Did you know the very first guest on The Diary of a CEO wasn’t a celebrity or a billionaire? It was Mark Stringer, the founder of the award-winning branding agency, Ahoy.

In this episode, we sit down with Mark to discuss how that early, raw conversation with Steven Bartlett influenced his career, and why he is now pivoting from a traditional agency model to going "all in" on video marketing.

We dig into how Mark built a highly profitable "Van Life" YouTube channel as an experiment, how that channel ended up paying for a £100k vehicle, and why he believes video is the only way for B2B leaders to build intimacy at scale.

If you are an agency owner, a marketer, or a business leader terrified of turning on the camera, this episode is your masterclass in making the leap.

In this episode, you will learn: 

• The Origin Story: What it was really like sitting opposite Steven Bartlett for Episode 6 of DOAC (before the cameras and the fame).
• The "R&D" Lab: Why Mark used a personal hobby channel to master video production before selling it as a service.
• ROI of YouTube: Why Mark believes there is so much better ROI on YouTube compared to any other platform
• Earning Potential: How he made £100K drop-shipping through his YouTube channel
• Overcoming Fear: Practical mental hacks to stop freezing up when the "Record" light turns on.
• Gear Talk: Why he chose the DJI Ronin 4D over standard cinema cameras.
• All Creators Need Branding: Personal branding is so much more than logos and colours 

About Mark Stringer: He's the Managing Director of Ahoy, an award-winning branding agency based in Manchester. He is also the creator of Ahoy Leisure, a YouTube channel dedicated to van conversions and adventure.

Ahoy Agency: https://ahoy.co.uk/
Ahoy Leisure (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/@ahoyleisure
Connect with Mark: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahoymark/

🎙️ About The Video Marketing Podcast: Hosted by Luke Sherran, Managing Director of Falkon Digital, this podcast explores the strategies, tactics, and stories behind successful video marketing. From YouTube growth to high-end commercial production, we help businesses get more from their video efforts.

Connect with Luke & Falkon Digital:

Website: https://falkondigital.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukesherran/

All the episodes for The Video Marketing podcast are filmed in the Falkon Podcast Studio in Cheshire. You can book your own recording session in the podcast studio here: https://falkonpodcasts.com/

Is LinkedIn video the biggest missed opportunity in B2B marketing right now? With over 1 billion users but only roughly 3% posting content, the potential to stand out is massive - if you know the rules.

In this episode, LinkedIn expert Louise Brogan joins Luke Sherran to reveal exactly what is working on the platform right now. We dive deep into the new "360 Brew" AI algorithm, why commenting might be more powerful than posting, and the "COPE" strategy that turns one hour of work into six months of content.

If you are tired of "AI slop" and want to build real authority and get clients (not just likes), this conversation is the blueprint you need. In this episode, you will learn:

• The "COPE" Method: How to Create Once and Publish Everywhere to maximise ROI. 
• The Algorithm Shift: Why LinkedIn is prioritising "Lost in Distance" and specific niche content.
• Video Strategy: Vertical vs. Landscape, and why less than 60 seconds is the sweet spot.
• The Engagement Hack: Why your comments are getting more visibility than your actual posts.
• Newsletter Power: How to get into your prospect's email inbox directly through LinkedIn.
• Networking Secrets: How Louise’s strategy got her an invite to meet King Charles at Buckingham Palace.

About the Guest: Louise Brogan is a renowned LinkedIn expert, international speaker, and host of the LinkedIn with Louise podcast and YouTube channel. She helps businesses and B2B professionals raise their visibility and get clients through strategic LinkedIn marketing.

Stop making videos for yourself, and start making videos your customers actually want to watch.

In Episode 4 of The Video Marketing Podcast by Falkon Digital, host Luke Sherran is joined by Jack Leigh, Creative Director of the world-class video production agency, Eight Engines.

They dive deep into the "Audience-First" approach - a strategy to find the perfect sweet spot between your business messaging and what your audience actually finds entertaining. Jack debunks the biggest myths in video marketing (including the "goldfish attention span" theory), explains why short-form video is actually harder to make than long-form, and discusses the rising tide of AI and how it will likely change the landscape of the industry.

If you are a business owner or marketer looking to move beyond vanity metrics and create video content that drives real results, this episode is for you.

In this episode, we cover:

The "Venn Diagram": How to balance what you want to say with what your audience wants to watch.

The Vanity Metric Trap: Why view counts are misleading, and which metrics and outcomes really matter.

Short-Form Reality Check: Why 15-second videos are harder to make than long-form videos

Real-life examples of creativity in a "boring" sector: How Eight Engines turned boring plumbing regulations into a "Taskmaster" style game show.

