After 20+ years elevating Live-to-Tape performances and Music Documentaries, I started Wide+Close in 2019 with longtime friend and collaborator Ryley Fogg. We believe there is a better way to visualize Live Performances, and we call it True Live Cinema. This approach harnesses the tools, talents and techniques of traditional film making and applies them to the Livestreaming space. Our secret sauce is the talent we hire behind the camera. We are all Artists and Filmmakers who speak the language of Cinema. Six years into this journey, I have successfully transitioned into the role Live Multi-Cam Director and have not looked back since. Nothing has ever felt more natural or instinctual and I have been blessed to find my happy place in the industry. There is simply no better feeling than being in-tune, on-time and connected to the music on an emotional level. Athletes call it the Flow State, I call it Synesthesia, but whatever it’s called, it means being truly locked into the energy and flow of the Performance on a subconscious level. It all comes down to feel, which cannot be taught, Artists are born with it… and this is what I was born to do.

Wide+Close first took notice of Gregory Vanger for his award-winning 2019 documentary Coachella: 20 Years in the Desert, a project that marked his leap into large-scale live events. With decades of storytelling behind the camera, Gregory found his stride in the high-pressure world where timing, precision, and creativity meet in real time. Drawing from more than thirty years in film, television, and live production, Gregory’s path through independent film, commercial work, documentaries, and adventure programming has honed the instincts and adaptability required for live cinema. Today, as Senior Producer at Wide+Close, he brings that depth of experience to the forefront of a new frontier—helping shape unforgettable, real-time performances on screen.

Exploring the intersection of music, imagery, and technology has been a lifelong passion for Ryley Fogg. From producing immersive, multisensory performances in underground venues to capturing live music in sold-out stadiums, he has consistently pushed the boundaries of technology to enhance the ineffable magic of the live music experience. As the founder of Eastside Camera Services, Ryley remains at the forefront of the ever-evolving world of live digital cinema, collaborating with some of the world’s most acclaimed image-makers, artists, and performers. As co-owner and Live Cinema Producer at Wide+Close, he draws on a combined expertise as a filmmaker, musician, and dedicated tech enthusiast to craft on-screen experiences as dynamic and engaging as the performances themselves.