In this episode of the Amber Energy Podcast, we dive deep into the world of video marketing with Kelby Joseph, the founder of KKO Productions. Kelby shares his journey from working at Buzzfeed & going on a debt free journey to launching his own successful media company that specializes in video production, storytelling, and marketing strategy.

🎙️ Episode Highlights:

• The role of perception in business.
• Embracing AI in Business.
• The power of referrals.
• The roles of a leader.
• The power of strategic thinking.

🔗 Connect with Kelby Joseph:

• Website
• LinkedIn 
• Facebook
• Instagram
• YouTube
• Google

About Our Guest: Kelby Joseph is the Founder and Executive Producer of KKO Productions, a Los Angeles–based content consultancy and video production company. With an MBA in entrepreneurship and a background as an executive producer at BuzzFeed,Kelby has built KKO into a trusted partner for tech, finance, health, and lifestyle brands. His team specializes in creating cinematic, results-driven content that drives measurable business growth. From helping a fintech client raise $12M in funding to generating a 1000% ROI for a tequila brand. KKO Productions is known for its “business consultants with cameras” approach, blending strategy with storytelling to scale companies both externally and internally

📢 Topics Discussed:

1. Building a trustworthy and recognizable brand.
2. Handling the ups and downs of running a business.
3. The role of customer experience in business success.
4. Community involvement as a growth strategy.
5. Planning for the future with AI.

🔔 Subscribe to Amber Energy Podcast for more insights on entrepreneurship, business growth, and marketing.

#AmberEnergyPodcast #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #CraftsmanPlumbing #ExitStrategy #CustomerExperience #CommunityInvolvement #SmallBusiness #PlumbingBusiness #BusinessTips #Marketing #Branding #Leadership #BusinessSuccess #SeattleBusiness

       

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Learn more about my non-profit, Tutus & Tequila at TutusAndTequila.org and purchase a DIY tutu and margarita making kit on Etsy today!

All right, here we go. Okay. Hello. Welcome to Amber energy season three. I’m your host, Amber Jacobs. Today we have Kelby Joseph. He is the founder and strategic executive producer of Cacao Productions, a Los Angeles based content consulting and video production company. Say hi. Welcome. Hey, everybody. It’s nice to hear you. Well, it’s nice for you to hear me, but, yes, we’re excited to be here and doing this.

00:02:44:06 – 00:03:08:02

Thank you for being on the show. We’re excited to have you. Welcome to season three, episode one. So thank you for kicking off this season. Well, congratulations on having three seasons. I don’t know if you know this, but most podcasts, they don’t even make it to season three. Don’t even make it sometimes pass episode four. So you’re in legendary territory here.

00:03:08:05 – 00:03:33:23

I was all for it. That’s. That’s the thing that people forget that. Yeah. It’s hard. Yeah. I mean, it’s not for the, faint of heart, I suppose. It’s a lot of work. I don’t think people people are like, oh, yeah, I’m a podcast. And then they’re like, you know, start doing a thing and they record. But then, like the level of effort it takes to record and like make it look halfway decent and then like, publish it and then market it.

00:03:33:25 – 00:03:53:13

Yeah. So like, you know, small feat. And they say, I think I heard a funny stat that they say, like it takes upwards of 50 to 100 episodes just to get recognized 100%. It takes that long, even for the algorithm to recognize you for to to figure out, like, where should we put this? Who should we share this with?

00:03:53:13 – 00:04:16:19

Like, you know, luckily for you, now that I’m on the episode, I probably gonna cut down about one episode. You know, so 99 episodes to get there. Yeah, yeah. They’re gonna like. Well, Kelvin doesn’t because he gets Kelvin on there, you know. Yeah. He’s got cool you know. We’ll, we’ll we’ll upper SEO just a touch. Yeah. Just like give him one additional percent.

00:04:16:25 – 00:04:39:25

It’s fine. Yeah, I did hear that one. That 1% I did hear. And I could be wrong. That only 1% of all podcast that start, make it to 20 episodes and you don’t put me on. I mean, I’m not sure if that’s true. I think it’s it’s something that’s really like that. 1% of all started only make it to make 2 to 1.

00:04:39:28 – 00:04:59:07

Well, I think the difficult thing about it is it’s such a commitment and it’s more than just speaking on a microphone. Right. It’s speaking on the microphone, thinking about what to say, how to have chemistry with somebody on the other side, editing small clips to put them in different places, and then having them be on a schedule. It’s so much work.

00:04:59:09 – 00:05:16:10

I think most people are just like, I’m just going to speak and then come to find out people are like, that person, is that interesting? You know? Or they don’t have anything of value to say or anything like that. So yeah, charismatic. Or if they’re not funny to listen to or interesting to listen to, help make you laugh like, yep.

00:05:16:12 – 00:05:41:17

I mean, forget about it. Forget about it. We’re about to deliver a one hour Netflix comedy with all types of value here, and that’s why it’s only going to take 99 episodes for you to become famous. You know, I appreciate that. Thank you very much, Mr. Kelly. I’m happy to share my cultural cachet with you. We’re cultural, culturally specific.

00:05:41:20 – 00:05:59:21

Just your shoulders are right there for you. Oh, there you go, sir. There you go, sir. I do what I can. All right, Kelby, we’ll tell everybody a little bit more about yourself and how awesome you are at scale production. Let me tell us a little bit about how you got there. Being the owner and founder and strategic executive producer.

00:05:59:23 – 00:06:19:18

How about you tell us a little bit about how you got there, and then we’ll just get started. Sure, absolutely. So, I started off as an actor, you know, I went to school and studied acting, and I can’t believe I took out student loans to learn Shakespeare. But I did do that. And that just goes to show you that no one starts out cool.

00:06:19:20 – 00:06:43:12

And also no one really starts out that smart. But, I was neither, and I, I did that and, funny thing is, I was never really much of an actor. I was always just kind of like, I just want to work in the business. Filmmaker, writer, director, producer, and, like, bottom of the list actor. So over time, actually, no.

00:06:43:12 – 00:06:58:26

At the very beginning, when I moved to L.A., I tried to make a movie. I wrote it and everything. And it and it fell flat. It was extremely difficult to do. What? What do you think that was like to tell us? I mean, not everyone and yourselves, but, like, when did you decide, like. All right, I’m moving to Hollywood, baby.

00:06:58:26 – 00:07:35:04

Let’s do this. Okay, so my decision to move to LA from Florida was, somewhat unconventional, sort of unconventional. So I originally wanted to go to law school, and that kind of was the plan. But senior year of high school, I just knew I don’t think law school is exactly my path. I think I could play a lawyer on TV, but I don’t know if that’s exactly my path because I also didn’t take maybe that ten year plan.

00:07:35:06 – 00:07:56:23

I mean, I thought about going back to law school over the years. I did, but senior year, I don’t think I took it seriously enough, like junior, senior year, I did just fine, but I didn’t take it seriously enough. I didn’t take the SATs seriously enough. I didn’t really writer. Yeah. I was just kind of like, well, I’m smart enough to pass the classes and not work that hard.

00:07:56:27 – 00:08:21:10

You weren’t, you know. Right. Yeah. You know. So. And I was just like a student. You know, and I know I knew math was kicking my butt, so I was, you know, that was like the subject. Yeah. Not my favorite subject. So, so I had kind of, in a sense, like, sabotaged myself because, yes, I could have just gone to, like, University of Central Florida or maybe just started off in community college and then just work my way up.

00:08:21:10 – 00:08:48:09

It probably actually would have been the smarter decision anyway, but I was like, I’m just going to go to this extremely expensive acting college that is way more expensive than law school would have been. So that I can avoid, you know, the difficulties of jumping into something that’s hard. The lesson I learned from that is the earlier on you decide to do difficult things, the easier life becomes later on, right?

00:08:48:09 – 00:09:11:05

So I was just kind of looking for that path. Now that translates into why I chose acting. So I wanted to be in the industry and I watched, a lot of television at that time. And I would just watch the credits and just see, all right, one director, three producers, and like 50 actors. So I was like, well, it’s really hard to be a director.

00:09:11:05 – 00:09:31:26

Obviously there’s only one of them. And then I was like, it’s somewhat difficult to be a producer because there’s only 3 or 4 of them on a show, but there’s 50 actors. And then I was like, you’re your fear. Yeah. I was like, if I go into acting, I can get I can at least build a name around myself and become valuable and then I could do all the other jobs a little bit easier.

00:09:31:26 – 00:09:54:04

So that’s kind of where my mind was like, you know. Yeah, okay. That’s what I was thinking. Applying the, Yeah, exactly, exactly. So, that’s why I went to acting school. And it’s funny, you went all the way across the country like, no, mom, no, dad. I’m like, I’m gonna follow this passion, and we’re gonna go all the way to California, where I went where the industry was.

00:09:54:10 – 00:10:15:03

You know? I was like, oh, go! Yeah, I’m going to go to Hollywood. I’m not doing. I’m not doing like at that time I didn’t want to do, you know, acting on the side or working in the industry on the side in, you know, in a place where the, the industry doesn’t exist. So I’m going to go to the heart of it and I’m going to give it my go and do my best.

]
So I come here and within like a month of me being in LA, I try to make a movie and I wrote the script. You know, we filmed probably about three days, and then the actors dropped and then everybody dropped in. They were just like, it’s too hard. It’s too much to do. And then I realized how much money it costs.

