Destination Different

You ever do something over and over and over and eventually just feel like you're stuck?

After 100+ episodes of the Destination Different podcast there are definitely moments where I feel like I'm stuck and questioning everything.

"Is this the right format?" "Who are the people listening?" "Why do they care?" "Do I need to go in a different direction?" "Is it time to hang it up?"

All of these are things I've asked myself over the last two years of hosting this show. And more often than not I'm just stuck thinking in circles in my own head.

Wellllll... Over the Thanksgiving holiday I received a lengthy email from a former guest. You might remember Carmine Mattia as the guy who is hellbent on scoring the music for big Hollywood movies. He also just so happens to work in the audio production space and one of my episodes recently struck him enough that he decided to email me with detailed thoughts and ideas about how to improve the Destination Different podcast.

That email led to more emails. And those emails led to an hour-long phone call. 

And that's what you have in this week's episode. A phone call with two guys who are insanely passionate about making things better and building something for ourselves, where we dive into ideas about how to continue improving Destination Different. It's certainly different than my standard format, but I think you'll like it.

If you listen to this episode and think, "These guys are absolutely tapped. I have way better ideas about how to improve Destination Different" please please please pleaseeeee send me an email at [email protected] with how I can make the show better for you.

The new Destination Different website is now LIVE. Check it out and let me know how much you hate it.

Website - destinationdifferent.co 

Instagram - @destinationdifferent 

TikTok - @destinationdifferent

After my guest for this week needed to reschedule I was left with a choice... 

Do I put out some fluff BS by myself? Or do I try something a little different?

This is Destination DIFFERENT after all, so I went with the latter.

Every year on Thanksgiving when my grandmother was still alive she would make us all go around the table and say one thing we're thankful for. And while this is a podcast and not a Thanksgiving dinner table, I thought it would still be cool to ask some of the most important people in my life what they're thankful for this year.

And they delivered. This week's episode is a compilation of thankfuls for family and friends from all over the world.

I challenge you this Thanksgiving to take a moment, either privately or with the people you're with, to think about what you're thankful for. If nothing else, you're alive and that's pretty great.

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Do work on those mashed potatoes.

The new Destination Different website is now LIVE. Check it out and let me know how much you hate it.

Website - destinationdifferent.co 

Instagram - @destinationdifferent 

TikTok - @destinationdifferent

On this week's episode host Ryan Dunn discusses what it's going to take to elevate Destination Different to the next level.

After two years and over 100 episodes the podcast has hit a bit of a plateau in terms of listenership and general excitement. What changes could be made to drive future growth of the show?

We look at other top performing podcasts and the concepts that make them sticky, as well as look inward at Destination Different from the show format to the target audience to the distribution to the general premise.

If you're a regular listener of the Destination Different and have ideas for how to make it better, please email [email protected] to make your thoughts known.

The new Destination Different website is now LIVE. Check it out and let me know how much you hate it.

Website - destinationdifferent.co 

Instagram - @destinationdifferent 

TikTok - @destinationdifferent 

"Soooo they're like pants, but for your plants...?" 

I know, it's a tough concept to wrap your head around, but when you see them you'll never look at a potted plant the same way ever again. 

Michelle Sieg is a creative person by nature and a director / art director by trade. And she's a DAMN good one at that. She has worked on campaigns for massive brands likes Nike, Spindrift, and Squarespace to name a few.  Yet somehow it's her work outside of "work" that has gained her even more notoriety. 

Michelle started things off with a project called Cock Block, which was, well, exactly as it sounds... a chopping block shaped like a penis. It included a real-life product and a commercial Michelle directed that is borderline must-watch territory.  Lately, she has moved onto a more tactile obsession: ceramic pants to hold your plants. These things are incredible. From "Juicy" sweats to Lil Nas X VMA performance replicas, Michelle has a pant for every occasion. Each Pair of Plants is a labor of love taking upwards to 2 weeks to complete. 

