Meet John Orlando

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful John Orlando a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

John, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

My work ethic came from my parents. I grew up in a pretty middle class neighborhood, surrounded by factory workers, laborers, steel workers and coal miners. Many of my extended family were involved in these industries. Even though my parents instilled a strong work ethic, I had these other people strengthening what my parents were teaching me. To this day, I remember my dad telling me, “do it to the best of your ability or don’t do it at all”.

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?

As a kid growing up, I was fascinated by pro wrestling. My Saturdays were packed full of watching Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, The Road Warriors, Nick Bockwinkel & many other gladiators of the square circle. After college, I decided to try my hand at wrestling & quickly found out that I didn’t have the ability to be a in the ring competitor. However, I had a voice for radio, so I focused on becoming a ring announcer & play-by-play commentator.

Eventually, I got a chance to “book” for a local wrestling promotion. This means that I would pitch ideas about what wrestlers should work together. I thoroughly enjoyed “booking” & looked at it as a creative outlet.

Time came in 2012 when things changed in that wrestling promotion. I was still working with the company but was not “booking”. I turned to podcasting as a creative outlet & launched The PVDcast. I started off doing 1 episode a month. Then, I worked my way up to 2 episodes a month; then 3 episodes a month & now I produce weekly episodes.

In 2020, I started another podcast with my pal, Jason. The podcast is called MatTalk, focusing on the old 1980’s TV show, Matlock. Jason & I have a fondness for this staple of 80’s TV. We discovered that many other folks in our age range also feel the same way. The basic format for the show is that Jason & I watch an episode of Matlock (going in chronological order) then we review & discuss it. We have cultivated a pretty loyal fan base, something that I take great pride in.

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?

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!

As for advice, I believe that you should do whatever it is that you want to do. For example, I’ve had a few people ask me how to get started in podcasting. I simply tell them to just do it. If you wait for the perfect time, you’ll never do it. Grab a mic & start talking about your passions. Don’t expect perfection! Even though I’m close to 500 episodes of The PVDcast, there are still times when episodes don’t turn out perfect. Learn from your mistakes & move on.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

I am always looking forward to collaborate with others. Folks that I would want to collaborate would have to have some important traits. They would have to be open minded, accepting the fact that everyone has a unique background. They would have to be goal oriented because I have goals and achieving them is what drives me. Someone without that drive would be very hard to work with. Lastly, I would have to “click” with that other person. This intangible quality is necessary to have success in whatever you do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://pvdcast.com
• Instagram: @pvdcast
• Facebook: @pvdcast
• Twitter: @PVDMVP
• Other: Threads: @pvdcast

Image Credits

Image Credits:

New Ohio Wrestling