00:10:37:09 – 00:10:55:25
]
Yeah, it was a hot mess. So like a decade ago, two decades ago, 16 years ago. So you’re, like, learning a lot 15 years ago, right? So, like, you made the decision to go from Florida to California, and then you’re like, okay, now make this movie. You know, I’m a young person at a high school. Here we go.

00:10:56:02 – 00:11:15:24

I’m going to go make it in the big city of L.A.. Ready, set, go. And you’re like having your first moment. Yeah, it was, but I wasn’t discouraged at all. I just was like, okay, this is a learning lesson. And I’m in school studying this thing, and now I know more than what I didn’t know, you know, now I know, okay, it’s going to cost this much to do this.

00:11:15:24 – 00:11:33:07

It’s going to be this and that and blah, blah, blah. So I was just like, cool. So it actually earned me some, some knowledge, you know, because over time I just produce for other people, you know, students trying to make short films and things of that nature, and they don’t know how to put a budget together. They don’t know how to do anything.

00:11:33:07 – 00:11:54:18

They just are like, what do we do? And I was like, well, I have this experience and I have a failure under my under my belt. Now, I know you know how to not fail. So I got more experience from just shooting stuff, you know, and then I ended up doing before I moved to L.A., I was writing plays, so I did a lot of plays, and then I did, web series.

00:11:54:18 – 00:12:11:26

Remember YouTube at the time was like nothing but web series. Everybody had a web series. So I was doing that like multiple web series, that we shot at the school outside of the school. Just all types of stuff that was just padding my resume. Did your high school have, like, I don’t know, I don’t minded, but maybe.

00:12:11:26 – 00:12:35:18

Did yours have like, this is, you know, early 2000s. That would have been like a high school video production class where like my for example, my high school, we had a video production class and like they would do like news anchors and they had like where they do and senior sports varsity so-and-so did this and so-and-so did that in today’s news, but they kind of had like a video production anchor crew.

00:12:35:20 – 00:12:57:00

Did your high school perhaps had anything like that? So my elementary school had that. Oh, interesting. Yeah. So I was in it and in high school I can say. So I was in theater, but I never did any shows. I did one show because, so we’re Seventh-Day Adventist and they had shows on Friday nights. My teacher was like, we’re not going to we do a lot of shows Friday night.

00:12:57:00 – 00:13:17:03

And my mom was like, you’re not allowed to do any of that stuff. So I would just like help build the sets and everything. And I wasn’t allowed to technically act in the actual place. So I was in theater for a few years in high school, but wasn’t allowed to do it. I did one show at the very end, senior year, and it was Blue’s Clues.

00:13:17:03 – 00:13:40:10

It was like very interesting. Yeah, because Nickelodeon even used our school to test this new Blue’s Clues like, musical thing. And they had executives come out and everything on channel nine. That for a hot moment, wasn’t that where it started or it was on Nickelodeon? No. It was no. It was just a live life stage play that we had done, Super Bowl.

00:13:40:12 – 00:14:05:21

Yeah. And then Blue’s Clues. It was so fascinating because I didn’t have a character. I was just like ensemble, but I always kind of knew how to steal attention on a stage. Sometimes to my detriment, because in college, like, we would do shows and I would not have any lines, but I would, like, steal the spotlight. And it definitely taught me like, okay, it’s not always about you, you know, team player.

00:14:05:24 – 00:14:27:19

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So after I did that a couple of times, the actors would be like, dude, what the hell? You know, I was like, oh, I got it, you know? And it really like taught me how to be a team player and not be like, this is my moment. Every moment is my moment. But in the Blue’s Clues thing, at that time, it was the only show I was able to do in four years.

00:14:27:24 – 00:14:47:04

So I just took my moment and I remember my teacher being like, you got to go in the back and not talk to anybody because the executives are asking about you. But the the kid who played like Steve or whatever, you know, that’s who with the school wants, you know, and the executives like represent. Yeah. They were just like, we don’t care about this guy.

00:14:47:04 – 00:15:10:26

We want that guy, for the talent manager like you instead. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But the idea I wasn’t allowed to speak to him at all. So it was just kind of like. But that was a thing that made me. That motivated me. Along with doing the plays at church, you know, the response at people, I was like, okay, I, I could be on stage and really like command the presence on stage.

00:15:11:03 – 00:15:33:02

So anyway, fast forward, I am still not sure what I wanted to do. And then I watch a season of Breaking Bad and yeah, the best. And after I watched those eight episodes, I was like, I could do everything on that show. I was like, I could write that. I could direct that. I mind you, I’ve never really directed anything of that caliber ever.

00:15:33:02 – 00:15:54:22

But in my mind, at 17, I’m like, I can do all of that. I probably could edit that. I could do all of that. So I graduated from high school, and the very next day I moved to L.A. like I spent a little bit of time. No, no, no, not the next day I left. The next day I spent a little time, like on a trip around New York.

00:15:54:25 – 00:16:12:10

Lots of water, like, said goodbye to everybody. I’m like, I’m out of here. Let me find everybody. I’m gonna go to la la long time. I’m out, I’m out. Oh, what a big thing. But it’s a big decision to make it, like 18 years old. Oh, yeah. And I got here and didn’t have, you know, how some people like Miss Home and miss their family and stuff.

00:16:12:10 – 00:16:34:24

I didn’t do any of. That’s how you’re, like, so focused. Yeah. I never had any thought about, like, I’m in a new city. Like, I need to make friends. Like I miss so-and-so. It’s not a da da da da da da. My best friend, my girlfriend, whatever. Like no laser focus. Yeah, we got to think of that. Yeah, I as soon as I arrived, I was like, I’m ready to go.

00:16:34:25 – 00:16:49:18

That’s why in, in a month, I was like, we get you to a movie, we got to do this here. And I was, I like, plan like a loose idea. You really did have someone on the plan when you came there. You wanted to do like you knew precisely what you wanted to do. Yes. And, and nothing was getting in my way.

00:16:49:18 – 00:17:05:22

And I was the most, like, straightforward. But I also had a plan. I’m like, I want to work on my own path. I didn’t want to do things the way everybody else was doing it. I didn’t want to, you know, I just didn’t care about the old way. I wanted to do it my way, and that was it.

00:17:05:22 – 00:17:32:22

So yeah, if I never watched that season of Breaking Bad, you would be speaking to a lawyer, right now. But do you think so? It’s like Breaking Bad. That was like circa 2014, 13, maybe 8008. No. Wasn’t it really that all of the series, the final episode was in 2013, the final series? I mean, that’s why I have it in my head is that even though obviously it takes eight seasons, obviously, to get there.

00:17:32:22 – 00:17:54:15

So sometimes. Yes. Precise. Yeah. Okay. You’re right or wrong or I just it could get a little our show got really big after it ended, I would say, because it ended up getting on Netflix and they became the thing that made Netflix. So I think a lot of people think about it as like 2015, 2016, because that’s when it really got big.

00:17:54:17 – 00:18:12:09

Yeah, yeah. But I was watching it, you know, on AMC, you know, when it was like a so, you know, a thing or three about something. I had no idea about how 1 or 2. So okay so you watch Breaking Bad, we’re like that’s it. I’m going to do that. I’m definitely moving to L.A. We’re going to do the thing where I do a show.

00:18:12:11 – 00:18:32:24

All right. So tell me a little bit about how you went from landing in LA 18 to then being like, how how did you get to be an executive producer? BuzzFeed. Like, let’s talk about how you got there. Okay. So that’s an interesting story. So by the time I graduated college in 2012, Phoebe, here’s a little tidbit I was going to say.

00:18:32:24 – 00:19:00:06

Fun fact was not so fun. I arrived in L.A. the day Michael Jackson died and I graduated college. And then I graduated from college the day Whitney Houston died. So often, you’re like legends. Yeah, yeah, I’m a legend killer. Yes. No. Like two amazing legends that you’re like, oh, I’m here, everybody. And you’re like, yeah, yeah, it was like that.

00:19:00:06 – 00:19:22:06

It was just like all the big days of my life were overshadowed by singers. That passed away. So, I can never forget those moments, but. Yeah. So what ended up happening was I graduated college and I had, like, some interest in acting. I had just done a showcase and got an agent. I still have the same agent up until this day.

00:19:22:09 – 00:19:44:26

And but at the same time, I was just kind of like, I’ll get whatever I get. Nice to have this mentality. Like, so long as I booked one thing a year, I’m probably fine. Yeah, yeah, it just wasn’t that important to me. I just knew I really want to do what I want to do. So by 2013, I produced my first movie, All About the Money.

00:19:44:28 – 00:20:06:21

And then it came out. It was one of the first movies that ever came out on Amazon, Amazon’s video platform in 2016. So it was pretty amazing. A friend of mine that worked at, Paramount was helping me, like, their graphic team helped make the poster. It was really monumental moment for me because it took it 33 days.

00:20:06:23 – 00:20:33:02

Yeah, yeah, it took us 33 days to shoot it. And then right before we started production, I got appendicitis and I got a surgery and everything, and it was like I was so determined to make that movie. They were like, you need to stay home, add your position, or what was your, like, responsibility for that. And like, oh, so I wrote it, I directed it, I funded it, I was the executive producer.

