Studio Sherpas Podcast

In today’s solo unscripted episode, I want to answer just one question - If I was just starting out today, what would I do? Since you only get to do something for the first time once, It’s interesting to look back with the experience of years of business and imagine what I would do if it were possible to start over. One thing I wouldn’t change was getting out there and meeting with people in the industry. I explain why you should always ask questions, see how others do it, and figure out where you fit into it all. I found that this can also pay off in the form of referrals further down the road. Learning how to best use social media for my business took some time. Now we are very intentional about what we do and often defer to the experts for strategic advice. However, some experimentation is still useful for finding and connecting with your best audience. Most of all though, getting started the right way means getting out from behind your computer and meeting the right people. I discuss getting involved in t

One of the biggest struggles of any business owner is aligning their work with their purpose and values. You may feel that you need to make personal sacrifices in support of the bottom line. However, today’s guest has made a career by building his studio around the values and lifestyle that are most meaningful to him. I believe that all of us can do the same! Jesse Bone is a partner and producer at Filter Studios on Vancouver Island. A fellow sherpa and Onward Summit attendee, Jesse and his studio focus on making amazing films for the outdoor industry. Jesse lays out how his business is intentionally aligned with his values. Being intentional from the very start of building your business and in every project that you do will lead to work that you find most meaningful. One thing that’s helped Jesse is creating a clear vision of where he wants to be and what he wants to have accomplished by the end of his career.  Niching down is an essential part of this. You really can’t be too focused on who you serve. Jesse

We all want our business to be the best it can be. As leaders, though, that improvement starts with us. In order to take your business to the next level, you’re going to need to look inside of yourself and see where you can grow. This type of introspection is hard. Today, I’ve brought in a good friend and business mentor who has helped many leaders do this important work. Christopher Cook is a business consultant and podcaster, not to mention an amazing thinker and communicator. As a leadership coach and consultant to both Fortune 1000 companies and non-profit organizations, he serves as a guide to help people design their roadmap to wholeness from the inside out. He’s also the host of his own podcast, Win Today with Christopher Cook. Today’s episode is all about your personal identity and how your business is an extension of that. The important thing is to know if you’re working from that identity or for it. That will help you to understand that significant personal growth can’t help but influence your busin

Have you ever tried to put on a different persona when working with a client? I bet it felt awkward. The reality is, there’s no need to do that, even when working with giant brands. Don’t fall into the trap of believing that you’re not good enough as you are. The right client for you isn’t looking for someone else. They want you as you are with what you have to offer. Ryan Spanger is the founder of Dream Engine, a corporate video production company in Melbourne, Australia. Since 2001, his company has been turning out high-quality corporate videos, training materials, events, and TV commercials, and website videos for businesses, government departments, and universities. He’s won numerous awards and filmed across the globe with some of the best-known brands out there. Having been making videos for over two decades, Ryan discusses what he has learned about doing this over the long run. While a certain element of luck might be involved, Ryan describes the attitude and dedication necessary to take advantage of th

Have you ever reached the end of your workday and wondered if you even accomplished anything? I bet it’s not an uncommon feeling. That’s why I am joining you today to talk about how daily habits have improved my life and how they can help you too. When first developing a routine, it may be difficult to notice its impact. However, at some point, you’ll notice that it has paid off in a big way. That’s why it’s crucial to be both patient and consistent with your new habits. I’ve certainly noticed this with my morning ritual and the processes I established at work. Furthermore, having a set process that other people can learn from has allowed me to delegate important work to my team members. This permits me to spend less energy worrying about the minutiae of work. Now I can focus on the big picture instead. It has even given me the freedom to take every Friday off. So that you can start benefiting from habit building, I share useful strategies and tools that you can use to start owning your day. This involves ded

Many of us are doing just fine on the creative side of our work. But if you don’t know how to sell and market what you make, then your business isn’t going to go very far. Today’s guest is going to share some easy to follow advice for helping you level-up your marketing strategy right away! Allan Dib is the best-selling author of The 1-Page Marketing Plan. He’s a serial entrepreneur, a rebellious marketer, and a technology expert who has started, grown, and exited multiple businesses in various industries. He spends his days working one-on-one with clients and creating new courses and content. As a source of expertise in growing any kind of business, Allan shares some of the pitfalls that many creatives end up in when trying to market their services. He’s found that many of us tend to think that the creative work will sell itself. That would certainly be nice, but it seldom works that way. So that you can start marketing better right away, Allan describes the mindest needed to make it happen and briefly walks

I’m sure that there are goals you want to accomplish in your life and business. Actually visualizing what your life would be like once those goals have been accomplished is a powerful, but not that intuitive, exercise. Today, you’re going to hear from someone whose expertise is helping people identify and realize their most important goals. Cliff Ravenscraft is a business mentor, life coach, and motivational speaker. He mentors coaches, consultants, and thought leaders through the transition from their unfulfilling day job to their own responsible and profitable online business so that they can live the life of their dreams and do the work they feel most called to do. Today, Cliff delves into what happens when we find work that truly fulfills us and brings us joy as well as a reliable income. This is often called your “zone of genius” and working within it adds more value than any other work you could ever do. Cliff shares his insight into what you can start doing right now to get on the path to working full-

