Speaker 1 0:41

danielle, there's something on my list that I really want to get into for our next season and it's video podcasting, because I know that a lot of podcasters that we've talked to that's something that they want to get into. It isn't very intimidating and if you don't know what you're doing, it's hard to get that really good video quality that people like want to consume. That kind of. I feel like the quality is like almost expected on a lot of social platforms that really good video quality for sure but does that mean we're gonna have to wear makeup and dress nice?

Speaker 1 1:10

yeah well there are some that just wear like sweats, I think, as long as your face is done. But we have done one video podcast we have, and we have brian in the studio with go rogue studio and he knows all about this. I do he sets the stage I do.

Speaker 4 1:30

We have many stages that we set many stages many stages yeah, so go.

Speaker 1 1:34

Rogue studio for those that don't know is kind of like an all, all service studio. You can do just about anything. You can make any kind of stage, I mean, and it's over by the airport, it is yeah, just in case you're flying.

Speaker 4 1:47

Yeah, just in case you're flying and you need to shoot some video content.

Speaker 1 1:50

You know what I mean.

Speaker 3 1:51

You never know it's a full production studio. Yes, full, can call it production studio.

Speaker 1 1:56

I got you girl, thank you, yeah, and we've done. We recorded our interview with the mayor.

Speaker 4 2:02

We did air orman there, yeah, right?

Speaker 1 2:04

how long have you been doing this? How long have you owned?

Speaker 4 2:06

go rogue, go rogue, specifically over six years now, so I've been doing this for probably about 12 years or so, right around that. Yeah, before we get into, your full story.

Speaker 3 2:15

tell us a little bit about how you got to northwest and I've been doing this for probably about 12 years or so, right around that. Yeah, before we get into your full story, tell us a little bit about how you got to Northwest Arkansas. We can't start an episode without knowing that.

Speaker 4 2:25

Yeah, let's see. So I was born in Fort Smith, so about an hour or so south, but moved around the country, came back in or 2009, was only going to be here for a little bit, and I was like and I met my wife and now I'm here forever and ever. Which?

Speaker 1 2:42

is okay, that's great, yeah, okay, so we should thank alex for we should, but what year did you?

Speaker 4 2:47

graduate high school 2003 oh my gosh, me too yeah, I think we've talked about yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, well, no, my neighbors are both from Fort Smith, but they're like two years younger than me, it's possibly, so we'll have to sidebar about this.

Speaker 3 3:00

Yes, Definitely sidebar.

Speaker 4 3:03

Yes, Nobody wants to go like okay, do you know such and such? I know right.

Speaker 3 3:08

I mean, I kind of want to know who you, who you're talking about?

Speaker 4 3:11

Yeah, who are your neighbors? Yeah, who are your neighbors, We'll go sidebar.

Speaker 1 3:16

They didn't give me their consent to talk about them oh that's too bad.

Speaker 3 3:18

They might want to have a shout out on our show, though, I know. Okay, laura, and.

Speaker 1 3:22

Ben Burglar but Laura Hadley, the Hadley family no. Okay never mind. See, now we're going to have to cut that because then they, you know, but I guess they're younger, so yeah, okay, well, yeah, side note, anytime somebody gets up and they're like I was.

Speaker 4 3:37

I was in dallas no, I was outside of dallas. I was in fort worth no, it was a little town. You're like oh my gosh I don't know. It's kind of like the same people were like do you know such and such of such and such oh?

Speaker 1 3:47

yeah, it happens. I get that all the time. Oh, you're from dallas, do you know?

Speaker 3 3:53

dallas is so tiny. No, it's almost always no.

Speaker 1 3:56

I do not know, I do not know You're from Texas.

Speaker 4 3:59

You know somebody down there? Yeah, absolutely Sorry. We're already off the rails, I know.

Speaker 1 4:06

We're totally off the rails it's okay, though it's fun, at least y'all are awake now we are I mean kind of I'm kind of awake slowly making my way. We're going to need something stronger than coffee which I don't. Something legal.

Speaker 3 4:20

You looked at Brock and you're like something legal though, Something strong, Something to wake us up, oh my. God, a shot of caffeine.

Speaker 4 4:29

Yeah, by the way, monday morning to record these. That's a whole different level of.

Speaker 2 4:34

I know.

Brian's Journey to Northwest Arkansas

Speaker 3 4:37

I definitely know hey it's OK.

Speaker 4 4:40

I mean again you get. You get different things out of a guest, I'm sure.

Speaker 3 4:43

Yes, yes, we do we do and ourselves.

Speaker 1 4:46

Back to how you got here. So you stayed here because of your wife.

Speaker 4 4:51

Yes, yeah, and then I decided to yeah.

Speaker 1 4:55

I like her, and then kind of around that time you kind of got into this world of media.

Speaker 4 5:02

Yeah, so I actually I started, as picked up photography in 2007. So I lived east coast, I actually lived in Texas as well, so, and so I started getting into photography while I was traveling and and whatnot. And then 2013 was when I actually decided to do a podcast with a friend of mine, eric Henson Explanify in Fayetteville, and I wanted to interview people in the area that were in kind of tech startup world. So I was still in corporate and so we were just doing it as a side project and so I did it. It was fun, went to a couple of conferences and learned how to do some production on the side.

