In the beginning: Building a brand
The primary reason I entered the podcast game was to promote my brand. At the time (mid 2007), I was a video producer, predominantly working in the professional photography industry, shooting videos for high-profile photographers and large corporate photography vendors. Because I was going around shooting a lot of these videos, photographers would be seeing me frequently. I didn’t want to be known as “that video guy.” So I started F-Stop Beyond, a podcast I described as “Fresh Air” for photographers—alluding to the popular NPR talk show hosted by Terry Gross.
Most photography podcasts at the time were about tips and tricks; this would be an in-depth conversation to understand who the photographer was as an artist. And because I was interviewing some of the world’s top photographers—global Nikon and Canon ambassadors like Chase Jarvis and Vincent Laforet, and celebrity photographers like Denis Reggie—as the host, my brand was elevated to a level on par with theirs. So when I showed up at these photography conventions to shoot, I was no longer “that video guy.” I was Ron Dawson of “F-Stop Beyond.” That was one of my earliest lessons in personal and corporate branding and my introduction to producing professional podcasts.
The show will go on to become Podbean’s #3-ranked artist podcast.
Filmmaker’s Interview Show
The next show I created, Crossing the 180: The Filmmaking Podcast that Breaks the Rules, was similar in style to F-Stop Beyond, but geared towards filmmakers. On that show, I interviewed everyone from directors like Albert Hughes to game-changers like Vincent Laforet (yes, Vincent showed up on both shows).
The original run of the show was from 2010 to about 2013. Those episodes are no longer online (it’s a long story).
In the summer of 2021, I revived the show as part of Pro Video Coalition’s Art of the Frame podcast network. The biweekly show had the same interview format as the original run, with a little bit of storytelling. You can subscribe to the AOTF feed here. Below are some select episodes representative of the guest quality and podcast writing (episode openers).
Audio Documentary Anthology
When I re-entered the podcasting game back in 2015, I wanted to do something I had never done before. In fact, I wanted to do something no one had done before in the realm of filmmaking podcasts. And thus was born Radio Film School.
To my knowledge, this was (and is) the first and only audio documentary podcast about the craft of filmmaking. Think of it as This American Life for filmmakers. The popular filmmaking blog No Film School called it “The filmmakers’ podcast we’ve all been waiting for.” Within a few weeks of launch, it became #1 on the visual arts podcast.
Each episode was scripted, and the music was supervised by me. Episodes were tied to specific themes, and I would cull audio clips from my various interviews that fit the theme. Each episode was painstakingly, but lovingly created to tell a story in an engaging way. Aside from my memoir, it is the artistic endeavor I’m probably most proud to have created.
This extended preview introduced the show. It will give you a feel for the style and substance.
Diversity and Equity in the Workplace
In the fall of 2020, I began as the story producer on a new podcast for Wistia. The show would be unlike any other show they’ve produced. As one of the leading video marketing and hosting providers, they have geared most of their shows towards marketers, video producers, filmmakers, and content creators. This new show, called A Better Workplace, would focus on fostering more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplaces. As story producer, I find and book guests, write the scripts that drive the opening and closing segments, monitor the conversation and help keep the conversation on track, and make sure the post-production runs smoothly with the executive producer and engineers. My scriptwriting and creative input largely shaped the show’s feel and direction. That, combined with the great chemistry between the cohosts and the engaging guests, makes this one of the most unique podcasts on the topic (in my humble opinion. 😊)
I can neither confirm nor deny that being a Star Trek fan had anything to do with the opening of this episode. 🖖🏿
In this episode, I was not only the writer/producer, but I share my own story.