Season 1 · Episode 34

David Shands Comes Back To Cleveland With Donni Wiggins

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0:02Welcome, welcome, welcome to Alienize Photos Industry Talk.
0:08And this episode is podcast summit, Cleveland edition.
0:16Now, if you wasn't there last night,
0:19April 9th, 2026 with David Shands, Donnie Wiggins,
0:25plus Cleveland and all the Cleveland entrepreneurs,
0:28creatives, podcasters, creative entrepreneurs,
0:33photographers, videographers, creatives, business owners.
0:37It was amazing.
0:39Cleveland, you showed up and show out.
0:43You did it.
0:44There's some key takeaways from all the ambassadors
0:49and Mr. Groupon, DeWayne Griffin,
0:53and J.R. Fogel were local.
0:56He'll bring it to life.
0:58Well, David Shands and Donnie Wiggins to Cleveland.
1:03David Shands again, Donnie Wiggins.
1:06First time in the land with David.
1:09Promoting the podcast summit,
1:12and that's July 2nd and the 3rd.
1:16Creative frequency will be in the building,
1:18Alienize Photos, Overflow Studios.
1:21We will be in the building.
1:23Check out our booth at podcast summit 26.
1:28And that's July 2nd and the 3rd, 2026.
1:36Stay tuned.
1:38We're gonna have a vendor booth.
1:40Check us out, create some content.
1:42Meet us, follow us.
1:45Hey, it's gonna be lovely.
1:48So my video to stop.
1:51I'm gonna just run this in 1080.
1:55I don't know why it stopped.
1:57I'll just do it in 1080.
2:04So I'm getting right into it.
2:07I love Turdine DuBois.
2:10Oh my goodness.
2:12Amazing business strategist, AI consultant.
2:17Just giving a game.
2:19And I remember she was talking about
2:22the difference between billionaires and millionaires
2:25and like the gap.
2:27And then also the time if she gave you a dollar a day,
2:34one comparison without AI,
2:38building about 60 businesses versus the speed
2:43and the time it would take without AI.
2:47So every business owner have to make that decision,
2:52invest in tools, invest in marketing.
2:55Just like podcast is marketing, it's time.
3:00I'm even in front of the camera.
3:02It's like, that's the type of work that I do
3:04for other clients and I run an audio podcast
3:08hence alienize photos, industry talk.
3:11And it's amazing, it's amazing journey.
3:17And she applied those same principles to podcasting.
3:24And why it's important to pitch to your guests,
3:31pitch to investors and also pitch to like sponsors.
3:37It's all different and the importance of a brand kit.
3:41And I know I'm briefly summarizing this,
3:44but it was so much content, so much information,
3:52so much insight, gain, wisdom in a room
3:58like from everybody.
4:00Even the handshakes to the person that's next to you.
4:04And I wanna give it up for Miss Brianna Casanova
4:07at Overflow Studio, my partner in creative frequency.
4:12And we hope that you be accountable
4:15with your creative endeavors, your business endeavors.
4:21Make sure you have that sanity
4:24and doing what you need to do.
4:29So accomplish what you need to accomplish.
4:36You have to accomplish what you need to accomplish.
4:42And one thing, you know, sometimes it's frightening
4:47being in a room of a hundred plus people,
4:54not knowing who is who sometimes.
4:56Luckily, I do know a lot of people.
4:59I have a large network.
5:01So when I go out, I'll meet at least a couple people,
5:04one person maybe, and that's good.
5:07But sometimes it's like 20, 30,
5:11and it's like, okay, I feel comfortable.
5:13We are homeless, this is family.
5:15So it helps with, you know, meeting strangers.
5:19It's like, okay, my people's here gave me that confidence
5:22that I had that prep talk already talked.
5:26And you know, getting my wheels running already talked.
5:30So it's real good.
5:33See my camera keep stopping.
5:35And this is why I don't do video.
5:38You know, that kind of gives to the hiccups.
5:41And I'm looking at my monitor real time
5:45and it's starting and stopping.
5:46I had to start the camera four times now.
5:50So this is why I don't do video.
5:53And people ask me why,
5:54oh, why don't you just do video?
5:57Or I could hire somebody and invest in myself.
6:01But right now, when the podcast is not making money,
6:05it's hard to do that.
6:07So I know every once in a while I prop up a camera,
6:10I prop up my phone.
