Have you ever wondered what it takes to transition from a stable nine-to-five job to the exciting world of entrepreneurship? Join us as we sit down with Steve Donovan, a seasoned media professional and current educator at Madison College, who shares his remarkable journey through various roles in media and education.

Steve is an awesome friend who is one of our favorite people to run into at all the professional events we do. He’s always a joy. Grab your favorite libation and tune in for the fun.

Topics in this Episode

• (00:00:32) Who is Steve Donovan?
• (00:02:41) Meet Steve.
• (00:03:24) What are we drinking?
• (00:15:08) Freelancing is just as safe as a full-time job.
• (00:17:36) How do you know when to add a team member?
• (00:23:50) Passive income opportunities.
• (00:27:09) Thoughts on Crypto.
• (00:30:12) Stronger Sun Prairie.
• (00:36:11) Seeing the Positive.
• (00:54:32) What was the review process like with the client?
• (01:00:14) Watermarking.
• (01:02:37) Movie and show recommendations.
• (1:09:19) Two truths and a lie.
• (1:18:32) Is That Guy Dead Yet Podcast.
  
  

Links

Stronger Sun Prairie: https://www.sunprairiemediacenter.com/sun-prairie-media-center-releases-documentary-on-2018-gas-explosion/

Waterflip: https://youtu.be/2lMz8iqhcSY?si=rwC6Q3RvYOVc938y

Is That Guy Dead Yet: https://open.spotify.com/show/3BEgmWycJKL2WDjXIPEnBL?si=9a4c84b551004caf

We're bringing on Alexis Bakken, who started out as a production & editing intern and has recently found her self on our full-time team. What do bungee jumping, sky-diving, and shark tanks have to do with marketing? Join us with your favorite libation and maybe you'll find out.

• (00:02:25) What are we drinking?
• (00:04:19) Who is Alexis?
• (00:05:28) Why did Alexis major in journalism?
• (00:09:42) Would you switch majors for your senior year?
• (00:11:15) Class projects.
• (00:14:58) Dangerous video stunts.
• (00:17:47) Do you even know what a VHS is?
• (00:22:17) The Harry Potter girl.
• (00:30:29) How did we find Alexis? Or did she find us?
• (00:35:25) Going to college to network?
• (00:40:45) Connections can only get you so far.
• (00:41:42) What does Alexis like about being on the Backflip team?
• (00:46:08) Can a journalism degree help prepare someone for video production?
• (00:55:11) Editing a magazine.
• (00:56:47) Learning filmmaking techniques and education.
• (01:00:10) Bringing filmmakers with real set experience into the classroom.
• (01:08:05) Ethical implications of AI and technology.
• (01:17:25) Manipulating reality in documentary photography.
• (01:18:30) A misleading photo of Obama.
• (01:21:30) Salvador Dalí donkey falling.
• (01:25:20) Two truths and a lie.

• Obama photo: https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2010/jul/06/the-economist-news-photography
• Zipline off of a Starbucks in MI: https://www.mackinawcity.net/mackinawcity/business/Adrenaline_Falls_Adventure_Zipline/180/#:~:text=History
• Steve Donovan episode: https://www.youtube.com/live/43WwEaCT4Y8?si=rNIEbP6Fp8fN3Drd
• Chelsey Bowers episode: https://www.youtube.com/live/a5fHKP61yZo?si=Eh9qL1wnF-XQAaB8
• Dare to Believe Series: https://youtu.be/VS3CYsDHvGU?si=9tpkdu0nNUTFi6mv

Grab your favorite libation and join us for some industry talk this Friday. We're hanging with Jill Genter of WKOW. Jill Genter is the Manager of Marketing and Creative Services at WKOW (ABC) in Madison, Wisconsin and is the Executive Producer of WKOW’s lifestyle show, Midday Madison. She has been at WKOW for 35 years!

• (00:02:15) Introducing our guest.
• (00:04:28) Who is Jill and what does she do?
• (00:07:40) What is one of the biggest challenges you encounter in your work?
• (00:08:23) How do you one up yourself?
• (00:11:45) Local TV stations don’t charge for commercial production?
• (00:13:29) What does the process look like when you are working with a new client, how much input do they give vs what you recommend? Do they listen?
• (00:14:13) The Jim Doyle process.
• (00:16:03) How did Jill get into creative?
• (00:23:47) Jill’s comedy career.
• (00:27:07) Working with celebrities.
• (00:34:00) Moving to a bigger market?
• (00:37:32) Living in Madison.
• (00:42:14) Work life balance.
• (00:45:19) How do you work within the constraints of free commercial production?
• (00:50:40) Fun production stories.
• (00:54:10) Involvement in AdFed.
• (00:58:40) What was Covid like for news agencies?
• (01:04:21) Shooting commercials during Covid.
• (01:09:27) What is one of Jill’s favorite projects?
• (01:15:05) What are we drinking?
• (01:16:00) Two truths and a lie.