Category Archives: Episodes

Helping People Get Paid to Play: John Williams – Epsiode 63

Listen to the end of the chat for a special offer on John Williams’ Find Your Money-Maker course!

John Williams has done all sorts of things. Though he’s a writer, blogger and coach at the moment, he’s programmed special effects software for movies and TV, done work for the BBC, and even been a stand-up comedian. The one through-line of his recent efforts is his choice to not work to anyone else’s job description or schedule for a living.

John has taken his experiences in getting out of the rat race and turned them into a blog called “Screw Work Let’s Play” which has since become a book (with a second one due in July 2016). The blog and book feed into the coaching courses he offers to help others find their own thing (or selection of things) in life. Naturally, I had to get him on the show!

John and I have a great chat about what the process of ditching the nine to five is really like, the conflict between experimenting with work for low pay and not settling for less than pro rates and how the current education system still moulds people for factory-era work.

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On Scheduling: Episode 62

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In this live streamed episode, I talk about finding time to do the things that will help us get paid to play – and making sure you discuss your schedule with those close to you! Thank you to Birdy and Mike of JourneyBirds Wonderland for coming along!

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NOTE: While I did livestream this video on YouTube, it had the same audio issues as the last one. Whether it was because I had a second (headset) mic plugged in and active, because I was recording in Audacity at the same time as streaming or because of something else, I’m not sure, but I’m not satisfied with the result.

I need to do some more testing before I try streaming seriously again. When that will be, I’m not sure; in the meantime I’ll keep to producing a quality audio podcast.

Stories From the Universe: Birdy and Mike Diamond – Episode 61

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Birdy and Mike Diamond are keen writers who believe that good stories come from outside the self; that the trick to writing is getting in tune with the lives that the people you’re writing about are living and letting them tell their stories through you.

One avenue of portraying their stories that they’ve explored has been Internet TV and audio plays. They’e currently developing several projects and engaging people of various talents to help complete a few key ones – including yours truly as a voice artist!

Notes for Listeners:

This episode was the first time I’d experimented with using Skype credit to call a land line phone number. I was expecting that my guests’ side of the conversation would be phone call quality; it turns out that Skype records us both at that grade.
During this episode, Birdy and Mike make mention of a group called the Writer’s Circle. Since the recording, they have decided to depart the group.

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Keep Showing Up: Episode 60

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I don’t know how well this experiment of Even Episodes via Live Chat is going, but I’m having fun doing it! In this live-streamed Even Episode, I talk like a pirate about my own progress on getting paid to play! Special Guest Game: FTL!

Thank you to all my lovely audience members Lilith and Birdy for coming along!

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WARNING: Sound issues present in the video version.

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A Life of Magic: Sam Powers – Episode 59

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Sam Powers is a stage illusionist of international acclaim. Since witnessing his first magic show at the age of three, Sam has delved into the world of illusion as entertainment. His slick, stylish shows have taken the breath of audiences across the continent and the globe and earned Sam the respect of his peers!

Even though Sam was lucky enough to discover his calling young, it still takes commitment to make that calling a reality. It was a privilege to spend some time with Sam, the managing director of International Magic, discussing just what it means to manage the business side of show business.

Thanks to Matt Bond for getting Sam and I in touch!

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On Focus – Episode 58

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It’s time for a new challenge, and this week it’s live streaming! I’m glad just to have got it working properly (though I’m not fond of the grainy quality)!

Some celebration of further success on Fiverr and some quick updates on progress with the project I announced last even episode, followed by thoughts on what I need to do in order to progress with getting more voice work.

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An Explosive Cosplayer: Evey Dantès – Dantès Inferno – Episode 57

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Evey Dantès’ skill as a cosplayer has got her to the place that many cosplayers wish they were at: Being paid to cosplay. Evey has tried her hand at several ways of earning money from her craft, from commission shoots to children’s parties. Nowadays, Evey not only sells prints at conventions, she is also sponsored by an online video game store, a clothing label and a dentist!

I’ve been meaning to get this cosplayer on the show since before Tropicon, and I’m proud to have her episode up a day before Evey’s next appearance at Sugar City Con in Mackay! But keep listening for Evey’s next venture – helping to organise a geek convention in her own neck of the woods, south of Sydney!

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My New Paid to Play Project – Episode 56

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It’s been an interesting couple of weeks, with the ending of a Patreon patronage and an upswing in voice gigs on Fiverr – but perhaps the most interesting thing is my starting a personal Paid to Play Challenge!

After telling folks that the best thing you can do is embrace your inner craziness, geekiness and oddness, it’s time I did it myself – I’m taking the book I’ve been writing in my head for the last few weeks about the computer game Heroes of the Storm and turning it into an actual book over the next sixty days!

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The Soul of an Animal: Beck and Ken Drake, Zoo Studio Pet Photography – Episode 55

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After taking photos of pets as a hobby for years, it took Ken Drake answering the dreaded, “What do you do for work?” question with what he wished he could be doing (instead of the software engineer work he’d been looking for) to start him down the path of getting Paid to Play.

Ken’s wife Beck had similarly been in business and marketing for years, and when her husband’s sideline began gathering steam, Beck herself saw an opportunity to start bringing meaning into the work she’d already been doing.

The result is Zoo Studio, which produces fantastic images of people’s pets! These two were a request of my wife Vickie, and I was very glad to chat with them about going Venkman on one of the most joyous hobbies possible!