Speaker 4 5:36

And then we actually were an adoptive, foster family and my wife she mentioned she was like hey, there's not a lot of resources out there for adoptive moms.

Speaker 4 5:44

There's a lot for families and kids and parents and that type of thing. She's like not specifically for the moms who are going through kind of the force of adoption, foster care, and so she's like I want to learn from these other adoptive moms, and so I started doing production for her on the back end, and then she's naturally great on the mic and camera and stuff, and so she just started connecting with all these people and her podcast blew up. It was like 130-something thousand downloads and she just crushed it and so all of a sudden, it was like I was figuring out how to market it, produce it, do all the things back 2015, 2016. Yeah, I say before podcasting the podcast has been around. It feels like it's just now hitting a peak, but it's all. It's felt like that for years, where it just kind of keeps growing and so anyway, so after that it was, it was like, how do we do this full time?

Speaker 4 6:32

and so I mean I'm kind of getting ahead of myself, but it kind of it. There's been a long journey to to get to this point so you fostered to adopt?

Speaker 1 6:40

how did that? Because I know. I think the fact that she did a podcast about that is amazing, because I have friends who have done the same and I feel like a lot of the resources they have is usually at their church yeah, yeah but I love that she did that because, yeah, that's something that you definitely want to inform yourself about, not just from, like a google search. You want to like talk to people who actually are going through it, know what to expect so what made you guys decide to to do that?

Speaker 4 7:07

to foster adopt. Uh well, weirdly enough, I think it was our second date. We kind of got on the subject and we just were like yeah, so I grew my dad pastored a church, and so he had side jobs that were a full-time job as well as doing assistant pastor work.

Fostering and Adoption Story

Speaker 4 7:22

But we just had like kids in our house all the time. It's like we just were Sunday school kids and all the things all the time. And so I kind of grew up with a bunch of, you know, just friends and kids around, and so that was my heart was like how do we do that, you know, in my life and in our family and stuff? And so, anyway, we talked about that on our second date and it was just like she's like I've always wanted to adopt, but I want to adopt an older kid, and so we were thinking like older kid, like five, six, seven, you know something like that, but ended up getting a 14 year old. Yeah, so we went from zero kids to four kids in 18 months Whoa, Two bio two adopted. So I can give you the 30-second version of that real quick.

Speaker 1 8:00

Yeah, okay, I want to hear it. Actually, we talked about Peekaboo.

Speaker 4 8:04

I think we were featured at some point in that magazine. It was a wild time. So that was 2014, 2015. So we actually went through training we're pregnant during foster care, training through the call. Big shout out to the call. I know Brock's connected with them as well. They're a great organization.

Speaker 4 8:21

So we had our baby, and then we're looking to get some foster kids, and we opened up our home. We had talked about, like we said we want some older kids, we want to try to help that, and so we were looking at seven and then eight year olds, and then, all of a sudden, it was like nine year olds, and then they were like, hey, we've got this 11 year old. And we're like, oh man, that's, that's older. We've got a, now a baby at 11 year old. That's, that should be fine. And then they literally came. We got to know him and it was like his. We got him on after his 14th birthday, and it was kind of crazy. So that same week, though that we got him, we found out we're pregnant again with our daughter, and so he came in and we were like, hey, man, by the way, we got this baby, and also we found out we're pregnant and also you're a 14 year old traumatized kid like sorry.

Speaker 4 9:06

And then three months later we found out that he had a half brother that was abandoned at the hospital by his bio mom and DHS calls us and they're like hey, we want to keep the brothers together, but we know you have a baby, you're pregnant and here's a two-week-old and so, yeah, so that's how our story. And then actually we're celebrating. My daughter's birthday is today. So she is nine years old, and so now we have two nine-year-olds, a 10-year-old and then the teenager. He's now 23 and he has his own family and they just had a baby, their second baby and so they're doing really well, oh my god.

Speaker 3 9:42

So grandpa, your grandpa, I can't believe it we can joke yeah, we can joke about me, my wife.

Speaker 4 9:48

On the other hand, she's not a big fan of being called granny or anything she's like. She's like 10 or 11 years older than yeah, clark is, is our, is our adopted kid?

Speaker 1 9:57

surely there's a more modern name than granny.

Speaker 3 10:00

Yeah, you know what I mean around here, it's me mom, but my me mom's like almost 90, so I mean it's, it fits right, yeah yeah, no, my, my mom likes lolo because she does not want to be grandma Grammy. None of that. Yeah, that's fair.

Speaker 1 10:20

I'll be the same way to the day I die. I'm like don't call me just like D or DD, I don't care Anything, but like Meemaw or Mimi, you can be DD, I'll be DD.

Speaker 3 10:30

Yeah, you totally look like a DD.

Speaker 1 10:32

I can be.

Speaker 3 10:32

DD, yeah for sure. Okay, back to Brian.

Speaker 1 10:35

Yes, brian, this is good, I like this. Okay, so two nine-year-olds, and how old's your middle one? Well, the middle one is nine as well. Yeah, there's two middle.

Speaker 4 10:47

Two nine-year-olds, a 10-year-old and 23.

Speaker 1 10:50

Okay. Oh well, they're all three in that same that skibbity age.

Speaker 4 10:55

Oh gosh, yeah, yes they are. They are Gen alpha to the max.