As the decade winds down, I want to speak to you, by myself this time, to highlight some of my favorite episodes from this year and what I’ve learned from them. I love to spend time reflecting by considering highs and lows and what has changed. This year was a year of growth for me in many ways, and I want to share with you some parts of it that I feel we can all benefit from. Recently, I realized that my company has finally met my goal where I can truly pick and choose the work that I do. This sense of freedom is hard-won, but it is truly worth it in so many ways. Today, I’m sharing what I’ve learned along this journey and how I believe you can achieve it too. Many of the lessons I learned came straight from the interviews that I’ve done for this podcast. Today, I go over just a small part of what has stood out for me over the past year. Whether it’s perfecting your storytelling, developing passive income, getting more leads, and winning the best clients for you, I learned a ton of great stuff about growing

I cut my teeth 15 years ago filming weddings, sometimes as many as 40 a year. It was great work and I truly loved it. It taught me efficiency and how to work in less than ideal conditions. Filming weddings showed me how to make amazing films with little to no plan. It was filming weddings that introduced me to many of the elements of this trade that I still use every day, no matter what I’m shooting. But whether or not you feel like you would never shoot a wedding, keep listening, because this is the episode for you! John Bunn and Nick Miller are the guys to know for anyone who films weddings. Their company, How to Film Weddings, is a true repository for everything you’d want to know about making spectacular wedding videos. They have a podcast, a facebook group, tutorials, and workshops, to help share their vast experiences in this field.  John and Nick talk about how they threw conventional wedding industry business models out and started working with each other, the competition. They recognize that there is

In business, there’s nothing more important than creating an amazing experience for your clients. That’s the difference between leaving them simply satisfied or wanting to come back for more. Having pride in what you do and communicating that to your clients in a key part of this, and few people understand that better than today’s guest. Dan Cockerell has held various management and executive operations roles at the Walt Disney World Resort, both in the theme parks and resort hotels, and was the sixth executive to hold the position of Vice President of the Magic Kingdom since the park opened in 1971. He has been a keynote speaker for Disney for eighteen years and provides customized authentic presentations focusing on leadership and management practices drawing upon his extensive Disney career.  In today’s episode, Dan tells us all about his recent transition from a career with Disney to working for himself as an entrepreneur. He has certainly learned a lot about building a healthy company culture with a focu

A creative director is a crucial role to be filled in any studio, big or small. But if you’ve ever wondered just what a creative director is, I’ve got a real treat for you. Today I’m sitting down with someone who’s talents for this job I have been blessed to know first-hand, and he’s going to tell you all about it! Today you’re going to hear from my longest-standing employee. John Azoni is the creative director at Tell Studios. I have the extreme pleasure of working with John as he expertly helps clients hone their storytelling skills for maximum impact, as well as directing, shooting and editing many of the projects that come through our door.  John explains the many varied roles that he fills at the studio. As a self-titled “creative generalist” he spends his workday doing anything from copywriting, editing, scriptwriting, strategizing with clients, and emptying the trash. I ask John some tough questions, like what has kept him working for me through all these years and how he has viewed the evolution of hi

There are many different elements that all add up to business success. Chief among these are providing great value and communicating that well to as many people as possible. My guest today has written an incredibly helpful book on doing just that and I’m truly thrilled to have him share his knowledge with you today. Bob Burg is a sought-after speaker at company leadership and sales conferences sharing the platform with everyone from today’s business leaders and broadcast personalities to even a former U.S. President. Bob is the author of a number of books, such as The Go-Giver, which focus on sales, marketing, and influence, with total book sales of well over a million copies. In today’s interview, Bob breaks down the key principles of business success that make up The Go-Giver. These are the laws of value, compensation, influence, authenticity, and receptivity. Bob and I discuss how understanding and operating within each of these will help your business grow and prosper like nothing else. We dive deep into

Most of us creatives get easily distracted by new ideas. Sometimes this is where real gems come from and are totally worth pursuing. Other times, they’re wastes of energy and time and should best be avoided. The tricky thing is knowing the difference. Larry Wiezycki is a producer, editor, documentary filmmaker, winner of five Emmys and is based in Tampa, Florida. He is the co-founder of Creative on Main Street Studio and Polyphonic Image. He’s also a student here at Studio Sherpas. Larry and I talk about some of the ways we can use our assets to connect with the public and potential clients. Whether it’s renting out your studio space or nurturing a particular relationship with a client, the important thing is to have clear goals so that you can really focus on what your company needs most. We also talk about our fears as video business owners. There’s a lot of risk in this line of work, but the rewards are what keep us going. Dealing with fluid timelines, disorganized client relationships, and all the other u