In this episode we talked about Michelle's deep history as a creative, making something that people are obsessed with, and figuring out how to turn Pair of Plants into a business. If you want to support Michelle or check out what she's doing you can follow along on her IG for the latest releases @apairofplants and order a pair of your own on her website at apairofplants.com. 

The new Destination Different website is now LIVE. Check it out and let me know how much you hate it. 

Website - destinationdifferent.co 

Instagram - @destinationdifferent 

TikTok - @destinationdifferent

For over two years I've been churning out podcasts, interviewing interesting people, and trying to grow this show. Yet, if you were to look at the progress in terms of listenership or momentum you wouldn't see a whole lot. Outside of a few minor peaks and valleys, it has been pretty flat since the day I launched.

I'm still not sure I've quite figured out who this show is for or what "niche" it belongs in. But when it comes to the internet, it seems like the narrower you go, the more niche your niche, the better chance you have at building an audience.

If you think that two years is a long time to have been doing this podcast, my college roommate Will and I have been running a Boston College fan account for the last decade. TEN YEARS of tweeting every game and every coaching move or fan news. And over those ten years we have amassed a modest following of 2,000+ people on Twitter. It might not seem like a lot, but they are all extremely passionate, vocal, and invested in a very specific topic. It's not hard for us to make content because we do it out of love and we know exactly who it's for.

This past week we put tee shirts on sale for the first time ever. In 48 hours we've already made over $1000. That's crazy and that's the power of a niche audience on the internet. 

In the next 5-10 years millions of people will make full-time livings on the backs of niche communities or passions on the internet. And maybe that's  who this show is for... creative and entrepreneurs who want to make a career out of something they love.

Anyways, little bit of a different feel this week, but I hope you like it!

I'm trying to learn TikTok... If you want to follow the chaos. Hit the link below:

Twitter - @ry3dunn 

Instagram - @destinationdifferent

TikTok - @destinationdifferent

If I started a chocolate business I would probably weigh 400 pounds with a face constantly covered in sticky, delicious goodness...

Priscilla and Kim Addison have a bit more self-control than me and they're building a business that is making a serious impact.

After a visit to a Swiss chocolate factory the two sisters learned that Switzerland didn't actually grow any cocoa trees. Ghana did.

One of the top growing regions in the world just so happened to be where the two sisters were from. Immediately the wheels started turning to return home and start a chocolate business in the place where it all began.

Nearly 6 years and a few production runs in the dark at 3AM later, the family duo has built an extremely successful brand in 57 Chocolate. The "57" represents 1957, the year Ghana achieved its independence from European colonization. Everything about the company is focused on honoring their Ghanaian roots. 

We talked about what it's like starting a business with your sister, learning how to make chocolate, and their vision to bring a Willy Wonka-esque chocolate facility to Ghana.

If you want to get your hands on some of 57's delicious goodies you can visit their website at 57chocolategh.com and check them out on Instagram @57chocolate

I'm trying to learn TikTok... If you want to follow the chaos. Hit the link below:

Twitter - @ry3dunn 

Instagram - @destinationdifferent

TikTok - @destinationdifferent

When you've been working stand-up stages for over a decade, you get pretty good at landing a joke.

If you're Rob Christensen, you get so good that you end up being selected out of a pool of 2,400 applicants to write for Jon Stewart's new TV show.

Rob is a born and raised New Yorker and continues to work way through the ranks of the stand-up comedy scene. There is absolute zero doubt as to how he got to where he is today... He is OBSESSED with comedy writing. It's really that simple. He is constantly working on his act, building upon his material, and remains laser-focused about where his career will go next.

In this episode we talked about his process of writing a stand-up set, how rules and boundaries are a good thing for creativity, and what the writers' room is like on The Problem with Jon Stewart. 

