Creative Roots Podcast

Empowered Podcasting Conference | Jason Cercone

• Tae Harris • Episode 63

Share episode

Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.

0:00 | 51:33

Send us Fan Mail

If you've been thinking about attending the Empowered Podcasting Conference, this episode is your inside look at everything you need to know.

Tae sits down with Jason Cercone to talk about what makes the Empowered Podcasting Conference different from the typical industry event. We discuss why Charlotte was chosen to host the conference, who it's designed for, and why the smaller, more intimate setting creates meaningful opportunities to learn, connect, and collaborate.

Whether you're a podcaster, videographer, photographer, studio owner, content creator, or business owner looking to grow your brand through content, this conference has something for you.

We also cover registration details, including our exclusive discount code and booking link. If you decide to register using our link, we'll earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Your support helps us continue creating conversations like these on Creative Roots Podcast.

We'd love to see you there!

Register here: https://empoweredpodcasting.com/check-out?am_id=shamar3742
Save 20%, Use code:  EPC20

Recorded exclusively at Charlotte Podcast Studio

Empowered Podcasting LLC has announced the return of The Empowered Podcasting Conference, a three-
day live event in which attendees will hear from successful podcasters, marketing experts, industry leaders, and media professionals using podcasting to expand their reach and grow their organizations.

Tickets are on sale now through August 20 with a discounted rate available until July 15, 2026.

Thanks for listening! If this episode hit home, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share it with a fellow creative on their journey. 

Where to find us:

Website:

www.creativerootspodcast.com

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@CreativeRootsPodcast

IG/TikTok:

https://www.instagram.com/creativeroots.podcast

https://www.tiktok.com/@creativeroots.podcast

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/CreativeRootsPodcast

Tae-@taewiththeedits
Shamar-@alanluxstudios

SPEAKER_02

I don't think it was ever a specifically we have to pick Charlotte. I wasn't on the committee at this time. All I know is that Correct.

SPEAKER_00

So you say this is the third year that y'all have been here.

SPEAKER_02

The past two years that y'all have been here, how we are just about to release the full schedule for the weekend. Meaning the smaller environment gives you the opportunity to build a better network, to have more connection with the people that are in attendance.

SPEAKER_01

Truth in the air, let it speak.

SPEAKER_00

Welcome back to another episode of Creative Roots Podcast where seeing sown become visions grown. I am your host, Tay, and I am here. Uh we're hosting a very special event today. There is a podcasting conference that is on its way to Charlotte in August. And I am sitting with one of the main people that is running everything on that end. This conference is called the Empowered Podcasting Conference. And we are all collectively inviting all podcasters, streamers, and anybody else that feels they can get something from this. And even if you feel like you can't, tune into this episode. And I'm gonna uh pass it off to Jason. I'm gonna let Jason introduce himself and everything that this podcast is about, and we'll go from there.

SPEAKER_02

I appreciate it, Tay. Thanks for having me on the show. And hello to everybody out there listening or viewing. So the Empowered Podcasting Conference is, as Tay said, is coming to Charlotte, North Carolina, August 21st through 23rd. This is our third year hosting this event in Charlotte, and it's been growing year over year, and we expect that to happen once again as our third year unfolds. But it's a tremendous environment for creators in the podcast space, videographers, content creators of any kind. We've got a lot of great speakers coming to join us that are going to be presenting on a number of topics, mostly related to growth, monetization, building community, and ultimately getting the most from your efforts. We've even got a great title sponsor who is an accountant. He helps creators get the most from the money they bring in. Because I know that's sometimes is a sticking post too, especially when you're going from being a hobbyist to being a either full-time podcaster, maybe even part-time, but you're generating revenue from it. Understanding that Uncle Sam wants his piece and understanding how to manage that, it's a big thing as well. So a lot of great speakers in the house on top of networking opportunities, and we're looking forward to having as many people from the Charlotte area and surrounding area join us at the event.

SPEAKER_00

Correct. So you say this is the third year that y'all have been here. The past two years that y'all have been here, how has that um how has the turnout been?

SPEAKER_02

Well, the big thing to think about with turnout for us, especially with I mean, this year we we're expecting our biggest crowd because it's gone up, but we are a smaller conference by design. We're not trying to build something that has thousands and thousands of people. So the place where we hold it, the Hyatt centric in South Park, it's 250% occupancy. So because we play by the rules, we will never go over that limit. But the first year saw, I think, probably around the 120 mark, and then last year it was up to about 150 some. This year we're anticipating having around 200 million, perhaps even more in the house.

SPEAKER_00

That sounds about right because I was gonna say it sounds like you're pushing for the 200 mark. Out of these 200 people, um, I know you say you have podcasters, videographers, and everyone else in this space. Do you ever have people that just come in just to be here? Or is it just those that are looking to grow?

