Editing The Pen Addict 718/transcript (section)

== Transition to YouTube content creation ==


'''Brad Dowdy:''' Um, okay. So that transitions us into a little bit of, uh, your YouTube feed. And I want to talk about, um, I say feed, but it's, it's really kind of called the stationery feed. Um, all your podcasting and your interviews, uh, that you started when you, once you give me the background on how like the interview part of your YouTube began and what kind of got you started in thinking about doing that and how that's progressed.

'''Derek DeWeese:''' So for those not familiar with the YouTube world, if you want to eventually be able to take your channel to where you can make a little bit of money from doing videos, you have to have a certain amount of watch time over a year. It's like 4,000 hours. So I started the channel and I was like, okay, I can only buy so many things and make videos on it. I'm never going to get the watch time. What can I do to get enough watch time? Hmm. I see all these interviews, podcasts and whatnot. They're like hour long episodes. So say I get 30 people to listen to an hour long thing. That's 30 hours of watch time. So I did a little bit of math and I was like, okay, I've never done a podcast. I'm a techie guy. I can figure out whatever. I'm going to start a video podcast, not start with something, you know, simple. Let's go full tilt video from scratch. So that's what I did. And I just started making a list. Luckily in Nashville, uh, had connections with, you know, like gentleman stationer, Vanessa pen makers, the first season. I didn't have to venture out of the, I don't know who you are comfort zone very much. Cause either I could ask people I know or people who are one degree away. So like for Aziza, I'd never met Aziza. Nick Pasquale works with Aziza all the time. So I was like, Hey Nick, can you make an introduction? So when Aziza gets this random email, she knows it's legit. So I use that, you know, that's a big thing is you had to break out of that bubble of comfort and say, okay, I'm going to do this. You have to be willing to approach people. So that's kind of how it came to be. And you have this first season. Then I did 20 episodes and then I kind of stopped because one, I didn't plan for having, I didn't have an exit plan for a season. So I was just going. I was like, man, I don't know. Did you have a season plan for the first season? No, I was just,

'''Brad Dowdy:''' you're just going.

'''Derek DeWeese:''' I got through where I was supposed to have a 20th guest and they had to cancel due to a family emergency. Like last minute, I was like, okay, I didn't want to miss a week. You know, I was very wrapped around that. I was like, okay, I'm just going to do episode 20, summing up the season, stopping at episode 20. And then I'm going to take a little bit of a break. And that's kind of how the seasons came to be. And then now that I'm back in season two, I'm even just going back. I haven't listened to all my episodes, but I can tell I'm more comfortable doing it. It's become more natural. You kind of get that game face, so to speak. And you know, the episodes I think are better, but also I've missed a couple of weeks here. They're like, I took a couple of weeks off with the two back-to-back pin shows. I didn't want to try and do a recording and do all that. Like you, you know, we're recording this in advance because you're going on a vacation. You shouldn't have to be doing a podcast on vacation. So it's that kind of thing of like this week, I'm not going to have one because I had some other stuff going on and I'm not sweating it. It's, this is supposed to be fun, you know? So that's kind of how it came to be. And then I've just been, you know, making connections. That was one of my big goals in Atlanta. Not some, you know, find some pins, but make introductions so that when I send an email saying, Hey, can I record an episode, Kirk Spear? And he's like, Oh yeah, we've met, we've talked. We, you know, you have that familiarity. So it's much easier to then find a time when it's, you know, works for both to record an episode.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. So when you're, when you're getting the guests, what do you, are you just looking to hear people's stationery stories, share their stories, kind of dig into like, if you get a maker or you, you wanting to know like about the processes, you know, if you have like, you know, the, the typewriter author, you're trying to work about the book or you just, is there any like kind of general idea when you're going into pitching these shows to, to get people to come on, like, you know, Hey, here's what I want to do at the end in result to be.

'''Derek DeWeese:''' Yes. And no, I kind of made, you know, before I ever recorded a single episode, I wrote up an FAQ. Here's how the process works. Here's how, you know, I send a general list of questions in advance because I want, I don't want any awkwardness when recording. If there's something they don't want to talk about, I don't want to find that out in the middle of an episode. So it's just kind of a high level. And then of course, natural follow-ups come, but it's more of getting the word out, you know, people, especially for like a small maker, you know, if they're local to somewhere, someone across the country might not know that they exist. It's getting the word out and just having a platform where they can kind of tell their story or, you know, show up with doing video. You can hold up a pin or, you know, talk about new product that came in your store or an event you're going to be at. And I've been lucky that I've been able to schedule some recordings where we've gotten sneak peeks of things to come. Um, so it's just been a mixture, but it's more of letting, getting, helping the community find out about other people in the community, you know, places to go shop for other places, people to support. And then, you know, hopefully find something cool along the way. Now the downside is with interviewing all these makers and stores, I have bought something from every single guest. So it's been a great thing, but it's also, you know, it started inadvertently, but now it's kind of a thing. I'm like, okay, you know, I just got my Dave dollar pin. Cause that was one of the recent episodes. It was like, I'm going to get one of these now. Cause when you're talking to, you're learning more about these products and hearing the story, you're like, Oh, well now I kind of want one of those, you know? So it's been a fun way of kind of commemorating the episodes by having something that you can look back and go, Oh yeah, that's when I, you know, talk to Brad and I got this afterwards. Or that's when I talked to Kirk and got this.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Was the, was the concept always to be video from the jump? I mean, you also have an audio feed, which I do appreciate because I do subscribe to the audio. That's actually how I get notified that there's a new episode is through the audio feed, but was the intent always to be video? And if so, why?