If you want to keep up with Rob you can follow him on Twitter @roblovesbagels or check out where his next stand-up set will be at brooklynrob.com

I'm doing a content challenge from now through the end of 2021. If you want to follow the chaos. Hit those links below:

Twitter - @ry3dunn 

Instagram - @destinationdifferent

TikTok - @destinationdifferent

To be perfectly honest, I thought I would quit this podcast after a few months... yet here we are 2 years and 100 episode later still going strong.

And I couldn't have asked for a more perfect guest to ring in the 100th episode. This week features the incredibly talented, incredibly badass Kait Devir who is a jack of all trades. D1 Athlete, National Champion, YouTuber, Videographer, and Photographer, just to name a few.

Kait is a junior at Boston College and won a lacrosse national championship this past spring. Pretty casual. And when she's not on the field playing, she's still taking pictures on it. She is currently one of the lead photographers for Boston College football, and this past summer she was the head photographer for Athletes Unlimited, a league aimed at offering more professional opportunities to women in sports.

In this episode we talked about how Kait builds her creative muscle, starting a YouTube channel, being a woman in sports, winning a Natty, getting her "shot," what's next for her as a creator, and a whole lot more.

Kait was so impressive and SUCH a gem to talk to. If you want to follow along with her work you can check out her media account on Instagram at @kdevir.media or follow along on her YouTube channel "Life With KD." Her website is lifewithkd.com 

I'm doing a content challenge from now through the end of 2021. If you want to follow the chaos. Hit those links below:

Twitter - @ry3dunn 

Instagram - @destinationdifferent

TikTok - @destinationdifferent

I just went back in the archives and discovered that today, September 29th, marks exactly two years to the day since I launched the first episode of Destination Different. What a two years it has been. 

When I started this thing I was living in my parents' basement. I had no job and had absolutely NO idea what I was doing. We were still living in a pre-pandemic world and life was a whole lot different. 

Since that first episode I have learned a lot. 

It's easy to start up a creative project like this and just think it's going to blow up overnight. That's natural. It's almost NEVER how these things go, but it's natural nonetheless. I thought I was going to start this podcast and within a few months have millions of listeners and be rolling in the ad deals. Safe to say that didn't quite happen...

If you're on the outside looking in it may not seem like this podcast has grown tremendously in the last two years. The listener numbers aren't skyrocketing, I don't have a massive social following, and there aren't "Destination Different" articles in major publications. 

But I do know what has gone into this. I know how much better the product has gotten. And I know that every single person who has come on this show has enjoyed themselves and believed in the concept.

There is something here. All it takes is a little patience.

I'm doing a content challenge from now through the end of 2021. If you want to follow the chaos. Hit those links below:

Twitter - @ry3dunn 

Instagram - @destinationdifferent

TikTok - @destinationdifferent

Some people absolutely despise their random freshman roommates in college. Others become immediate friends and decide to start a sunflower seed company out of their dorm room...

Cole Schaefer and Brian Waddick are the latter.

The two random roommates at the University of Minnesota realized very quickly that they both shared a love for business and a desire to build something of their own. After a few failed tech projects the duo found a shared passion. Sunflower seeds.

All of the legacy seed brands carried old, boring flavors and offered little in the way of unique content and media, so Smackin' sought to deliver something different. The fellas got up and running in 2019 by simply mixing spices and baking seeds in their kitchen until they found combinations they liked. Mix in a few viral videos on TikTok and they were off to the races.

Smackin' Seeds is now doing big business in the world of direct-to-consumer. Brian and Cole have since graduated college and are now both working on the business full time with BIG visions for the future of the brand. This is an awesome episode.

If you want to follow along with Smackin' you can check them out on TikTok @smackinsunflowerseeds or Instagram @smackinsunflowerseeds. And if you want to purchase some seeds for yourself. You can get em right here: smackinsunflowerseeds.com/

I'm starting a 100 days of content challenge from now through the end of 2021. If you want to follow the chaos. Hit those links below

Twitter - @ry3dunn 

Instagram - @destinationdifferent

TikTok - @destinationdifferent