SPEAKER_02

We had a couple people last year that were at those very beginning stages saying to themselves, like, I want to start a podcast, I'd like to do something in this field, I'd like some more clarity on what that means. And so they came and got to listen to some people that have been doing it for years, show them how to just show show them the ropes for lack of a better term. And I think that's that made a difference, and hopefully we see those people come back, and it'll be great to hear some of those stories of what was the year like since you learned from us last year, and what are you hoping to get from this year? So absolutely, people come to just check things out and see what the event's all about, for sure.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, and I know where you're hosting this uh the conference at. We've been there multiple times. Um, actually, that's why I took my wife uh to for one of our wedding anniversaries, so I know exactly where the hotel is. And um, we did a book sign in that very same space. So I know that's a nice place, it's a nice uh hotel, and the conference room is just whatever you need it to be. The hotel to help out with everything, um, yeah, they keep things in order, and I know that y'all are going to kill it this year. Uh so you have uh you have us as one of the affiliates on the uh on staff or you know within the the the company. And I want to say that I greatly appreciate you reaching out to us. I know Shamar does too. Um I just wanted to say thank you one more time for that.

SPEAKER_02

You're welcome.

SPEAKER_00

Those of y'all that are watching and listening, uh there will be a link down in the description so that you can click on it, it'll be our affiliate link, and you will be able to get 20% off using our code. So keep that in mind for the future. Yeah, um, so Jason, can you give us a little bit of um backstory to how this whole thing got started?

SPEAKER_02

Sure. Yeah, it was more or less, I think our founder, Mark Ronick, who is now my business partner, he had the idea of creating a space that had a little bit more intimacy, and a lot of that was spawned from him going to the very big events in the very beginning of his, I guess we could call it podcasting networking phase as he was getting out. And him and I actually met our very first event for both of us by coincidence was the uh podcast movement in 2021 in Nashville, and we've been became friends there and been friends ever since. But his idea was that he felt a little out of place and wanted to create something that was a little bit more smaller in atmosphere, and ultimately spoke to the community aspect, and and it was in those beginning phases that this was starting to come together. He's hosted a morning show for several years, a the podcasting morning show, and the idea came from some of the members that were on that show that we should have an event where we can get together and actually see each other in person and get an opportunity to shake hands, give hugs, break bread, and get to know one each get to know one another on an actual one-on-one in-person level. And so combine that with Mark saying, I would like to create something that's a little bit smaller in atmosphere, and boom. All of a sudden, the empowered podcasting conference became a thing. And it was at that point, I was not involved, other than Mark said, Would you like to be a speaker? And I actually did, I spoke and I was an MC during the event. And then as I was watching how the event unfolded, I saw its potential. I really saw an opportunity for taking what was in place, which was really it was the beginning stages just like any event. Your first year, you're learning things, you're just determining what's going to work best, finding things that you want to eliminate for the next year. And it was at that event that I went to Mark and said, I'd like to be involved. If you're looking for volunteers or anybody that would be there, anybody that you want to bring into the fold to help plan this for next year, I'm I'm in. And so he said, Yeah, you're you're yeah, you're in. So that was how that started. And then after last year's event, I had a big role in playing the speaker side of it and or planning out the speakers. And I it went very well. I had many, many people compliment me on the lineup and just the flow of how the event went because I was very much determined to keep us on schedule. No one ran over. I was very clear with our speakers, we're keeping you to your time, so make sure you get out the most important points because there's no runover. We want to make sure that this is efficient for everybody. And it worked out very well. And after year two is when me and Mark and a third guy, Rich Perry, that joined at the very end to handle some marketing things before last year's show, the three of us got together and started talking about what this could become. Could this be bigger than just what we're doing with the conferences? Is there more that we aren't exploring? And that's when we decided this is our opportunity. Let's incorporate this, let's make it a real company, and let's see what happens next. And we actually, it's fun. Just before I joined Utay, me, Mark, and Rich recorded my hundredth episode for my podcast.

SPEAKER_00

And oh, congratulations on that.

SPEAKER_02

Thank you, thank you. So we were talking about all these different things in regards to planning and what the events become. And Mark, having been in it since its inception, said this year has been the smoothest in regards to planning because I I I look at it and he's got not just himself incorporating ideas, but two other idea men, and we're throwing everything we possibly can just at the wall to see what sticks. And we've you know, from that have come up with some pretty good ideas, one of them being this affiliate program, because we we wanted a way to obviously spread the word about the event, and and we want to build more of a presence in Charlotte, but on a bigger scale in the podcasting space as a whole. We want more people to understand what empowered podcasting is and what this community is becoming. And the affiliate program was a great way for us to give back at the same time. So having some people that are understanding what we want to accomplish, we wanted to reward them for that. So that was an idea that we cultivated over time, and it I wish it was something we would have rolled out a little bit sooner, but it's it's in play now and will be in play through the event. And that's just one idea. But overall, it's really become an event that's starting to get more traction in the podcast world, and I think it's because we we talked about this on my show too, the smaller atmosphere, it's becoming our calling card. So many people love the fact that they're going to come to an event and it won't be overwhelming, especially if it's the first time you've ever been to an event. I can reference back to podcast movement when I went there for the first time. I didn't know what to expect. I was just I was there to learn. I had a very open mind, and I walked into the expo hall, and I'm walking through and talking to the different vendors, and it's like drinking from the fire hose. There's just so much to take in, and then there's so many people that are on stage, and you've got six or seven different breakouts to choose from at the same time. I think that there's absolutely nothing wrong with that, but our setting is much more intimate. You're only you've only got two stages. You can decide which one makes the most sense for your particular mission and your particular journey, and then you can choose to listen to that person speak. And I love where it's I love what it's become, and I love even more what it's going to become because we're very committed to making this for lack of a better term a global brand. We want the whole podcast world to know what this is all about.

