Studio Sherpas Podcast

As entrepreneurs, we have the opportunity to be true to ourselves in our personal lives and use that to shape who we are in our business lives. You are your business’ brand and that is something to be cultivated. leveraged, and appreciated.  Amina Moreau is the co-founder of Emmy Award-winning Stillmotion and Sway, companies that are committed to the meaningful impact of storytelling. As part of Muse, she helps others make a positive impact with their stories. With a background in psychology, Amina uses stories to help people connect on deep and meaningful levels. We cover so many great topics in this interview. Amina launches right into how we present ourselves and craft personal and business brands to showcase who we are. There’s a value in knowing what makes each of us unique and making that an indelible part of your business. This won’t only help you find the best clients for you, but it will help set you apart in a crowded field. Amina gives some great yet simple advice for how you can craft your busines

If we didn’t have to do sales in this work then everything would be so much easier, right? There are ways to make sales easier, more natural, and ultimately more profitable. Today’s guest has only been in the video business for a short time, but his dedication to sales has led him to success after success.  Jon Morgan’s passion is selling. He is the owner and founder of JM Films, one of the top production companies in St. Louis. Jon has worked with such clients as Microsoft, Mastercard, and the NHL. He and his studio are passionate about producing engaging cinematic quality videos for companies and businesses that not only tell their stories but also get results. Jon takes us through the humble beginnings of his marketing business as he forged his own path in an already crowded market. Recognizing that an opportunity existed in making videos, Jon shifted gears and has been finding success ever since. Jon explains how he found the right sort of clients for him and how to assess the profitability of potential w

It’s not uncommon to feel that your business needs to do many different things to be profitable. Being able to offer all sorts of services or products sounds like it would lead to more opportunities. But without clarity on what you specifically offer, you’re just going to struggle more. Today’s guest has become wildly successful by being clear and specific in what his businesses really do. Matt Giovanisci is a serial entrepreneur, website wizard, podcast producer, music maker, video veteran, and alliteration addict. In 2006, he started the website Swim University and the site now makes over $250,000 a year! Since then, he co-founded a personal finance brand and podcast called Listen Money Matters. His current project, Money Lab,  was started in 2016 to help brands grow and make more money. Matt and I discuss what it takes to refine your business savvy in order to turn an interest into a profitable business. Matt describes how he recognizes opportunities as they appear and always experiments with them as he go

Those that know me, know that I am passionate about being all-in on whatever it is that I do. When I know what it is that I’m after, I go for it. This is true in how I do business and also with how I interact with my family and a key part of living my best life.  This is a bit of a personal episode. I want to share with all of you a little about me and what motivates me every day. A lot of it became clear during a recent trip I took with my son. During our time together I was very intentional about making that time meaningful, and that got me thinking about what it means to live our best life. Asking yourself if you are living your best life should apply both to your personal and professional life. It involves asking yourself the serious question of what’s going well and what’s not. Defining what your best life looks like, knowing how to achieve it, and understanding who shares your goals are essential parts of this process. What can you do today to start building your best life? Let’s talk about it in the co

Sometimes things go wrong. The footage gets lost, equipment breaks, clients get angry. That doesn’t mean it’s game over for your business. How you respond to your clients makes all the difference and, if done right, can salvage almost any situation. That’s just one reason why it’s crucial to make client relations one of your top priorities. Wes Wages is the director and janitor at Armosa Studios which specializes in commercial videos. Wes oversees client relationships and is passionate about each client's experience. When not at work, Wes enjoys tacos, airplanes, messing with telemarketers, and trying to remember the names of his four small children.  Today, Wes and I discuss how to best take care of clients. Focusing on managing great relationships with clients is often the key to having a great business and shouldn’t be overlooked for any reason. Wes explains how he makes this a priority for him and his company and how it pays off time after time. Wes even shares the story of the time he had an epic fail wi

Getting stuck in a funk can happen to any of us. Other times the work pours in faster than we can keep up with it. Being an entrepreneur and business owner is unpredictable. It has its ups and downs and you don’t always know which way the wind is blowing. My guests on this episode know what it’s like to navigate this uncertainty and have some great advice that all of us can use. My two amazing and hilarious guests on today’s show are brothers and video producers. Ross and Jacob Hamil have done incredible work for some big brands like Shell, Penzoil, and AutoNation. They’ve been involved with MZed/Cinema Sound and run their own studio where they help all sorts of people and brands produce outstanding videos.  Today we examine the importance of making great video and how to make it meaningful throughout your career. We discuss how to find the clients that offer you the type of work you want for the pay that makes it worth it. Ross and Jacob talk about the challenges and benefits of their entrepreneurial journey

If you’re like me, you started off in this business to make films, but now you find yourself as more of a business person. Priorities change and now you spend more time doing operations, sales, and marketing than filming. But, as you’ll hear today, that doesn’t mean you have to surrender your creativity. Chris Sharpe is many things. He’s a writer, director, producer, and digital content strategist. He is the CEO and co-founder of Yoga with Adriene, which has over 5 million YouTube subscribers. Chris is the author of YouTube Black Book which is an incredibly useful guide for helping people grow and monetize their YouTube presence.  In today’s interview, Chris takes us on the journey of how he built a career on YouTube. It may have taken some time before it became the success it is now, but today it’s more profitable than he ever thought it could be. Chris details his day to day responsibilities running a YouTube-based business and how his company is structured. We talk about how to sustainably manage your busi

