Dan Balser is a freelance Creative Director, head of the Advertising Department at the Creative Circus and the creator of Don’t Get Me Started, a biweekly podcast where he interviews advertising professionals like Dan Wieden, Amir Farhang, and Susan Corbo. I write Launch Stories to inspire you to launch your own project but listening to Dan’s podcast will light a fire under you because of the passion, dedication and love his guests share. My words are in black, Dan’s are in dijon mustard. And if you’d like to check out his podcast, go to http://balserville.com or go to the iTunes store and search “Dan Balser.”

Good morning Dan! Would you start by describing Don’t Get Me Started for people who haven’t heard the podcast?

The show is a chat between ad-biz veterans. It’s more about our lives and careers than about trends in the industry. It’s supposed to feel like the listener is eavesdropping on two seasoned ad professionals, talking over beers.

One of my favorite things in the world is to sit and have a heartfelt conversation with someone who is passionate about the same things I am, so listening to your interviews is such a glowing feeling for me. I like listening at night. I’m too distracted during the day to really take it in.

Cool. Thanks for saying that.

How did the idea for DGMS come to you?

I didn’t look for the idea. The idea for the show found me. I teach four or five classes every quarter at The Creative Circus, and I start each class with a rant about either the state of advertising or the state of my career. I talk about challenges, hurdles, victories and realities. Sometimes it feels like I am just talking to myself, so one day I asked the class, “Do you care about this stuff, or am I just talking to the wall?” Nate Millheim, a talented young designer spoke up and said, “No! We love this stuff! We wish every teacher would talk more about what it’s like to work in the business!” So it hit me. I know people. Lots of people. I can record chats about our careers. It could be the perfect complement to classroom teaching.

So you’ve decided you’re going to record conversations with ad pros, then you have to wade through all the challenges of actually producing a show. Was that frustrating?

Yeah, to be honest, it was the first time in my career that I didn’t say “man, I should do that.” I actually said, “I’m going to make this.” It literally kept me up at night, but in a good, excited way. I also have to admit something. I have pretty bad ADHD. I have had it most of my life, if not all of my life. Just before I started this show, I started taking medication for my ADHD. I am convinced that without the medicine, the show may still just have been an idea. That’s because the ADHD prevented me from doing all of the things related to the show that are NOT talking. Production stuff. Medication doesn’t change the brain. It’s not like recreational drugs. It puts the brain in the state it should be in, allowing the natural talent to reveal itself. It’s not a cheat, it levels the playing field. If, of course, it’s needed. But yeah, the idea took on a life of its own.

You see so many students come to you with ideas. Some students follow through, some don’t. Are there some common reasons why people don’t follow through?

I think learning to trust your deepest intuitive gut is a hard lesson. Our education system in America doesn’t reward risk taking. So students fear failure. They avoid following through because they don’t believe in themselves, the idea or their ability to execute. The successful ones don’t give a shit what anyone else thinks. They don’t hear others’ expecations in their heads. I didn’t know if my podcast would suck or not. I actually still don’t know whether it sucks. I just don’t care enough to let it prevent me from making it. I want it to improve — don’t get me wrong — but I don’t do it for approval.

I am so convinced that pursuing creativity is life transforming. I always think of the Magi following the star in the sky to find Christ. They trusted their intuition. It was a hard journey and they were seeking something that had never existed before. But their faith was rewarded so greatly. One thing I’m really trying to do with this series of Launch Stories is to help people believe in themselves and their ideas by showing them the work that others have put into making their ideas a reality. Stories have the power to change our beliefs, change the way we think. Can you describe some of the challenges you’ve faced along the way?

It’s hard to find subjects to do the show. It’s a pain in the ass editing it. And the software I use to publish it doesn’t give me the user data I need; I am shooting the show into the dark. These are frustrations, but they are minor. I am willing to deal with these issues, because this is a venture of which I have almost complete creative control. I am the creative and the client.

It is frustrating for me to see that I got say X number of hits in a given day on my blog but no comments. I’m dying to know what all those people thought!

I had a daily blog for almost three years. It got a lot of traffic, but few comments. That was okay for me. I don’t comment on blogs that make me laugh or think. I think that just comes with the territory when you are a publisher.

Is the podcast more satisfying than your blog was?

The blog was a lot harder to make. And it wasn’t nearly as fun for me. To be able to sit down with Dan Wieden, Luke Sullivan and other incredibly talented people is just FUN. A blog is solitary. That’s just playing to my personality. I am a talker. (With substance, I hope.)

You hate bullshit too much to have a conversation without substance.

I try.

Can you describe the process from realizing you wanted to start DGMS to producing the first show?

I did a test in the basement with my wife, who is also a writer and creative director. It sounded okay, so I did my first real show with my brother (who was also a writer and creative director at the time) and his partner. It was a blast. The levels were way too low, because I used the built-in mic on my laptop and didn’t know how to adjust levels in GarageBand. But the response was amazing. People ate it up.

So you bought a microphone. You had to figure out recording, editing and posting processes…

Yep. Did lots of research on cheap USB mics and gave it a go. I still regularly have techincal snafus, as any regular listener can attest. I am a creative, not a producer. But putting the show together and uploading it is really pretty damn easy.