Speaker 3 10:59

We understand.

Speaker 1 11:00

It's so Sigma.

Speaker 3 11:01

So Sigma.

Speaker 1 11:02

I love. You know what I actually like this age.

Speaker 3 11:06

I don't know.

Speaker 1 11:06

Some people have disagreed with me, but no, I like this age too. I like this age.

Speaker 3 11:11

Although a daughter hitting puberty early is not a likable situation, but it is what it is.

Speaker 1 11:19

And I love her. Okay, so I have a practical question about how you made it through all that.

Speaker 4 11:26

That's a great question so okay.

Speaker 1 11:29

So let's say, like hypothetically I was interested in like fostering to adopt or something. How do you kind of like prep your, your kids? Well, you, they were so little they didn't even know any different, yeah. But let's say you were going to advise someone who did like, let's say, I have a seven and an 11 year old and you're like, okay, we're going to have like an older child. Like how do you kind of, what's your advice on that?

Speaker 4 11:57

I don't know that I can speak to specific experience there are. We did, we did have people in our community that did have that situation, do and currently do have that situation. They're very much a. They are part of the family, especially if they're adopted. They're a part of the family like you don't.

Speaker 4 12:12

There is no different language for them Like they're your brother, they're your sister, whatever it is, and we we've kind of dealt a little bit with that. The twin, we call them the twins. So rock and Jane, they're the two nine year olds. We joked about it because we're like they're so close in age.

Speaker 3 12:39

And so they found out they thought they were twins.

Speaker 4 12:40

This whole time they did yeah, so they they didn't understand what twins actually was, and so they were like oh, we had the. We don't have the same birthday. Somebody told us we're not twins.

Speaker 1 12:46

They're like well, you're not they're like arguing with kids at school oh yeah, they're like no we are twins.

Speaker 4 12:51

My mom calls us twins. Oh yeah, you, you are, but anyway, so it's. Yeah, I would. I mean there's there's lots of, lots of different opinions on this, but I mean they. You have to be able to actually say like there's, you love them the same, but there is different types of of love. I would say it's weird for us because it's not that, because we got him at two weeks old, but he's, oh yeah, we forget that he's adopted the youngest.

Speaker 4 13:14

I mean, he just is, he's just yours, he's not that because we got him at two weeks old, but he's we forget that he's adopted I mean he just is, he's just yours, he's just ours. Yeah, we don't have any different language, so we've walked with him, though, through that journey and his story, and so he has questions. We will answer appropriately, but we're never like not talking about it or we'll tell you when you get older.

Speaker 4 13:32

Nothing like that, it's like if he has a question, we'll, we'll tell him and so but I I do. I would say, for people who are fostering and they're bringing kids into their home, that is very tough and that's a tough conversation and some we've seen it go well and the kids are, you know the bio kids are like they're, they're good to go, they can adapt to the changing situation. Yeah, you, I think, have a very strong foundation for your family. If your marriage is kind of iffy and your kid's parenting is kind of like don't foster, don't bring, don't do that because it will exaggerate the stress that's already in your life.

Speaker 1 14:08

Yeah, and so that's good advice. That is good advice. So make sure everything is pretty solid, because yeah it. So make sure everything is pretty solid because yeah, it doesn't have to be perfect but you definitely need to know, like with alex and I, it's like we are.

Speaker 4 14:19

We are a team. Yeah right, you and I are a team because, clark, we love him to death. He's, he's the older one, he, but you know, he came from trauma, he came from hard places and and so he, he didn't know, and he tested us a lot, and so we had to be very stable and secure while raising babies, a teenager and babies, yeah, to be that united front problem.

Speaker 1 14:42

Well, I think it speaks volumes that he has his own family now.

Speaker 4 14:45

Oh, he's doing great, yeah statistically, he should not be where he is and he knows that we.

Speaker 4 14:50

I mean, if anything, what we did we? We brought him in as, like, we are not your mom and dad, we don't want to replace any part of your story, we just want to help give you a launching pad, like that was it. We're like we're going to give you a place that you can go out into the world. I mean, he tested that and he pushed back and all the things, but he got his high school diploma. It was a win. That was probably more on Alex, because she fought for that. She made sure he got that and then, yeah, he's married his high school sweetheart and they're doing.

Speaker 1 15:50

I mean, they started I love that so cute. It is cute Sometimes when you know he's got a great job, she's great.

Speaker 4 15:58

We love her to death too. And now they're a little guy, he's just amazing, he's so cute, he's two, two now, and he's, he's just. I mean, they're great parents and so, anyway, yeah, that's awesome, we'll see.

Lord of the Rings Birthday Party

Speaker 1 16:11

I mean my kids always like we want, we want a brother now and I'm like, well, the only way that's happening is if we adopt one.

Speaker 3 16:19

Yeah so it's definitely on our heart. We've talked about adoption a lot yeah over the years and something, and we still like. There's often times where we you know, where we say our family's not complete so yeah and that and that definitely feels real to us all yeah most days, if anything, and then we make jokes about how our delia is really more of a middle child than a she was meant to be a middle she ever hears this, one day she's gonna be like this is why I'm on therapy in therapy mom there's a lot of reasons.