00:20:33:04 – 00:20:53:04

I starred in it. Sure. I shot a lot of it. Like, I just did everything, but that’s how I wanted it. I wanted to just. I wanted to be like, I don’t know, like Quentin Tarantino. Like, I just wanted to just do it all. You know? I want to be. I want to do it all. I want all my fingerprint in this whole movie.

00:20:53:06 – 00:21:07:21

And so I did that. It came out three years later. It’s when I that’s when I really found out, like, what it really takes to make a movie because we shot it. Like to start this at the start. The end. Right. You you you found the app. You know, you found the tool. You wrote the script. I found the talent.

00:21:07:21 – 00:21:29:18

You know, you pick the sets, you know, the whole nine yards of what it takes, obviously, to go in to creating and producing. Well, the action was fairly simple. So for me, you know, I was just like, okay, what do we need? You know, I need cameras, I need lights, I need people. And I had always had a mentality, getting people getting things is always easy.

00:21:29:18 – 00:21:55:27

So that that to me is has always essentially been the same thing because there’s always people that want to work. It’s the post-production that I found out to be like, oh, this is a beast. And it took years. It took literal years. And that element of things was so slow that it taught me that the genre of film that I had made was popular in 2013.

By the time 2016 came around, nobody was caring for Mockumentaries anymore. So I like was making this a little bit, but not the idea that we. But it took that long, you know, even just I remember doing sound design, sound design to like a whole year, for races, man. Driving big sound design, like. Okay, you see that as a credit line, you know, in a movie or, like, sound design.

Okay, that sounds like fun, but, like, what does that really mean? And it took so long and we had a studio, my good friend, my brother Mac, my, mechanic in San Diego. Oceanside, really. And I had to drive there every week. I lost my car because of that deal, because I just, like, put some many miles on it.

00:22:42:01 – 00:23:06:10

I lost my computer, my computer. I couldn’t render anymore. I just I gave everything to all of them for three years of my life. And yeah, it just was such a beast. I would hire these editors. They would quit. I remember all the editors being like, oh, I got a job editing for the NFL. And then, like, they would tell me, like, I just need a month to get this portion done.

00:23:06:10 – 00:23:26:22

And then when the month comes up there, like, I never even worked on it. You know? And it’s like, oh my gosh, you know. So I ended up having to go back and edit it myself, learn how to edit. That’s why I know, like edit today, it’s it was like learn. Oh man. It was just so insane. But I was so dedicated to it, and I made it, and I had a good time.

00:23:26:22 – 00:23:48:19

But then I put it out and I kind of was just like, dude, I think I’m not supposed to be making movies. Well, it’s like the it’s like you enjoy the process, but not like maybe the final product or the final, like, you know, the opening stage, like you like you know where to go back to, like, you know, the maybe perhaps the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze.

00:23:48:19 – 00:24:10:10

If you put all of that into when you will evolve process and you’re like, yeah, we did it. But who? That was a lot of juice squeeze in and maybe I don’t want to do that. Yeah. And I think we it was you know, understanding from the audience that like we’re not making Avengers. You know, we’re not making this or that.

00:24:10:10 – 00:24:28:20

So people were not they would approach the review of the film with the same mindset, like, oh, well, this movie came out the same week The Avengers came out, and it’s not as good as that. And I’m like, this movie cost like, you know, a few hundred thousand dollars, you know, I can’t do that. So I didn’t really like that.

00:24:28:20 – 00:24:52:12

And then, I learned a little bit about timing there, too. Yeah, yeah. Launch production, timing of your launch. Like, okay, maybe you should obviously launch it with something like that. Exactly. And, and also learning about genre cycles, like learning about what people like. Do people really like this or do they like this right now? Is a timeless and classic or is it will it be cool?

00:24:52:12 – 00:25:12:22

It continue to be evergreen and interesting? Yeah. Or is it a one hit wonder? Exactly. And then like when people go back and watch it, are they just gonna be like, oh, I remember this era, you know, I remember that. Yeah. So, so I, I just felt like the audience that really discouraged me. It’s not that people thought the movie were bad, was bad.

00:25:12:28 – 00:25:32:16

Over the years, as we ended up on more platforms, people were like, really praising it and like, wow, we really kind of missed the boat on this movie. But at that time I just wasn’t really into it. So I meanwhile, I like lesson Like a good and I just wanted to chalk it up to a lesson just like, yeah, yeah.

00:25:32:16 – 00:25:50:04

So it was, it was fine, you know, but I was just like, I think I’m just ready to move on to the next stage of this thing and, next chapter count. Yeah, I did it. Let’s do it. Yeah, let’s do something else. Onward. Okay, so, yeah, I was 2016. You did a funny thing. You learned a lot of lessons.

00:25:50:04 – 00:26:13:24

Okay? Now we’re like, okay, 2017 new meaning? Here we go. Yeah. 2017 came around and my friend was like, you can’t leave, man. You can’t leave the business. So I made another movie. No, you did it. You went on for another one. I made another one. That one with, uncle like three. Yeah, I did, yeah. I was like, you know what?

00:26:13:24 – 00:26:37:19

You’re right. Like, I’m a unique person. I have this unique talent. Let’s just make another one and I’m going to make one so you don’t succeed. Try. Try again. Yeah. I was just like, okay, I made a decision as an artist the first time around. I made something that I like. The second movie was a strategic film that I made that was like.

00:26:37:21 – 00:26:56:20

I almost felt like I was like a fifth studio executive. I watched a bunch of different movies. I paid attention to what people liked, and I was like, I’m going to make a movie that people are going to like 20 years from now, ten years from now, right now, all of that. And so I made care everything. And you just learned.

00:26:56:23 – 00:27:18:04

Yeah. You’re like, all right, I got this this time. Yeah, yeah, 100%. So I made that movie. It wasn’t a mockumentary. We shot it like a traditional film. We had evergreen jokes, like it was more like that. And I again, I enjoyed making it. I enjoyed the post-production. It was really hard. You know, just just sound again.

00:27:18:04 – 00:27:43:22

You know, sound is difficult. You know, getting the stage is getting Foley, getting, ADR, all of that stuff. You know, it’s just it’s a lot of freaking work. But, that one didn’t take three years. It took me two years because it came out in 2019. But having all of that experience, opened the doors up to me working at this company called Red Blue Media.

00:27:43:22 – 00:28:04:22

It sounds like a fake company, but only one that was, you know, red fish, blue fish. Yeah, exactly, exactly. So I worked there. I got that job off of Craigslist. And they won. Yeah. And they wanted me to be an intern. And I was like, I have years of experience, but I got to intern. But then I was like, fine, I’ll intern.

00:28:04:24 – 00:28:35:22

And, yeah. And then I work there and, and the job was very it was like the premiere days of non-paid Facebook. So, so for the most part, it was like right before Mid-roll Mid-roll ads came around and like, Facebook wasn’t really monetized the way that it is today. Yeah. So their whole goal was like, we need viral content because we need we can find a way to get paid from it.

00:28:35:25 – 00:29:04:03

So at that time, I was picking like nostalgic moments from old movies and repackaging it. And then finding ways to get like viral kind of fun, memorable things. Like they were fun viral things that were happening in that era. Well, the funny thing is the account that I worked on was called memes. Yeah. And then there was this nostalgia page, and there was just all this stuff that I was doing, and it didn’t take very long for them to realize I had a midas touch.

00:29:04:06 – 00:29:28:20

I could watch Old Man and realize, like, this five minute segment right here will do crazy stuff going like this. Yeah, yeah. So I remember I did, I pulled a clip from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air that was like this, like racial moment where Carlton was, like, learning that he’s like black, but he’s not, like, really black, you know?

00:29:28:20 – 00:29:55:15

Or like, people kept like, people saw him as, like, an Oreo or whatever. And I think when I posted that and re-edited it, he got like 260 million views. And then they reposted it and it got like another, like 80 million views. And it’s such close to me. Yeah, yeah. I mean, I don’t know, I watch it and it was just for the time being a little bit of like, you know, gold toucher like.

00:29:55:15 – 00:30:22:10

Yeah, like okay, this you had to build it. This is a segment and this is when we’re gonna do it. Yeah. Yes. And it was so massive for that company. And then I did it again. I did it with this like, old, Arnold Schwarzenegger movie where I just found I never seen the movie, but I just was doing so much research about old films and projects, and one could work for social media from like the 60s or the 70s or the 80s.

00:30:22:12 – 00:31:02:03

So I was just like pumping out all this content. And there were these lax rules on Facebook that allowed us to kind of repurpose and monetize. Yeah, yeah, these this content. So, that job ended in 2020 due to Covid. So, but I, I now it’s okay because I ended up having that in my, on my resume, you know, and now I’m like, my brain is working and I really attribute it to making Uncle Ed because Uncle Ed was such a, yeah, strategic film.

00:31:02:03 – 00:31:37:20

You know, I wrote it with that in mind. I wrote it with evergreen scenes in mind. Like, how can I take every part of this film and turn it into something that could pump out money somehow? Some way? And so working there, I was like, I already have this knowledge in my mind because I had a flop of a movie, and then I’m like, trying to rejigger my creative mind to not be focused on creativity so much, not focus on art so much, but focus on how I can create a product that people want to buy.