I often look at my business and wonder how it exists beyond myself. If we can build our businesses in a way that leaves a legacy for our children to benefit from, then I feel they will reach their most pure and ultimate goal. Today’s guest has a business that has done exactly that. Ian Murray is the president of SpotOn Productions and the second generation in a family-owned video production company celebrating 21 years in business. As he puts it, they help businesses solve business problems using video. Today, we talk about recognizing the most important product or service you can offer and not taking your business off-track by pursuing too much. Sometimes we want to offer our clients all sorts of things that really aren’t our specialty. Ian shares how he came to the realization that this wasn’t good for business and how he refocused. Ian is no stranger to hiring employees. Knowing when to start building out your team and hiring someone to do your sales is tricky. It’s very important to have a good project-fl

In this solo episode, I share with you what I’ve learned while dealing with this challenge. Sometimes I feel very uncomfortable asking for a sale. To help, I’m sharing some tools and advice for making those conversations less awkward and make you more confident in the end. I discuss some tips for finding the clients that are the best match for you. You’ll hear why it’s not that different from dating. These relationships take nurturing and active listening if they’re going to develop. Building a repeatable process inside your business for finding and keeping the right clients is totally possible. I discuss three things you can do right now to make this happen. It starts with building a lead-magnet. Second, you need an email-capture system. Finally, a CRM is crucial. What kind of lead-magnets could help you find your ideal client? Let me know in the comments on the episode page!   In this episode Why it often feels uncomfortable approaching a potential client for a sale How finding the best clients for your bu

Are you waiting for the perfect time to start your filmmaking career? I hate to break it to you, but there will never be a perfect time. Right now is the next best thing and today’s guest is going to explain why and how to get into the game, even if you feel that you’re not ready. Les Gaddis is a Texas-based cinematographer, blogger, and podcaster. He runs Gaddis Visuals, a production company that offers a full array of services, including concepting, scriptwriting, storyboarding, filming, motion graphics, and editing. He strongly feels that helping other filmmakers grow and learn adds value to everyone in this business. Les shares his lifetime of experience in the world of film. He’s changed a lot since he started out helping his family make videos as a child. Now, as a business owner, Les shares how he built the confidence to take the risks necessary to make it big. As a jack of all trades, we talk about how Les decides when he can do a task himself, and when he feels it’s better to delegate it out.  For an

The times we grow the most are often the times when we push our boundaries and get into new situations where we don’t completely know what we’re doing. There’s a real value in this. It’s what gets us, our craft, and our business to reach new and greater heights. My guests today, have taken this leap and are still reaping the rewards. Paul and Kelley Gilster are a husband and wife cinematography team and owners of 618 Studios based in Southern California. They've grown their company to serve the high-end wedding market over the past nine years. In 2018, they began to move into the corporate world and now serve both wedding and corporate clients where they’ve seen their profits skyrocket. Today Paul and Kelly describe their story of building their business strictly around making wedding videos and how they transitioned into the world of corporate promotions. When branching out, they learned some valuable lessons around creating work for free which they share for us here. Paul and Kelly have really nailed their

In this gig-based business, it often feels like we’re jumping from one job to the next just to keep afloat. But what if there was a system you could put in place that would eliminate this urgency? Today’s guest has figured this out by discovering her unique value and it has given her the clarity needed to find and keep the right clients coming back over and over again. Diana Castro is the Co-Founder of ForProductions, a small but powerful video production company. She’s focused on working with leaders and changemakers who are serious about making an impact by reaching thousands with the power of video. Today, Diana shares her company’s journey into discovering what it is they can offer that truly helps her clients. She’s built a system into her business so that her clients have a program that gives her repeat business. This saves her from constantly chasing down the next job as soon as the last one is finished. We also discuss how finding your tribe will not only give you clarity on running your business but

As creatives, it can be all too easy to overlook our mental health and wellness. Sometimes we even feel that this better helps us tap into our creative side. Today’s guest is not only a wildly successful filmmaker, but she also comes from a background of mental health counseling and helps others learn the importance of taking care of themselves. Shivawn Mitchell is a producer, director, and writer as well as the founder of Sam Studios and The Creative Outsiders. Since committing to her filmmaking career, Shivawn has gone on to work on production teams that have won the accolades of the Official Winner of Women’s Only Entertainment Film Festival, Top Indie Film Award, two time Africana Independent Film Festival and the Hollywood Screenings Film Festival, Semifinalist. As a speaker, Shivawn focuses on developing the voice of other storytellers, using your influence as a filmmaker, and the mental health wellness of creatives. Shivawn covers many crucial topics in today’s episode, starting with the effect of netw

This may sound crazy at first, but humor me if you will. Doing nothing will help your business. That’s right. Take a step back, start meditating, and don’t get so caught up in that busy calendar of yours. As my guest on this episode is about to tell you, it will make you a better business owner and help your company succeed. Rob Dube is the president and co-founder of imageOne, one of Forbes’ best small companies in 2017. He is also the author of Do Nothing, and contributor to such prestigious publications as Forbes, Thrive Global, and Octane Magazine.  In this week’s episode, Rob shares some great advice for small business owners. By valuing the people he works with, he has built a strong company culture that encourages his employees to best serve their customers. Rob recounts the story of his business’ evolution and his realization that a bigger company is not always better. Throughout all this, Rob discovered better styles of leadership and organization for his company that have allowed it to weather the u