6:11I should just have done my phone
6:13already been a lot easier and smoother,
6:15but I use it for my audio.
6:18So yeah, I do have my background camera,
6:24my icon in the back.
6:28So it is getting something,
6:31but that's the thing when you're started off a podcast
6:35and whether you should choose video or audio
6:39and if you catch me a podcast,
6:42I'm in whatever booth,
6:44vendor booth I will be at or location in the vendor area.
6:48I will be at, definitely ask me.
6:51You know, if you listen to this, ask me.
6:52And we can kind of talk that out, work it out,
6:55see what's best for you if you're just starting off.
6:58And also my first pod,
7:01my first pod coming May 19th,
7:05that's gonna be an all day thing from 12 to 10.
7:12I think we're capping it at 10, maybe eight,
7:14but we'll see how many people pre-register and sign up.
7:19But again, my first pod May 19th, 2026.
7:26Yes, it's going down.
7:27If you're struggling to get your podcast
7:29off the ground, you need that production.
7:32You need that guidance.
7:33You want behind the scenes.
7:35You want a professional reel cover.
7:37You get in this big package.
7:39It's one day only.
7:41We may do it later in the year,
7:43but right now, one day only May 19th,
7:47Creator Frequency is hosting
7:48their first My First Pie event.
7:53If you need help with your podcast
7:54and just getting started,
7:56you just need that one episode to give you that confidence
7:58like, oh, I did it.
8:00I could do it.
8:01Yes, let's keep going.
8:03My First Pie is what you need to get into.
8:07Follow at Creator Frequency,
8:09and you will see more posts and engagement
8:12and get your tickets.
8:14And DM Creator Frequency,
8:16if you want to get your tickets to reserve your slot,
8:19because we only have five slots, so get yours.
8:23Somebody said they want to have double slots,
8:26so stay tuned.
8:28All right.
8:29And going back to the podcast on the Cleveland.
8:36Donnie and Dave, man, like, man,
8:38once I really get more structured
8:45and where I want to be,
8:48I definitely want to hire both of them
8:50as one-on-one business coaches,
8:53just for some other things besides media and podcasts.
8:58And because,
9:01and just watching them for years
9:03and watching them just execute.
9:05I mean, shout out to whole Atlanta, L.A.
9:08There's a lot of great talent,
9:11executors, business owners,
9:14just the wealth and the insight and the wisdom
9:17and the hustle.
9:19And you have to be around like-minded people
9:23in your community.
9:26Just build that family, that ecosystem, business partners,
9:31people that support you, people you support.
9:35It's one big circle.
9:38And that's one thing I learned,
9:39just being in these different circles
9:41and being in Cleveland,
9:43like you have to be in the right community,
9:47be in the right spaces.
9:49And that's the thing, you have to be in that space.
9:53So, there's some things to think about.
9:58Let me see if I can check out my notes real quick,
10:01because I know I had a wealth of notes,
10:05like, man, I want to take a read through them all,
10:10but, you know, David and Donnie together,
10:16just powerful, entertaining and insightful.
10:22They don't hold nothing back, and they're very authentic.
10:27You know, your podcast is not just content,
10:31it is your reputation at scale.
10:34Your podcast is not just content,
10:37it is your reputation at scale.
10:41When Donnie Wiggins said that,
10:44it reminded me why I got into the podcast,
10:48and like started my own show,
10:49because you know, I produce and film, direct,
10:52and get show notes for other podcasts
10:55and business owners that have a podcast.
10:59And that's the thing, if you haven't checked out,
11:02every business should have a podcast.
11:06And shout out to the whole Pull Up Experience,
11:09as we presented that at Future Land,
11:12it was 2025, 2024, 2025,
11:17we presented why every business should have a podcast
11:21way ahead of our time, I think that was two years ago,
11:24so 2024, every business should have a podcast.
11:32And don't just have a podcast
11:36if you don't have a business or anything to sell
11:39or product or service.
11:42And that's one thing Donnie Wiggins honed in on.
11:47Stuff we've been talking about,
11:50and they just put the icing on the cake and dance on,
11:53they built a whole nother cake.
11:55Of course, bigger than ours,
11:58but those are mentors and our coaches,
12:01people we look up to.
12:02So if they're preaching the same things
12:05that we've been preaching for years,
12:08and I've been telling people personally for years,
12:13then yeah, there's something to think about.