Speaker 3 16:51

Oh my gosh yeah, therapy is fine. I do therapy. We should all be doing therapy honestly, uh. But yeah, we make jokes about how she's. She's our middle child, so our family's not complete, so one day we hope to adopt at some point and you know where that leads? I don't know. Yeah, kind of exciting. We're getting closer to that point for sure, oh yeah, yeah, I was just.

Speaker 1 17:11

You did it when you had infants yeah, that is really impressive.

Speaker 3 17:15

And yeah, I mean, I don't know I wouldn't recommend that don't adopt a teenager when you have a newborn. Is that your recommendation? Yeah, but you're glad you did it. Yeah, absolutely. Oh, we wouldn't. Yeah, that was your journey these are, they're our kids.

Speaker 4 17:33

And and clark, I mean he, he introduces us as mom and dad, um, you know out. But I mean if we have a, we have more of a big brother, maybe a cool aunt situation yeah him and um, love him to death. But yeah, it is. I wouldn't, like I said, I don't want to ever turn anybody away from like you should. If you have it in your heart to do that, absolutely. I'm just saying, like, make sure your family structure is set up well, um that you can support, because I mean these kids need you.

Speaker 4 18:00

They're coming into your home looking for some stability, even fighting against your stability, and yes you need to be able to obviously be there for them in those situations. So, and also too, I want to get, I want to clarify so it's not always recommended to do like foster to adopt right and and even the foster kids, like they want you to be able to be open, to take any kid and give them a bed.

Speaker 4 18:23

You know and like I said, some stability. So in our situation, our plans were to adopt, but it wasn't necessarily like we were trying to find the one that we wanted to adopt right right, yeah, I would say fostering, especially just one figuring out trauma. Trauma is a just a whole beast of its own. So get as much counseling and therapy as you can to understand trauma, because it's hard, it's very hard, yeah, to understand like their react, people's reactions yeah I'm impressed that you guys talked about this on the second date.

Speaker 1 18:55

I feel like you must have both felt really comfortable already yeah, yeah that, or maybe it's just better to be straightforward when you're dating. We both, you know it was.

Speaker 4 19:04

it was yeah, it was yeah. It was strange. We both were like we're kind of done like with dating. It was like we met each other. It was great and I don't know what it was, but there was something in my, my shift and my thinking and her shift as well. We were just like here's, I don't want Like me. Like I would like this to go somewhere If you don't. Like we're not playing, and so we both. It was like we don't, we're not playing any games.

Speaker 3 19:30

So Apparently, Brian was a player before he met Alex. That's what I'm reading into this.

Speaker 1 19:35

I was like wait, did Brock tell you that?

Speaker 3 19:38

I know that's totally a Brock line. That really was. I'm sorry, Alex, Sorry.

Speaker 4 19:45

Alex. Sorry, brian, we can say this. It's been kind of a running joke, but her friend knew like we were mutually introduced. But then people in her community and then also people in my community, both were like, oh, don't date Alex. Like she kind of dates around a little bit. Like don't date Brian, he dates around a little bit. And so they were both like it came from both sides, and so we joke about it now because it's you know.

Speaker 1 20:06

So you're a perfect match?

Speaker 3 20:07

Yeah, we were, you were a perfect match, you both found each other and you're like, oh, we're done, we did, and it's funny, our former pastor.

Speaker 4 20:16

He actually joked like when we're going through premarital counseling and stuff, he was like yeah, it was kind of up in the air for you guys. He was like I would never told you that then, but now you know we would be married, it'll be 13 years this year, so we've been together for 15 years.

Speaker 1 20:31

But yeah, okay, premarital counseling. I just want to take a side note about this sidebar because I had premarital counseling at a baptist church that I grew up in and we were married in and loved the church church, the couple that did our premarital counseling I'm not sure if they were qualified.

Speaker 2 20:49

Most times they're not Because okay just let me give you an example.

Speaker 1 20:54

Yes, he said that at work every email that he sent to a female he would copy her on. So she felt comfortable and I just felt like that seems like maybe not necessary.

Speaker 3 21:10

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1 21:11

I don't know, that was a little odd. I did like when he said though that don't let your women clean the toilet. Her hands should never be in toilet. I was like that's good advice. So now we've got one bad one good, oh my gosh.

Speaker 4 21:24

And I was like Elliot.

Speaker 3 21:25

Side note you don't have to copy me on every email to another Like can you yeah, please don't To another female, and I can't imagine doing the same Like let me just CC my husband because I'm emailing a man, isn't it not like?

Speaker 4 21:38

company information. There's like all like so many like proprietary things that you should not be copying. An external email.

Speaker 1 21:46

That is bizarre. Thank you Like proprietary company information to like a Gmail account.

Speaker 4 21:52

Yeah, here's all these reports and stuff like that.

Speaker 1 21:53

So I don't want to totally disparage my premarital counseling, but there were some things that I was like definitely not doing that yeah not taking that advice. But overall I mean we're you know I'm glad you did it, yeah are you though?

Speaker 3 22:08

yes, yeah, okay, all right, just making sure yeah I would redo our premarital counseling with somebody that we knew and felt comfortable with, because I think that we could have worked through some things before we got married. I mean, it wasn't like there was anything really bad, but there were just some things.

Speaker 1 22:23

Was yours optional, because ours was mandatory.

