Sep 20
Business Lessons from a Producer & Rock Star Media Trainer
Note: transcription provided by Otter.AI, which is a technology company that develops speech-to text transcription and translation applications using artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Christopher H. Loo, MD-PhD: Welcome, everybody to this week’s podcast episode for the Financial Freedom for Physicians Podcast. And I’m your host, Dr. Christopher Loo. And we talk about four different types of freedom: financial, time, emotional and location freedom. And my mission is to empower you with information, knowledge, education, resources to inspire you, to help you on your journey in finding freedom. So in that mission, I bring on guests who used to be physicians and doctors, dentists, lawyers, and now I’m bringing in entrepreneurs, business owners, media producers, to show you what’s possible out there. So today we have a guest. His name is G Wright. That’s how he goes. His name is Gregory. And he’s actually in the media, and the entertainment industry. So today, he’s going to talk all about the media, developing a crystal message, speaking. So we’ll without further ado, G, Welcome.
G Wright: Thank you, Chris. Thanks for having me. I’m really excited to be here.
Christopher H. Loo, MD-PhD: Yeah, I know, you have a very interesting background, which is why you brought you on the show. Because I think a lot of people these days, they need more education and information on how to brand themselves, how to develop a better message, how to develop a good product market fit with their message and connect with their audience. So that’s why I brought you on. So tell us a little bit about you, your story, and then we’ll go from there.
G Wright: Well, yeah, thanks. Well, I’m G Wright. I’m a producer and rockstar media trainer for All Things Relaxed Studios. And to give you some background, I was a tour manager and live sound engineer for over 25 years. I was very fortunate to be able to travel the planet and work with some amazing artists and bands and lead singers. And everywhere we went and did shows we did a ton of media, a ton of TV and a ton of radio. So I saw firsthand what it takes to make or break an interview. And that’s why I’m here speaking to you today as a rockstar media trainer.
Christopher H. Loo, MD-PhD: Yeah. Especially as a podcaster, blogger, YouTubers, Instagram, Tik Tok, all of these, these are all great distribution channels. And now, regular people, you don’t need to be on Bloomberg or anything you can create. And that’s, that’s the power of it. And that’s how we empower people to take control of their destinies.
So and so let’s get started. I know you, you are in the entertainment media business, which is a very big business, and you can actually develop a lot of influence through those channels. So we’ll talk about, first the message: how to create a crystal clear message?
G Wright: Well, I think as entrepreneurs, we can be a little too close to our product, right? And we may see it in a certain way, right? And the people that we’re sharing our information or message with may see it differently. So the very first thing we do when people start working with us and with Rockstar is, we start with the mindset. And we start with the why. So think back to why you do what you do. And then you know and build a foundation from there. And one of the first things we do is we start with a SWOT analysis. And the USP and what makes you unique.
And, to put it in a band analogy, we think of building your message like building a band mix for sound, right. The first thing you do when you’re starting with a band, is you start with the bass and the drums, you build a foundation, this is the part of the music that’s going to make the audience move. This is the groove. You create a pocket for the lead singer and a vocalist but you start with the bass guitar, and the bass guitar when you’re talking about your message is your why, why you do what you do.
And then from there, you can just build more layers of what makes you unique. How are you different? Why should people work with you? Why should people buy your book or sign up for your coaching or invest with you? Why? So, we really start with the mindset first. Because before you get into any marketing or publicity, you really have to get to the roots. I love your four pillars of freedom. I just love how financial and time, location and emotional; that in itself is just so powerful, because it’s really where it starts. You know what I mean?
Christopher H. Loo, MD-PhD: Yeah, so well said, and thank you. The one thing that I’ve really noticed is that it’s like whether you’re a rock star, or whether you’re a doctor, lawyer, it’s all your personal brand and message. And it’s how you use all of these tools to connect with your audience. And in business, they call it product market fit. And in other places, they call it connecting with your audience. Especially for music and entertainment media that’s your specialty. What are some of the ways that influencers can connect with their audience?
G Wright: It may be a little controversial. Chris, I apologize in advance. I’m not a big fan of following trends. I’m not a big fan of if everyone is doing this, just do it and fit in with everybody. I really like business owners and entrepreneurs like Richard Branson, and Elon Musk, and people that stand out, people that try something that everyone else isn’t doing. And because they’re so authentic to who they are, and they just have this great story. And whether they try it and fail, it doesn’t matter. That’s a learning experience and keep going. So I would say for a lot of influencers, I think it’s easy to get caught up in vanity metrics, I think it’s easy to get caught up in doing what is popular at the time. But I really feel that to connect with your audience, it’s really about you being your authentic self. And being confident with who you are, what you do, why you do it, how you’re different, the top five as we refer to it in rockstar. And it all starts with really knowing what makes you different from everybody else. And, that message should come through, regardless of what media you’re using, or what platform.
Christopher H. Loo, MD-PhD: I like that. Authenticity. And I know you speak a lot about or you work with a lot of and you teach people to speak with confidence and clarity. Tell us more about that.