00:31:37:23 – 00:31:57:13

So that’s when I was like, I’m not even a creative person anymore. I like threw that title away. I was like, I’m not a creative person. I’m like a strategic executive, you know? So and then I really proved that to myself at guff. So when, dove is the other name of the company, Red Bull Media, same company.

00:31:57:16 – 00:32:23:03

Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Red bull in the Gulf. Yeah. So they did that gulf? Yeah. So they just had a bunch of different names. I think Red Blue Media was the parent company, but Gulf was like a brand and whatever subsidiary subsidiary type thing. Exact. Gotcha. So, during Covid, there was this role in the in my career where, you know, we couldn’t produce anything for a while.

00:32:23:03 – 00:32:41:11

So I ended up like to see what was happening, obviously from, you know, between 2020 and like 2022 ish, it was that they were shutting sets down and they were doing many things all over America. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. So you were still at Gulf during that time though? No. So so gov red blue were like, yeah you’re out.

00:32:41:11 – 00:33:03:16

Covid hit. We’re done here. They’re California. Shut us down for a second and t mark February March or whatever. It was like the like within a month of of of Covid we Gulf was like we have to let everybody go. Oh how heartbreaking right now on your debut. So again you’re just like you’re like, no. Even take it in the short two years.

00:33:03:17 – 00:33:23:17

Like all right. Yeah. I was just like cool. No problem. I’ll figure out another thing to do. And that year I have to say this too. So before that, I was in a bunch of debt and I was trying to figure out, like I was using debt to try and build my company because that was really my my prize, my goal.

00:33:23:17 – 00:33:41:22

I really want to build my company. And, you know, we have gone through a slump throughout the years. And I that’s why I ended up working at these jobs. And how you always say, if I can just stay at home for like three months, I can find a way to take this company from where it’s at now to where I want it to be.

00:33:41:25 – 00:34:16:00

And Covid came around and let’s just pretend nobody died, okay? Let’s just pretend it wasn’t this, like, massive tragedy for a lot of people. For me, I mean, yeah, for some people. And that’s unfortunate for me. I got to sit at home and my mom’s group last month, and I’ve set your own devices. Yes. And I wrote and wrote and wrote plan after plan after leading new plan, business plans, all these things, I opened my mind up to what possible.

00:34:16:00 – 00:34:37:17

I really started dreaming. There were many days in a row I did not sleep because I was so obsessed with. Yes, with the idea of what this business can be, what it could be for me, what it could be for, for, you know, the future of, of my dreams. So I spent a lot of time during Covid. Just focus on my dreams.

00:34:37:20 – 00:35:00:07

So I did that. And then by the end of 2020 there, the companies just started naturally building back up. And it was this incredible story about Cacao Pro. Now we’re talking about. Yeah, no, my company got me over the pink slipped. You’re out. And now you’re back focusing in 2020 back on keto. Yeah 100%. So I was doing that.

00:35:00:09 – 00:35:25:06

And then by 2021 let’s see 20 I had did some side missions as well. But I like that. I like to call them side missions. Yeah, I did some side missions, like I taught business class at for profit college. And then I had, like, spent some time at, as a junior executive at a marketing agency.

00:35:25:06 – 00:35:45:17

But for the most part, I just was like, I just need things to just make sure I fulfill my brain with, you know, with purpose, like, I’m very purpose driven person. So the why is very important. But when it was all said and done, I had done a project with this company. It’s stream. They ended up being on, Good Morning America.

00:35:45:19 – 00:36:10:28

And from there that project was so successful. I was posting about it on LinkedIn and all this stuff I ended up just getting reached out to by a recruiter at BuzzFeed. Wonderful. Yes. And the interesting thing about that is that I’ve, I always sort of applied and tried to find work in the industry. I was like, I’ll be a I’ll be a PR, I’ll do anything to get a job.

00:36:11:03 – 00:36:33:08

And I kept getting rejected. I would they would hire donkeys and monkeys over me and but I just that’s why I was always like, focus on just doing it my way. Because I just knew, like, no one was going to open that door for me. And, and I was I was pushing myself to be the worst person at the company just so I can get a shot, and they would not give it to me.

00:36:33:11 – 00:36:54:15

But when that project released and we were getting a lot of buzz, I’m not sure if it was that project or just a specific time in my life, but BuzzFeed came through and it was an executive producer role, and it was all about strategy, and I was just like, guess what? I’m great at strategy because I had made that second movie.

00:36:54:17 – 00:37:20:14

I thought about it strategically. Then I worked at guff. I was I built this yeah, thing like it’s tension. Yes. And then at the end of 2020, the strategy that I built sitting at home doing writing, like just writing and reading and writing and reading, my mind was so like, how do I take content video, this, that and a third media and like make it print money.

00:37:20:19 – 00:37:42:23

That’s everything that I was of that. So BuzzFeed took a notice of that. And then, I got hired there to be their executive producer or, affiliate content, I think. And I’ll feed my man. I appreciate that. It really was a surprise. But then I also felt like, dude, you deserve this because you know how to do this job.

00:37:42:26 – 00:38:07:28

And when I tell you I jumped in and I took advantage of it, like, I got in and I was the one person I felt like in that moment, in that space at BuzzFeed that got a job that was directly aligned with money and content. Everybody else I got to be creative. And I told them I was like, I remember meetings at BuzzFeed was like, I’m sorry, you’re not doing anything more creative.

00:38:07:28 – 00:38:26:16

I was like, I don’t want to do it. We’re good here. No, like good here. But yeah, we have all of the content out there. Other people are making the content. We have spliced that shit together. Well, no, I mean, like, you know, I mean, like, we the content out there, we need to, like, you know, or repackage it, repurpose it.

00:38:26:16 – 00:38:44:11

And did it get it up. No no no no. So I BuzzFeed they gave me a team and we made original content. That’s so not repurpose is not what you were doing at Red, blue or goth like, not repurposing nostalgic bits? No, no, no, you are now creating your own content with the team. Yes. Correct. So yeah.

00:38:44:18 – 00:39:09:03

So I was overseeing that and and we were killing it like we were really killing it. Viral videos left right and center. You know and all of my ideas, it wasn’t really just my ideas. Like, I open the floor up to my team. I had a great, you know, it was really, really fantastic. And, you know, and unfortunately, BuzzFeed as a business, you know, didn’t do that.

00:39:09:03 – 00:39:33:22

Well, even though my department, I felt like we were doing fine. It just wasn’t enough, you know, for what the greater organization was going through. So when it’s all said and done, I ended up switching teams, to, like a creator team. So I ended up working with creators that were outside of BuzzFeed to make, content and to grow the platforms.

00:39:33:22 – 00:39:53:09

And so we could have, different forms of revenue. And I also like that, too, because I was working with these creative people. But we’re very strategic on making sure that we’re making revenue generating content, which I liked because I could always go to meetings and be like, this is how much money my, my stuff made. And I love that.

00:39:53:12 – 00:40:20:18

Well, let’s go back to data. You know, data, the proof point for creatives. Oh yeah. It really is. Yeah, yeah, 100%. You know. So it was data based, data driven content creation and something I left out. I had gone back to school, in 2018, 2017, and I graduated in 2020. But I finished the program in 2019. I did an online MBA and that also like totally opened my mind up to me.

00:40:20:22 – 00:40:35:19

And that’s all done. Yeah. Thank you. So much. You know, I’m trying to do it on a side hustle. Like we’re gonna go back to, like, hustling. Like you got your main business, you got your fingers and these many pots and holes and sticks and lots of fires. Yeah. Fingers and lots of pies. Whichever you prefer. Or fires or pies.

00:40:35:21 – 00:40:55:07

Anyhow, all these, you know, fingers and pies and like. Oh, by the way, I’m just going to throw an online MBA while I’m at it. Yeah, I did that. And I loved it, I loved it. Okay. So you’re doing that while you’re also like producing a movie and a couple up on, like you produce, like you said, Uncle Ed and the before that when you produce all about the money.

00:40:55:07 – 00:41:14:09

So you’re doing like the MBA on the side why you’re doing that. But yeah, like it’s like I’m just I just Kelby Joseph it’s fine. But I if I tell you really what I was experiencing at that time, you you would. Yeah, yeah, yeah, there was so much going on, but, you know, I do, I do what I can, I do it.

00:41:14:15 – 00:41:32:19

Well done, well done sir. Okay, so you are kicking ass and taking names here at BuzzFeed, and then you’re like, okay. You’re like, all right. So all right, I’m doing awesome data driven numbers. We’re making money. We’re printing money. We’re doing awesome. You show me the money moment, right? You know, we got, you know, so we’re going on.

00:41:32:19 – 00:41:54:17

So now what? BuzzFeed was also a great place for me because I had learned over the years, over especially post-Covid, that as a business owner, you don’t want to be saddled and written by debt, right? You don’t want to have a bunch of debt. So I went on a debt free journey. So BuzzFeed just helped me kick like super, super charged my being on my debt free journey.

00:41:54:24 – 00:42:21:07

I paid off my student loan to pay off everything. Like everything was totally, totally, totally paid off. And that was the best thing that ever happened to me. Because BuzzFeed, as a business, though, I was pushing for a director role. I just knew I could kick. But I shout out to my, former, director, Lady Samuels, who Samuel Neil asked at the end, who was, you know, she believed in me, and she just knew that I could do the job.