SPEAKER_00

I agree. I prefer a smaller intimate setting anyway, because you know, when you go to a conference or summit or whatever, and there are thousands of people, let's say you go to like NAB, right? There's so many different booths, and I've heard it takes like two days just to walk around the whole entire place, and especially to indulge in it and to speak to the people that you want to speak to, and then you run into other YouTubers and you know other social media influencers and things like that. So it's like when you have that smaller space, like we're all in the same room until the breakout session. That's right. Um and I know uh well let me I'm gonna dial back because I know we talked about this. So can you tell people what this three-day structure looks like? Because I I know, I know, you know, we talked about it, but can you let people know that are questioning? Yeah, 100%.

SPEAKER_02

I I think that we say it's three days because technically it is, but it's not we've got two full days of action. But yes, what so what we learned last year was last and it's and this is how it's evolved as well. The first year it was just one day. Last year it was a day and a half. So we did like a half a day of workshops on Friday, and then all the presenters on Saturday. And we started looking at demand for people that wanted to speak, and I just said to the guys, like, guys, we're gonna need a bigger boat. I think we got to expand to two full days, and so we did. So now it's two full days with keynote speakers and workshops and panels and breakout presentations. It's very well organized, and there's a number of different ways that you can come and learn and absorb information. But one thing that happened last year that was just funny, everybody was arriving on Thursday evening, and because we're getting started on Friday, and we were all congregating at the little bar, and tell you you probably know this, having been at the Hyatt Centric, that little bar on the second floor, yes, right next to where the actual conference will take place, and it was it's a it's a great little spot. I mean, I hung out there a lot the first year, but they weren't open on Thursday evening. It was just it was the bar was there, but there was no bartender. So just by I had a couple people that I knew were coming in around the same time as me. I said, Well, let's meet down at the bar, and we did, and then as more people came in, we probably had about 25 or 30 people there and no bartender. So we said, Are we gonna do something about this for next year? Because we want people to come and break break bread together and and break the ice a little bit. So this year we remedied it. We're actually having a Thursday night icebreaker mixer event at the bar with a bartender, and that's how we're gonna kick things off. So, all are welcome to join us for that. Our friends at Mopod are sponsoring that happy hour or mixer, icebreaker, whatever you want to call it. And that's how we're gonna kick things off. Give everybody an opportunity to start networking right away. Then we roll into Friday. We're gonna have, I should say too, on the or before the mixer, if you come to that, we're gonna handle the registration to make sure that you're checked in, you've got all the goodies that we're giving you as giveaways and whatnot, and to make sure that we have you checked off as in attendance. So we're gonna handle as much of that as we can on Thursday before the mixer, and probably during the mixer to some degree. And then Friday, we're gonna do registration in the morning starting at 8 a.m. We're gonna kick things off at 9:30 in that time frame, and then workshops in the morning, uh, break for lunch, and then presentations and panels in the afternoon. Once those conclude, we're gonna have a happy hour at Suffolk Punch over in the mall. I can't remember the name of the mall, but it's in the South Park area. It's walking distance from the hotel. We've done that the last two years, and they've been great, and we love going back to Suffolk Punch. This is such a nice spot. And then Saturday is presentations in the morning, starting with an opening keynote, and then our breakout presentations, lunch on us at the hotel that takes place in the middle, and then more presentations in the afternoon, a closing keynote, and we're gonna do a giveaway. We've got a brand new Shure MV7 Plus microphone. Buy a ticket, you're automatically entered to win. So we'll draw that and give it away on stage before the day ends, and then we'll give everybody a little bit of time to decompress and freshen up, and we're gonna have an after party right there in the hotel as well. And then Sunday. We always include Sunday in there because what we learned in the first year, they have a tremendous brunch at the hotel. So good. And everybody was congregating to her, like, well, we might as well just call this like the unofficial send-off. So we still encourage anybody to like, we don't want anybody leaving on Saturday night, hang out with us for the party, and then come have brunch with us on Sunday morning. So Sunday morning is the unofficial. Thank you for being here. Come enjoy brunch and then do your thing from there. I know that last year a bunch of us hung out into the afternoon. I knew I was there until Monday, so I wasn't in any rush, and we all just hung out in the uh lobby and just had a great time. So there is so much that I what I've taken from this, obviously you can learn a ton from the speakers, but it's the relationships that you're gonna build with your fellow creators that really sets us of that apart. So that's the that's the rundown. It's gonna be a good weekend.

