Where Are All My Friends | Discovering Creative Careers with Inspiring Entrepreneurs

Emperors Night is a band from New Zealand that sold everything they owned, moved to LA and washed cars for free, all to grow their band and business from scratch. This isn’t a story from the past either, they’re still doing this every day and won’t stop until they make it! Tune in for one of the most interesting and unique stories I’ve ever heard of a band doing everything they can to promote themselves and chase their dreams.  

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

2:00 - Moving to LA from New Zealand and having an idea to wash cars for free to promote the band

6:18 - Two brilliant parts of their plan

7:50 - What’s it been like on a daily & weekly basis promoting the band through washing cars?

11:15 - Building a business from scratch on goodwill and the importance of making personal connections

14:20 - A single car wash leading to a professional photoshoot, parking lot concert, and so much more

19:50 - Working hard without having an ego

21:10 - Selling everything they owned and taking a huge leap of faith to go all in on the band

25:57 - How long can you keep this up before going broke?

28:38 - Are you happy chasing this goal?

Andrew Cramb: @andrew_ftw

Emperors Night: @emperorsnight

Support the podcast at: patreon.com/whereareallmyfriends

Lauren Sanderson joins us this week to cover some great topics. We talk about her giving a TED talk at an early age, where she gets her incredible mindset and work ethic from, her experience going from an indie label, to a major, then to being fully independent.

We also do a bonus Q&A round at the end with all fan submitted questions.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

2:56 - Who are you and what do you do?

5:35 - Tell us about the Ted Talk you gave when you were a teenager?

10:10 - What are attachment styles and how do they affect you?

11:25 - What did you learn from signing an artist deal with a major record label? Why did you choose to go back to being an independent artist?

19:47 - What is your mindset as an independent artist?

24:48 - How do you manage a large workload and avoid burning out?

33:00 - How do you manage the Los Angeles music industry “fluff”? Is there an opportunity cost to saying no to things?

36:00 - What is your vision as an independent artist?

45:48 - Tell us about your new single

49:18 - Fan submitted Q&A

Lil Aaron’s episode is finally here! We talk about him sponsoring a NASCAR, his new EP, everything he’s doing with Hazheart and all of the songs he’s low-key written for your favorite artists. He also shares incredibly good advice for anyone working on a project that people don’t fully “get” yet and how to push through that.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

1:50 - Who you are and what you do

4:00 - A genuine love for music and how it’s constantly evolving

9:00 - GLOING PAIN$ era

13:15 - Mini Mansion (Aaron’s old house) and bringing so many artists together in LA

17:40 - What are your favorite memories of bringing artists together at your house?

20:00 - EmoNite Day weekend and how important that moment was for the scene

22:00 - Lil Aaron’s success as a songwriter

27:30 - Lil Aaron's new EP

29:30 - Hazheart Records

31:30 - How Lil Aaron sponsored a NASCAR

34:00 - How much attention sponsoring the NASCAR got him and how smart it ended up being

41:10 - What is the craziest thing so far that’s come from sponsoring the NASCAR?

43:30 - Putting yourself in positions where opportunity can arise, then taking action

44:45 - Whatever you do, full send it

49:45 - It doesn’t have to be accepted right away for people to come around to it

50:15 - Don’t let the numbers discourage you if you really believe in something

54:00 Bonus Round

Jon Herrera returns this week to specifically talk about the power of imagination and how to accomplish your goals faster! This was an epic one. Enjoy!

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

2:30 - The short version of Jon’s backstory

4:00 - The power of using your imagination and having FUN while setting goals!

9:30 - The easiest way to achieve your goals

12:25 - Writing the script to your life

16:20 - Not getting lost in the grind

17:15 - Getting out of the way of yourself

22:45 - Removing limiting beliefs

24:45 - On a practical level how do you actually start applying this?

30:00 - You can change the energy you’re putting out into the world

33:18 - Change the internal conversation you have with yourself

34:00 - What are some of the coolest examples of all of this paying off for you?