That’s something that is so important, putting the work out there even though it isn’t technically perfect.

Right. The show doesn’t sound shitty, it’s just not killer.

You mentioned the state of your career earlier. Has Don’t Get Me Started changed the state of your career? The way you think, your creativity?

This may sound meta and philosophical, but it has released some stress in my life. It has accomplished that by giving me something I control. I stress less about other assignments and responsibilities. And — this is big — the show has made me a MUCH better listener. One cannot make a good radio show if he or she has a point to make. You have to be able to go with the flow. The best interviewers are excellent listeners. My wife would disagree about my being a good listener. But “better” is relative.

You just hit on a huge reason why I recommend people launch their own project, it takes the pressure off of your professional life. You don’t get as agitated when you hit a dry spell for a few months where you aren’t working on choice assignments. It frees you up to pick and choose your spots at work.

It does take the pressure off. It allows you to put less emotional weight on your job. 90% of the work you do at your job is worthless for your portfolio or creative satisfactions.

So you’ve reduced your stress levels, become a better listener, had amazing conversations with legendary creatives, other benefits the podcast has brought into your life?

It has solidified my spot as a valuable asset to The Creative Circus. The show has become a great recruiting tool for the school. That was not an original intent, but it is a nice bonus. Also, I have made a few virtual friends through the show, with whom I correspond fairly frequently. That’s fun.

That is fun! I called virtual friends “invisible homies” And I love them.

It’s kinda an all-lowercase fame. Ha. Invisible homies. I love it.

Any advice for creatives considering launching their own project?

Do it. We only regret the things we didn’t do. And hell, it’s your effin’ obligation! You’re a “CREATIVE”. So create something!

Amen. So before we end, I just wanted to share my favorite interviews from your podcast. Erik Proulx. I love what he is doing and I love the vibe you captured in that interview.

Loved it. Super nice guy.

I can feel the positive energy crackling in the room. Same thing with Dave Schiff.

Dude is intense. And so damned easy-going.

There is a different vibrational energy with guys like that who lead with their hearts.

So true. I try really hard to lead them there. Some are more willing than others. The best compliment I have ever gotten on the show was from a guy in Canada who said he had seen two of my guests speaking separately at ad club events, and that the podcast talks were so much better than their presentations. I aim for intimacy by recording in a small room at a small table.

Yes! That hits it entirely. That is what I love about the show, the intimacy. You referenced the sound quality earlier, the sound you capture reflects that. If it sounded “professionally produced” you wouldn’t be able to hear the space that you’re actually sitting in. I think it really adds to the feeling. Again that’s why I like listening at night, I can just relax, put myself in the room, and it’s intimate.

Yeah, I have a noisy chair, and the hallway is just outside my door.

Two people that I went to school with whom I love very much, Jesse Juriga and Andy Pearson. People might not have heard of them but they will. That’s another really cool thing about the show, you meet creatives who are going to be blowing shit up in the future.

Jesse is so gracious, and Andy is just so cool it’s stupid. I want to get Brittany Poole on soon. A future game-changer herself.

Andy is so willing to experiment with his life as a creative assignment.

True about Andy. He is the project.

The way I met him, I had a mohawk, he had a reverse mohawk. We came together like Voltron, literally touched heads, didn’t know each other.

Ha!

I knew that guy was awesome.

Hilarious. And I can totally see it.

No barriers, just open to being alive and creative and new experiences

Exactly.

I don’t think I’ve told you this story. You interviewed Paul Fix and he talked about being laid off. His partner had just been fired like, 10 minutes before, and he still didn’t think he was getting the axe. So he describes walking into the office of doom and being totally unprepared. He can’t really hear what the person is saying he’s so in shock. They ask him to sign some paperwork, he does so numbly, not even comprehending what he is signing. When I listened to that podcast I was 3 months in to my very first job at CP+B and I thought to myself, if I am ever fired or laid off, I will be ready.

Hahahaha

2 months later, I was fired. And I was ready. I am not proud of the thing that got me fired, but I am proud of the way I handled that conversation.

That’s excellent.

So thank you for that

The reason you were fired was a mistake, though, not incompetence or lack of talent or something like that. That is so cool that the podcast helped you with that.

I was smiling to myself while I was getting fired. It was like being in the Matrix. They couldn’t really touch me, I was already prepared.

You were really prepared — in control.

So people can find your podcast at http://balserville.com or search Dan Balser on iTunes. Anything we didn’t touch on that you’d like to say?

This was a great chat. You’ve made me  think and stand back a bit. That’s always a great exercise. I am super excited for your blog and I can’t wait to see what comes next for you.

It was a great chat!!! One last question, was I a good listener?

Superb. Thanks, Matty.

Thank you Dan, I appreciate this and you so so much.

Are you so inspired that you need to launch your own project right now? Check out Build a Life-Changing Website Part 3 for a step by step guide to publishing your own blog and revolutionizing your career. Parts 1 and 2 cover the benefits and the philosophy behind making your site a blog.

Faithfully,

Fernando