Today is exactly eleven years since the first episode of my “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast was released. I’m proud to have never missed a week once. To-date, 574 episodes have been delivered on-time, every Wednesday since February 17, 2014.
And no, I can’t say that when I first walked into Crystal Blue Sound Studios back then that I thought I’d still be doing this today. Plus, if you would have told me then that I’d get to the point – albeit three years in – where I would do it all without having to go to a studio anymore, suffice it to say I would’ve certainly raised an eyebrow.
It’s a different kind of look that I give present day, though, when someone says, “Wow, that’s a long time. Do you think you’re going to stop?” And I keep giving everyone who asks me the same answer. It’s a quick No followed by, “I know that I would miss it if I did.”
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Let’s face it, today you can’t turn around without bumping into some kind of content somewhere. It’s practically to the point of wondering, “Do people really still watch network television?” Heck, some in Generation Z (if not certainly Generation Alpha) might even ask, “Are there folks that actually give eyeballs to cable channels?”
Nowadays there are smartphones, smart TVs, heck, smart watches. The expression “There’s an app for that” has maybe never been more true.
“And I’m not mad,” to quote an annoying phrase that the aforementioned Gen Z-ers like to use.
But really, though. Years ago, people could only dream of one day hosting “The Tonight Show” or something like one of the late-night TV talk shows. There was a time when people knew they could never have a show with national reach like Howard Stern, so they took solace in thinking they were a big deal by being on the radio in their city.
Now, for better or worse, “You can have a podcast. And you can have a podcast. And you can have a YouTube channel,” as Oprah might say.
And I like to think that those of us that keep at it, and keep at it, and keep at it get noticed. The cream rises to the top while the rest of the tire kickers podfade.
As is the case with “Now Hear This Entertainment,” you don’t get to 166 countries (where the show has gotten listeners from) overnight. And that’s something those “I want to be the next David Letterman” dreamers could’ve never imagined happening.
The people I’ve met, the relationships I’ve formed, the places I’ve gone, the events I’ve attended, the opportunities I’ve gotten, the speaking that I’ve done. Without podcasting, a lot of that doesn’t happen and I wonder in what direction I would’ve headed.
Instead, I get to listen to other podcasters as I drive around. I get to lead the Florida Podcasters Association. I get to help my guests put their message out to a wider audience. I get to provide entertainment and education to people who are kind enough to give me almost 60 minutes of their time each week.
Podcasting has grown by leaps and bounds since my first “Now Hear This Entertainment” episode came out eleven years ago. I love seeing it continue to evolve. I love having an active role in the conversations, putting my hands on the hardware and software, testing out the newest advances, and exploring the opportunities that are presenting them more and more as the medium so firmly roots itself in 21st century culture.
On my podcast I give out my “tour dates” because I want to meet listeners in person just to say a face to face Thank You for listening. It’s not lost on me when I see where in the world my show is able to reach thanks to where technology is today. The youth who thought that maybe someday they could be seen on national late-night television can now be heard internationally at any time of day – prime time, drive time, or bedtime.
I have had guests on my podcast say, “It’s not ‘I have to go write a song’ or ‘I have to go play this gig,’ it’s ‘I get to go write a song’ or ‘I get to go play this gig’.” And in my case, it isn’t lost on me that I get to keep recording and releasing and promoting these interviews – eleven years in.
For more than twenty years I have been helping indie music artists, authors, actors, entrepreneurs, podcasters, filmmakers, small business owners, and more. 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.