38:48 - What is the benefit to writing things you imagine down?

41:50 - How do you specifically write your goals and to-do lists?

43:07 - Life is like a game

48:00 - Don’t worry about the “How”

51:00 - A tip that’s helped Andrew throughout his life

56:40 - Wayne Dyre (Wishes Fulfilled): https://youtu.be/kM8o_vFIuns

Jon Herrera: @limitlessjon

Andrew Cramb: @andrew_ftw

Where Are All My Friends Podcast:

Donate: www.patreon.com/whereareallmyfriends

Mark Arcenal may be best known for starting two massive brands, Fatlace and Illest. However, he’s done quite a lot more than that and continues to build and create. He joins us this week to tell his story of going from working at Nike, to starting his own brands, scaling like crazy, and constantly chasing what he’s passionate about.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

5:45 - The short version of Mark’s come up story

7:50 - Starting Fatlace.com in 1999 and what that led to

10:00 - Going to work for Nike

13:00 - What was your first omg I bought this car moment?

14:52 - How Illest blew up

15:54 - Was it scary leaving Nike and going all in on Illest?

16:45 - Was it a challenge to build and scale Illest to keep up with the demand?

18:30 - The next generation of tastemakers and leaning into your friend circles

21:00 - What are you currently up to and where do you see the future of things going?

31:09 - What is your advice to those chasing the thing they’re passionate about?

32:35 - At what point do you have to hire help?

38:00 - What are some projects that you’ve worked on that people don’t realize?

40:00 - What do you do for outside companies?

42:40 - What’s your advice to people who have been given a shot?

45:20 - Where can people find you?

Mark Arcenal: @mrk.rcnl

Andrew Cramb: @andrew_ftw

Donate: www.patreon.com/whereareallmyfriends

Casey Cavaliere from The Wonder Years joins us this week to tell his story, share some of his favorite memories from the band, and talk about what he’s currently been up to as a producer!

I really enjoyed how candid this conversation was. Casey kept it so real and shared so much detailed information about the growth of The Wonder Years and his genuine passion for producing music.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

3:10 - Who you are and what you do

5:00 - The early days and memories of The Wonder Years

15:45 - What was it like as The Wonder Years started to blow up?

19:00 - When did you realize this could be a full on career?

22:50 - Breaking down realistic money that bands can make

35:50 - Doing things with integrity

38:45 - The process of writing music for The Wonder Years

43:45 - Producing music outside of The Wonder Years

56:45 - Where can everyone find you?

Casey Cavaliere: @case_rock

The Wonder Years: @thewonderyearsband

Andrew Cramb: @andrew_ftw

Where Are All My Friends: www.whereareallmyfriends.com

Donate: www.patreon.com/whereareallmyfriends

This is part two of an amazing conversation with Neil Westfall from A Day To Remember. We talk about what he’s learned from being in the band, and how he’s applied that knowledge to everything in life and business.

We talk specifically about doing what you love and finding ways to make that sustainable. I truly think anyone watching or listening will get a TON out of this one! If you do, make sure to let us know. It makes our day!

Timestamps:

0:00 Intro // Everything Neil does outside of A Day To Remember

2:40 - Meeting his wife on tour with Blink-182 then later opening a restaurant with her (Winter Park Biscuit Co.)

16:25 - Applying what he’s learned in business from A Day To Remember and applying it to all of his life.

19:08 - How much of a family A Day To Remember is, even past the band.

22:00 - Why Neil loves streaming on Twitch so much.

29:10 - Finding ways to make hobbies sustainable.

33:30 - Us fully nerding out on our unexpected inspirations.

39:30 - The constant quest for perfecting and mastering skills.

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Neil Westfall: @neilwestfall44

A Day To Remember: @adtr

Andrew Cramb: @andrew_ftw

Where Are All My Friends: Patreon

Neil Westfall is the guitar player of A Day To Remember. He joins this week to share the come up story of A Day To Remember and all of his favorite memories and stories along the way.