G Wright: I’ve worked in the music business for over 25 years. And now when I look back at it, it’s very exciting. But when you’re in the middle of it, it’s just a day to day, right? It’s just okay, we did a show, we’re moving on, we’re doing another show. And because when you’re talking in present tense, like, this is what you do. And this is who you are. And this is why you created your business and things, and you have that authenticity, people are going to relate to that. People are going to resonate with that. So we have to get out of the [past tense], if you work with me, if you think. Even if you’re going to a job interview, if you hire me, if you decide to work with me, we need to take away that and go right into the present.
When you work with me, this is what we will do. We will do this together, you are not alone. So if you really dive into what your why is. And like I said with the bass guitar, and then you build on it, and build and build and build, the authenticity is going to come through. And we show you how to do that without using a script. Because when you’re using a script and you’re reading and you haven’t or memorize lines and things, but like you and I were just talking, we’re just having a conversation. And really that’s all media is, is that’s all marketing and publicity is you’re having a conversation with that one person. And you connect with that one person.
Christopher H. Loo, MD-PhD: I like that. And I love just podcasts because it’s just very, it’s almost like a fireside chat discussion and spirit.
G Wright: Yeah, this is great.
Christopher H. Loo, MD-PhD: I know a lot of listeners are listening to this and they’re like, Okay, I’ve got my message, developing a crystal clear message. Speaking with confidence, clarity. Having a unique identity. What are some of the techniques that your favorite singers use that people listening can apply in their everyday lives? Either if they’re speakers or influencers and or others?
G Wright: That’s a great question, Chris. And here’s one thing that I noticed, regardless of what type of genre it was, they all have a routine, they all have a way they warm up before they perform. They never walked out on stage and grabbed a mic and just started singing without knowing the songs, knowing the emotion that they wanted to create with the audience. It’s the same thing when you’re public speaking. If you think of your voice as an instrument, and a lot of people may relate to it as well, singers have to warm up their voice, because they’re going to be singing for an hour and a half, right? But every time you’re talking, this is your instrument. So there’s different vocal techniques and vocal warm ups and there’s breathing exercises, and the tea and honey and all those things. But you have to come up with a system that works best for you.
We at Rockstar have a warm up phrase. I think every time I worked in radio, I started in radio when I was 16, and I was gonna go down that path. And every radio DJ I’ve ever worked with, has a warm up routine. So it could be something as simple as, my warm up phrases with everything going on in the world today. And by saying that and repeating it and hearing it in the headphones, it’s it’s equivalent to doing check one, two, check one two, like we do, like we did on the road, but you want to get your voice ready to perform, then you want to really be crystal clear on what your message is. And one of the keys to this is what we use is called the setlist. And the setlist is similar to what artists use when they perform. There’s a piece of paper that has the songs in the order that they’re going to perform. But in this case, we equate everything I bring the rock and roll side to the rock star, right.
If you think of your stories as songs, and if you think of your songs as being stories that are shared, right, like an artist writes a song, think of your favorite artist, and how that story touched you. Right? It’s like wow, it brings me back 20 years ago when I was in high school or college or whatever, right? That’s the power of the story. So, if you create your setlist, and the setlist is not the order of what you’re going to say. But it’s its stories that relate to what your overall messages are, your overall marketing message, right? And then you just put those on a list like I have my setlist here. That’s literally just like a couple words or phrases.
I don’t have to memorize or read a script when I’m telling a story. I just see like, okay, the Aretha story, so I could share the Aretha story with you. And when you’re public speaking, you don’t have to let that fear and all that self doubt go away. You’re not going to screw it up. If you’re being yourself, and you’re going out there and you’re talking, they’re gonna feel it. I’ll tell you what the real story is, since I mentioned it, but out of all the artists I work with, she was one of the few that contacted me directly. And at first I thought it was a prank. I thought my friends were playing a joke on me. I’m like, why would she contact me. Because Chris, you know, a business manager, an agent, record label, somebody will contact you on behalf of the artist. But very rarely will the artist call. And she called me, and I called back and I left a message and then she called back and I was like, okay. She hired me personally on the phone, she’s like, you come highly recommended. And I’d like to hire you to do this New Year’s Eve gig and I’ll fly you up here and pay you and all this stuff. And I’m like, oh my god, this is like, a dream come true.
Because out of all the artists I’ve worked with, she had one of the best stories, right but she had an incredible voice. And the warm up that she went through to get that voice where it was. That’s what we’re talking about. You can speak with confidence and clarity and have that crystal clear message, and really connect with your audience when you take that approach that every time you perform it’s like a show. The skills, the warm up techniques and vocal dynamics, tempo cadence, all of that we go through in Rockstar.
Christopher H. Loo, MD-PhD: Yeah, I like that because it’s sort of like a routine, and then you get into your flow and get into your state and everything. It’s a very creative way of producing.
Now let’s see, you talk a lot about your program and your training program. So how does someone promote their book, product, coaching service, from your standpoint?
