We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful John Orlando . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with John below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have John with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I grew up in the Eastern part of Ohio. It was a steel town that, at one time, was a juggernaut of industry. However, by the early 1980’s, the steel industry was on the brink of collapse. Growing up during the 1980’s, I witnessed many members of my family get laid off from the steel mills & have to figure out how to pay their bills. Several of these family members did whatever they could do to survive, such as working 3 jobs or packing up & moving to another place where the economy was stronger. Additionally, my father had a strong work ethic & he instilled that value into me. Luckily for my father, he never lost his job during this tumultuous time. But he still urged me to always work hard & give it your best effort. These two reasons are why I have that strong work ethic.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I have been an independent podcaster for the past 11 years. I began podcasting in 2012 as a way to have a creative outlet, which I felt I needed after another creative outlet disappeared. So, I created The PVDcast, my personal podcast where I talk about topics I love, such as comics, movies, hockey & pro wrestling. I began releasing episodes once a month, but within a few weeks, I began releasing episodes twice a month. Before I knew it, it was a weekly podcast!
I enjoy having independent creators on my show. In my opinion, independent creators are what drives new ideas & can, in some instances, literally change the world. I enjoy talking with these creators & many of them have become friends, which is an amazing “side effect” of doing my podcast.
During Quarantine, I started another podcast with one of my friends that I met through podcasting. The podcast is called MatTalk & focuses on the old 1980’s TV show, Matlock. My pal & I review & discuss episodes of the show, going in chronological order among the episodes & seasons of the show. It’s a very long story as to why two guys in the 40’s decided to create a Matlock podcast! Nonetheless, we’ve cultivated a strong following for the show.
My professional goals are quite simple: continue to learn how to be a better podcaster, increase my audience & most of all, keep the passion alive for podcasting.
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?
The first skill I would say is confidence. What I mean by this is that when it comes to podcasting, there are people who want to do it but are afraid to do it. I always tell people who say they want to start a podcast, “do it!” Are the episodes going to be bad? Yes. Could you not get many listeners? Possibly. But, you’re never going to know until you do it.
The second skill I think is important is organization. For example, I keep myself organized by creating folders on my PC for each episode. In those episodes are the audio files, descriptions of the episodes, pictures to accompany social media promotion & other necessary items to produce the episode. As for giving advice on this topic, my only piece of advice is to find a way – your way- of getting organized. My previous example works for me, but it might not work for someone else. Figure out what scheme works for you & use it.
The final skill I think is important is professionalism. When dealing with other people there’s going to be situations where things are not going to go smoothly. I have had many guests cancel at the last minute, leaving me without content for that week. You can’t fire off an angry email or DM to that guest. If you choose to take this action, you’re going to anger the guest & who knows? That guest could have been an awesome interview!
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
The most impactful thing my parents did for me was to try to be the best parents they could be. As my mother would often quip, “you didn’t come with an instruction manual. My parents loved me unconditionally. They were strict when they needed to be & lax when the situation called for leniency. Did they make mistakes? Sure. Every parent does but they tried hard every day.
Additionally, I feel like they gave me so many skills that has made me successful in life (such as honesty, compassion, open-mindedness, etc.)
My father died when I was 18 years old. Several years later, my mother met another man & got married. I will say that I couldn’t have asked for a better step-father. He continued with the same unconditional love that my father & mother had shown e in previous years.
Contact Info:
- Website: pvdcast.com
- Instagram: @pvdcast
- Facebook: @pvdcast
- Twitter: @PVDMVP
- Other: Threads: @pvdcast
Image Credits
Credit: Victor Dandridge photo: Nothing but Comics