00:42:21:07 – 00:42:43:28

I was like, I’m going to grow in this business. I’m going to turn this thing around. But they just they just had money problems, you know? So they they were doing layoff after layoff after layoff. And then it came out do my my turn came February 28th last year, 2024 I got laid off and I was slightly surprised because I was like I’m doing really good.

00:42:43:28 – 00:43:02:27

But at the same time, corporate cuts are corporate cuts. They just cut everybody. And then when the dust settles, they’re just like, it’s business. Yeah, yeah, it just is what it is. So personal. It’s all about me. Obviously. Personally. Like, oh, you’re making us money. You’re doing right. It’s strictly business, a straight up business. I honestly don’t even think they knew that they cut me.

00:43:03:01 – 00:43:22:02

I think that they were, like, caught up in, like. Yeah, it was just like everybody, like this whole swath of people are just getting cut and, you know, and then like, let’s just see what happens afterwards. But because I had set myself up to not have any debt, to just leave it. All right. Last time, I was just like, you know what?

00:43:22:04 – 00:43:42:09

I have this company on the side. Keiko. I’ve been doing it. It has been running essentially on its own, and I had just been making some additional money, you know, from the company. But I was really focused on BuzzFeed. And then I would do the Keiko stuff in the evening that was the best thing ever, because I still had my team at Keiko.

00:43:42:09 – 00:43:59:09

They they were answering emails for me. They’re doing the job. I, I just had to manage. So I was like, all right, well, I’m not worried about having to pay that wasn’t of dollars and interest and this and that every month got rent. And I live in a cheap place. Like I was like, you know what? I’m gonna be okay.

00:43:59:10 – 00:44:16:10

You guys let me go. I will figure it out. Life is going to be okay. Yeah, I’ll go with the blocks right there as well. Yes, yes. And I’m lucky like I did the Dave Ramsey plan. I just was like, okay, cool. You know I’m not going to die here. I’m not going to be homeless. I’m it’s going to be okay.

00:44:16:12 – 00:44:41:14

So when I, when that happened, I’m not going to say is the best thing ever happened. I wish BuzzFeed gave me another like six months or something, but, it’s never timing, right? Timing is never going to be perfect, right? I’m never, like, do anything. Yes, but I went back to focusing 100% on Keiko and, where I would say my focus was really more so, like 49% Keiko, 51% BuzzFeed.

00:44:41:16 – 00:45:07:14

But, but now I’m. I see that, yeah, that changed everything. And I grew 100%. And Keiko pro 100%. And that is how we met. That’s exactly how we met. I was told. Called me through LinkedIn. That’s cold. Emailed me on LinkedIn. That’s right. That’s how I do it. I you like I didn’t yeah I get on LinkedIn and it’s like my place.

00:45:07:14 – 00:45:35:01

But there I’ve tried so many things, to be honest. You see I tried so many things I tried LinkedIn, cold email, cold calling. You know, we were making jokes before this podcast about, you know, being being born in a different time. I was pulling out yellow pages and calling business. Oh, yeah. I did everything. You know, I would I would walk from business to business, giving out my business card, you know.

00:45:35:05 – 00:45:59:22

Yeah, I’m old school door knocking doing that call that, hit the pavement. That’s right, I did it. Oh, I did Facebook ads, Instagram and YouTube ads, CTV as I did everything a person could do Google Text, I did everything. I’ve hired every I’ve hired every sales agency. I’ve. I’ve had full time sales manager. I’m digital, so. Yeah.

00:45:59:24 – 00:46:19:25

So you tried it all. You get kicked out. You know, what was I February of last year? And you’ve tried many things to relaunch yourself as a pro. What you maybe just a fun tip for the audience. You know, what would be like the one like maybe top two things are like these were like my favorite. Or like these were like the best served of.

00:46:19:27 – 00:46:48:16

That’s a really good guess. What was it the best to build up happiness? Like, obviously you got you got me on LinkedIn, right? Like through an authentic email, cold email. But it was authentically sort of written of sorts as I like to give you my time of day, but but like obviously that what that got me. But like, you know, you know, you door knocks, you hit the pavement, you hit the yellow pages like you tried all these many things, like what would you say it would been like you’re like, but reap the best benefits.

00:46:48:19 – 00:47:25:11
Unknown
This is what I will say. Everything has its season okay in 2020. The reason why we ended 2020 strong. Like we made a full year’s amount of revenue in three months. Yeah, I was my best year deal. Yeah. At I would say because I did LinkedIn and it was new, you know, reaching out to people on LinkedIn, I was getting responses like crazy, you know, but then doing it again down the line, everything kind of went down, you know, and it wasn’t as simple as it was in 2020.

00:47:25:11 – 00:47:49:28

By 2024, 2023, everybody’s doing LinkedIn got super saturated and I didn’t get the same results anymore. I was getting seven figure results. I didn’t get that, you know, some years later. But then I tried email. Email gave me, five, six figure results. And then after that, Google and you to, Google and Yahoo and all the companies, they’re like, oh, you can’t use our platform for that anymore.

00:47:49:28 – 00:48:10:07

So it went from like making a lot of money to like, not make a lot of money. Then I did Facebook ads. Facebook ads brings in a ton of leads, a ton of leads. Like, yes, so many leads. But are they quality? Are they the ones that you want? Some people are happy with that because they’re like, okay, it keeps my calendar full.

00:48:10:09 – 00:48:28:12

And then quality that’s it’s a lot of like non that’s super cold or maybe an ish. Yeah. To convert those is like the pits. If you have like beast mode sales agents they can kind of depending on what you’re selling. You know they can kind of turn it around and make it work. So I’m not actually going to throw that away.

00:48:28:12 – 00:48:53:07

It does work. It just really you’ve got to be like, you know, you’re going to have to be able to teach your salespeople, like how to sniff out a good leader, sniff out a bad thing real quick, and like, not waste your time totally, totally. So that that’s that’s what that was. So I will say from my. In the height of their season LinkedIn lot, a lot of money made cold emails, a lot of money made.

00:48:53:07 – 00:49:19:16

But then when they fall off, right, there’s friction in those now. So the best thing I would tell people is find what’s hot in the moment, whether it’s ads, whether it’s cold, outreach, whether it’s over, whatever you’re doing, just do a great job. The reason why I tell you that is because there’s no client like a referral. If you get a referral client number one, it’s free.

00:49:19:18 – 00:49:43:28
Unknown
The cost of acquiring that client is $0, and then they trust you beyond anything else. You know, when you’re working with a brand new company or a brand new client, they’re they’re looking for bad more than they’re looking for good. Oh, very much so. There’s everybody’s always skeptical, you know, because they’ve been even burned before by the previous outfit.

00:49:44:01 – 00:50:01:25
Unknown
And so now you got to come in and like make up the difference on a previous outfit. Razzle dazzle them come in clutch. Yeah. Over there to like yeah yeah. To like get them to convert me like oh okay. Higher and higher. The right outfit this time. Yeah. Or whatever. Because I’ve been hosed in the past. Yes. You have to.

00:50:01:25 – 00:50:24:23
Unknown
You you have. It’s a mountain you have to climb. But if you get a referral, Holy cow. That referral is like, here’s the money. Hands up in the air. Do whatever you want at that. And then you do it. And they’re just like, happy. Everybody’s happy. So whatever tool you use to get new clients, whatever you can do, number one, retain those clients.

00:50:24:25 – 00:50:49:09

Those are important. They’re your lifeblood. Because when they go out to conferences or they speak to their buddies and pals, keep your name fresh in their mind. Do stuff for free. Do stuff at a discount to always be available. Do whatever they want, and always do it with a smile. I know people are not going to want to hear that.

00:50:49:09 – 00:51:09:08

They’re going to be, you know, upset because it’s like old for free. This is the business. No, I have made more money doing things for free then I have by charging. People are being obsessed with, you know, charging people for the little tiny things and nickel and diming people. No, I have done so many things as a favor.

00:51:09:15 – 00:51:35:06
then they come back with way more than you would have even charge. It’s like, give a little, get a little true. Yeah, yeah. It’s like you kind of like give them in to like kind of manage, but like sometimes like reaps the mile and like holy moly. The opportunity you might get on the backside is, was well worth the, you know, uncomfortableness of, you know, working for free for that in that moment.

00:51:35:08 – 00:51:58:02

It doesn’t always work. But if you know your quality is top tier, give it to them. Just give it to them. Most, most people are skeptical. Give it to them and they will come back and be like, Holy crap, no one has ever done this for me before. Okay, let’s get to work. And they’ll open out those purse strings and they’ll open it for a long time.

00:51:58:05 – 00:52:18:02

In fact, their company, especially if you’re dealing with like directors, if they’re not VP’s or anything, like you’re dealing with somebody who’s like almost at the top, they’re going to go to bat for you and be like, no, we need to give them double the money, or we need to give them more projects, and their VP will be like, who is this company that you’re always fighting for?

00:52:18:04 – 00:52:34:03

And they will become a fan of yours? So that’s really what opened the doors up for me. Just losing money for a while. But after a bit it’s like, okay, all right, this this was worth it. Yes. Hard, you know, to do that. You know juice gets sometimes is worth the squeeze when you put it in for yourself.