AI in Video: What is the impact of AI going to be in this industry and for business owners?

Production Secrets: Why 2 hours of prep is well worth the time investment if it saves 5 minutes on set

Do you want to sound confident, persuasive, and watchable on camera? In this episode, Luke sits down with Michael L. Roberts - the vocal & performance coach behind projects including Rocketman, Belfast, Better Man, House of the Dragon, and more - to break down how pros prepare, speak, and deliver under pressure.

What you’ll learn:

• The difference between playing a character and being authentic on camera - and why the latter is harder (but worth it).
• Learn to speak in your audience's language, and how Michael landed Rocketman by demonstrating ideas visually for director Dexter Fletcher.
• How “Practice makes permanent.” Build your material so you can improvise without panic - no new ingredients on show day.
• Ethos • Logos • Pathos. The 3 appeals of persuasion can be a powerful framework to make your message land - earned credibility, clear reasoning, and emotion that moves people.
•A 60-second vocal warm-up to boost clarity, range, and energy before you hit record.
•Script writing the audience’s outcome, not your bio - structure around conflict → resolution to keep viewers watching.
•Behind the scenes insights into how Michael prepped Taron Egerton vocally and at the piano for Rocketman, and coached Matt Smith (yes, in Valyrian!) on House of the Dragon.

C-Suite coaching & business takeaways.
Michael also coaches CEOs and senior leaders on voice, persuasive identity, and message design. If you run a business:

• Serve, don’t show - Make the message about the audience’s action and outcome.
• Balance the three appeals and fix your weakest link among ethos, logos, pathos.
• Speak in the medium your listeners think in - visuals, numbers, next steps.
• Over-prepare to improvise - Stress-test talking points and stick to tools you’ve rehearsed.
• Use breath and stillness; then vary pitch and pace for emphasis - create authority without the “performer mask.”

Try this before you record (quick warm-up)

1) Sit tall, shoulders relaxed.
2) Read a single line out loud three times - neutral, slightly higher, slightly lower - changing only pitch on the breath, not your posture.
3) Keep the face calm; let the air do the work. You’ll sound steadier and more expressive in minutes.
4) Try the vocal warm-up with the poem written by Michael's father About Michael L. Roberts

Vocal & performance coach, musician, screenwriter, and advisor to film productions and C-suite leaders. Credits include Rocketman, Belfast, Better Man, and House of the Dragon.

Video podcasts could be the missing piece in the marketing for many businesses. Every business should now be aware of the importance of video and video marketing, but although they may understand that it's something they should be doing, there are many things that stop them from creating video content.

Like anything, talking to camera well is a skill that is learned over time and with lots of practice. Feeling uncomfortable in front of the camera, or having camera anxiety can be a major barrier for a lot of business owners. But having a filmed conversation in front of cameras, in an environment like a podcast studio, can yield excellent results.

That footage can also be incredibly versatile, so one single episode could produce an audio file, one long form piece of content, several shorter-long form videos, and lots of short form content that can be distributed across multiple platforms. This provides a huge amount of reach and incredible ROI for a small investment.

In this episode, Luke and Sadie Sherran talk about the top 10 video marketing mistakes that businesses and creators make, and how they can fix them. They are co-owners of the digital marketing agency, Falkon Digital, and have extensive experience and success working with platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

When it comes to video marketing, there are a number of potential pitfalls that can be avoided by business and creators. They share some of their experiences from working with a range of commerical clients, with actionable insights on how to improve your own video marketing.

In the latest episode of the Falkon Digital Podcast, we're joined by YouTube expert Tom Martin to talk about YouTube optimisation and YouTube keyword research. Tom is the owner of a company called Channel Fuel, which helps some of the worlds largest media agencies, Fortune 500 companies and independent creators grow their YouTube channels.

Tom has a wealth of experience working with some of the biggest YouTube channels around, including Dr Who, Top Gear, Mr Bean and many more, and driving huge growth to the channels. To find out more about Tom and sign up for world-class education, expert coaching and join a community of YouTube experts and channel managers.

Luke and Sadie discuss whether you should ever buy an audience and engagement on social media. Is there any advantage to buying subscribers and likes on YouTube, followers and likes on Instagram and Facebook. What would be the benefit? Is it purely for perception and vanity? What are the consequences?

In this episode, Luke and Sadie Sherran from Falkon Digital discuss IGTV, the new video platform for Instagram. Along with their initial thoughts on the platform, they discuss whether or not IGTV is a viable alternative to YouTube, and if it could replace YouTube in the future.

In this episode we discuss some key factors that determine website speed and performance, and a whole range of related subjects. In the podcast there is Luke Sherran and Sadie Sherran from Falkon Digital, joined by Chris Simmance from Under2.