SPEAKER_00

There's gonna be a lot taking place within this these three days, you know. The from the Thursday night, right? I feel that right there would be uh what do you call it? The tip of the iceberg, as you say. Because you you get to meet people, you get to meet, you know, whoever's gonna be there. It could be a keynote, you know, it could just be one of the speakers, and you are already uh building this relationship. So by the time you get there on Friday, you know, and you're you're sitting down, you don't have to worry like, oh man, who am I gonna sit beside? Because you know, sometimes we don't know where we're gonna sit. We sit a little isolated, you know. You can find out Thursday night, Friday morning. Who are you already, you know, incongruent with? Who can you already start building with on Thursday? So when you get in there Friday, you know, who knows? Maybe y'all can split, go to the different uh what do you call the breakout sessions? Right. You know, I go to this one, you go to that one. Yeah, you know, we can we can meet back up.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

You know, you know, so I'm I it's a lot that that is gonna take place. It sounds like a lot, but the good thing is it'll all be for educational purposes and growth purposes. Yeah. So I meant to ask this, I think we asked this question. I think Shamar uh asked the question uh when we talked off camera. Um, but why Charlotte?

SPEAKER_02

That's one of those questions that's hard to answer. Before I answer that, I do want to point out one thing with the icebreaker, and this was a happy accident that we discovered last year. You you as you said, when you get that opportunity to meet some people beforehand, it's it can change the game, it can change everything. And what what happened last year is because we didn't actually have anything official. When we went into the workshop starting on uh Friday afternoon, Mark, our founder, and another gentleman that he knows, his name is Chris Lewis, and Chris is a great guy, they had attended some things in the past together and they did improv together. And what they did was they did their presentation based around improv, blush you. I'm sorry, you might have to if you edit that out, I'd yeah, like throw you off here. But anyway, they did so so they did improv for a half an hour, and it got everybody at the tables that didn't really know each other, they just found a seat and they were maybe you know, maybe you make some small talk, but it got everybody interacting. And all of a sudden, I was and I was watching that from the back of the room, and I was watching how all the tables now were having fun with one another, everybody was laughing and joking, and it was this complete flip of the script in regards to the energy in the room. And I and I and Mark came off stage and I thought I was like, You that was the happiest accident we could have ever asked for because we didn't plan for what you did to do what it did, but there's a lesson in that, and it's getting people together beforehand, which makes why we said, Okay, let's have an event Thursday, because people are gonna be coming in, they're gonna need something to do. It's a great way to break the ice, as we said. But Charlotte is a it's a great question, and I don't think it was ever a specifically we have to pick Charlotte. I wasn't on the committee at this time. All I know is that Charlotte and Atlanta were the two cities that were in play, and one of our past members of the team lives in Charlotte right by the venue, and as I learned, she was the boots on the ground, and they felt that having her presence there to handle a lot of the in-city logistics made perfect sense to pick Charlotte. And I I mean, and this is one of those things too, I still wrestle with it. I'm I very much want to move to Charlotte. There have been I I just I it's been talked about. I I the first year I went, I'm like, oh my god, I love it here. Like this is amazing. And then last year I was down there for 10 days. I came down the weekend before the event. And actually, I had a couple meetings, I did spent some time with friends. It was great. And I've still had it in my mind. At some point, I'd like to land in Charlotte. So it's happy accident for me, too, that that's where it was because perhaps that's the next destination for for me. We'll see.

SPEAKER_01

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02

But overall, it's a beautiful city. We're learning more and more, especially this year, because I think we're we're tapping more into building this presence with the Charlotte creator community. I felt like that was one of the things I know I told you and Shamar this. I wish I would have done this, or all of us collectively would have done this part of it a little bit sooner to start reaching out to you guys and talking about this event. But I'm glad we're able to make that happen now. And I think it's going to do amazing things for us to continue building that presence in Charlotte. Because as I learned last year, some of the people that were local that came to the event, I was like, yeah, like we need more local Charlotte folks to come and check this out because you're not worried about the travel. And if you want to get the hotel room, fantastic. We can hook that up for you because we've got a discounted block of hotel rooms. But even if you're just coming in on a commuting aspect, come check us out. You're gonna have a great time. So I'm glad we landed on Charlotte. And we have big visions for long. Yeah, no, I mean, yeah, especially meeting Charlotte, right? I think it makes perfect sense for you guys. We would like and this is maybe putting the cart in front of the horse, but we are obviously we're talking about long-term, what could this be in five years? We don't want to build something that, okay, like the logical step is what can we do to increase to 500, to a thousand, to 1500 attendees. Again, the smaller audience is our calling card. Maybe we do something on the West Coast, maybe we do something in the Midwest, and maybe we have two events per year. And if we can grow to a point to where maybe we have a staff that handles these in certain markets, those are our long-term plans, but Charlotte has been a tremendous home base, and we want to continue to lean into that.

