We were lucky to catch up with Jerome Wetzel recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Jerome, thank you so much for making time for us today. Let’s jump right into a question so many in our community are looking for answers to – how to overcome creativity blocks, writer’s block, etc. We’d love to hear your thoughts or any advice you might have.
I am always searching for new ideas. I work with actors in developing my content, and they often have opinions about where their characters would or would not to. I am happy to discuss their feelings, and I get a lot of ideas from those performers.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I created It’s All Been Done Radio Hour in 2015. I had self-published a couple of books, but didn’t know how to market them or get any attention for them. I decided that doing my writing as a stage show could be a fun format, and no one was doing ongoing live podcast serials (after discontinued their show Thrilling Adventure Hour). So seeing an opening with a unique format, I jumped at the chance to develop my own material in a way that would at least get a few eyeballs on it.
I accidentally started a theatre troupe. I didn’t expect how involved the performers would want to be in the scripts, developing material and story arcs. And I found that energizing and thrilling. Suddenly, instead of just writing my own work in a vacuum, I had talented collaborators. Which made the whole project more fun. We built a community that raised the level of the writing and performances overall, and made it a satisfying group project.
Now, It’s All Been Done Radio Hour has performed monthly without fail for more than 100 shows and shows no signs of slowing down.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Consistency is a skill that is necessary to make a project like this work. I never once missed a deadline. I did this by creating a sustainable timeline and making sure there was plenty of cushion between when the writing needed to be done before it was performed, and a wide leeway after the performance before the podcast would go up. By doing this, I allowed some wiggle room.
Delegation is also important. Not everyone in the troupe wants to be involved in more than just an acting capacity. But allowing others to help, and being honest about discontinued their showmy limitations have been important. If others want to expand what we’re putting out, I am encouraging, but make sure we identify who will have the bandwidth to make it happen and a schedule with flexibility to ensure we aren’t missing deadlines and can seek additional help if it looks like we may be late.
Openness is vital. I want everyone to be involved in the project in the way(s) in which they want to be. I am open to others’ contributions, encouraging of their work, and take the time to make sure our brand stays consistent while giving others the opportunity to contribute to it.
In short, I’m more of a coach and a manager than a dictatorial producer.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
When I feel overwhelmed, I take a bit of time to de-stress. This is hard to do, working a full-time job, running my show, and being a parent to young children. But sometimes I need to just take a couple hours off during the workday, when no one else is around, to read or watch something and not think about the work. Then, I am able to tackle it renewed and energized. Even if there’s a looming deadline, make the time to relax a bit, and you’ll be able to get it done that much quicker after you refuel.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://iabdpresents.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/iabdpresents
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IABDPresents/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/IABDPresents
Image Credits
Alexis Mitchell