12:16And just being in a room of my fellow creators,
12:21business owners, entrepreneurs, podcasters, it's amazing.
12:28I'm glad that taking it in and absorbing it
12:31and asking the questions
12:32and not being afraid to take that leap.
12:37So much talent in Cleveland, so much talent in Cleveland,
12:41so much wealth, so much gems and resources,
12:44there's so much in Cleveland.
12:47We have to recognize that, we really do.
12:53And going back to David,
12:57I love how he breaks that selling framework down that
13:03I help X do Y by Z.
13:08I help X do Y by Z.
13:13And if you are new to business or new to podcasting,
13:18that's what your podcasting is solved,
13:20that's what your business should solve.
13:23And they should be intertwined.
13:25And that's another thing he talked about.
13:28It should be one,
13:29just like I use Alienize Photos industry talk
13:34to help Alienize Photos media,
13:38the media company, the photography brand.
13:43Yes, it all ties together.
13:45That was the biggest reason,
13:48one of the biggest reasons why I started the podcast
13:50because this is my biggest market in honor.
13:53I'm not a extrovert.
13:56I'm an introvert, I'm to myself.
14:00And I could talk to a lens, I could be on audio,
14:04I can write, I write so much.
14:09I write so, so much, so much I write, so much.
14:19From music, songs, blogs, website content,
14:26copywriting, books, poetry, jingles,
14:33so much, just a natural writer.
14:37And one reason I became a photographer
14:41is because if I'm writing these books,
14:47writing these poems, the songs, the blog,
14:49all this content,
14:52and they say a picture is worth a thousand words.
14:56And if I could take a picture and write a thousand words,
15:00I could accelerate my growth.
15:05And that's the power of pictures.
15:07And then think about video,
15:09and it's usually 24 frames per second.
15:10So it was like 24 pictures in a second.
15:16You see how I was compounding,
15:17and that's the importance of video.
15:21You need video for your business,
15:25podcast for your business.
15:28Well, I don't say you don't need,
15:31but you should.
15:32It should be something you could consider.
15:36And everybody has their line,
15:39but I highly suggest video,
15:44having a podcast, a combination of both,
15:49and AI.
15:51I was like my top three that I preached,
15:54that I vouched for,
15:55stuff that I'm incorporating,
15:57and me stepping in front of the camera even more.
16:02And not just about my podcast,
16:04and podcast content,
16:05but more short form.
16:08May do some long form on camera,
16:10but I save it for the audio experience
16:13of Alienize Photos Industry Talk.
16:16So stay tuned to everything I have.
16:20And if you won't,
16:23if you're not gonna be in Atlanta this year,
16:29podcast summit,
16:31July 2nd and the 3rd,
16:35in ATL, Georgia, Atlanta, Georgia,
16:40I think you should reconsider and get your ticket.
16:44That's just my personal testimony,
16:47like I say a lot.
16:49I even have recaps of last year's podcast summit,
16:522025, the two days of podcast summit day one,
16:57podcast summit day two.
16:58Check those out.
17:00I also have an episode recapping my experience
17:04when David Shands came to Cleveland the first time,
17:07two years ago,
17:08and being on the Pull Up Experience podcast,
17:11episode 300.
17:14Episode 300, we woo!
17:17No, 200, I'm sorry.
17:19But we're on episode,
17:21I think 311,
17:23so we are moving rapid and armed
17:26on episode, what is it, 60 altogether?
17:30I have some that I haven't released,
17:31so I was like, man, what now?
17:32I recorded all of these,
17:35but what is in the public right now?
17:37So it's hard kind of differentiating those statistics,
17:43like what's recorded and what's published
17:45and out on the internet and ethers and audio platforms.
17:52Anything else?
17:54Like, man, I might have to do another episode
18:03giving like more of the goody insights,
18:07like more of my takeaways from Dave and Donnie
18:12and all the entrepreneurs in Cleveland,
18:14the ambassador of podcast summit Cleveland edition.
18:19Yeah, I think I may do a takeaway episode,
18:22so stay tuned for that.
18:25But again, be sure to check out my first pod
18:31with creator Frequency,
18:33partnering with Ruthie's List
18:35and you have not been to Ruthie's List
18:38out in Wycliffe, the great co-working space.
18:46Wycliffe, Ohio, you have to check it out.