SPEAKER_00

And I agree. Charlotte is definitely a great city, born and raised, one of the few. Yes, that's me.

SPEAKER_02

That's awesome. I'm glad to hear it.

SPEAKER_00

Thank you. You um you mentioned the hotel and the discount. So I want to make sure that people heard that part. Like if you're coming and you're from out of state, or you even live in Charlotte, but you don't want to drive in every day because we know what that traffic can look like. Yeah, they have um a discount. I'm gonna call it a discount for now because that's an easier word. Yeah, but the the the conference has a discount for you to book and stay at that hotel. That's right. So I just wanted to make sure people heard that twice.

SPEAKER_02

Yes, just go to empoweredpodcasting.com under the conference tab. You'll find all the information for booking your room, and there's a code that you have to provide that will give you the access to our block of rooms and it gives you a discounted rate.

SPEAKER_00

I checked it out, and I agree with the price for the amount of time that you're gonna be there.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, yeah, it's great.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah, because I know how much it costs to stay there, you know.

SPEAKER_01

Yes.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, so this is the third year and you are expecting bigger, better things. And I just want to point out again the intimacy that takes place in this smaller setting, which leads me to tell you all make sure you go get your ticket. The affiliate link is down in the description. Yes, we do get paid a commission off of it, but uh more importantly, you will be in a space where you can learn not just from people that are local, but from people that are already doing this and have been doing it for years. So make sure you click the link below. I'll put the discount code down there and everything. All you gotta do is click and go from there. Um so Jason, all of this, correct? Um can you give me a few things like uh the benefits of a podcaster showing or coming? Um, let's say it's a new podcaster or a new videographer or you know, just someone that's curious. Yeah. For all three of them, what do you think is like one of the biggest beneficial uh reasons for showing up or coming to the conference?

SPEAKER_02

Getting out and meeting your fellow creators in person, it's never going to be able to be replaced by what you might watch in a video or even here on a podcast. Not to put down our own medium, but there's something special about being in person with somebody, being able to shake their hand, give them a hug, whatever level of intimacy you're into. There's a lot that we learned during COVID. This is something that I've talked about a lot. I feel that it normalized what you and I are doing today, Tay. You're in Charlotte, I'm in Pittsburgh, we have this opportunity to come together and have a conversation. We speak to each other, that conversation gets shared with your audience, they get to hear this insight. It's not like it used to be. I know when I was in my early days of podcasting, I was doing everything in person. So a lot of my podcasts were local because they I was just going to people that were around Pittsburgh. And perhaps if I was traveling, I could connect with somebody, but I had to carry my equipment with me. COVID came along, and I like I had just started to dip into at that point. I was even in Skype and Ecamm and started to do some podcasts. Like I did a podcast with a girl over in Ireland, and I was seeing the benefit of it, but I still felt like it really wasn't what was being normalized. COVID hit and we couldn't leave the house. So here's Riverside, here's StreamYard. I think Zoom played a big role in that too. But it made this element or this approach to podcasting very normal. And I love that. I love the fact that you can sit down at any point in time and talk to somebody at any corner of the world, and the conversations will build relationships. Those conversations build content that connects with audience. Like the value is through the roof. So I love the fact that that was normalized, but I hated virtual summits and virtual networking. Yeah. It was so I'm a networker by heart. I'm extremely extroverted. I love going to events, I love meeting new people, I love reconnecting with people that I've already met, talking about what's been happening, what's improved, whatever. I felt like because we had to do it in a virtual world, we made it work, but we missed it. You took for granted being able to sit down and have a beer with somebody or have a cup of coffee with somebody. And as much as you might say we're doing that in a virtual world, it's not the same. So now I think about we're all we're all free and released into the world again. COVID's not even something we talk about anymore. And the narrative of the hentavirus came and went real fast, thank you, Lord. But now we are we are in this spot where these events are happening more and more frequently, and the opportunity to learn and grow from your fellow creators and from people that have been doing it for longer than you, doing it in person is going to have such a larger impact. And it's not just what you learn from somebody that's on stage presenting for 30 minutes. Where the real value is that can never be duplicated in a virtual environment is what happens in the hallways, what happens in the networking portions where you're actually having conversations. Hey, you made a friend with somebody. Why don't you go to this breakout? I'll go to this one, and then we'll compare our notes. So we're both getting that knowledge. That's incredible and not something you're going to be able to replicate in a virtual environment. So you could sit and watch videos, you could listen to podcasts, you can invest in courses. All well and good, and they all serve their purpose. But actually being in person with other creators and getting to feel the passion and the energy in the room, it's going to motivate you to a new level that you never untapped. So if you've never gone to an event like this, this is the one to come to because I can say firsthand, I watched the mood in that room shift in a just in a moment's time, watching everybody starting to interact through those improv or those improv activities that Mark and Chris presented. I watched everybody come together, and for the rest of the weekend, it was networking, it was camaraderie, it was how do we collaborate with one another? How do we work with one another? I've talked to people that walked out with new clients because they built a relationship in person and now that person could help them grow. It's something that, again, can it be done in virtual worlds? Yes, but it's the impact will never ever be the same. That's why you should come to the conference.

