600 In the Books and Many More Ahead

Five days ago, Episode 600 of my weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast was released.  And yes, I did stop to pat myself on the back and had someone from the bakery department at the supermarket write 600 on top of a cake to celebrate.

But the fact of the matter is that we’re less than 48 hours away from Episode 601.  And, spoiler alert, the interviews for episodes 602 and 603 have already been recorded, and tomorrow I’m scheduled to record the interview for episode 604.

For some time now I’ve been on a platform called Stage 32, which connects creatives and professionals in film, television, and digital content worldwide and boasts more than a million members.  (I have even written guest blogs for them.)  Yesterday I posted on there about my recent milestone and responded to one of the congratulatory comments by saying, “I have people who will ask, ‘Will you stop now?’ And I think, ‘Why would I’?”

As a creator – songwriter, podcaster, poet, YouTuber, visual artist – you must be persistent.  We know how many times you have to hear “No” as an answer until you get to the “Yes” and how good that positive response feels, as a result.

I hear countless people – guests on the podcast, speakers at conferences, and lots of others that are visible in the creator world – talk about the importance of being consistent.  Having never missed a week once since launching “Now Hear This Entertainment” in February 2014, I can’t agree more.

However, it’s time we put aside the same old expressions and answers that everyone is throwing around and instead focus on what I hinted at above.  Are you having fun with whatever it is that you’re creating?  If it’s a Yes, then the answer is simple – keep doing that.  And if you’re not, well, do I really have to tell you?

Why do I enjoy hosting the podcast after all these years?  How can I say that 600 episodes in, it’s still fun?

For openers, everybody has their own story.  So, in a sense, I never know what I’m going to (have a front row seat to) hear each week.

And then there are the super cool guests I have been fortunate to get to interview.  Everyone from Roy Orbison, Jr., to the keyboard player for Aerosmith to the lead guitar player for Garth Brooks to the drummer for Cheap Trick to the bass player for P!NK to the trumpet player for Billy Joel to the fiddle player for Taylor Swift, not to mention seven GRAMMY Award winners, two Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, a Las Vegas headliner, four Emmy Award winners, and even participants from “American Idol,” “The Voice,” “America’s Got Talent,” and “The X Factor” (including one singer who won “The Voice”).  And yes, a whole lot more who should be in this paragraph.

Getting to record some episodes on location also keeps things fresh for me.  And I’m not just talking about the interview I did at a studio here in Tampa just over seven weeks ago that allowed me to actually release an episode on video.  That was cool, but the interviews at the NAMM Show have been a blast.  Sitting down to record at various songwriters festivals has been really great too.  Heck, I still remember seven years ago interviewing multiple Emmy Award-winning director and producer Michael Pressman as we sat in his office in Los Angeles.  I can also visualize some of the different spots in Las Vegas where I’ve recorded NHTE interviews.  Along the way to 600, there have been interviews in hotel rooms, hotel meeting rooms, hotel restaurants, and even one that I remember in the hallway outside a hotel’s ballrooms.  Nope, not the best acoustics, but still just downright cool to be sitting with all the great guests that I’ve so enjoyed meeting and talking to over the years.

What else makes it all so fun?  How about not only the cool connections that the podcast has brought about but seeing a lot of those turn into friendships.  I clearly remember last November and dinner for four at a restaurant in Nashville that never would’ve happened were it not for the podcast.

Then there are conferences such as Podfest Multimedia Expo in Orlando (among others) or running the monthly Florida Podcasters Association meeting here in Tampa, not to mention having flown to the UK three years ago to do a presentation about podcasting over there.

So yes, even though podcasting isn’t my full-time job, we can pull in the old expression, “Find something you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.”

Oh, and for those of you feeling a bit overwhelmed, a sampler platter is coming your way on Episode 601 the day after tomorrow.  ((wink))

Now a Member of the Recording Academy, I have been helping indie music artists, authors, actors, entrepreneurs, podcasters, filmmakers, small business owners, and more for more than twenty years.  What challenges are you having in your creator career that I can lend some insight to?  Connect with me so you can take advantage of all my experience, and I can help and keep you moving forward.