Some clients just can’t give up creative control over a project. I and many of you know how frustrating this can be. Of course, they want an amazing video, but sometimes people get in their own way. Regaining and keeping creative control is so very important to delivering an amazing product, but just how do you do it? This episode is all about getting back your creative control. Having clients who don’t understand the creative process is often the source of huge amounts of frustration and wasted time. I’m going to tell you about avoiding the unlimited revision trap and handling clients who don’t value your creative process.  I’ve dealt with all of this through personal experience, so I want to shed a little bit of what I’ve learned with you and help you avoid some of these sources of frustration in advance. You’re going to walk away from this episode with some clear steps on how to avoid some of these all too common frustrations. How do you set clear expectations with a client? Have you ever struggled with th

Could your voice, your actual voice, be one of your best sales tools? This might sound strange since many of us feel that our voice sounds weird or annoying. But the reality is, most other people don’t think that about your voice. It really is an overlooked asset that most of us are ignoring. This episode is all about how to make your voice into something that can work for you! Roger Love is one of the world’s leading authorities on voice. As a coach, he’s worked with some voices you probably have heard, like Gwen Stefani, Jeff Bridges, Angelina Jolie, Bradley Cooper, and so many more. He offers courses and speaks at conferences all to teach people how their voice can both scientifically and emotionally move people to feel what is being communicated and remember what was said. This interview will inspire you to use your voice to create the influence and the income that you want. Roger and I talk all about why you are not the voice that you were born with. Roger shares some great advice you can start doing rig

If someone asked you right now, “What do you do?”, how would you answer them? How confident would you be in your answer? How salesy would it sound? Would your answer be boring? If you’ve ever struggled to answer this common question, then you are far from alone. My guest today makes it his mission to help people like you and me explain what they do better so that we can find better clients and better-paying jobs. Brian Dixon is a conference speaker, podcaster, marketing strategist, and business coach who is passionate about helping business leaders and their teams thrive in a world of overwhelming options. He even has a doctorate from the University of San Diego. His overall goal is to help all sorts of people find a way to live a life that they truly love. How great is that? In this interview, Brian shares what it means to have true clarity in your purpose and who you serve. As he explains through personal experience, vision is more important for achieving this than just having energy and effort. Achieving t

There often comes a time in every business owner’s career when it feels like it’s time for a change. That’s why I’m here by myself today to talk about one very important but difficult topic -- whether or not it’s time for you to pivot your video business.  Maybe you’re feeling stuck, frustrated, or confused in some part of your work. Maybe it’s lost the excitement that it once had. There’s no need to keep hitting your head against the wall. One of the best parts of the work that we’re in is that it provides countless opportunities to shift your perspective and find another way to do great work while building on the amazing things that you’ve already accomplished. If you’re feeling that it may be time for a change, then this episode is for you. I’ve pivoted my business a number of times for a number of different reasons. So today I’m sharing that experience with you to hopefully add some clarity that I wish I had had when I made these crucial decisions. To that end, I’m asking you to seriously think about some

One of the biggest struggles for filmmakers is that we are in the business of trading time for money. But if we can create some passive income streams, then that naturally frees up more time for us while still helping us put bread on the table. Today, I have Sean Cannell on the podcast, someone who has had just a phenomenal amount of success in doing just that.  In case you didn’t know, Sean Cannell is a bestselling author, Youtuber, international speaker, and business coach who built a seven-figure media company helping entrepreneurs and creatives increase their influence and income with online video. With over one million YouTube subscribers, it’s obvious Sean knows what he’s talking about. In this interview, Sean shares his story of how he went from filming videos for his church to becoming one of the biggest names on YouTube. This includes some great lessons on where and how to find fulfillment in the trajectory of your career. This is a messy process as Sean makes clear, but nothing is going to happen if

There are many moments in business and life when we are confronted with a situation where we just don’t know what to do. However, these are often truly defining moments for us because, if we persevere, we almost always come out better on the other side.  Rob Booker, one of my new best friends, is many things. He is a former commodity trading advisor who managed a small hedge fund. Today he hosts The Traders Podcast, is the author of Adventures of a Currency Trader, and runs an amazing YouTube channel. He’s been on an incredible journey. After “mistakenly” starting a company 18 years ago in finance he’s found brilliant ways to continually rebuild his business so that it will stand up to the challenges that present themselves over time. In this conversation, Rob and I talk about how we can all easily and effectively support and promote each other in many ways. Goodwill is a powerful currency in business and it’s important to build it up from the start. Rob explains how it is the number one reason that we want t