Speaker 3 22:25

No, it was mandatory, so, jeff and I have what's called a covenant marriage in the state of Arkansas. So it was like this whole bill that was. I don't really remember how it got passed, but the center for relationship enrichment kind of got this thing where, so like if we were to decide to get divorced, like we would have to go through counseling to and we would have to be separated for like two years. It's like a whole thing.

Speaker 4 22:49

It's a whole thing. I didn't even know that.

Speaker 3 22:51

So anyway, so the premarital counseling was required as a part of that, but we didn't do no, I didn't, I didn't hate it. It was just not somebody that we knew very well, and so I think, if I when I say would redo, I'd would have. I would have tried to find somebody that either we knew really well or that we felt really comfortable with talking about some of those hard things.

Speaker 1 23:14

I would be a good. I would be good at that. I think, I will be real with these people. I will be real.

Speaker 3 23:20

I would be a great we could do this together for people. You're getting married. Come talk to the two, danielle. This is how I could give back. You're so off topic. Let's get back to Brian's story?

Speaker 1 23:31

No, we're not. Let's get back to Brian's story. No, you know what? I think you'd be good at it too.

Speaker 4 23:35

I support this.

Speaker 1 23:35

Yeah.

Speaker 3 23:36

Absolutely. We have a podcast about premarital counseling.

Speaker 1 23:41

Well, maybe. Nah, that's a great idea actually. Anyhow, back to you, Brian. Sorry, I'll comment on this I agree.

Speaker 4 23:50

I think you should, if it's required by your pastor or somebody like that, like absolutely go through that, get all the counseling, get all the therapy. But also go through with somebody you trust, like we had another couple friend that were older than us and gave us some great advice, but it was more just hang out like hey, we're gonna intentionally be around each other and just help us learn how to be married and whatnot, but also hire professionals, you know like not just, not, just, not just not between emails well, I'm sorry, I was not mean that no, no, you guys are in the fun, we're not professionals I'm not offended.

Speaker 4 24:21

I'm not offended either. Sign.

Speaker 1 24:23

This document says we don't know how it's gonna turn out, but we're doing okay right I mean I don't. I think can it just be years of marriage is your qualification oh my god okay, so I want to talk about your 40th birthday, which I'm actually really sad that I missed right oh because it was lord of the rings themed emo lord of the rings, your husband was yeah, he was.

Speaker 3 24:53

He was emoe gandalf yeah, what was his name? What did brock?

Speaker 1 24:57

name him again randolph randolph the emoe, gandalf's emoe brother someone else our age that loves lord of the rings as much as I do, because danielle and I did like a writers panel at the high school and they were talking about, like what you know, literature you liked and I was almost like too embarrassed to say that, like I was really into the Hobbit and because I was and still am, like I love all that I graduated to, like George RR Martin as I got older a little more like they're all all good.

Speaker 4 25:32

It's all good. I wore my hat today.

Speaker 1 25:34

I know right and I quote it all the time, Like I was telling my dog last night you shall not pass. And she was trying to jump on my bed, oh my gosh. But I'm sad that I missed it because everything was like Lord of the Rings themed Brock DJ'd it.

Speaker 4 25:52

He did. Man Brock, can you get on the mic? Is that possible, dude? I will say it was epic. It was way more than I even dreamed of, and Brock brought the heat.

Speaker 2 26:03

Man, I would say it was a birthday party.

Speaker 4 26:08

Brock does these all the time he's like. Eh, it's fine.

Speaker 2 26:11

It was good. It was good.

Space Camp Dreams and Hobbies

Speaker 4 26:13

Yeah Well, I told him I was like I want a mix of emo and Lord of the Rings. And then you had this like soundtrack set up. It was like very Lord of the Rings music and then you would transition into.

Speaker 2 26:22

It was the themes to Lord of the Rings because it was a Lord Did you ever find the ring.

Speaker 4 26:29

Oh no, we didn't.

Speaker 1 26:30

No, we destroyed it, it was like the king cake, but you're trying to find the ring in the cake.

Speaker 4 26:35

Somebody swallowed it in one of those cookies. I think Probably probably.

Speaker 3 26:39

Oh my God. I think my favorite part was that Brian's wife Alex. She had temporary tattoos made of Brian's face.

Speaker 4 26:46

Yeah, that was a surprise to me.

Speaker 3 26:53

We had people with my face on their neck. Oh my God, that's awesome.

Speaker 1 26:55

I put one on my arm.

Speaker 2 26:56

I think Jeff put one on his shoulder.

Speaker 3 26:58

I forget where he put it.

Speaker 4 26:59

I don't remember.

Speaker 1 27:00

It was a great theme.

Speaker 3 27:01

It was a great theme it was so good yeah, it was really fun.

Speaker 1 27:04

Speaking of the studio.

Speaker 4 27:04

we had the studio space, so we actually transformed the whole thing into the Shire Lots of green. We had some amazing friends that had all kinds of artwork and different things. You guys brought the photo booth. It was legit.

Speaker 1 27:20

Hobbits are your favorite.

Speaker 4 27:22

Hobbits? No, not necessarily, the elves are just super big. That's my favorite Elves, for sure.

Speaker 1 27:32

I had a big crush when the movies came out not necessarily orlando bloom, just the elf just, the elf just I like the elf culture. Yeah no, I always like if I had to live in like middle earth. I would have wanted to be an elf I agree, because they're immortal.

