapCut

Free, fast, and surprisingly powerful. Great for Reels and YouTube Shorts.

๐ŸŽฌ
Blackmagic Da Vinci Resolve ๐Ÿš€

Industry-standard video editing for long-form YouTube content.

Design & Thumbnails

๐ŸŽจ
Canva Pro ๐Ÿš€

My go-to for thumbnails, social graphics, and branded content. Fast and easy.

Podcast & Audio

๐ŸŽ™๏ธ
Riverside.fm ๐Ÿš€

Records remote podcast interviews in studio-quality audio and video. Huge upgrade from Zoom.

๐Ÿ”Š
Buzzsprout

Simple podcast hosting that distributes to every major platform.

Email Marketing

๐Ÿ“ง
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) ๐Ÿš€

My go-to for building and growing an email list. Built specifically for creators โ€” sequences, automations, and landing pages all in one place.

AI & Productivity

๐Ÿค–
Claude (Anthropic) ๐Ÿš€

My primary AI tool for writing, scripting, strategy, and content ideation.

โœ‚๏ธ
Descript

Edit video by editing the transcript. Removes filler words automatically.

๐Ÿฅ‡ Your First Kit

Start Here

Don't overthink your first setup. Here's exactly what I'd recommend if I was starting from zero today.

Editing CapCut (free)
Platform Kajabi ๐Ÿš€
Some links on this page are affiliate links. I only recommend tools and gear I personally use or believe in. Your support helps keep this content free โ€” thank you. ๐Ÿ™