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

Keith Canva$ draws musical inspiration from a wide range of genres in such a rad way. He’s been on my radar after being introduced to him by my previous podcast guest, Regular Marcus. This is one of my favorite kinds of episodes where I get to learn the come up story of an artist that I’ve been a fan of for a while. He shares how he got his start in hip-hop, and how lately he’s leaned into making music influenced by his love for pop punk.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

2:20 - Who Is Keith Canva$

2:51 - Finding Music

5:12 - Meeting Reckless

8:00 - Good ol' SoundCloud Days

10:56 - Keith's Music Deep Dive

14:44 - Thoughts On Change

17:30 - Being a Multidimensional Artist

20:18 - Writing New Music

22:05 - Coming Up With Your Friends

25:26 - Staying Confident

28:42 - Touring and Performing

34:05 - Discovering Who He Is As an Artist

36:00 - Change is Inevitable

37:58 - What Keith Would've Done Differently 

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Keith Canva$: @keithcanvas_

Andrew Cramb: @andrew_ftw

Produced & Edited by - Deanna Elise: @deannaelxse

Where Are All My Friends Podcast: whereareallmyfriends.com

Rod Chong is a Creative Director at Race Service and is the host of the Radical Strategies, a podcast that I so happen to produce! He joins this week to share his story along with some incredible lessons he's learned throughout his vast career including things like - finding great growth in failures, how to be authentic to yourself and in your craft, learning when it's time to pivot, and so much more. If you're in a creative profession, I guarantee you'll get huge value out of this one! If you do, make sure to share it with a friend or someone else that would benefit from it.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

6:33 - Rod's Early Days

12:30 - Manifesting Your Future

13:36 - College Experience

16:46 - Working as Music Video Director

20:25- Great Growth Happens With Failure

22:20 - Career Number Two

26:00 - Move to Another Country

28:20 - Be Authentic About Your Craft

33:26 - Working at EA

36:18 - Having Something Done at a Certain Age

38:42 - The Importance of Mentorship

42:43 - Surround Yourself With People Who Are Good at What They Do

44:49 - Learning from Other's Mindsets

45:55 - Career Number Three: Race Service

53:32 - Radical Strategies

58:48 - What is Rod's Radical Strategy?

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Rod Chong: @rev_sect

Radical Strategies: @radical.strategies

Race Service: @race.service

Andrew Cramb: @andrew_ftw

Produced & Edited By: @deannaelxse

Where Are All My Friends Podcast:

Bonus Patreon Content: www.patreon.com/whereareallmyfriends

Josh Madden calls in about one very specific topic, and shares an incredible idea to challenge the way we all look at music and genres for the better.

I personally loved this format and doing something so quick and insightful. Let me know in the comments if you like it too and I'll do more of these. 

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

1:33 - “Real” Music Is Subjective

3:42 - Is Arguing Over Genres Worth It?

4:46 - Artist Should Move Together and Not Apart

7:26 - Keeping Music a Positive Space

Josh Madden: @joshmadden

MDDN: @MDDNco

Andrew Cramb: @andrew_ftw

Produced & Edited By: @deannaelxse

Where Are All My Friends Podcast:

Bonus Patreon Content: www.patreon.com/whereareallmyfriends

Website: www.whereareallmyfriends.com

Rob Laska is the lead singer of the band Valley. He joins this week to share his personal story along with the come up story of the band!

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

1:42 - How Valley Began

6:10 - Leaving Their Old Bands to Form Valley

9:10 - Valley Success Was Not Instant Success

14:00 - Band Milestones

19:53 - Finding Their Direction

22:42 - Valley’s Path to Getting Signed

28:03 - Writing Their Debut Album

34:00 - Through Lines Within Their Music and Visuals

38:31 - Valley’s Songwriting Process

41:50 - The New Wave of Being in a Band

47:47 - Rob’s Warped Tour Kid Days

56:58 - Rob’s Advice to Artist

1:01:46 - Conclusion

Rob Laska: @atlasbroker

Valley: @thisisvalley

Andrew Cramb: @andrew_ftw

Produced & Edited By - Deanna Elise: @deannaelxse

Where Are All My Friends Podcast:

Bonus Patreon Content: https://www.patreon.com/whereareallmyfriends

Subscribe: HERE

This episode is specifically for ANY creative trying to get their dream job or trying to level up to that next step in their career.

First, Thaddeus shares his story of how he got his dream job of Creative Producer at Race Service. Then, second we get into actionable steps that any creative can take to level up their life and get to that next goal or dream job.