00:52:34:03 – 00:52:52:14

Right. Like, you know, like like for out yourself. Right. So you spent the last, you know, 16 years, you know, hard knock life, you know, flip yourself to college, you know, put yourself in an MBA, you know, right. In a couple of films that maybe flopped in some ways that were more successful learning, you know, learning experience in other ways.

00:52:52:19 – 00:53:09:16

And what you had this side hustle, kicking a pro was always on the side, even though you were like, working for, you know, red, blue. Or maybe you’re working for gap and then you’re working for BuzzFeed and, you know, if you’re working for all these outfits, not the whole time, but you still had this, like, side hustle, you know, and like, working it the whole time.

00:53:09:19 – 00:53:30:29

And so it’s different when obviously, as you know, working for other people, you’re at there when you know you’re working for somebody else and maybe you get that pink slip and maybe you don’t, but you don’t get to have the conversation at the table. Yeah. You know, and and you might get that pink slip someday and then, but when obviously you do it for yourself.

00:53:31:01 – 00:53:58:18

Well, yeah. You know, it’s a lot more beautiful, right? Yeah. You know, you were hustling for yourself. You’re hustling for your future. You’re hustling for your paycheck. It’s has a different meaning. Because it’s your name on the door, you know, it’s your name on, as the owner or the executive, you know, producer. You know, it means more when it’s your name on the door and you put more value and clout into that, and it matters more.

00:53:58:20 – 00:54:23:00

And so you work harder for that. And there’s something about building your own empire. Just right here. Like, you got to do it. And it’s like. And like, I feel like entrepreneurs. Discover at some point that they are an entrepreneur. I don’t think intrinsically not subtle ways. I’ll see for myself. I didn’t know, for example, I was an entrepreneur.

00:54:23:03 – 00:54:38:19

And then you sort of discover, after being in the business for like five, six, seven years that you’re like, There’s something more to me. Like, I’m not going to be a cog in this wheel. Like I think I have interest in, how do we get that contract? How do we get that point? What’s the retainer?

00:54:38:19 – 00:55:03:18

What’s what’s is accounts payable? Or, you know, you’re kind of curious about all parts of the business, not just your cog in the wheels designer in my case, or like a video producer in your case, or. Right. Right. And so, you know, you start out in acting and you, you know, you learn about other parts of the jobs on, on the set and like, I think I got this like this thing that I have is drive to go do it for myself.

00:55:03:20 – 00:55:28:21

Yep. And this business license and go do it for myself. Right. So I think that’s why, you know, obviously I connected with, you know, instantly last February because like, we have a lot in common and I like you I’m going to tell you something too, that I think a lot of entrepreneurs are not going to tell you because there’s this incredible amount of pride that comes from you, like doing it on your own, don’t have a boss, blah, blah, blah.

00:55:28:25 – 00:55:54:06

But you know what? That’s not important to me. I want to simply be the best. When I worked at BuzzFeed, I had clear obsessions with being great. I don’t care if I’m a part of a team, the team leader, the very. I just want to be the best. So if I own the company, let’s be the best. If I can work at a company, I want to be the best.

00:55:54:06 – 00:56:12:02

I want to be on the best team. I want to be the best version of me, that I just want to be the best. So that that doesn’t mean that in the future, like something could happen where I sell the company and then I just go get another job. I would do that with the same integrity, you know, that and the same desire to just want to be the best.

00:56:12:02 – 00:56:28:02

That’s all I care about, you know? I just want to be the best fit the best. I think that’s a good thing. I think that’s a good value to have. You know, my dad was sort of similar to that. Like, he always told me a paint job worth doing or any project worth doing is worth giving.

00:56:28:02 – 00:56:47:02

A girl right is worth don’t number half the project right is mine. Something my dad always say is worth fucking doing and do it right the first time. Because chances are, if you have passed the first time, you’re actually going to come back and have to redo it again. So just do it right. The first time period. So I learned my lesson to the little girl like, yeah, yeah.

00:56:47:02 – 00:57:01:08

Because he would see me do a pro, he’d tell me to do something and then I maybe I was like, no, and I’d half ass it and be like, girl, get your butt back here and like, do how I told you to do it right the first time, I think, okay, gosh darn it, I go back and fucking redo it and it would piss me off.

00:57:01:14 – 00:57:20:10

But, you know, I was young enough to learn those lessons while I was young then to like, okay, well, never half ass a project, okay? Like, if it’s worth doing and do it right and do it well. Period. End of discussion. I think, and it’s very valuable and I think it’s obviously for me, I’ll speak for myself.

00:57:20:10 – 00:57:40:00

It’s sort of in spades. You know, throughout my entire life and throughout my career, didn’t matter if it was athletics, it didn’t matter if I was going to college. It didn’t matter if I was in collegiate sports. It didn’t matter if I, you know, worked for other design agencies or working for myself or my bodybuilding show up, do it well and and, don’t have that.

00:57:40:03 – 00:58:11:22

Yeah. Yeah, that’s I think that’s the real thing and that it has all the hustle, all of this hustle, hustle. I think that mentality number one, because people can instantly hate on this conversation. Right. Because they’re going to say, oh, hustle culture and blah, blah, blah, like it’s toxic. Here’s the truth. I want to be the best because I want to offer a service and a product to people that makes their lives better, that makes their lives easier, that makes their business better, that does everything better.

00:58:11:24 – 00:58:35:16

I, I want to be the best for you, you know? And that’s why I want to do it. I want it to be impactful. I want to be positive, and an asset to everybody’s team. But that mentality also helps when you are a leader, you know, when you’re hiring people, when you’re working with vendors. It’s so easy nowadays to find out, you know who sucks?

00:58:35:18 – 00:59:01:22

You know who just doesn’t like it. Seriously. You know, and they complain about not making more and not growing. But then you come to realize like, oh, you’re you’re not really about this life. You know, you’re not hardworking. You don’t have any integrity in what you do. You’re worried about the invoice getting paid. Where I’m worried about this project building something better for my customer, adding value.

00:59:01:22 – 00:59:26:29

I think people forget of like, okay, yeah, this is a job. But I think people forget, like, how can I add value to this team? Yeah. What can I do to make your make your life easier or better? Right? I think people forget those key questions when, when applying for a job or when when applying for a project, or even just doing a project, or working on a job site or whatever it might be.

00:59:27:02 – 00:59:47:17

Hey, my dad always taught me there’s always something to be done on a job site. You know, it doesn’t matter if you’re doing, like, the work on the construction site or sweeping up after and cleaning the job site, there is always a broom to pick up. There is always a hammer to be swung. There is always a wrench to be turned like there is always something to do.

00:59:47:17 – 01:00:05:15

My job doesn’t matter with the job site. It doesn’t matter if it’s on a video production site. It doesn’t matter if you’re on set. It does not matter the job. It always applies. How can you add value? And I think people forget all the time about when they’re even applying for a job. How can I add value to this company?

01:00:05:17 – 01:00:25:10

What? Like what am I skills? What can I add value and how can I make your better your business better? Yeah, it’s it’s unfortunate because there’s this mentality of like what can the company do for me. You know. And sure I get that right. Like I get what you’re built, babe. Yeah. We’re work. Some of you guys don’t even want to work.

01:00:25:10 – 01:00:44:25

You know, you’re just working only because, I have to pay my bills. I have to do this. I have to do that. I say I don’t even hire those people anymore. People on my set, especially, they know don’t walk around looking like they’re not doing anything. You know, that gets on my last nerves, you know? And people say, I hear lazy people I hate.

01:00:44:25 – 01:01:10:03

I despise lazy people. Yeah, I hear it said back to me. And it’s not only because I don’t like lazy people. I’ll give you an example. There was a couple of years that we did weddings and, good business, I good industry. I enjoyed doing the weddings. Me personally, but, you know, it’s hard to it’s hard to hire for that because a lot of people hate weddings.

01:01:10:06 – 01:01:36:24

And there was a there was a girl who worked for me. She was a super talented photographer. She was able to get all types of shots really fast, like gorgeous shots. And she didn’t need a lot of time. So there was a, wedding that we did where I’m going around work and I’m even pretending to work. Like, once I’m done, I’m like, okay, let me find something else that so they can see that I’m doing something once you’re done.

01:01:36:27 – 01:01:55:14

She was like, I did my job. And she sat down and she just didn’t do anything. And I went to her after a bit and it was like, is everything okay? You know, she told me her camera, she was like, yeah, I just, I did my work already at the job, which I was like, okay, like that.

01:01:55:14 – 01:02:13:29

I didn’t say anything in that moment, but in my mind I said, I’m going to get an email or a phone call about this. Yeah, yeah. And and as it happened, 3 or 4 days after the wedding, I send out the invoice, you know, we send everything over. And that was one thing that I was really good at.

01:02:14:02 – 01:02:30:10

Like, sending things fast, you know? Yeah. Quick delivery. Yeah. Quick delivery. I was like, by the time you guys are on your, honeymoon. Second honeymoon. You got photos. You know, I want you guys. I want. That’s what I want to do. I’ll share your moment on social or whatever you’re doing. Right. Sharing photos. Print them. Do something.

01:02:30:10 – 01:02:52:29

Yeah. I was like, that’s what we do. That’s what you’re paying for. Because a lot of companies, they like to take their time with the pictures and blah, blah, blah. I was like, no, we have to do this now fast. And so I would I sent the pictures over and they loved them. They loved the pictures. But I got an email that was like, you know, that girl was sitting a lot.