G Wright: You have to strip away everything and get to the root. Why did you write your book? Why did you start your business? And then like I said, the first thing we do is start with a SWOT analysis, a deep dive SWOT analysis, and really look at what are the strengths? What are your weaknesses? And we found this with clients that a lot of times they’ll come in, and one of their weaknesses might be that, oh, I have so many projects going on, and I can’t keep track of them all. And we look at it as, that’s a really good strength, you have a lot of creative ideas. Now, how can we shape this and make it so it’s authentic?
It’s your story, we’re not telling you what to say, or pretend to be somebody you’re not. But how can you incorporate all five of those things into your story? You’re an author, you’re a coach. You’re a storyteller. That’s the key. So let’s focus on being a storyteller. And what story do you want to share? If you’re an author, and I know you are an author, and you have these great books, and congratulations on all that, but you don’t just sit down and write a book in a day. It takes a lot of time and experience, and things you’re going through to that point. And I think if the audience really feels this, this isn’t just a book you can read, it’s gonna change your life. This is like my story.
And like I said earlier, you’re not alone. You don’t have to do this on your own. There’s a mountain to climb, and instead of climbing it by yourself, I’ll show you how. I’ll help you climb the mountain. You’re in good hands, right? If you have that type of message, you build upon it. And then you incorporate that into all your marketing, all your publicity, you’re working with your publicist, the type of media you want to go after has to support your message. You’re working with a marketing team and buying ads and paying for play. All that has to support what your overall message is. And if that’s authentic and congruent to who you are, then you’re going to be successful.
Christopher H. Loo, MD-PhD: Yeah. What do producers look for when booking guests?
G Wright: So, I’m the producer of All Things Relaxed with Sandi D. Sandi D is my partner and co-founder of All Things Relaxed Studios. And it’s funny because she’s an introvert Virgo, and I’m an extrovert Gemini, right? She’s an introvert, and she was terrified of public speaking, until we started working together. And she’s my partner and my life partner. And she’s just great. And so, I look for somebody that it doesn’t matter if you know exactly why you’re doing your show, but you’ve got to have that drive.
You’ve got to have that drive to: I’m going to go out and present a show or as a guest, I’m starting out, and I want to work with professionals. So the first thing I look for is a one sheet. If someone has a one sheet, they go to the top of the pile and I look at their website. I look at the we talk about this in Rockstar, the nest, right, the nest and the eggs and everything, I go into that in training videos. But I look at their nest and see what their website looks like, see what their social media looks like. And is it congruent to who they are? Does the one sheet match up with everything? And it’s like, is this a guest that’s going to add value to our show? I think that’s the key, if you’re being a guest is, how are you going to add value to the show? And I appreciate you inviting me here. I really do. This is so great. And as a host, how can I get guests that are going to add value to my show? And it all starts with the message. And that’s what we cover in Rockstar.
Christopher H. Loo, MD-PhD: Nice. Nice. I know we’re coming on time here. Any tips, you mentioned working with publicists and the media. Any thoughts or suggestions for the listeners on working with public media, in the media?
G Wright: Yes, I think that I mean, in the music business, there were two categories. People were either pro or amateur. And there’s nothing wrong with being an amateur. But pros are pros. Pros charge a lot and get paid a lot because they’re good at what they do. So if you’re an author and you are investing all this money to promote your book, work with the pros. Pay people. Never in the music business did I really ever make decisions based on budget. It was, do I want a bus that’s reliable? Do I want a driver that’s been doing this for 20 years? And I’ll pay.
So I think the first thing is, understand that this person has certain skills and an expertise that you maybe don’t. So pay them, listen to them, but go to them with as much information and as much of a story as you can and be open. Even if you’ve been doing it for a long time, you’re hiring a professional, be open to what they say. Because like I said earlier, people may see things differently than we do, because we’re too close to it.
Christopher H. Loo, MD-PhD: Yeah. Yeah. Well, I’ve really enjoyed this conversation. And you’ve added a lot of value. How do people get in touch with you, your website, contact you and maybe even look into your training program?
G Wright: Yeah, well, you can join the band. That’s what we call band members, clients that sign up and be part of the Rockstar Media Training Program over at allthingsrelaxedstudios.com and you can follow us on IG @allthingsrelaxstudios, as well.
Christopher H. Loo, MD-PhD: Nice. Well, G, it’s been great having you and we wish you the best success and look forward to having you as a future guest on the show.
G Wright: Absolutely. Thank you so much, Chris. I had a great time. Cheers.
Christopher H. Loo, MD-PhD: Many thanks again for being here. If you’re new, you can find me online at Christopher H. Loo, MD-PhD, where I have links to other episodes or links to online resources that will support you on your financial literacy journey. I’ll see you there in on next week’s show. While I bring you thoroughly vetted information on this show regarding a variety of financial topics, I cannot promise you a one size fits all solution. This is why I caution you to continue to learn. Educate yourself and seek professional advice unique to your situation. If you want to talk to me, I welcome it. Please reach out via my website or email at Chris@drchrisloomdphd.com. I read and personally respond to all of my emails. Talk soon!
Editor’s note: This transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity.