Let Thad know if his advice helps you by shooting him a DM at @thvddeus

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

6:10 - Where It All Began

9:04 - He Didn’t Think He’d Be A Photographer

9:42 - When Skateboarding Came Into the Picture

10:51 - Graduating School and Getting Into Photography

12:07 - His Introduction to Cars

13:03 - Cars and Cameras

18:33 - Moving to LA

21:40 - Getting the Job at Race Service

24:20 - What is Race Service?

26:29 - Getting His Dream Job

31:06 - Don’t Question the Risk

32:40 - Visualizing Your Future

36:10 - Jack of All Trade vs. Being a Master

41:17 - How to Get Your Foot In the Door

43:20 - Defining Your Style

46:55 - Doubting Yourself

47:34 - Learning From Your Failures

49:10 - Having Better Attitude

51:07 - Advice To A Creative

55:40 - Standing Out From The Crowd

56:32 - What’s Next For Thaddeus

Thaddeus James: @thvddeus

Race Service: @race.service

Andrew Cramb: @andrew_ftw

Produced & Edited By:

Deanna Elise: @deannaelxse

From music, to comedy, to acting, David Banks has done it all! This was a particularly fun and interesting interview because David shared an honest look into what it's like to find a calling (music), then pivot to something new (acting), and find success in it.

I love having guests from all sorts of different industries on the podcast because there are fundamental lessons that all feel the same as long as you're chasing a career doing something you love. David's story is exact proof of that. Enjoy!

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

1:09 - Setting Goals

6:41 - David’s Pivot From Music to Acting

10:46 - Getting into Acting

12:34 - Bringing NorCal Energy to LA

14:25 - Improv Roots

19:42 - Getting No’s and Fighting Discouragement

22:04 - The Vibe of a Waiting Room

23:54 - How Agents and Managers Work in Acting

27:40 - Acting is like Dating

32:32 - How Much Does Commercial Acting Pay?

36:40 - Commercials are a Great Starting Point

39:57 - Doing the Hard Time

48:28 - Not Wanting Stability

49:48 - Life is Supposed to be Hard

51:28 - Getting Bigger Roles

55:02 - Dream As Big As You Want

56:55 - Doing What You Love

1:01:33 - Conclusion

David Banks:

Instagram: @dynamitedork

Andrew Cramb:

Instagram: @andrew_ftw

Where Are All My Friends Podcast:

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2_TuYF3dJ0rF0L51_0DVaQ?sub_confirmation=1

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/whereareallmyfriends

Produced & Edited by: Deanna Elise

This is part 2 of the Aaron Gillespie podcast! We pick back up at Aaron playing drums for Paramore, then get into his personal journey as an artist and a songwriter, his hopeful views on the future of music, what personally inspires him, and the next era of Underoath.

You can find part 1 of the interview here: https://youtu.be/44gS2U8trx8

And if you want even more, there's another 20 minute bonus bts episode live on the Where Are All My Friends Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/whereareallmyfriends

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

1:45 - Playing drums for Paramore

10:00 - Underoath getting back together with a new wave of inspiration

12:00 - What is your approach to writing music?

18:15 - How Aaron differentiates his artist projects / being a songwriter

20:15 - The next generation of artists innovating and pushing music forward

29:45 - The future of touring

32:55 - The future of Underoath

36:45 - Taking risks and trying ideas (Define The Great Line Livestream)

41:45 - Other inspirations in his life and career like how impressed we are with King State

48:45 - If you could go back to any moment in your career, what advice would you give yourself now?

Aaron Gillespie: @aaronrgillespie

Underoath: @underoathband

Andrew Cramb: @andrew_ftw

Where Are All My Friends Podcast:

Bonus Patreon Episode: https://www.patreon.com/whereareallmyfriends

Website: https://www.whereareallmyfriends.com

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2_TuYF3dJ0rF0L51_0DVaQ?sub_confirmation=1

Produced & Edited by: Deanna Elise

This is Part 1 of the Aaron Gillespie podcast. In this half we talk about the start of Underoath, his first impressions of all of the members, the specific moment he knew the band was going to be big, and them writing ‘They’re Only Chasing Safety’ during a band rehearsal.

The episode was SO good that we ended up talking for over two hours, so this one is split in half. Part 2 will be about his personal journey as an artist including a wild chapter of his life playing drums for Paramore, his success as a songwriter, his hopeful views on the future of music, what personally inspires him and the next era of Underoath and what’s to come.