01:02:53:02 – 01:03:18:13

She just like didn’t work very hard. And I was like trying to explain to them. I understand the perception was that she didn’t work very hard, but she got her job done. Aren’t you with these beautiful photos? Yes. But in their mind, per ception perception. Perception? The fact that she sat down in it, in their mind, removed value from their experience.

01:03:18:16 – 01:03:47:09

They thought you should be up taking pictures. If you did all your work, do some more work, you know, to figure out something to do. And that’s what taught me about perception. When people perceive that you are not putting their interest ahead of yours, they get this idea. And then now everything is negative, you know, because we gave these beautiful pictures, the groom is like, great, love this.

01:03:47:09 – 01:04:07:29

But the bride was like, yeah, but she didn’t work that hard. Well, she’s she’s thinking like, oh, imagine what else I could have gotten for the same price. Yeah, she got a bride. She’s going like, well, I love what I got, but if only I felt like if she had worked harder, if she’d actually run our feet more because I got more photos and better photos.

01:04:08:03 – 01:04:40:17

Yes. And also, maybe she missed a couple of moments that maybe I wanted. And, like, I’m not feeling like I’m getting all of what I paid for. Yes. And that’s the unfortunate part, because someone is going to watch this and go, well, she did her job, right? Yes, she did her job. But when you’re paying $12,000 to get your wedding photos taken, you have a perception in your mind that these guys are going to just be on it, you know?

01:04:40:20 – 01:05:04:10

Yeah, they’re just going to be the best. Even if we don’t use those pictures. They got everything. They just stayed in every moment. Yes, they went above and beyond. And when they see that you’re sitting for an hour or you’re sitting for 45 minutes, I knew it, but I was like, I don’t want to be the person that have to say, do more to somebody who did what they were supposed to do.

01:05:04:13 – 01:05:30:04

But in that moment, I learned the lesson of being like, okay, if I’m paying you top dollar. I think she made several thousands of dollars just working that day. Even if it’s not for me, for the client, it’d be great for you, right? Well, being perceived as someone who brings enormous value more than what they expect. Oh, it was a zero tape repetition.

01:05:30:07 – 01:05:54:01

What it was was the perception of your reputation, your brand. And even if she wasn’t, like flying your flag per se, because she was her own subcontractor, but she was flying the cool brand. Yeah, because she was there that day, white gloved under your name in your business. And that’s why it hit home. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. So nowadays I really push that on set.

01:05:54:03 – 01:06:13:24

I’m the laziest person on set because everybody around me is just walking around doing things. Sometimes I’m like, what are you guys doing that I’m like, you know what, go ahead. And that’s I think it goes back to your conversation about leadership, right? A good leader, you know, is a good orchestrator. A good leader alleviates roadblocks for people around them, right?

01:06:13:27 – 01:06:30:09
Unknown
Yeah. They’re in the trenches doing the bits, but they’re also alleviating roadblocks. And make sure that everybody else is empowered to do their best. Yeah, exactly. That’s what I that’s my opinion. I don’t know your definition of a leader, but that is some of the definitions or some of the words used to describe a good leader. Right. Yeah, yeah.

01:06:30:16 – 01:06:48:17
Unknown
And not to say I don’t do anything on set because obviously I don’t want to. You’re orchestrating right this dictator. But, but I just, I just have a lot of peace because I know that my team is handling things and they don’t. They’re not leaning on me to, like, have to be like, okay, go do this now.

01:06:48:17 – 01:07:09:07

Go do that. Like, it’s called delegating. Yeah, exactly. It’s it’s a learning the roles they are. They’re you’ve hired the best people for those roles. They know what they’re supposed to be doing. And, because you hired them to do a job and they know what your expectations are of being on set, right? Right. So I think as a leader, you know, you set those clear expectations.

01:07:09:09 – 01:07:25:23

Yeah. Those clear rules and guidelines that this is what this is what I want my set to be ran. This is how we’re going to do it. You guys know all your jobs I don’t need to micromanage you. You know you know your jobs. And my job is to orchestrate and make sure all of y’all are doing what you need to do on set so that when we can produce a kickass video.

01:07:25:26 – 01:07:50:18

Exactly, exactly. I mean, that’s what you’re doing. Yeah. All right, so that’s how, that’s how, you know, that’s how you do. You go from, like, just up there, like you’re, you know, orchestrating, you know, you’re the conductor, you know, you’re orchestrating your puppeteering, you know, you’re doing, you know, pulling the strings to ensure that your customers, your client, what a precisely what they’ve ordered and purchase.

01:07:50:20 – 01:08:28:00

Exactly, exactly a well orchestrated, well oiled machine that produces stellar content, stellar videos for their brand and their companies. Right. That’s what cacao products. Yeah, 100%. That is exactly what we do. And and I can actually take it a bit further. We work with companies beyond the single brand video and the content. We work with a lot of companies that need that strategic element that come in like, you know what, you know, what can we do from the internal all the way to the external?

01:08:28:02 – 01:08:53:04

We’ve produced training content. We’ve produced all types of HR related videos. All there’s there’s things that we’ve produced that teach people how to choose the right, health insurance, you know, all these different types of content. Our business helps businesses grow from the inside out. It helps align teams internally, and it helps to align customers with the company externally.

01:08:53:07 – 01:09:16:23

So we come in with a brain. That’s what we’re good at. We have a brain that works. And we can analyze what your needs are and what you’re going to, need to build your business to where you want it to be and additionally make some cool videos. Yeah, I think that, you know, that’s a part of that’s that next level stuff.

01:09:16:23 – 01:09:36:24

So I’m going to go quickly into this slight segue, but we’ll come back to it eventually. So like for example, right. Like AI is coming whether we like it or not. And it’s coming in hot. And, you know, content creators like myself, like you, like many others, you know, I’m having to probably pivot, attach and demand. Obviously the consulting my brain.

01:09:36:24 – 01:10:07:22

Right. Like, how is my brain work? How’s your brain work? You know, like things that, you know, I did a service of and for design maybe, perhaps will be changed in the future because I is coming in hot and I won’t get to compete with that. Perhaps a similar story with you, but all that to say is I’m at the pivot into more of a consulting strategic branding and marketing visual design way because you’re going to be able to hire AI, the computer, to do the production work or do the cheap work or do the whatever work in time.

01:10:07:22 – 01:10:33:16

And I better flip and pivot to something different while environment, my brain and my brain thinks the way my creativeness thinks, because that’s why they’re going to hire and by design and continue to pay me the money that I want to get paid because they can go hire two buck chuck Fiverr or two buck chuck so and so off of wherever to design them, a logo or a branding or a website or whatever, or hire the computer to do it here real quick because that’s what they’re going to do.

01:10:33:18 – 01:10:49:01

It’s cheaper, you know? And so why are they gonna hire more design? Well, then I was like, well, first off, maybe I like yeah. Second off, well, she’s got full fucking shit in the brain and that’s why we’re gonna hire her, because she’s got shit that the computer can’t come up with. Probably similarly, you know, why do hierarchical problem.

01:10:49:01 – 01:11:14:20

Right. They’re gonna hire you because well you’re the one likable enough to work with. And then two your brain how you think differently. Right. A little bit of strategic, a little bit of, you know, how how your brain thinks about how and aligning those perceptions and aligning those, those, those companies internally and externally to make them go viral, make them business or make them money, right.

01:11:14:20 – 01:11:39:03

Help me help you. And when you succeed, I succeed. And that’s sort of the level of my business as well. When my clients are successful, I’m successful and they’re happy. I’m happy because at the end of day, that’s really what it’s all about. Period. So this is what I would say comes back to people. Yeah, 100%. And I’ve said that so many times to like if people, people, people, everything is people driven.

01:11:39:06 – 01:11:53:28

This is what I would say. But I because I had I had more fear around it. And then it’s less now this is what I would say. Number one.

01:11:54:00 – 01:12:24:13

I on its own doesn’t replace people. The most effective users of AI will replace other people, right? But I think if you embrace it, I was just gonna say that. Yeah, if you embrace it, people don’t care that you use AI. Here’s why. Number one, they probably don’t even have the thought process of what to even type in to the bot, right?

01:12:24:13 – 01:12:43:28

They they’re not even sure what to type in, but what you do. Yeah. So if you know how to use it and harness it. Yeah. Well, maybe that’s like half the problem. Yeah. You know what? You’re you’re coming in with your experience and then you’re using AI to elevate your experience beyond what you were able to do already.

01:12:43:28 – 01:13:06:04

But experience is valuable. Experience is your foundation. So then when you use tools, it allows you to be more effective and more efficient based on what you’ve already done. I think an example right now, I had to make a bunch of landing pages, right? Because we’re doing a bunch of different ads, and, and we’re niching out our ads.

01:13:06:07 – 01:13:29:27

So I spoke to a guy who makes landing pages, and, you know, he’s trying to speak to me in circles about ultimately what he wants or what he does. And I say, just flat out, do you use AI to make the landing pages? And he’s trying not to say yes, but it clearly does. And I have to say, stop.

