Nicholas Todd Bullock (NT Bullock) is the founder of Sequential Pictures. He is a filmmaker who discovered his passion for creating videos long before the advent of YouTube. In the mid-90s, he got hold of his father's camcorder and fell in love with capturing moments on camera. Despite the limitations of the time, like the absence of editing software like Final Cut Pro or access to free training and tutorials (again -- this was pre-YouTube), Bullock persevered. He worked multiple jobs to save up for a computer and a video capture card, recorded tons of skits and short films with his friends, and eventually published his work online -- and went viral with one of his first parodies published on youtube: "STAR WARS: A Lost Hope."
Since then, he's filmed and produced dozens of short films, parodies, and skits, as well as feature films (some of my favorites include "Aliens Alternate Takes" and "The Thing Redub."
In today's conversation, Todd shares his 'origin story,' how he got started in film, what inspired him to create and publish these skits, shorts, redubs, and parodies, what the reception has been, including the ups and downs of being a creator in a world that tends to hammer those who are inventive (including, in my words, YouTube's crazy and unfair copyright "standards," shadowbanning, and more).
We also talk about Todd's recent near-death experience (including multiple trips to the ER, 17 days in the hospital, correction: "many months" in the hospital, and losing weight till he weighed only 89 pounds), how this has impacted his career, and how he's rebounding (including what's coming next from him).
As an aside, if you feel compelled to support Todd, you can find a gofundme for his health challenges here, and hopefully, I've inspired him to set up a Patreon account, which may be live in the near future.
UPDATE: Todd now has a Patreon -- you can support him here.
I hope you enjoy today's conversation, and if you do, please share this interview with others, and leave a review on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever else you're listening to this.
[00:00:00] Intro to the filmmaker NT Bullock
[00:08:39] NT Bullock's journey, early online success, and learning process.
[00:17:17] How learning and adapting online facilitates the creative process.
[00:20:57] The challenges with measuring or projecting the time to complete a project (and why NT Bullock focuses on "getting the job done" instead of hitting specific 'metrics')
[00:27:35] The early days, the struggle to monetize content, and how he found success.
[00:39:33] How NT Bullock got started with paid film gigs (including car commercials), how he financed his movies, and why he prefers making shorts over feature-length films.
[00:46:32] Why NT Bullock doesn't use Patreon (but should!)
[00:53:06] YouTube's unfair copyright policies and why they limit revenue and visibility.
[00:57:58] The challenges of making and selling creative projects (or the pain of commercializing art)
[01:11:41] Redubs, the Dune film, and what inspires NT Bullock's art.
[01:15:43] Health struggles, his near-death experience, business setbacks, and the uncertain future.
[01:24:03] Wrap up and what's coming next
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Justin Brooks is the founder of Adskills.com, the world's largest online school for digital advertising. His company teaches advertisers how to install proven campaign frameworks and training the next generation of media buyers and connecting them with great clients or jobs.
Today, we’re gonna dive into his experiments and forays into “pay what you want” pricing, what he loves about it, what has worked well, and also what hasn’t.
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Did you enjoy today's broadcast of In The Trenches? Please click here to leave an honest rating and review on iTunes. Your review helps me spread the word of this podcast, which allows me to line up amazing guests and continue to produce this podcast ad-free. Thanks so much in advance for your support.
Podcast audio editing and show note production by Nives Kurjak. Click here to get 10% off your podcast production for life.
Art Bell is a former TV executive who founded The Comedy Channel, which eventually became Comedy Central. He continued his television career as President of CourtTV. After Art left the TV business, he took to writing and penned his new memoir: Constant Comedy: How I Started Comedy Central and Lost My Sense of Humour.
On today's call, Art and I discuss the origin of Comedy Central, and we dig deep into the creative processes, the business of comedy, and the up and down journey that entrepreneurs and creatives go through.
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Did you enjoy today's broadcast of In The Trenches? Please click here to leave an honest rating and review on iTunes. Your review helps me spread the word of this podcast, which allows me to line up amazing guests and continue to produce this podcast ad-free. Thanks so much in advance for your support.
Podcast audio editing and show note production by Nives Kurjak. Click here to get 10% off your podcast production for life.
David Jenyns is the author of SYSTEMology, host of the Business Systems Simplified podcast and a serial business owner. Recognised as a high achieving businessman, you will find many of his keynotes on YouTube.
In today’s episode, David and I discuss his proprietary 7-step process for systemizing your business. We break down the method for those looking to turn an early startup success into a repeatable process that can scale with you and your business. Because if you don’t have systems, you don’t have a business. Period.
