Helping business owners, freelancers & other self-employed creatives succeed… and have fun doing it. It can be overwhelming at times, but there’s nothing like the privilege of working for yourself – making your own rules, owning your time, and trusting your instincts to make the right decisions. With short episodes that get straight to the point, this podcast is about the common issues we face in business, along with solutions that work for other creatives like you. Aardvark Girl is a producer, project manager & business specialist with 20+ years of experience managing companies & helping people in creative industries. She helps you get a handle on the business side of things so you can focus on your talent. Let's get to work!
Episodes
Monday Dec 28, 2020
Molly Sullivan: Sports Broadcasting & Staying True to Yourself
Monday Dec 28, 2020
Monday Dec 28, 2020
Molly Sullivan had a successful career in entertainment reporting before starting over to fulfill her lifelong passion for sports. She made her way to the NBA and NFL, and is now back home on the sidelines for the Las Vegas Raiders - at the same place where she got her first internship. Talk about full circle.
In this episode, we talk about Molly's career path and how she's had to create the opportunities she wants for herself. Even when people told her she didn't have "it," she never took "no" for an answer because she believed in herself and knew she could do it. Hear how she made it happen, what she's learned, and why it's so important to stay true to yourself.
Connect with me on your favorite podcast platform: https://pods.link/aardvarkgirl
Connect with Molly @MollySullivanTV
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01:02 I was a tomboy in a dress, so sports is totally in the blood. The NBA was my first love.
02:41 I'm a firm believer in the universe and everything attached to it and somebody is always listening. I always loved telling stories.
04:47 I'm super grateful for the bad moments. At the time, I was kicking and I was screaming because I wanted to continue covering the NBA, and it just wasn't in the cards. But that was the best move of my career, and I didn't make it. I owe those people a thank you card because it led me to the NFL. It led me back home to Las Vegas where I grew up, and now my daughter can grow up in the same community that has been so tremendous to me. So it's crazy how things work.
08:09 I don't take myself seriously, clearly. I take what I do incredibly serious. My former boss said, "She may be able to write, but she's not a reporter. And she doesn't have that ‘it’ factor." It's just because I didn't love what I was reporting about.
10:03 Maybe when you're starting out, you're trying so hard to be somebody that you're not because you’ve studied things and you think that you need to be a certain way and dress a certain way. When I talk to young sports broadcasters coming up, I just say, “Listen, you got to stay true to yourself, because if you don't, this business is cruel. And if you're true to yourself, then everything kind of just always falls in place." And I'm a testament to that.
12:13 Moving back home to Las Vegas, I found a school project from the seventh grade saying that I wanted to work for Channel 8, which is where I'm working now as a sports broadcaster.
I had reached the national level for entertainment and with sports, I started at ground zero.
I call my time in Philadelphia basically an 8-year boot camp where I learned everything, I saw everything, and now I'm back home to utilize that knowledge with the Raiders.
19:22 I chopped my hair because I was bleached blonde at the time. and long extensions, and tons of makeup. I wasn't being true to myself. And I knew that at my core, I am a reporter. And certainly the rules change from a red carpet to the sideline, but I knew that I could do it. And I've always wanted to do it. That's the athlete in me. But I can't tell you how many times I was told that I just didn't have "this" or "that" or I was lacking "this" or you want to put me in a box.
23:20 I got the call from Philly and they said, "Listen, you got two days. Get over there." And then I covered the 76ers for seven years.
26:21 All you need is one person to believe in you, one person to understand what this city, what our community, is really all about. And we got that, and we showed what we can do. You think the Raiders weren't watching how the city of Las Vegas rallied behind the Golden Knights and everything, and that it's the best story, not only in sports but in life period, that we've seen in modern day? And that's what sport is all about. It's about bringing people together, and what a privilege it is for me to cover the Raiders’ inaugural season here in my hometown. It's still surreal. I still pinch myself.
33:46 I was gonna find a way to cover the Raiders in their inaugural season one way or the other. I don't take no for an answer when I know that I can get something done. And certainly in Las Vegas, I feel a great responsibility here because we are no longer an amateur sports town. We are no longer an entertainment city. We are no longer an events-only city. We are a professional sports town. And we are an NFL city. And that means something.
36:48 Maybe there's something to chasing perfection, because you know what, sometimes, you might come pretty darn close.
38:03 I wanted substance. I was craving substance. I was craving more. I could do that job in my sleep. As grateful as I was for it, it got to the point where I could just go through the motions if I wanted to. Now that's not who I am. That's not in my blood. So that's when I kind of knew it was it was time to move on. And lo and behold, I was moved on, and therein is the beauty of it. There's a lot more in life that I want to accomplish.
41:28 Stay true to yourself and fight for what you believe in. And don't let go of it. for me, it was just always important to walk into that locker room on day one and set a standard and to never let go. My daughter was my number one priority, and no one was going to get me off track of that. Like, I cannot be bothered, get out of my way, my daughter's my number one priority, and ever since continues to be my number one priority, and I will fight for her with anything. So I think just understanding your why, and understanding what matters most, and be prepared to fail. Gosh, you got to be prepared to fail. Because if you're not failing, then you know what? You're not learning.