01:13:29:29 – 01:13:48:11

I’m not asking to condemn you. I’m not asking do you use AI to make you feel bad or to to make it seem like, oh, I could do it myself. I could go on AI and type in something and I have before. And guess what? I don’t know what I’m doing. I’ve typed it in so many different ways and it’s given me some stuff I don’t know how to use.

01:13:48:14 – 01:14:11:05

I ask if you are using AI because I want to know if you can do it faster, and if so, you know how to have that 20% gap of what I don’t know, you know that and you can get it done for me. So I’m just thinking, great, you’re using AI to get me to my spot faster. I just pay you for it.

01:14:11:11 – 01:14:29:26

And he was like, you would pay me to use AI? Yes, because I don’t want to do it. I yeah, I don’t even know how to do it. I don’t want to do it. I don’t know how to do it effectively. It would take me a while to learn how to properly prompt this thing, to give me what I’m looking for versus you.

01:14:29:28 – 01:14:48:14

You’re like, oh, I just go in and type in these, this one paragraph and I’m good to go. I don’t know that paragraph. Well, the thing is, is like like hire the right tool for the right job. Like, yeah. Oh my gosh. Like, you know, I don’t I stick to my lane a little bit. Like I know I’m really good at branding and marketing does like I’m saying, my lane and a lot of other things be dangerous.

01:14:48:14 – 01:15:10:18

But guess what? I hire people like you. Like I am not good at. I can, I could, I could fumble through it. It took me a long time, but if I’d be that good and I’d just rather hire someone who’s really good, right tool, the right job. You and your company are way better at producing sizzle reels and and video content and whatever I need to to produce Amber energy, the podcast.

01:15:10:21 – 01:15:28:08

Like sometimes it’s just smarter, not harder. You just smartly hire the right people to do amazing things for you. Because yes, you could learn to do them. If we are incapable and you are capable of learning how to do landing pages. But somebody just a wonderful I just want to hire it out. It’s not my style, but it’s not my strength.

01:15:28:08 – 01:15:50:27

Here’s another fun thing to so my website glitched and like went out of commission a couple months ago and then I have version of it came up like a the 2021 version before I hired this company to like remake my website. And I was looking at it and I was like this like familiar version, but I don’t remember this version.

01:15:50:27 – 01:16:09:13

It’s like I’m looking at it and I’m like, this is okay, but not as good as the professional one. It finally hit me like a ton of bricks that this is a website that I designed. Oh, but I’m not a website designer. So I’m looking at I’m like, this is like odd because it’s almost good, but it’s not good.

01:16:09:15 – 01:16:31:22

And that’s what I’m like, oh man, there are people who do this, you know, they do this. I don’t do this. You know, do it. It’s just it could be that, but that much better. You know, if you hire the right person, the talent, the skill. Right. Exactly. And now I could hire a video production outfit, or I could do it myself, rather.

01:16:31:24 – 01:16:55:10

Yeah. Look like okay. Ish. Yeah, but if you hire the professional, just let them do the work. And it just looks that that little bit extra more that you need to be that much more successful. And. Yeah, anyway, that’s good. Hire the right tool for a job. You know. Know your strengths. Yeah. No, no. Your strengths truly. Yeah.

01:16:55:10 – 01:17:18:19
Unknown
It’s very important to know that your strengths. It’s that I would tell so many people that, you know, everything is not just just do it on your own. Just this, just that. Take the leap, you know, take the chance. It doesn’t always work out, but when it works out, it really pays off. I love that. What would be, would be like another fun tip or a thing that you want out you’re really excited about.

01:17:18:21 – 01:17:44:12

Maybe launch. Okay, GoPro or something you’re about to like, launch or come up with. Stay tuned for, you know, you got two things you want to kind of like. Tell our audience here at Amber energy, for when maybe we sign off. Yeah. So I would say, the most important thing that we’re continuously developing is the power of our consulting.

01:17:44:15 – 01:18:04:13

You know, when, when people come to us, oftentimes we we, we speak with companies that don’t know what they’re looking for. I just know I need content, I need content I can’t go like, well, what we’ve been told that they have to produce this many videos a week or this many things for the algorithm, right? Yeah. And even then, like sometimes they should be a t shirt all about that, right?

01:18:04:16 – 01:18:27:15

Sometimes they don’t even know that they’re like, I don’t know where we’re supposed to be posting. I don’t know, I don’t know. And I will sit down with them, find out everything that they need, find the right platform, find the right style of videos, find the right the right things to test to make sure that when we launch, we’re that much closer to being successful from the job like that.

01:18:27:21 – 01:19:00:19

There’s no guarantee that everything we try is going to be successful. But we’re doing orchestrated tests to make sure that we’re that much closer. So come to us, come and talk to you. You know, when you when you have a brain fog or when you just don’t know what to type in on ChatGPT anymore, come to us, we’ll sit down with you and we’ll analyze the business to find out what we could do to make it bigger, better and stronger, and in the end will utilize video content to grow your business and get you closer to your goals.

01:19:00:21 – 01:19:22:26

Yeah, I think that really sums up, you know, bigger, better, stronger. I think that’s, you know, some of the reasons, obviously, I hired you to help me with my podcast. You know, I, I really enjoyed our conversation. You know, when we met last February, March ish, I want to say, and I really enjoyed our conversation. I really enjoy our synergy and our energy together.

01:19:22:28 – 01:19:41:09

We have way too much fun on a phone call, but that’s good. I like that, you know? That’s why I like I choose my vendors wisely. I don’t, you know, at the end it’s like you going to take a phone call and talk to you, right? Like, do I actually want I want to come on, you want to talk to this person or I’m like, oh my God.

01:19:41:12 – 01:19:54:16

So that’s when you know you have the right vendors. That’s when you know you have the right partners. That’s when you know I have the right customers or clients even. That’s right. Do you actually enjoy being on the phone talking with them about X, Y and Z business problem or not problem? Maybe it’s a a fun thing, right?

01:19:54:16 – 01:20:14:10

So, that’s one reason that I decided to hire you guys was, I actually enjoy a conversation. So that’s like, first and foremost, I like, are you likable? Right. So being likable is a big part of business. And then, obviously you have to have a good enough portfolio to back up your chops. You know, actions speak louder than words.

01:20:14:12 – 01:20:41:09

And so again, back it up. Right. So you obviously your resume and your portfolio backed up what you, said in your cold email and then I’m like, all right, prove it, baby. Well, and thank goodness you proved it, because, I would fire you. Yeah. And that’s how I speak to my people, too. Like, good thing you came through in spades because I didn’t enjoy the Q Pro experience.

01:20:41:11 – 01:21:04:10

I wouldn’t have continued to work with you. I would have fired you on the spot out of another outfit that could do it better. And, all of that off. Obviously, we did have a really successful season two together, and here we are going to launch season three together, which is super exciting. I’m really excited to start season three, and, I couldn’t be more grateful and thankful to have you as episode one of season three for me.

01:21:04:13 – 01:21:24:24

So I really, really appreciate your time today, and I really, really appreciate you, and all of your help that you’ve had with me on the strategic part of, of what’s going to be a good, episode, even like, you know, you and your team are really good at picking out those fun sound bites. Oh, a full feature, actually.

01:21:24:24 – 01:21:43:20

I think we’re going to be upwards of, like, you know, almost an hour, but, like, how do you take an hour and condense it down to, like, a 15 to 30s sizzle reel? Ready. So like, you and your team are being so amazing at being able to condense what we said and, you know, 30 minute conversation to like a 32nd and then like, okay, now we’re going to launch a funny thing.

01:21:43:22 – 01:22:03:20

And, and you know, it, you know, does its thing. Right. So, I really appreciate everything you did for season two. And I really, honestly like excited and forward to what we can do with season three. So thank you very much, Kelby. I really appreciate you. Amber, I have one idea for you. What I think the world needs to know.

01:22:03:20 – 01:22:28:04

The Amber Jacobs story, and you’re not going to be able to do that as the host of the show. So I’m going to audition to be the one time host of your podcast so I can interview you. Oh, well, that could be fun to do. Turnabout is fair play. Yeah. Honorable. We could schedule such a fun thing.

01:22:28:06 – 01:22:42:06

Okay. I don’t know what I’m going to do. I we could do it. We’ll figure it out. It could be like the book end, you know, you could be like, you know, the first one, the last one of season three. We can bookend that. Exactly. I’m open for it, whatever it is. Oh, no, I’m not going to send you a contract.

01:22:42:06 – 01:23:06:07

My agents are going to hear anything, but oh my gosh, talent manager. Oh my goodness. Do I have to like, clear this with your talent manager. And like though you are you are you part of the union? I am actually and I do have the like. But don’t worry if it’s value. I’m providing value right now. It’s a little bit of like, but you spent me worth the squeeze.

01:23:06:11 – 01:23:27:18

Yeah, that’s right, that’s right. Thank you very much, Shelby, I appreciate that. I look forward to having that conversation. Anyhow, I really appreciate your time today. And, let’s see what we can do with this season. Three. Let’s make some magic, and I appreciate you. Have a wonderful day. Thank you, everybody, for tuning in to Amber energy, the podcast.

01:23:27:21 – 01:27:54:15

And, make sure to remember to like, share, subscribe, whatever the funny things you have to do to get this thing rolling. But I really thank you everybody and I look forward to an awesome season three. Stay tuned. And okay. So cheers. Bye everybody.