Undercover Influencer

As a child who dreamed of working in television, I often watched the credits on television shows and did research on the people who created them. John Shaffner and Joe Stewart are names that came up often. If you’ve watched television in the past thirty years, odds are you have watched worlds that they created. I have come to know John and Joe as two of the most gracious contributors to the entertainment industry, who have been willing to share the lessons that they have learned throughout their career with anyone who has a desire to learn.

Ashlyn is a copywriter and the creator of Copywriting for Creatives, an online course that helps creatives write copy that is guaranteed to convert. Ashlyn built her company from the ground up, starting with a wedding logo and a website that she built herself. Ashlyn is a master at writing copy and her wisdom on building and marketing your company is priceless.

You may have heard, in the news, about a possible labor strike in Hollywood. While, from the outside, Hollywood may seem like a glamorous place to work and live, the reality is that most of the workers who create the television shows and movies that we love to enjoy aren’t being treated fairly in the workplace. Many workers in the entertainment industry work 12 - 16 hour days and barely make enough to live paycheck to paycheck in Los Angeles. To get a more clear understanding of what is going on in Hollywood right now, and why a strike seems likely, I reached out to my friend Hannah Jacobs. Hannah is a second generation designer in the Film and television industry so she has an incredibly clear understanding on the working conditions in the industry and what can be done to make the industry a more fair place for the workers who make the entertainment that we enjoy.

What does being an F14 pilot have to do with being a creative? Oddly enough, quite a bit. This week I chat with my friend, Scott Braddock about what it takes to become a Naval aviator, overcoming fear, and why it is important to not leave anything to chance when doing work that matters. 

Anne Mundell is the Associate Professor of Scene Design and Interim Head of the School of Drama at Carnegie Mellon University. Anne has won numerous awards for her work in theater and as an innovative teacher. Anne and I discuss design, the ways technology has changed the design process, and the future of art education. 

Jim Odom has a storied career at NASA where he worked under Wernher von Braun on the Apollo program and later went on to be a project manager on the Shuttle Program and the Hubble Program. Because of Jim's extensive knowledge of those three programs, and the history behind his career, this episode feels a little more like a documentary than a how-to guide. Even still, this interview is sprinkled with nuggets of wisdom that I hope you won't miss!

Michelle Wong is an incredible actress and one of the most fun people that I know. I’m sure you’re asking why I’m interviewing an actress on a podcast about people who work behind the scenes. While Michelle has a thriving career in film and theater, we spend most of our time talking about her work as a voice over artist. You may recognize her voice from animated films like Dream Works' Abominable, and video games like Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto. In this episode, Michelle and I spend a little time discussing why its important to stay curious, and how you can find the creative solutions you are looking for in the parts of the process that you think has little to do with you.

Paul Joiner is a writer, actor, producer, and the Creative Director of a large non-profit in Southern California. He has been leading his team for over thirty years and the wisdom that he has gained in his time there is priceless. In this conversation we discuss guiding young creative minds, leading teams of creatives, and leading as a number two in an organization.