SPEAKER_00

That in-person interaction, and I'm with it. Uh, I know, I know I'll be there. Um I'm pretty sure Shamar will be there. Right on. And I'm I'm I'm reaching out to people now, you know, to say, hey, yeah, use this discount code because the discount code ends July 15th. So make sure you tap in.

SPEAKER_02

I gotta correct you. The discount code doesn't end, but the prices of the ticket go up on July 15th.

SPEAKER_00

That is right. I stand corrected. The price goes up July 15th. Yes. Discount code's still good.

SPEAKER_02

Still intact. You'll save 20% either way. But yeah, like that's our last ticket increase. July 15th, it goes from 269 to 299. And that'll be the last, so it'll be 299 through the event. But for what you're getting for that ticket investment, you're it's it's so much that you're gonna walk away from. I mean, you not just the speakers. Like I said, we we put together intentionally a just kick-ass speaker lineup, but the relationships that you walk away with, if you come into the event and do it the right way, and that means that you're open-minded, you're willing to have conversations, you want to meet people, you're you're coming in with specific goals. When I go to events like this, I usually have two or three bullet points of okay, these are my missions. I want to meet somebody that does this, I want to hear something about that. And if you come into it with that type of mentality, you're gonna win. And that $300 is gonna feel like the best investment you ever made. Or until if you do it now before July 15th, 269.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and I and I agree, you being open-minded is is good. But like you said, come with goals, come with a mission, come with you know, strategy. Now, it it's okay to waver from what you wrote down, but uh, you know, at least get what you need to get. Who knows? You'll yeah, your list might expand while you're there. You know, Thursday night, you might say, you know what, I want to know about X, Y, and Z. And you're there for the icebreaker. Again, you've made friends, you've you know partnered up with people to see how you all can help each other. And something you said too that I want to hit on too. This is not just for people doing podcasts or videography, photography, or in you know, that media space. This is also for businesses. If you have a studio, um whatever it is, you are you like you said, come here, you can get clients off of this. Build your build your network, build your community, you know. Um because sometimes it's a little longer lonely when you are the only videographer that you know, you know, or the photographer, or you know, the event space holder. You know, I feel if you have an event space, this is also a place because there are multiple people that are going to be looking for a place to shoot. You know, podcasters are looking for studios, you know, photographers and videographers are looking for a place to be. Yeah. Um I feel like I'm trying to oversell it. I don't know how to do it. No, no, you're fine. But I'm just I'm I I just think that, you know, sometimes people only hear what you say, yeah, but they don't know what we know. You know, right. And like you said, that goes back to in person. You know, you can DM somebody all day, every day, but then you gotta wait for a response. And I went back through my is my history on Instagram and I'm like, I've sent messages to people. And I haven't gotten a response looking at these messages in three years. Yeah, and you know, Instagram tells on you, it says scene, it lets me know you saw it. Right, you know, so it's like what happened? You don't have to worry about that in-person. And me personally, I prefer that in-person interaction because I don't, I'm not just there to teach or encourage or to be there as the person with all the advice. I want to learn something too. Yeah because you never know who you can learn from. Um, and then you never know who's gonna actually show up and keep a relationship going, especially in this local space. I mean, North Carolina is a pretty big state. Yeah. You know, it's like three hours just to Riley, and you're not even at the coast. You know, it's another, if I remember correctly, another three or four hours to the Tennessee state line just from Charlotte. You know, so I'm like, you have so many people that are gonna be in this state, uh the states and the states around it that are gonna show up. Yeah, you know, so again, you you never know who you're gonna meet. 100%.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, no, I I think from a creator's standpoint, there's no reason to create in isolation. And I agree. You can even, you know, if you want to drill down to the point where you're just looking for great guests to bring on your show, you're gonna be able to find those people in these rooms.

SPEAKER_00

And I think that's worth every bit of $269 until July 15th.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, with a 20% discount using the code.