Are you ready to launch a business or service but are worried that you’re not good enough -- that you’re not really expert enough? What if I told you that the solution is just confidently to be yourself? Today’s guest has made authenticity his habit in all he does and the payoffs couldn’t be greater. Graham Cochrane is one of the most talented and successful business owners that I know. He’s a business coach, a musician, and the founder of the Recording Revolution, one of the world’s largest and most loved online resources for audio recording and music production. Graham’s journey as an online entrepreneur began about ten years ago at the height of the recession. Thanks to his determination and resourcefulness, Graham was able to beat the odds and has become well-respected in the audio world.  Graham gets real in explaining how he built his business from scratch while trying to make ends meet during the financial crisis. He talks about the importance of not waiting for everything to be perfect and just launch

Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a commercial director? If I told you that it takes a lot of losing would you still be interested? Today’s guest has honed the perfect mindset for turning his rejections into personal wins and his career has been taking off ever since. There’s a good chance many of you have heard of Ryan Booth. He’s a prolific young filmmaker who has worked as a DP and director on commercials for some of the country’s biggest brands. These days, Ryan wears many different hats. As a Brooklyn-based Texan, he directs commercials, pitches documentary series and TV shows, and develops his own features. In this candid chat, Ryan shares his journey into the world of directing commercials. Getting to where he is today took a lot of focus and determination, as well as a realization of where his true priorities lie. We talk about the power that lies in having other people on board your team who are just as dedicated to getting the project done as you. As someone with talent and experience in so

Today I’ll be interviewing….myself. That’s because I want to tell you all about the recent Studio Sherpas Onward Summit. It was an amazing experience full of incredible takeaways that I need to share with all of you. So I’m going to discuss the three biggest ideas that came up over and over in at the summit. First of all, the power of community to spur action was front and center at the event. It was clear just how great it is to be part of this outstanding community and meeting those of you who could make it there was a beautiful thing. I’m also going to talk about how powerful vulnerability is and why we shouldn’t be afraid to acknowledge and share it. Lastly, I share what I learned about how your focus, or lack of focus, is perhaps the most essential part of your business’ success. How has community, vulnerability, or focus shaped your business? Share your thoughts in the comments on the episode page!   In this episode The importance of having an integrator to best align your business with EOS How being p

Even if you don’t think of yourself as a marketer, you still have to market your business. Marketing comes in many forms, but pretty much all great marketing involves having great copy. As today’s guest told me, being more mindful in how you write and present your copy will make all the difference and set your brand apart from the others. Ray Edwards is a communications strategist, copywriter, and author of How to Write Copy That Sells. His podcast, The Ray Edwards Show, is consistently one of the top-rated podcasts in iTunes. He’s been featured in numerous prestigious publications such as Forbes.com. Ray doesn’t write as much as he used to. Now he mostly helps others learn to write amazing copy. Ray and I sit down over a cup of coffee to discuss the importance of having outstanding copy if you intend to sell anything. Weaving his own amazing life story (like why he bought a cafe in Spokane) Ray explains how effective copywriting and marketing can be a force for positive change for your business and the world

So much of our success in this business stems from the community that we build around us. It allows us to tap into each other’s skills, share our work, and be there for one another in when we need it most. In this episode, I sit down with a good friend who explains just how he has benefited from the power of tribe and how you can too. Chris P. Jones is the founder and owner of Mason Jar Films in Waco, Texas. Chris specializes in filming events as well as making the occasional corporate and commercial video. Chris has intentionally built his company to be flexible and adaptive so that he can take advantage of whatever interesting work comes his way while living his best life. Today’s episode is all about living life without regrets and how your business should reflect this too. In that vein, we discuss why you should be strategic when choosing which projects and opportunities to do for free. We also talk about the incredible benefits of growing a tribe and how this can lead to near unlimited opportunities. Thi

Sometimes our biggest challenge as video producers is identifying what it is that our clients really need and want. You might have all sorts of skills that you can offer, but if it’s not what they’re looking for than it doesn’t really matter. This is not always the easiest task. Jody Mayberry has discovered how to use his unique story to help clients realize how he can help them. Jody Maberry is a bonafide storyteller and the happiest podcaster on earth. This served him well for the eight years that he worked as a park ranger. By combining his extensive background as a ranger as well as his experience in marketing Jody knows what to do to make your clients the heroes of their story rather than merely the recipients of the product you create for them. In addition to all this, Jody is a master podcast host, with a whopping eight podcasts going on. In this conversation, Jody walks us through different ways that we can be using stories to help our clients by adding value to their lives. We talk about how this can

Do you get stressed out at tax time? What about budgeting for retirement? Does bookkeeping give you migraines? All these are essential parts of being a business owner but I doubt they’re anyone’s favorite parts. Today, I have Mike Michalowicz here who understands these topics and also understands how to help business owners like you and me take control of these daunting parts of your business. Mike is the author of one of my favorite books, Profit First. He is a popular speaker on topics surrounding entrepreneurial innovation. Years ago, Mike lost nearly everything, but today he’s running his third million dollar business. Mike’s mission is to share his life’s lessons and his “Profit First Formula” to help businesses ensure profitability starting with their very next deposit. In this interview, Mike and I talk about what it truly means to be profitable. This goes beyond just measuring your bottom line but being able to reward yourself as the business owner. Mike lays down some truth about understanding just w