Speaker 3 27:49

Yeah, obviously, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1 27:51

So anyway, that's total. So emo too. I know I've had so much coffee today.

Speaker 3 27:59

If somebody's still listening to this episode. Bravo, bravo to them.

Speaker 4 28:03

You're going to be like they're like chasing.

Speaker 3 28:06

What are they chasing today?

Speaker 1 28:07

You know what We'll get there? I love it, though. We will get there.

Speaker 4 28:10

Okay.

Speaker 1 28:10

So you turned 40. You know what We'll get there.

Speaker 4 28:12

I love it, though we won't get there. Okay, so you turned 40. I did Thank you, and I'm on my way there this year. No, no.

Speaker 1 28:18

Yes, so we're both millennials, elder millennials, yes. So what are some hobbies that you're getting into as an elder millennial?

Speaker 4 28:25

Oh, hobbies, I'm getting back into mountain biking. I feel like I'm is that safe, though? No, no I have a friend that broke his collarbone the other day, so it's just not, it's not safe.

Speaker 1 28:37

I have so many friends with metal collarbones yeah yeah, from mountain biking wow

Speaker 4 28:43

yeah, hobbies, I don't have that many, I mean space. Oh yeah, well, I mean you talk about hobbies, I mean lord of the Rings has become an obsession for me. Space has always been so when we relaunched Go Rogue, a friend of mine did the branding and he put the Red Bull guy that did the stratosphere the big jump that he did the highest jump and I was like, oh, I love astronauts, Always has as a kid, that was my big thing.

Speaker 4 29:11

I was like, oh, I love astronauts, Always has as a kid, that was my big thing. And so for a Christmas present several years ago, my family sent me to space camp adult space camp. I love it. It was pretty awesome.

Speaker 1 29:23

I have a question that you may not want to answer because it's a very hot topic right now. Yeah, oh, gosh, okay. So let's say you went to kind of outer space For like 10 minutes or something 11 minutes.

Speaker 4 29:35

Oh, 11. You come back and kiss the ground.

Speaker 1 29:37

Would you call yourself an astronaut?

Speaker 4 29:40

Oh, interesting.

Speaker 1 29:41

If you trained for two days and paid $28 million to go to the very beginning of outer space?

Speaker 4 29:49

Personally, I don't think so, because I've seen a lot of what those astronauts go through and it is right, crazy, crazy it is, and he has gone to space camp.

Speaker 3 29:59

I have been to space camp, so you've actually done more training.

Speaker 2 30:02

You've done a lot more training than like gail king or well, here's the deal.

Speaker 4 30:07

they take the other. I mean, this is not the first time people have gone to that level and gone to weightlessness, and those people do not consider themselves astronauts either. Didn't OK? Go do their music video in a weightless, close to zero gravity type situation? So anyway, yeah, no, I would not. I would not call yourself an astronaut.

Speaker 1 30:25

I think it's cool, it's super cool, I would love to have $28 million to do that.

Speaker 3 30:30

Now, all I'm thinking about is that music video by OK Go.

Speaker 2 30:33

That was such a good music video. It was so good.

Speaker 3 30:36

And the behind the scenes is really awesome. You should watch it.

Speaker 4 30:39

You would like it. So no, I would not consider no.

Speaker 1 30:43

But if you had $28 million, would you do that. Oh, absolutely, yeah, same Heartbeat.

Speaker 4 30:47

Yeah, no, I don't have any problem. No, I would do that in a second. Actually, funny enough. So my kids, the two youngest, we talked about them. They think I went through training to be an astronaut, like for a while there. They were like well, when are you going to space? Like when is this happening? Why don't you just go Brian.

Speaker 1 31:04

I mean, that's what they're all thinking. Just go to space.

Speaker 3 31:06

Go rogue, why not Exactly?

Speaker 4 31:08

So it's funny because I showed the boys Apollo 13 the other night. So I have a picture of the Apollo 13 movie poster in my office that a friend of mine actually designed, justin Froning. Big shout out to House Bear. And it's funny because they've seen that and we watched the movie and our middle guy he was like, hey, dad, was it your dream to go to space? And I said, yeah, that would have been awesome. He's like, well, I don't think you should give up on your dream. And I was like, oh, thanks, buddy.

Speaker 4 31:37

And I texted that to Alex because she wasn't home that night and she was like absolutely not. I said well, mom, you know. He said why did you choose not to? Why did you give up? I want to be here with you. And he's like I've got two parents, it's fine. It was like if you die in space, it's fine. We got mom. I was like this went from like a super, like follow your dreams, dad.

Speaker 1 32:00

To like after you die it's fine. You'll be like an interstellar, like no, no.

Speaker 4 32:06

Knocking books off the shelf.

Speaker 3 32:08

Oh my gosh, it's one of my favorite movies.

Speaker 4 32:10

Oh it's so good, the darndest thing. It makes zero sense. It is, but it's so good it does make zero sense okay.

Speaker 1 32:16

So Space, I love that good music taste. Apparently I'm also emo. Yes, emo, lord of the Rings, there's a little we're a subgroup, we can jive absolutely yeah, outer space.

Speaker 3 32:28

You're a Gen.

