Why is Steve Wearing That Hat?

A Behind the Scenes peek of the Virtual Cafe Project with Bestselling Author John Strelecky

If you’ve watched the behind-the-scenes video for our
Virtual Café project with John Strelecky, you may have spotted something
unusual. Our Creative Director, Steve Martin, is front and center in a blue
collared shirt, jeans, and a tan hat. For those who know Steve, that’s… not his
usual look. So what gives?

It turns out, the hat (and the outfit) weren’t just for show. They were part of a detailed pre-production testing process—one of the
many behind-the-scenes steps we took to ensure that when the cameras rolled for
real, everything looked flawless.  Let’s pull back the curtain.

A Simple Shoot —

At First

The project began with a message from Cole Bridges, the Marketing Director at Aspen Publishing. He and his team were developing a course to accompany The Café on the Edge of the World, John Strelecky’s bestselling book that has inspired readers around the world.

Initially, the ask was straightforward: film John against a green screen with a clean, minimalist studio background. Something polished but simple. A one-day shoot with light editing.

But once Cole shared reference artwork—including a Zoom background John had been using that mimicked the look of the book’s fictional café—we saw an opportunity. What if we could put John inside that world?

“My brand is tied to my books,” John shared in our BTS interview. “And that brand is based around this café, which is a mystical place.”

That single insight turned a basic green screen shoot into a fully customized virtual production.

Creating a Café from the Page to the Screen

Using Unreal Engine and reference material from the book’s illustrations, our design team started building a digital 3D set—modeled after the cozy, slightly surreal 1950s-style diner featured in the story. Neon signs, checkered floors, artwork from the book—it was all there.

We sent an early draft to Cole and the Aspen team. Even though it wasn’t fully rendered yet, the response was clear: we were on the right track.

“They could build basically anything we wanted,” Cole said. “If we wanted this moved or that changed or a different picture on the wall—they could handle that and do it fantastically.”

But building the set was only one part of the equation. Making it look real required an entirely separate level of technical testing and planning.

The Importance of Wardrobe Testing in Virtual Production

Here’s where Steve’s hat comes in.

In real-time virtual production, especially when compositing live in a green screen environment, everything has to be dialed in perfectly. That means camera settings, lighting angles, background contrast, edge detection—and yes, even wardrobe.

We knew John would be wearing his signature look: a blue collared shirt, jeans, and a tan hat. It’s an unmistakable part of his personal brand. So, to simulate how that would look on set, we needed to run our tests with a stand-in wearing the exact same thing.

That stand-in? Yep, Steve.

“We shot the behind-the-scenes video during a technical rehearsal,” Steve said. “I was acting as the stand-in while we fine-tuned lighting and camera tracking, and it just so happened I ended up in full ‘John Strelecky’ mode for those shots.”

And just like that, the thumbnail for the BTS video became a conversation starter. The hat, the shirt, the jeans—it all became part of the story. But beneath the fun was a commitment to preparation. This wasn’t cosplay. It was calculated.

Real-Time Results

By shoot day, every detail had been tested and locked. Our green screen environment was perfectly lit. The virtual set was fully rendered. Camera movement synced in real-time with the 3D scene. And John could actually see a live preview of himself inside the virtual café as he spoke—creating an authentic performance that felt grounded and immersive.

“To be able to immerse myself in that place as I’m doing the filming was a really special experience,” John said. “This creates a special experience for my fans in a way that nothing else could have.”

The course ended up including 16 segments, each one shot in a single day thanks to the precision of our real-time pipeline—and a pre-production process that left nothing to chance.

When Details Make the Difference

What started as a simple video shoot became a masterclass in creative problem-solving and technical execution. Cole put it best:

“I didn’t even know virtual production was a possibility,” he admitted. “But now that we’ve seen what it can do—it’s something we want to explore even more.”

And the wardrobe moment? That was never part of the plan—but it turned into a great symbol of how immersive this production truly became. It also reflects something deeper about our process at Omni: we believe creativity and precision go hand-in-hand.

You can’t improvise your way into high-quality results. You have to design for them. Test for them. Dress for them, if necessary.

So… Why Is Steve Wearing THAT Hat?

Because at Omni, we prepare for everything.  And when you’re building a fictional café in a virtual world to match the tone, heart, and visuals of a beloved book—you better believe we’re going to test it with the real wardrobe, under real lights, with real-time compositing. Even if that means Steve suits up in a tan hat and becomes the stand-in for a bestselling author.

It’s all part of the job.

Watch the full behind-the-scenes video [here](#) to see how we brought The Café on the Edge of the World to life—one pixel (and one hat) at a time.

Have a story you want to step inside of? Let’s bring it to life.

Omni Productions is an award-winning Orlando, Florida video production company specializing in non-profits and corporate video production. Since 1989 we have been one of the top video production companies in Orlando that is producing effective media  communications for local and national clients. For more information visit www.omninewmedia.com or call 407-281-9087.