SPEAKER_00

With yes, down in the description. Yeah, not to oversell. Not to oversell at all. But I I know I know personally just from the conversation that we've had, um, being a podcaster, business owner, uh, videographer, photographer, I know how easy it is to build in isolation, but I also know how difficult it is to build in isolation. Yeah, for sure. Um and I know for me I'm always looking to build community. You know, what can we help each other with? You know, it's better to build than to withhold information or feel like you can't reach out to anybody. You know, I've reached out to people to be on the podcast, and you know, the majority of the people I've reached out to are like, you found me? You want me? Yeah, I'm I'm I'm down, I'm game, you know. But I don't me personally, uh you never know what the response is gonna be. The worst they can say is I I can't make it. Right. You know, I've had a couple of those people, but it's still the thing that I reached out. Here you just you're already in person. Just walk up to somebody.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. No, I'm I I think I this like you Tay, you've probably experienced this on the flip side of that. Like you'll reach out to people, and usually I'd say nine times out of ten, people are gonna say, absolutely, I'm in, I'll be on your show. Because there there's there's a feeling of pride that someone sees enough value in what you're doing and what you're saying that they want you on their show. That's exactly that's big, but I see this a lot, and it's just one of the plagues in our podcasting world is people will send these just god awful pitches about why they should be on your show. And they're they they they read like books, they it's this list of accolades, it's nothing that talks to what are you going to bring value-wise to my show? You just want me to pick you because you wrote five books and whatever. It's crazy. And to me, I I can we please simplify pitching down to just starting a conversation with somebody. Whether it's online or in person, I see you have a show about this. Tell me about it. What why did you get into this? I want to know more. Like, learn about the show and make sure you're a fit. And if the person says, Yeah, you know, I've been I've been doing this for years, I've I've always had a passion for this subject, and I felt having a podcast was great. That's amazing. Me too. If you ever want to guess, I'd love to talk to you about it. That's as easy as it gets. And you can do that in a digital world, but in person, you're probably gonna end up having a ton of great conversation because you've learned you have a mutual bond over something.

SPEAKER_00

Right.

SPEAKER_02

And then if that bond takes place and there's synergy, it'd be silly for the person that's hosting the show to not say, Hell yeah, come join me. Let's talk more. So there are easy ways to do it and there are ways to convolute it. I say come and meet your fellow creators and and have conversations like that, and you'll be surprised what you walk away with.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, because I have gotten those PR releases in email form. So bad. And I'm like, so what are we doing? What what is the purpose? You know, it's like TLDR. Too long didn't read.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, they're so bad sometimes, yeah. You know, so yeah, no, I I I've had I've had some battles with the actual PR agents. I mean, the one was just uh he he was so arrogant. He's like, Well, look at all she's accomplished. Don't you want her? I'm like, no. I everything she's accomplished has nothing to do with the content of my show. Why, why are you reaching out to me?

SPEAKER_00

The overall theme isn't fit. Or or they watch one episode and they assume that's what every episode is about. Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_02

And they can copy and paste the same thing into the same template. And no, I mean, that's we we could talk all day about the pitching of the world. Come to Empowered Podcasting Conference and hear how our presenters talk about doing better pitching. I'm sure we got at least one of those in the mix, right?

SPEAKER_00

At least one. At least one. At least one. Yeah. Man. So, Jason, as we we bring this episode to a close, um is there anything that you would want the uh people that are watching to know?

SPEAKER_02

On top of everything we covered, it's it's hard, I think we've really covered a lot of what we're doing. I would say the best thing to keep in mind, and this was already talked about, but I want to continue to stress it, is that the smaller environment gives you the opportunity to build a better network, to have more connection with the people that are in attendance. This isn't one of those events where speakers do their presentation and then vanish because there's a private room for them to go hang out in. Speakers are in the rooms with you, they are in the hallways, they are attending the presentations as well. They are as much a part of the event as you are as an attendee. So you may go to somebody's breakout presentation in the first top of the hour, and then on the bottom half of the hour, you're sitting next to them at the next one. That's a pretty unique environment, and the opportunity to learn and grow from that is something that can't be measured. And again, we've intentionally built the event to be just like that. Like that's what we want people to experience because not only do you get to learn from that, but it makes the value of your investment tenfold, and you never know what you can walk away with for with regarding an opportunity just from starting a conversation and making a connection with somebody. So keep in mind that if you've never been to a podcasting event, or if you've been to one that was a little bigger in size and attendance, know that you are going to be in a smaller environment and that was done intentionally, but the gains that can come from that are going to be worth their weight in gold.

SPEAKER_00

And I agree because you're right there with everybody. So um can you can you tell the people the website to go to so they can um book their hotel space in the hotel room?

SPEAKER_02

Yep. Go to empoweredpodcasting.com. You can learn everything about the event from there. The hotel information is under the conference tab. So everything you need to know about the conference. We are as as Tay and I sit and talk today, we are just about to release the full schedule for the weekend, meaning all the all the speakers and what time they're presenting and that what tracks have who. So you know exactly you can plot out your weekend well in advance, knowing okay, I want to go here, here, here, here, here, and you'll know your roadmap before you even get there. But empoweredpodcasting.com is where you can get all of that information. The conference tab has everything you need. Check out the speaker tab to learn about all the great speakers that are coming to the conference. And if you do want to buy your ticket, again, Tay has shared his link and the discount code. Make sure that that's how you're buying your ticket. We'd love to see you there. Can't wait.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Use the one I'm sending you.