Speaker 4 32:28

X, though right what I.

Speaker 2 32:29

You're a Gen X, though, right, mm-hmm what?

Speaker 4 32:30

I mean, you're an early, barely a Gen Xer, yeah.

Speaker 3 32:36

Barely, you mean a very late Gen Xer. Yeah yeah, Opposite Brian.

Speaker 1 32:41

Is it?

Speaker 3 32:41

Yeah, I'm like a very I am born during that time that everyone talks about that cusp between Gen X and millennial and everyone's like we should be our own. We really should, because there are things with Gen X that I relate to, but I probably relate more to millennial than anything. But yes, you're right, I am over 40, but that's fine, barely. Barely, barely If that were true, that would be awesome. Talk about my age.

Speaker 1 33:12

Let's get back more into your business. What you do. Tell us exactly your full service studio. What does that mean? What all do you do?

Speaker 4 33:21

Yeah, so the sales pitch line is that for most businesses it's hard to create consistent video content. Video marketing can be overwhelming right, and so we help you do that the right way by making it very simple. We have a process that's just very repeatable. That way you can stand out in your industry and kind of become a thought leader by using video.

Go Rogue Studio Services

Speaker 1 33:42

So video podcasting where do you see it? Because I feel like there's a lot of audio Video is starting to take off.

Speaker 4 33:50

Do you?

Speaker 1 33:50

kind of see that as the future of podcasting.

Speaker 4 33:53

I think it's just another way to consume that content. So I watch some video podcasts. I listen to audio as well. It just depends on where I'm at. I think having the option is always good, but there are a lot of purists out there that would say video is terrible and you should not. That's not a true podcast and it's not really. You know, it becomes more of a show yeah than an actual true podcast.

Speaker 4 34:17

So back in the day it was funny because I we started video, so we've only done video. And so way back when it was not the thing to do video, we did it as a marketing thing because it was like, hey, we can repurpose this, we can promote the show. That was before all of that became an actual thing that people do and so what is that? A very hipster. And we were doing it before. It was cool yes you need to know.

Speaker 4 34:38

But actually we had several people in the industry because I go to these conferences that were just like don't do video, it's terrible. Like because people weren't doing it right, and then calling it a podcast and so get the audio figured out first, then add. Add the video just as like a way to help people consume your content in other ways, because some will read a transcript, some people will read the blog post, some will listen to the audio, some will see the video, some will just watch your social clips yeah, I feel like they know you, and that's okay too.

Speaker 3 35:04

It's it's just making that connection with an audience yeah, I think that's so point, so important to point out that getting the audio right is the key, the first step. And I think that there's so many people out there that seem afraid, or come across as they're too afraid to try podcasting because of the video element, you know, because it's becoming such a big thing, and well, I can't do a podcast because I don't have the capabilities of doing a video, and it's like that's fine, just do one thing really well, and then, if you can add the video on top of that later down the road, do it. That way. It's really interesting, I think, what's funny about it. This is so terrible what I'm about to say Should you

Speaker 2 35:50

say it yeah, I'm going to.

Speaker 3 35:52

I'm totally going to. But I mean back when radio was just such a big place to market and a lot of you know you'd listen to the radio and you'd like love the radio talk show host or the radio host for your favorite you know station. You were listening to music. You didn't ever see them and it was always a joke. And so when I did like video production, our video like production studio when I was in college was next door to the radio and it was always the joke of like the radio guys had a face for radio and it was because they weren't good.

Speaker 3 36:27

Looking is like the whole like stereotype of like you have a face for radio. Somebody actually recently said that to me.

Speaker 4 36:36

Oh, that's terrible yeah.

Speaker 3 36:43

Wow, I was like brutal.

Speaker 3 36:47

thank you, thank you I don't know what to do with that information but that's okay because we can counter it with the high school student who, when we went and spoke to bentonville west high school students, I had a high school student I think I've told everyone this story now and she tells me she goes. I just really love your vibe. She's like I love how you talk and you just have this great personality and I was like thank you, 15-year-old. I feel so. Seen right now. Anyway, but getting back to I think that there are some people that probably shouldn't do video podcasting.

Speaker 4 37:27

I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

Speaker 2 37:28

I think it's true.

Speaker 3 37:29

But anyway, but it is the direction that it's going, but I think I feel bad for some people because of how we are, just how we are programmed in our society to look at people a certain way, and you hear someone's voice and then you see them on video and you're like oh, like they don't match what I thought okay, you know, there's a term for this and it's my favorite, one of my favorite groups death cab for cutie.

Speaker 1 37:51

My kids asked me what a death cab, being death cabbed is and I was like, well, it's when you hear something and then when, like, okay, like I'll use. For example, they were listening to Ed Sheeran and then when they saw him, they got death because they thought that he from hearing him, they had this whole image of what he was going to be in their head and he looks nothing like that. I'm not saying good or bad, I'm just saying that they thought from his voice and so, yeah, they got death cap.

Speaker 4 38:22

I didn't know that was a term. I didn't know that was a thing.

Speaker 1 38:24

I didn't, until I went way too deep into the band that I like.

Speaker 4 38:30

What does this mean?

Speaker 1 38:31

Anyway, I know we have to wrap, so, okay, I know you host meetups and things like that for creators. How often do you do that?

