It Takes Teamwork
Sorg is a creative individual. It's the primary reason he got involved in podcasting. It's one of the reasons you're even reading this. Had it not been for his desire to create things, he would not have started his first podcast over a decade ago. Had it not been for that first podcast, he would not have started helping others create podcasts. Had it not been for helping others create podcasts and websites and videos, Sidekick Media Services would not exist.
As part of Sorg's creative outlet, he produces a semi-regular podcast he calls Basic Sorganomics where he shares what's on his mind. While he tries to keep it professional, the series is set aside from his business productions. For him, it is more like a business diary of sorts where he sorts out some thoughts in a video and audio format.
This week's episode of Basic Sorganomics touched upon something he has had problems with since he started this journey: Don't do everything yourself. He posted the video, as he normally does, on Facebook.
It was Doug Derda's response to the video that hit me. It's a legitimate question:
How/Where do you find the right people to help?
I started to write a response to the comment thread on Facebook. By the time I was halfway through writing it, I realized that a) it was rather long for a comment; and b) it would be a great topic to discuss here. Business development is, after all, one of the things we try to help our clients with. The quick answer? Finding the right people can be hard, and it is a learning experience - one which we are at times still figuring out.
Here comes the longer, and more insightful process. Truthfully? I think the primary reason Sorg has been successful is that he has surrounded himself with a great network of people. Not to toot my own horn, place my talents above his, or sound too schmoopy - but Sorg is the yin to my yang. He's good at the content. I'm getting better at the distribution and output end of things. I'm good with setting forth and implementing action plans. Sorg is great at networking. You get the idea.
With regard to how we approach business endeavors, we (and by "we" I primarily mean Sorg) have built a great network of people over the past decade. From colleagues through work projects, to friends, to clients - he has one of those magnetic personalities that seems to draw people. It's that character trait that has put us into contact with and maintained relationships with our team.
Who is our team? It is definitely more than the people we see or mention on a regular basis. Of course, there's Katie Dudas. She is not only a shining star in her own right through her work with The ScareHouse, but she is an amazing resource for all things social media. She is an on-air talent for the Awesomecast, and is also the person I call for a cup of coffee and slice of pie at Eat 'n Park when I need some time away from doing the work things. John Chichilla, Mike Rohrssen, Zach Rizza, and our other on-air talent for our in-house podcasts over at Sorgatron Media help not only with content but content distribution through the discussions we have via Twitter, Facebook, Slack, and over the occasional coffee and/or pizza. Hanging out and recording a podcast isn't "work" for us. lt's where we get to hang out with our friends and talk about things we enjoy - from tech to wrestling and video games. We have access to great business minds like Josh Lucas with Work Hard Pittsburgh and John Lange with Looking for Group, among so many others. I couldn't imagine doing half the stuff I do without Doug Derda and Amanda Narcisi. PodCamp Pittsburgh aside, Doug and Amanda do so much for our network - between content (we've had Doug on AwesomeCast a few times) and support through BOLD Pittsburgh, it helps get us out there even more. When we got to know Brian Crawford with The River's Edge, our network expanded. Not to mention Frank Murgia with The Pittsburgh Podcast Network, Buzzy with Epicast, Ryan Haggerty of Haggerty Media, and John Chamberlin of Ya Jagoff. Of course, none of what we do would matter if there weren't fans out there consuming whatever it is we're creating. There are so many others who should be included here as well, but that could take us well into the next century reading through their names.
Overall, the answer to where to find the right people to help is to look around. Chat up people on your social media networks. Have a cup of coffee with someone new. Start a conversation. It's a process. Sure, there are some connections we've made that haven't worked out so well - but it was a learning experience. If something didn't work out, we looked at what went wrong, adapted our approach, and moved forward.
Build your team. Make it a dream team like the one we have.
Sidekick Media Services offers a variety of services - from web design, to social media, to audio production, to full-service video production and live streaming. We'd be happy to consult with you about your project!