Produced By

What started as an attempt to make video production easier became an entirely new career for Alec Johnson, creator of Take One Tech.

Frustrated by endless retakes and hours of editing, Alec challenged himself to create 100 videos in 100 days, producing tutorials in the early morning hours before starting his regular workday. He eventually made around 300 videos, building an audience and discovering that his approach to creating content in one take resonated with other creators. When an unrelated business venture collapsed, that side project became his full-time business.

In this episode of Produced By, Alec shares the story behind Take One Tech, his philosophy of choosing presence over performance, and why letting go of perfectionism can help creators build stronger connections with their audiences. We explore his zero-edit production workflow, the tools that make it possible, and how he turned free YouTube tutorials into a business offering courses, coaching, and community.

We also discuss his book The Confidence Switch, the development of his new software, Digital Stage Studio, and how his mission has expanded beyond teaching technology to helping creators build businesses that offer greater freedom in their lives.

It's a conversation about creativity, confidence, entrepreneurship, and what becomes possible when you stop trying to make everything perfect and start publishing.

Resources

Take One Tech - https://www.takeonetech.io/
Digital Stage Studio: https://www.digitalstagestudio.com
Freedom Formula: https://www.takeonetech.io/freedom
Built From The inside Out:https://www.takeonetech.io/built-from-the-inside-out
Confidence Switch Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1067611207
The Unexpected Mirror Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1067611231

• (00:00) - One Take Origin Story

Sean “Tater” Roberson never planned to become a podcaster. He just wanted to make YouTube videos about something he loved: Disney. But what started as a way to keep content flowing between trips to the parks has grown into But MOSTLY Disney, a live podcast with a dedicated community, fascinating guests, and unexpected friendships.

In this episode of Produced By, Tater shares his journey from creating videos under the YouTater name to building But MOSTLY Disney. We talk about how the podcast got started, how Andrew joined as co-host, and why Tater measures success less by downloads and subscribers and more by the people who show up every week.

We also go behind the scenes of his production process, including his move from StreamYard to Ecamm Live, his editing workflow with Filmora, the use of AI, and the challenges of maintaining a consistent publishing schedule while balancing a full-time career.

Tater also shares the thinking behind But Mostly Failing, a series where he talks about the mistakes, unnecessary purchases, and lessons he's learned as a creator.

It's a conversation about creating what you love, learning as you go, and discovering that the most rewarding part of making content might be the community you build along the way.

In this episode:

• Why Tater never intended to start a podcast
• The evolution from YouTater to But MOSTLY Disney
• How Andrew became his co-host
• Finding interesting guests by simply asking
• Building a community instead of chasing analytics
• Producing live shows with Ecamm
• Editing, AI, equipment, and managing production costs
• Why consistency matters more than perfection
• Learning from failure and encouraging new creators to get started

Derek Taylor started DistroTube in 2017 with no expectations, a basic webcam, and a microphone he admits sounded terrible. Today, his Linux-focused YouTube channel has more than 270,000 subscribers and over 1,800 published videos.

In this episode of Produced By, Derek shares how a side project became his full-time career, what it takes to produce thousands of videos, and how his approach to content creation has evolved.

We discuss his production workflow, the business of YouTube, his passionate Linux community, burnout, and the surprising benefits of starting a second channel focused on options trading.

Derek also shares lessons from nearly a decade of creating content, including why he believes he'll always be making something, even if the subject changes.

#DistroTube #DerekTaylor #ProducedBy #YouTubeCreators #ContentCreation

Resources
DistroTube channel
dtoptions channel

The Super Wheel Options Strategy: How To Achieve Financial Freedom Trading Options 

What started as a hobby during the COVID lockdown has become Andy McGrillen's full-time career as the creator and host of That UFO Podcast.

In April 2020, Andy bought a microphone, cleaned out an old shed, and recorded his first interview with little knowledge of podcast production. His first episode attracted just two listeners; one of them was Andy himself. Six years later, his podcast has surpassed 15 million downloads and more than 800 published episodes.

In this episode of Produced By, Andy shares the journey from those early recording mistakes to interviewing prominent figures in the UFO community, appearing on British radio and television, and landing a traditional publishing deal for his book, Atlas of Unidentified Flying Objects.

We also explore how Andy built a loyal audience, developed multiple revenue streams, and recently made the leap from a 13-year career at Sky to full-time independent podcasting.

It's a conversation about learning as you go, building something one episode at a time, and discovering that a passion project can become something you never imagined.

Resources

That UFO Podcast Website

Atlas of Unidentified Flying Objects

• (00:00) - Intro

Carl Pullein has spent a decade building an audience around productivity and time management, with more than a thousand YouTube videos, hundreds of podcast episodes, a weekly blog and newsletter. And much of what he creates is available for free.