This conversation we had was so good, that it ended up being almost two hours long so we split it into two parts.

This first part is all about A Day To Remember’s early days, then the second will be all about the current state of the band and everything else Neil does.

And if you want even MORE... I upload a bonus episode with Neil on the Where Are All My Friends Patreon which can be found HERE

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro 

4:03 - Everything that Neil does outside of A Day To Remember

6:48 - The VERY early days of A Day To Remember

14:23 - Alex Shelnutt joining the band and them becoming bigger brothers to him

16:08 - The Florida music scene in the mid 2000’s

20:23 - The start of A Day To Remember touring outside of Florida

23:23 - Bands that inspired A Day To Remember

24:23 - Breaking all of the rules and having massive success

29:03 - What moments do you remember most from when the band was starting to succeed?

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Neil Westfall: @neilwestfall44

A Day To Remember: @adtr

Andrew Cramb: @andrew_ftw

Where Are All My Friends Podcast:

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Donovan Melero joins me to talk about Hail The Sun's new music, Kill Iconic,  and everything else I listed in the timestamps. Do y'all use the timestamps? I hope so. They take a long time to write out.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro - Who Donovan is and what he does.

6:03 - Balancing different projects at once and doing it well.

8:10 - How to develop projects out of natural core talents.

11:26 - Donovan's sobriety "obsession" and how that has affected his career trajectory.

15:35 - Early days of Hail The Sun and how it all came together to be what it is now.

25:00 - Hail The Sun + side project songwriting - what is the process? How to get from an idea to a good product.

28:50 - Donovan discusses the visual components of Hail The Sun and the importance of uniformity and quality.

30:44 - "The Kill Iconic Ecosystem" - building the magazine and the community that surrounds it. Donovan explains where the idea came from and how it grew.

44:26 - Integrity in Kill Iconic - chasing goals with your friends and coming up together.

47:30 - Distributing Kill Iconic - learning how to book magazines in record stores and other subscription methods.

53:47 - Money as the scorecard not as the end goal for new projects.

56:12 - Kill Iconic podcast and label coming soon.

57:20 - Donovan discusses how Episode 50 of the Short Story Long podcast changed his mindset for business and life beyond.

1:04:25 - The importance of thinking before you even write ideas down - start "working" in a traditional sense.

1:03:29 - Donovan discusses taking pilot lessons during these times to develop a different way of thinking.

1:04:27 - Where to find and contact Donovan.

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Donovan Melero: @donovan_hts

Hail The Sun: @hailthesun

Kill Iconic: @killiconic

New Single: Parasitic Cleanse

Andrew Cramb: @andrew_ftw

Where Are All My Friends Podcast: Website

Cory Keen joins us this week to share the lessons he’s learned in building and scaling a company from nothing to a massive success.

We focused on talking about the middle part of that journey and how to overcome the challenges that come with the success of a growing business, while also still keeping things light and fun.

This was a super insightful one that I think everyone will get a ton out of! If you do, share it with a friend and spread the word!

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

4:30 - The early days

10:30 - The start of Keen Ramps

15:20 - The challenges that come with a growing business

20:20 - The advantages that come from being young and driven

22:30 - Never taking no for an answer

25:20 - Anything is possible, but be ready to put in the work

31:30 - How do you find balance in your life while running a company?

35:30 - Is it worth it to chase your passion?

38:20 - Embracing new challenges every step of the way

39:40 - Now that you’ve “made it” what’s your favorite part of it all?

41:40 - What are you excited about looking towards the future?

45:00 - How It’s Made: Keen Ramps

48:20 - Having fun with YouTube as a brand

55:40 - Taking a step back and appreciating the growth of the company

57:35 - Advice to someone chasing their passionate

1:03:45 - Enjoy the process

1:11:15 - Where can everyone find you?

Cory Keen: @corydkeen

Keen Ramps: @keenramps

Andrew Cramb: @andrew_ftw

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