First off, let’s get the vanity quote out of the way:
Having a sound editor person is nice because it ups the quality and takes that task off your plate. Lemon Productions is good.
Chris Coyier, My Particular Podcast Journey
Thanks Chris! I have loved editing ShopTalk Show so much. I have never pulled up Logic Pro X to edit an episode and felt that “ugh… this?” feeling that I used to get when working on website projects for clients. This is getting pretty close to my dream job and I thought I’d follow Chris’ post up with a bit of my own journey in podcasting.
It’s funny how big and small the internet is at the same time. I remember stumbling across CSS Tricks way back in the day when I first started doing web work at my job and loving Chris’ style of blogging/screencasting whatever he’s learning – sometimes while he was learning it. Mistakes and all.
That style really helped those of us a little behind in our web developer journey (aka me!) to feel like it was possible to learn and figure this stuff out – you didn’t have to be completely polished and know everything perfectly.
Fast forward to a couple years ago when ShopTalk Show were needing a new podcast editor and I had tentatively put my name out there into the world that I might maybe kinda want to maybe do that kind of thing (maybe?) and Chris & Dave gave me a shot.
Chris FREAKING CSS TRICKS Coyier? Are you kidding me?
That “shot” set me onto my own journey into podcast editing/production work beyond where I was currently at as a hobbyist podcaster who was getting tired of trying to keep up with all the tricks in CSS. To the point that my entire business is now based around editing / producing / consulting on podcasts and the podcasting industry.
And I love it.
Bringing this back around to Chris Coyier and his journey – a year ago I revived my YouTube channel because I wanted to give back in the same way Chris had done for me (and millions of others). I wanted a place to document and share what I was learning – mistakes and all.
Podcasting isn’t the easiest medium to “show” your work in – CodePen for Podcasting anyone? – but I figured I could start by talking about what I was learning in audio apps like Audio Hijack, Loopback, Logic Pro X, etc. even if I didn’t know everything. And even if I made a mistake or two. And I have fun doing it each time I feel like making a video.
And it’s interesting how following that bit of fun has led to getting consulting gigs with folks around the world. Without doing any sort of marketing funnel biz dev automation systems, I’ve had the opportunity to help folks in Australia, the United Kingdom, South America, and USA/Canada with their podcasting related questions.
All from blogging occasionally and recording videos about something I’m doing.
What mic do you recommend if I’m recording in a barn with 3 horses and a cow?
I originally started this post to try and fill in some gaps or other options that Chris didn’t cover in his post. But you can read some of those in my blog archives, leave a comment if you’d like some clarification a bit of gear, or book a consulting call if you’d like to dive deeper.
For now I’ll end with saying that your journey might not take the exact path you thought it would. It might not go as quickly as you’d like. And even just being patient might not lead you to success, however you may define success. My experience (so far! This could all end tomorrow!) has been to at least keep a bit of my time invested in what I’d really like to be doing so that if/when an opportunity arises to do more of that kind of work, it’s been an option for me to say yes.
Alright. Back to editing a podcast!
p.s. If you’re a podcaster or wanna-be podcaster interested in joining a community of podcasters / wanna-be podcasters, sign up at Castaways.Club. It’s a new community I’m building and I’d love for you to be a part of it.