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Did you enjoy today's broadcast of In The Trenches? Please click here to leave an honest rating and review on iTunes. Your review helps me spread the word of this podcast, which allows me to line up amazing guests and continue to produce this podcast ad-free. Thanks so much in advance for your support.
Podcast audio editing and show note production by Nives Kurjak. Click here to get 10% off your podcast production for life.
Chris Prefontaine 3- time best-selling author, founder and CEO of SmartRealEstateCoach.com and host of the Smart Real Estate Coach Podcast. Chris founded Smart Real Estate Coach in 2014, bringing in his son Nick, daughter Kayla, and son-in-law Zachary to help grow the company. Chris and his team coach investors on how to properly scale and automate their real estate investing businesses throughout North America, without using their own cash, credit, or taking out bank loans to buy a property. Chris and his family buy and sell homes in their own market every month and then mentor, coach, and consult students and associates all around North America to do the exact same thing.
I brought Chris onto the podcast today to talk about how to invest in real estate with no capital. Not only that, but Chris shares pretty much everything you need to know about real estate in 2020 and beyond.
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Did you enjoy today's broadcast of In The Trenches? Please click here to leave an honest rating and review on iTunes. Your review helps me spread the word of this podcast, which allows me to line up amazing guests and continue to produce this podcast ad-free. Thanks so much in advance for your support.
Podcast audio editing and show note production by Nives Kurjak. Click here to get 10% off your podcast production for life.
Michael Neeley is an authority strategist, business mentor and podcasting veteran. Along with hosting many podcasts, Michael is a writer, a motivational speaker, a personal development coach, and the creator of the transformational program The Art of Forgetting.
In today’s conversation, Michael and I discuss the ins and outs of starting a podcast in 2020 from tax write offs to gaining tremendous traction relatively quickly. If you’re thinking about starting a podcast, then grab a pen and paper and take some notes.
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Did you enjoy today's broadcast of In The Trenches? Please click here to leave an honest rating and review on iTunes. Your review helps me spread the word of this podcast, which allows me to line up amazing guests and continue to produce this podcast ad-free. Thanks so much in advance for your support.
Podcast audio editing and show note production by Nives Kurjak. Click here to get 10% off your podcast production for life.
David McKnight is the founder of McKnight Image Lab and the author of The Zen Executive Presence. He is an image consultant and professional coach who specializes in helping ambitious and busy professionals craft and leverage their personal image and brand to generate wealth, success and confidence.
In today’s broadcast, David and I discuss where style and leadership intersect and how to leverage your appearance and presence to get promotions, grow your business, and be more confident in social settings.
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Did you enjoy today's broadcast of In The Trenches? Please click here to leave an honest rating and review on iTunes. Your review helps me spread the word of this podcast, which allows me to line up amazing guests and continue to produce this podcast ad-free. Thanks so much in advance for your support.
Podcast audio editing and show note production by Nives Kurjak. Click here to get 10% off your podcast production for life.
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In today’s broadcast, Daniel and I discuss how someone who worked at Apple and Square was able to take his accrued knowledge into different spaces, including leadership and C level roles. We dive into many topics ranging from design to creative thinking in general.
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Did you enjoy today's broadcast of In The Trenches? Please click here to leave an honest rating and review on iTunes. Your review helps me spread the word of this podcast, which allows me to line up amazing guests and continue to produce this podcast ad-free. Thanks so much in advance for your support.
Podcast audio editing and show note production by Nives Kurjak. Click here to get 10% off your podcast production for life.
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Did you enjoy today's broadcast of In The Trenches? Please click here to leave an honest rating and review on iTunes. Your review helps me spread the word of this podcast, which allows me to line up amazing guests and continue to produce this podcast ad-free. Thanks so much in advance for your support.
Podcast audio editing and show note production by Nives Kurjak. Click here to get 10% off your podcast production for life.
Jovana Miljanovic was born and raised in Serbia. She built a brick and mortar style business where she ran in-person workshops from scratch and then pivoted to helping people around the world through her virtual education platform. Now Jovana helps women start and scale their businesses online, and she hosts her own podcast, the Jovana Miljanovic Podcast on YouTube.
In this broadcast, Jovana Miljanovic walks us through how to build your business in 2020 from scratch, regardless of the constantly shifting economic and social landscape that we’re all in. She also shares why you need to prioritize doing things that make you uncomfortable (in business and life) and how to stick to your goals for an extended period of time.
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Did you enjoy today's broadcast of In The Trenches? Please click here to leave an honest rating and review on iTunes. Your review helps me spread the word of this podcast, which allows me to line up amazing guests and continue to produce this podcast ad-free. Thanks so much in advance for your support.
Podcast audio editing and show note production by Nives Kurjak. Click here to get 10% off your podcast production for life.