Make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss part 2! 

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

4:25 - How growing up poor shapes you as a person

11:23 - What were your first impressions of the rest of Underoath in the very beginning?

16:19 - Writing ‘They’re Only Chasing Safety’ during a band rehearsal

19:00 - Underoath breaking up and getting back together

23:04 - The specific moment you realized Underoath was a big band

Aaron Gillespie: @aaronrgillespie

Underoath: @underoathband

Andrew Cramb: @andrew_ftw

Where Are All My Friends Podcast:

Bonus Patreon Episode: https://www.patreon.com/whereareallmyfriends

Website: https://www.whereareallmyfriends.com

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2_TuYF3dJ0rF0L51_0DVaQ?sub_confirmation=1

Produced & Edited by: Deanna Elise

From record labels, to artist management, start-up companies, and now teaching as a college professor, Adam LaRue has truly done it all!

He joins this week to tell his story and share some great advice specifically on how to avoid burnout in the music industry which is something I think is important to talk about and be more mindful of.

I truly hope y'all love this one as much as I did. Enjoy!

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

3:57 - Who You Are and What You Do

3:58 - Beginning of Adam’s Career

6:30 - How Music History Can Help a Music Executive

8:40 - From Miserable Corporate Job to Fearless Records

10:42 - Beginning of Fearless-ERA 

14:43 - IndieClick Years

18:20 - Queer Punks Forum

20:59 - Community in Music

24:06 - Working for Epitaph

26:03 - Music is Like an Abusive Relationship

29:33 - Management VS Label Life

30:34 - Checking Your Ego

33:40 - What Label Experience Teaches You

36:52 - Professor Adam LaRue

40:18 - How to Market Yourself as an Artist

42:09 - How to Avoid Burnout

51:08 - How to Keep Your Team Loving You

58:25 - Therapy

1:00:35 - Conclusion

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Adam LaRue: @adamlarue

Andrew Cramb: @andrew_ftw

Where Are All My Friends Podcast:

Bonus Patreon Content: https://www.patreon.com/whereareallmyfriends

Website: https://www.whereareallmyfriends.com

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2_TuYF3dJ0rF0L51_0DVaQ?sub_confirmation=1

Produced & Edited by: Deanna Elise

Steffie Baik is one of the most interesting entrepreneurs I've ever met! She started with a successful career in real estate, then pivoted to entertainment where she now does so much. She's a model, actor, streamer on twitch, and is on the incredible podcast, Fun With Dumb.

My favorite part about this episode is her honesty in the path of discovering what she wants to do. She had a life where she almost didn't chase the creative entertainment side of it, then changed that path.

I think that's a really encouraging lesson and story for a lot of people to hear. A lot of us have that opportunity to just stay in a lane where we can make a bunch of money, but maybe there's something deep down that we actually want to do a lot more.

Her explaining that story and her chasing that feeling of passion was something that I found really  really inspiring. I hope that you find some value in that and inspiration in that as well! If you do, share this episode with a friend. It's the most helpful thing you can do for the podcast!

Timstamps:

0:00 - Intro:

7:53 - Steffie’s Different Past Work

9:15 - Finding Her Path & Needing to Make Money

19:42 - Numb to Rejection & Leaning into Fear

22:21 - Getting into Acting

24:18 - Understanding You Can Do Whatever You Want

27:21 - Fun with Dumb Podcast

31:09 - Dealing with Confidence and Overcoming Fear

34:02 - Not Thinking About Money on a Creative Journey

35:40 - Instagram Life is a Persona

37:53 - Manifesting Your Destiny

39:50 - Listening to Your Inner Child

44:12 - Steffie Asks About Andrew

45:12 - Steffie’s Advice

46:50 - Prioritize Yourself

48:36 - Slowing the Grind and Asking for Help

49:30 - Appreciating the Little Things

50:31 - Bonding Over Broken Bones

54:09 - Secret Fears

55:44 - Conclusion

Steffie Baik:

Instagram: @baikedguds

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/steffiebaik/

Fun With Dumb Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkZHRwJ7aEj_52D0Jkb6X5w

Andrew Cramb:

Instagram: @andrew_ftw

Where Are All My Friends Podcast:

Bonus Patreon Content: https://www.patreon.com/whereareallmyfriends

Website: https://www.whereareallmyfriends.com

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2_TuYF3dJ0rF0L51_0DVaQ?sub_confirmation=1

Produced & Edited by: Deanna Elise