Speaker 4 38:39

Well, it was every month, and then that just burned me out. I became an event promoter and that's not what I wanted to do. So I wanted to connect people and bring people together, so we went back to quarterly, so we'll actually be having it next month.

Speaker 3 38:51

Awesome.

Speaker 4 38:51

And so every quarter we're going to just it's open up, it's just there's no agenda, literally just bringing creators together. Or even if you feel like, hey, I want to get into this creator business, what does that look like? We just have it open to anybody and everybody. It's more networking than anything. So you're not coming to hear somebody give a presentation or hear somebody speak or anything, and so we've gotten some great feedback and so, yeah, we've not done it this year and so it's been one of those a little bit slower to get out, but we've had enough people say you should bring it back, which is really encouraging.

Speaker 1 39:24

Yeah, you've done a lot of stuff. Didn't you do something with Startup Junkie too?

Future Plans and Creator Meetups

Speaker 4 39:29

Yeah, we've done quite a bit with them. They do amazing events, especially Northwest Arkansas, If you can follow their updates. They have amazing happy hour and networking meetups and panels and all kinds of things.

Speaker 1 39:45

Awesome, great. What's on your agenda this year? What is Go Rogue doing? What are you guys looking forward to? Yeah?

Speaker 4 39:54

So we just changed up our positioning, marketing all that, launched a new website as well, and so the focus it's kind of crazy. Most of our clientele are, like we call it like founder led marketing. So it's getting in front of the camera like the person that owns a company, a C-suite book author, coach, somebody like that. So video podcasting is a part of that. But we also do thought leadership type content. So if you're just looking to boost your LinkedIn content strategy, we can help you with that. We also do like masterclass. So if you're doing an online course, we can film that in our studio and then just brand films and anything related with somebody being in front of a camera.

Speaker 4 40:34

So we do some animation on the side or just more motion graphic type stuff. But we're not creating animated explainer videos and we're not doing a you know massive TV commercial Like I have a lot of friends who are in the industry that I can actually refer to that do that stuff really well. And so we've doubled down on what we're good at, which is video podcasting, thought leadership, putting somebody in front of a camera to help educate and make more of an impact with their content. So I always joke, I'm like we don't want to work with somebody who's buying their second Lamborghini. You know we're like you're not really in that spot. We want to get behind somebody who's trying to make a difference.

Speaker 4 41:09

And so I have this weird thing. I actually realized this this last week and I'm like I get so bought into our client's vision that I just think of I'm like, oh, I want to help you, I want to do everything I can to like help you get your content, your message out there, whatever it is, because we've got some great clients. But I'm like it's not even an industry. I'm in like a construction industry and I'm like I know nothing about construction, but I'm like you're trying to do good in this industry. How can I help you?

Speaker 1 41:32

And so I would say that's true, based on our experience.

Speaker 3 41:34

Yeah, yeah, too, in that you buy into your clients, it helps them make someone to come back and work with you.

Speaker 1 41:44

So tell our listeners where they can find you, your handles, your website.

Speaker 4 41:48

Yeah, well, I'm back on Instagram.

Speaker 1 41:50

All right, he's back. Gave it up for Lent. Gave it up for Lent, yep.

Speaker 4 41:53

It was a flood last night. It's so funny. A couple of my friends I was going through reels and all again I had a bunch of people send me stuff like while I was out too. So I was just like it was bad. I was like it's like the diet coke yeah just consuming, so I drank it yeah, last night, oh yeah. So hey, brian, hey, which is it's kind of like your, what is it? Your junior high email address?

Speaker 3 42:16

it's just like do you still have a yahoo account?

Speaker 4 42:19

oh, absolutely, I had a juno account oh my, anybody know what juno was?

Speaker 1 42:25

no, but bring my space back. Anyway, go ahead.

Speaker 4 42:27

Hey, brian, hey, hey, I feel like now we can pin people on our text and so that's like my top eight. Now, like my space, like oh, what's this person doing?

Speaker 1 42:36

yeah, or ranking friends ranking friends exactly.

Speaker 4 42:39

Hey, brian. Hey on instagram. Go rogue studio. We're on instagram as well. You can kind of see some of our work there. Go rogue studiocom that's where our website, so give us some feedback to you on the new it's version one ish. So we're trying to make sure we connect with that specific audience yeah, yeah, thanks for coming on, I know we thank you, digress, but you know what?

Speaker 3 43:01

no, I want to get to know Brian.

Speaker 1 43:02

This is like every conversation with him, though we start talking and we can't stop, because I love when Brian gets into the emo music Lord of the Rings or Stargazing, because I'm like, yeah, those are my yes you're like, you're my people thanks for hanging out with us, danielle.

Speaker 4 43:18

Oh, you're welcome. Happy to be here.

Speaker 3 43:22

Happy to represent a different generation. It's all good.

Speaker 1 43:26

All right, thank you, brian. Thank you, hey. Thanks so much for listening today. If you liked what you heard, please consider subscribing to the podcast so you never miss an episode. You can also follow us on Instagram at People of NWA. Thanks so much.

Speaker 2 43:38

People of Northwest Arkansas with the two Daniels Produced by me, brock Short of Brock Entertainment. Please rate, review and like us on any podcast platform where you listen. For more information about today's guests and the show, please check the show notes. Thanks for listening.