SPEAKER_02

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00

Discount code is still active. Um, so Jason, this is this is a space where on Creative Roots I opened the space for you to ask me a question, uh, give advice, uh, or whatever you may be. So I'm gonna open the floor for you and And I'll sit and see what happens.

SPEAKER_02

Well, I'd love to ask you, Tay, because obviously having a studio, that's that's a big component of podcasting. What got you into this medium?

SPEAKER_00

I've always been that kid that was interested in film. You know, I was a kid during the Spikely era, um, John Singleton era, uh, and now we're all the way up to Ryan Coogler. Uh I've always been into um what do you call those? I don't want to say comics, but superhero, you know, movies, you know, X-Men, the whole Marvel universe right now, DC. And I've always wanted to know what it was like to be behind that camera to see what was going on, how things were done. Um grew um, grew into uh photography. Uh one of my brothers, a group of us, they were like, we were like, we need cameras because we need to start recording. Like we're doing a lot, we need to start recording it. So I was one of the first ones that went and got a camera. Once I got that camera, like everything else to me was, you know, pointless. You know, I I need to learn how to use this camera. And for those that know, I might be dating myself, but it was a Canon T3i and a 50 millimeter lens. That's what I started with. And from there it grew. Uh I drove a truck for five and a half years, so of course there was that great disconnect from the media space. And by the time I got off the truck, I ended up meeting Shamar, and here I am. So that's that's like a long story. Yeah. Shortened as short as I can possibly make it without you know going into the streets.

SPEAKER_02

No, I think it's great. I I love hearing these origin stories. I know for me it was be I I started in radio in college, and it wasn't our our campus had a radio station. It wasn't like it was anything big, but it gave us that experience of being on the radio. And I think back to how I formatted these shows, and you want to talk about dating yourself. This was back in 1999, 1998. So podcasting wasn't a thing yet, but talk radio was a thing, and I used my show as a mix of come I had friends come in and we talk about various subjects, so it was like podcasting, but then I'd play music, and so they had this little variety show that gave me a passion and it was really where I wanted to go, but I said, you know what? I'm I I like when I tried to find jobs, it wasn't panning out after I graduated. So I had this 13-year gap. But when my friend and I started our podcast, I remember sitting down for the first time and I didn't even have a stand for my microphone. I mean, we were so primitive with the equipment purchasing that he bought himself a mic that was really good, and then I had this little secondary mic. Jackass, but anyway, I to hold the mic, we took the styrofoam casing out of the box and just shoved the mic into it. So that was my mic stand for our very first podcast recording, and I have a picture of it somewhere because uh a friend of mine took a picture of us while we were doing because we did it at a bar, it was a beer podcast. I was doing a I mean, not it's not worth going into all the detail, but I knew from that episode this was where I wanted to be. I had that flame for doing audio and having that radio show in college just 1,000% reignited, and I didn't know what it meant. I didn't know how to do it, but I was determined to learn it. And I was gonna find the answers to that, and that's evolved into an 11-year career. I'm I do podcast consulting and coaching and strategy uh as a full-time job, and then doing the conference, which it feels like a full-time job, especially now as we're in the throes of the event almost happening. But I couldn't ask for anything more. I I knew this was the medium that I wanted to be a part of. I've watched it evolve. So many things happening now, with the L, I don't want to say like video just becoming a thing, but it's becoming a major part of the conversation. I think the definition of podcasting is still under the microscope because of that, but it's a an incredible world to be a part of, and I will say, knowing that a lot of the people that are going to be speaking and having interactions with them in a number of different environments, I know the conversation is gonna be very lively during the event because I know there's some opinionated folks that are joining us and they have their beliefs and their ideals, and then that they're gonna stick to those. And it's great to hear how everybody looks at all of these various elements. But I knew for me, this this is where I wanted to be, and here we are, 11 years later, still making it happen.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I um I started back in like 2008, 2010 in that general area, so yeah. I will say I did go to full sale in 2003 though for audio engineering. So I think nice I I've left that part out, but yeah, that was another thing that you know kept me tied to all things media.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

So yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Beautiful.

SPEAKER_00

Yes. So listen, y'all, that is it for this episode. We greatly appreciate y'all for tuning in. Make sure y'all check out the affiliate link that is down in the description. Again, yes, we do get paid a commission off of it, but that should not stop you or force you to go and purchase your ticket. Discount code is down there. Tickets are on sale for $269 until July 15th. After that, they go to $299, and the conference starts August 21st. Make sure you check out the website so you can go ahead and book your hotel room or call that family friend. Call that family member, call your friend. Stay at their house for the weekend, you know. Just make sure you make it out to this podcast. So, with that being said, thank y'all for tuning in to another episode of Creative Roots Podcast. We're seeing stone, become visions grown. Oh, and I forgot. Shout out to Artbox Charlotte, shout out to Charlotte Podcast Studio, and shout out to Allen Lux Studios. I would like to thank us. With that being said, we are out. Peace.

SPEAKER_02

Thanks, guys.