'''Derek DeWeese:''' So, and I'm sure you'll appreciate this working in the it field. I wanted whatever was the easiest for the non it guest. And I use the Riverside platform. It's video, but for this, you need to see a lot of stuff. Cause one of the first people, and even though it took a few episodes before she was a guest, all of octopus, Lisa is local in my pen club. She does her streaming and swatching and it's art. And I wanted to be able to show that as an interview. And that's where video you, you're not going to, it's not going to be the same. If you're talking about ink swatching and how she's doing sketching of these colors, unless you can see it. So video was the idea from the get go, because you can always have the audio alongside. That's just part of the editing process. So the audio is kind of a happy afterthought when you put it up on Spotify and then it distributes out audio is there and that can sync to YouTube, but it was more of video because I think in this hobby, if you had an order for me, the tactile sense of being able to touch papers or pins or materials would be the first one. Seeing it is second best. And then hearing about it would be third best. That's the kind of order I think, because a lot of this, you need to put your hands on it. It's like a Daryl from D squared. Who I had, he wants his pins, go pick them up off the table, feel the pin, feel the material. That's how you can make a connection and see if it's something you're going to enjoy holding and using. And that kind of struck a chord where that makes perfect sense because you want, you need to be able to pick up the pin, be it a precise V five, be it a Newton prospect or be it a Dave dollar food day. You know, you need to see if it's going to fit your hand. First of all, because if you're going to be wanting, you know, spend your money on it, you want to be sure it's something that's going to be comfortable and not just the FOMO. Cause that's something that I think a lot of us, you see a lot in this hobby is the FOMO of, Oh, I need to get that. I need to get that. And if you want to go for it, but also, you know, sometimes the buying once or waiting until you have a chance to see it in person is going to be a better plan for the longterm.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, I agree with that. And as someone who is primarily a writer and an audio media producer, I always struggle with describing feel, right? That's like one of the things I always have to work on. Even I've been doing this so long, I still have to work on what I'm describing feel because it's not universal between pen or paper or, you know, not every product, every product is different in its own right and how it feels. And so, you know, I wouldn't change anything for the world, but I am glad I have, you know, something like a Twitch stream where I can get on and like do a little bit of show and tell. And someone can ask, Oh, well, how does this nib work? Or, you know, how do you clean a pen? And you can do some, some show and tell that like wouldn't necessarily work over audio very well, or even written. You know, I can do, I've done, you know, whole cleaning posts, written cleaning posts, but it's not the same when you can get in there and show kind of the nuts and bolts of, of doing it. So I do appreciate the video feed. Um, what's been your favorite interview besides the Brad Dowdy episode? Uh, what is your sec, I guess I should ask you, what's your second favorite episode you've ever recorded? Because the first one's me for sure.

'''Derek DeWeese:''' I think honestly, if I had to choose one, it would be the one with Richard Polt. Because he's, you know, he's an author of a book. He's a professor at Xavier. He didn't know me from anything. I reached out out of the blue and said, Hey, I'd like to interview you for this thing. And, you know, that was great. Cause I found out during the interview, Oh, he's, he had one fountain pen. He had a vanishing point. Well, now he has two because after, when I went up to Cincinnati, I gave him one of the pins I started making because that's been another happy afterthought of the podcast. I was interviewing a lot of makers. I kind of caught the bug. So that when Nick Pasquale had a lathe, he's local, he was selling it. Now I have a lathe and I'm going down that pen making journey. In addition. So it's, it's been a, anybody who's watched anything I've done or listened, I find a rabbit hole and it's all or nothing. There's no tiptoe in it's I'm going full tilt or no tilt. You know, since October I've acquired, I think 16 typewriters that are working and I have three others that are projects just because I find something I get enthusiastic and I've been told I bring people along with me. I know four or five people who have now either dug out their typewriters or bought typewriters just because it's something I'm talking about and showing, Oh, I'm doing this. And like you said, on Twitch stream, I do a YouTube stream on Thursday nights and that led to letter writing. And I have on there where people can send me their address and I'll send them letters because it forces me to use my stationery, to use my pens, my inks, my typewriters and send things out. Cause I like the interaction. That's probably, and that's where talking to Richard, it kind of led down that the people aspect is really the part I've ended up enjoying more than I ever guessed. I would, you know, the, like you said, showing something on a stream or talking about it. It's just, it's a unique medium where it's a one signing conversation, but you're able to answer questions and show things and kind of build up a little micro community within the community of the whole. Cause you see the same names popping up and then, you know, everybody knows each other or things like that. So it's just a fun way to, you know, have another outlet for people in the, in this hobby.