Monday Dec 21, 2020
Make it Work
Monday Dec 21, 2020
Monday Dec 21, 2020
Connect with me through your favorite platform: https://pods.link/aardvarkgirl
Because this episode is publishing the week of Christmas, I figured I should do something festive.
Just kidding.
If you know me, you know I’m not a Christmas person at all. I wouldn’t say I’m a grinch, because I would never deny others their joy in the holiday. I’m not an outward humbug either. My grumpiness during the season is more internal. It starts with the first time I’m forced to hear Christmas music. Yeah. I’m guessing it doesn’t surprise you that I’m one of “those” people who does not get “into the Christmas spirit,” whatever that really is. Every time I walk into a store between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, I cringe and do my best to conjure up some superhuman noise blocking rays to my brain so I don’t have to hear it. But there’s no escaping it. It’s everywhere.
I think I was traumatized as a teenager when I worked at TCBY. During the holidays, we had to play Christmas music all day. The radio station played Mariah Carey at least once an hour, often twice. I worked 10-hour shifts. Hearing Mariah Carey Christmas songs 10-20 times a day is not good for anyone’s mental health. Although I know many of you love it and don’t agree, I stand by my view. Luckily I convinced the store owner to let me find my own Christmas music to play. I could handle the older albums from the Rat Pack, Elvis, and BB King. Some local Vegas artists had put out a compilation disc of rock-based covers. I made it work.
Because that’s what you have to do when you’re in a situation you don’t necessarily want to be in but can’t avoid. You make it work. It’s the same in business. Sometimes you’re stuck with a client or coworker you don’t particularly care for. Sometimes you might love most of a job, but there’s one element of it you could do without. It’s not worth turning it down, so you find a way to get over it and get it done anyway. As much as we’d like to have everything exactly as we like it all the time, it’s just not realistic.
Even as a business owner, you don’t get to control everything. If you don’t like a client, you can fire them, but you have to consider doing it in a tactful way, which is not in the middle of a project. Give them notice, fulfill your obligations, and THEN walk away. But you have to stay professional until it’s over. Well, I guess you don’t have to, but you should be prepared for the consequences if you don’t.
Sometimes you might love your client, but not another person on their team. You can’t do much about that either. You do your best to keep a positive working relationship with that person and do what you need to do. If you find that it’s impossible to do that, you can part ways. It’s a matter of deciding which you want more – to keep working with that client despite the annoying interactions, or if you need to let it go to save your sanity. If that client relationship is more important to you, you find a way to make it work with the other person. Try different communication styles or other ways to improve the working environment. Sometimes you have to do some work to make it work.
Other times you might land a project that’s right in your wheelhouse but includes one aspect you really don’t enjoy. What do you do? You have to consider if it’s worth doing that one thing or if you truly hate that one thing and know it’ll ruin the whole experience. If you can make it work, you might end up with a great client. Of course, then you might get stuck with a someone who always wants you to do something you hate. But once you’ve built that relationship, it’s easier to convince them that it’s best to let someone else handle that part.
This happened to me recently. I decided a while back that I wouldn’t take any location job. In production, that means finding locations for filming, scouting them to make sure there aren’t any potential issues, and getting all of the permits and other paperwork in order. I don’t mind that last part at all, but finding and scouting isn’t for me. I don’t enjoy driving around and trying to determine if a place has the right look and structure and all the other details that go into it. It’s something I’ve done, but it’s not my expertise. There are people who specifically do this and love it, so I prefer to let them do it.
For the last several months, however, I’ve been working on a show where locations are needed, and I’m the only local on the crew. It has been particularly challenging because of COVID. Places are closed or have limited staff, and many don’t want to deal with a film crew unless there’s a giant budget or they’re renting out the whole place for months. I’ve never heard or had to repeat “no” so many times, and I don’t like it. I always find a solution, but there are forces completely out of my control here and I’ve had to say “we don’t have that” or “no one will allow us to do that,” and that’s never what I want to say. I want people to keep coming to Vegas for their productions, but it’s not always as simple as they want it to be. Especially when it comes to shooting inside casinos, and this was pre-pandemic. It takes a lot of time and planning to get the right access, and even then, they don’t always approve.
I actually did convince them it would be better to hire a location manager, but unfortunately even that person wasn’t able to find what we needed. I suppose that made me feel a little better, that at least it wasn’t just me who couldn’t do it, but at the same time, I want them to have everything they want to make sure this season is a success. I know it’s out of my control, though, and I’m doing the best I can.
The point is, when this opportunity came my way, it seemed silly to turn it down based on one element of the job. Sure, it comes with some headaches, but it’s such a small part of it. Beyond that, I’ve gotten to spend half the year working with some great people. And I’ve added some pretty entertaining production stories to my arsenal, which is always a good thing. I haven’t loved the location part, and it definitely reminded me why I don’t take those specific jobs, but I’ve made it work. Because that’s what I have to do. Just like the other people on the show – they might not be getting everything they hoped for in Vegas, but they’re making it work.