In this episode of Produced By, Carl explains how that free content fits into a business built primarily around courses and coaching. We explore why his YouTube channel and Your Time, Your Way podcast are separate productions rather than repurposed content, how he structures his week to keep everything moving, and how adding an editor and marketing manager has allowed him to stay focused on creating.

Carl also talks about where AI fits, and doesn't fit. in his creative process, why the underlying principles of productivity haven't changed despite constantly changing technology, and the lesson that has helped him continue creating for a decade: if you want to be consistent, you have to love the process.

Resources:
Carl Pullein Website -  carlpullein.com

YouTube -  Carl Pullein YouTube Channel

Podcast – Your Time, Your Way -  Podcast website and episodes

How To Create Your Own Podcast (or YouTube Channel)

When Alice LaCour and Brett Talley started The Prosecutors in 2020, they didn't tell their friends or families. The two federal prosecutors expected to record a few episodes, discover nobody was listening, delete the show, and move on. Six years later, they've never missed a week.

Alice and Brett join Stephen Cross to go behind the scenes of The Prosecutors and The Prosecutors: Legal Briefs. They talk about starting with cell phones and Audacity, building a production team, researching cases, covering trials such as Karen Read and Lindsay Clancy in real time, and accidentally turning live recordings into a popular perk for their Patreon community.

They also discuss balancing podcasting with demanding legal careers and growing families, working with PodcastOne while retaining creative control, the changing true-crime landscape, and why their finished episodes require surprisingly little editing.

Finally, Brett and Alice reflect on what six years of podcasting have taught them about criticism, confidence, and having the courage to put your voice into the world.

Stephen interviews Paul Churchill, creator and host of the Recovery Elevator podcast, which he launched in 2015 shortly after quitting alcohol (last drink September 6, 2014) to create accountability and reduce stigma. Paul shares how early recovery, AA, and a moment of shame hiding outside a meeting inspired the show, which grew from a few listeners to a weekly Monday release schedule, over 600 episodes, and a large community. He explains the show’s story-driven format, guest selection (often everyday people with little sobriety time), and how recovery podcasting helps those not ready to seek help in person. The conversation covers anonymity, criticism from within AA, burnout and building a production team, the creation of the nonprofit Cafe RE community app, Paul’s books, and themes of connection, modern addiction, and mental health, including the loss of a friend around episode 600.

Resource Links

Recovery Elevator — Official Recovery Elevator website.
About Recovery Elevator & Paul Churchill — Paul's background and the Recovery Elevator team.
Recovery Elevator Podcast — Podcast archive.
Café RE — The Recovery Elevator recovery community.
Recovery Elevator on Apple Podcasts — Follow and listen on Apple Podcasts.

Alcohol is SH!T - Paul Churchill's book about alcohol and his journey into recovery.

Dolce Vita: The Good Life - Paul's newer book about building a fulfilling life beyond alcohol.

• (00:00) - Why Recovery Stories Matter

Stephen interviews Jody Musgrove of Just One More Watch, the affordable-watch YouTube channel he started in 2016 that has grown to over 360,000 subscribers, 1,400 videos, and 118 million views. Jody explains how the channel began as a hobby and evolved into his main income, his focus on value for money, and how he built a consistent studio-based format while upgrading production over time and later hiring an editor and thumbnail help. He discusses adapting content based on analytics, including using list videos to recover viewership, and describes the shock of YouTube mistakenly deleting his channel in July 2021 before restoring it about 18 hours later. Jody also covers launching his watch brand Erebus in 2023, balancing reviewing with selling a product, and his advice to creators: start, have a direction, and stay consistent.

Creators & Guests

In the first episode of Produced By, Stephen is joined by Talking Drupal hosts Nic Laflin and John Picozzi to discuss how their weekly panel-style Drupal podcast has lasted 13 years and surpassed 600 episodes, roughly 3,000 monthly listeners, and 1 million downloads. They review the show’s audio-first format, its open-source community ethos, and motivations for continuing, including learning, giving back, and staying relevant rather than making income. Key evolutions include having consistent weekly guests, a dedicated Module of the Week correspondent, rotating monthly guest hosts, and recent live streaming with audience chat. They address burnout, highlighting the importance of splitting responsibilities after episode 300, improving production automation, taking planned breaks, and maintaining sustainable workflows, while sharing memorable moments.

Stephen introduces Produced By in episode 000, a show about what it really takes to produce a podcast by going behind the scenes before recording, during the session, and after an episode goes live. The show will cover planning, preparation, editing, publishing, promotion, and building an audience for audio or video podcasts, highlighting that every show is “produced by” someone, whether a solo creator handling everything or a full team. Stephen will interview the people who make podcasts happen to discuss why they started, how their production evolved, challenges, key decisions, and lessons learned, while also touching on technology and exploring what “success” means for different podcasts.