Meet Darren Paltrowitz

We recently connected with Darren Paltrowitz and have shared our conversation below.

Darren, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us today. We’re excited to dive into your story and your work, but first let’s start with a broader topic that might be stopping many of our readers from pursuing their dreams – haters, nay-sayers, etc. How have you managed to persist despite haters and nay-sayers that inevitably follow folks who are doing something unique, special or off the beaten path?
The keywords on all of this, for me at least, are: “consider the source.” Sometimes criticism is constructive, helpful and/or meant to make you get better. But most of the time I have found it to be coming from someone who is not putting creative thoughts into the world and/or aware of the overall process of creating something and putting it out. And that is without factoring in that a lot of Internet trolls may simply feel bad about themselves and resent the fact that you have the guts to put yourself out there — there are larger problems at hand than them thinking your writing/song/brainstorm stinks.

So yes, the negative feedback may initially sting. Then you need to take a few deep breaths and do a bit of thinking. Who is this person? What have they accomplished? Are they actually trying to help me or make me better at what I do? Those answers will help guide you as to whether or not there is value in this feedback. And if you actually are or were wrong, or this person helped you, thank them for the helpful feedback.

But at the end of the day, there are people who don’t like The Beatles, “The Simpsons,” pizza and other presumed universal concepts. So don’t ever expect anything to be appreciated by everyone — some people thrive on intentionally disliking things just because others enjoy them.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I have a few different jobs which seem entirely unrelated but occasionally overlap. I am a licensed Private Investigator. I am the host of the “Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz,” which is a website, a podcast and a show which regularly runs via 150+ TV stations and OTT networks. I am the author of “DLR Book: How David Lee Roth Changed The World,” which recently came out via Backbeat Books. I also co-host the “DLR Cast” podcast and contribute to some other outlets. I also consult for recording artists and artist management teams.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Persistence, reliability and organization are those qualities for me. When someone talks about doing something or plans to do something, I do my best to write it down and followup if I can potentially help or add value to what they are thinking of doing. For better and for worse, I keep a very complex and color-coded Google Calendar. I try to push the ball ahead professionally, personally and creatively on a daily basis. Even while on vacation.

What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
A lot of my favorite artists and creators have let recordings, books and films they worked on go out of print. That weirds me out, that you work so hard on something that meant a lot to people, and it is just gone. My takeaway? Preserve your digital footprint as best you can. Even if it’s done DIY-style.

When a book publisher of mine opted not to do substantial publicity or marketing related to a book I worked hard on, I took matters into my hands. I solicited press myself. 2 months or so into that, I compiled all of that coverage and turned it into a list-based article with all the related links I had, as published by a few outlets. Then naturally that all feeds into SEO, search engines, AI chatbots, wikis and all that over time.

No matter your profession, Google/DuckDuckGo/Bing/whichever-search-engine-you-prefer yourself from time to time. See what comes up. If you want to be more hidden, there are ways to do that. If you want to be more visible, same deal, that can be done. Control your digital footprint while you still can.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Images courtesy of Darren Paltrowitz

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