Another way of making it work is what I talk about often – focusing on the positive. I suppose that’s the closest I can come to being festive. Yes, 2020 has been a weird year and we all know about the bad things that have been happening. But, there is always something good. Being trapped at home means I’m not exposed to that awful Christmas music all month. It means I haven’t had to drive much at all this year, which I appreciate because I don’t really like to drive. I only spent $47 on gas this entire year, and that was all before March. So that’s pretty cool. I’ve had lots of time to appreciate how cute and funny my cats are. There are so many little things to be grateful for every day. You just have to look for them. So when the things you don’t want to have to do come barreling into your life, find something good and make it work.
COVID may have canceled all of my hobbies – concerts, travel, and pilates. But it also gave me time to learn a lot of new things and figure out something else I love doing – this podcast. It took away all of the jobs I had lined up, but it gave me new ones that kept me busy while allowing me to stay home and be safe. All things considered, I can’t really complain. I made it work. Because that’s what I do, and I hope it’s what you do, too.
Happy Holidays! I can barely say that without cringing, but there it is!
Monday Dec 14, 2020
Aardvark Girl Q&A #2: Why Do a Podcast?
Monday Dec 14, 2020
Monday Dec 14, 2020
I'm back for round #2 of the Aardvark Girl Q&A series. This time I'm answering some questions based on podcasting. Why I started one and what advice I have for anyone else who's doing it or thinking about it. It seems appropriate to have a podcast about a podcast, right?
Connect with me through your favorite platform: https://pods.link/aardvarkgirl
Why did I decide to do a podcast?
From a nagging feeling one night to more than a year co-hosting the Womanpreneur Podcast with my friend Melissa, I talk about my journey into the podcasting world and why I'm so dedicated to being consistent with it.
What do I recommend for someone who wants to start a podcast?
From being prepared to do the work and the importance of consistency to investing in the right equipment and choosing the best software for you, this is the advice I have for anyone interested in creating a podcast.
If you have any questions for me for the next Q&A episode, email info@aardvarkgirl.com or DM me on social @aardvarkgirl. I would love to hear from you.
Monday Dec 07, 2020
Fernando Delgado: New Technology & Being Money Smart
Monday Dec 07, 2020
Monday Dec 07, 2020
Fernando Delgado is an Emmy Award-winning audio consultant and owner of Stickman Sound in Las Vegas. He's an audio expert who truly loves what he does, and he recently developed a remote recording solution that allows people to stay home without sacrificing sound quality. He also happens to be a great human in general with some wonderful business advice.
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Connect with me through your favorite platform: https://pods.link/aardvarkgirl
Connect with Fernando:
Instagram @stickmansound
Twitter @stickman_sound
Facebook @stickmansound
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00:23 How Fernando started his career in TV & Film audio. "I think the sound thing really just came from my music passion. I had planned on being a recording engineer, a music engineer. It just didn't pan out that way."
03:27 About mentoring others: "The people that helped me helped me by sharing what they knew. I have found over the course of my career that you get better at what you do when you can explain it in a way that somebody that doesn't think like you understands. Teaching has been a big part of who I am as a professional, selfishly so that I can understand what I'm doing even better."
04:52 On sharing opportunities with others: "I don't consider my peers to be competition, I just consider them to be my peers."
06:29 The great feeling that comes with turning down work that you don't connect with personally. "I actually wish that I had achieved this state of mind years ago, because I think I would have found happiness, like real happiness a lot sooner in my adult life as well. Today, my kids are older, and I feel a personal sense of responsibility to work on stuff that makes me prideful, so that I can invest myself into it a little bit more. And I also care about, you know, when my son asks me what I did today, I don't want to be embarrassed."
10:18 "If you're at the very beginning of your career, be frugal. The better you can be with your money, the more you can wait for those opportunities that you are really hoping for."
12:24 Adapting a business to the changing world & industry.
14:49 Using challenges from the pandemic to create a new remote recording system that allows people to get the same quality sound they need without having to have an engineer in the room.
18:11 "We all work in a service business. Our job is to serve the client, and every client is going to need to be served a little bit differently. So it's imperative upon us as being professionals to say, 'Okay, what is it that you need? Here are the skillsets that I have that can solve that problem or bring you whatever that outcome or solution you're looking for.' And that's how I approach every job. I think that's also why I'm so versatile and can bounce from one area of television to another."
20:36 Dedicating time to spend with family: "I know a lot of people have suffered with their relationships. I have not. We're closer today, I think, than when we met, which is amazing, because we've been together 21 years. And I'm closer with my kids. I know my kids, like what they're into and how they're doing. And it's not just a quick side conversation anymore. That's been great."
22:26 "I treat my engineering like a lot of people treat the gym. I get up in the morning and I'm doing gear exercises, and I'm always trying to learn new software."
25:03 "If you're a business owner, you need to be money smart."