18:50It's nice and versatile,
18:54kind of talking with her to bring more podcast
18:57experiences to her space,
19:01bring more business owners and entrepreneurs,
19:04mainly like solo entrepreneurs
19:06where they could just hang out
19:07or just get away and have meetings,
19:11have small gathering and events as well.
19:15So we're partnering with Ruthie's List
19:18to help showcase and showcase her spot
19:22and the uniqueness and versatility.
19:25If you are interested in podcasting,
19:28definitely check us out at my first pod.
19:31We have five slots.
19:35One is taken, but they're thinking about taking two.
19:39We did an invite only with three people.
19:43One person already booked,
19:45so that's four, but she takes both.
19:50Then there's only three slots left.
19:52We may do six, like if we get a,
19:55you know, a little feedback and they really want us,
19:58we may do six slots, but right now five
20:03and two may be already taken.
20:06So if you get the invitation or if you listen to this,
20:11message creator frequency
20:13and we will send you the booking link to my first pod
20:17to get your first podcast episode published
20:21with the show notes, the cover art,
20:24distributed on all platforms.
20:26You're getting that premium reel
20:29from Miss Real Deal herself,
20:33Brianna Casanova with Overflow Studios.
20:38And if you haven't checked out Beauty Toe,
20:41who she is the director and film chopper,
20:45all of that, beautiness.
20:48Check out Beauty Toe on all platforms.
20:52It was blown up on YouTube with Miss Brittany Knight,
20:56who's also a member of the Pull Up Experience.
20:58And if you have not checked out the Pull Up Experience,
21:02whew, start there.
21:07Episode one, The Cringes,
21:10all the way to episode 311 to see the growth,
21:17to see the journey of entrepreneurs
21:20and our building of interviewing
21:24and documenting great stories here in Cleveland, Ohio.
21:31We have some out of town interviews and out of towners,
21:37but for the most part,
21:40Cleveland, Ohio business owners,
21:44Cleveland, Ohio entrepreneurs,
21:48Cleveland, Ohio creatives, artists,
21:53sometimes everyday people,
21:56financial gurus, politics.
22:01It's amazing.
22:03And shout out to our biggest partner,
22:07Miss Nakia Hudson with 2U Wines
22:10over in South Uquid, Ohio.
22:12If you have not been to 2U Wines,
22:15it's the only line I recommend.
22:19If you do, you make wines for others.
22:26So I know, but at the end of the day,
22:30it's still 2U Wines in my head and my eyes.
22:35So if you're not drinking 2U Wines,
22:38I don't know where other wines you should be drinking.
22:41Like seriously, I mean,
22:42I may drink other wines from time to time,
22:46but if I'm buying a wine and wanna have a good time,
22:48I'm buying 2U Wines every single time.
22:55And be sure to follow me, Mr. Photographer Jackson
23:00of Alienize Photos Media,
23:03bringing you another episode
23:04of Alienize Photos Industry Talk.
23:08This has been a blessing.
23:10This has been a great one.
23:13Like I said, I'm gonna do another episode of Takeaways,
23:16but I just wanted to hop on here
23:18and also try a quick video setup
23:21with a two little panel light setup.
23:25I got one in the front of me,
23:28one directly to the side of me,
23:31and one towards the back.
23:33I got my audio running.
23:35Got two cameras.
23:37One keeps stopping.
23:38I don't even know what the other one's doing,
23:41even if it's picking up this.
23:44I'm just creating.
23:45I'm just doing.
23:46I'm doing the work.
23:46If not, it's another repetition.
23:49If you know creative frequency,
23:50you know we're about getting our reps.
23:52Doing the work, just doing the work,
23:54whether it's beautiful, ugly, or something in between,
23:57or something amazing, immaculate, profound.
24:03We're still gonna do it.
24:04We're still gonna do the work.
24:05Put in the effort.
24:06Put in another rep.
24:09Just do it.
24:10It's like Nike say, just do it.
24:12But we're getting our reps.
24:13Doing it again and again and again.
24:15Repetition replace doubts.
24:16If you know creative frequency, you know that slogan.
24:19Me and Brianna Casanova with Creative Frequency,
24:22and follow us on all social media on ACreativeFrequency.
24:27That's on ACreativeFrequency on all media.
24:32And book us for my first pod.
24:35All right, just egg and ice photos,
24:37and I am out.
24:40Peace.