2019 standards no longer apply

Of course, I need to add in all the new ads, make a few tweaks here and there on the formatting, but I thought it was going to be a relatively easy day at the office.

And then I began listening to the interview between the two… I was shocked at how truly bad the editing was. Now, I say this because I’m the one who edited it two years ago. I wouldn’t speak badly of another person’s work, even if I thought it was truly bad.

Two years ago, it was perfectly acceptable, and truth be told, if you were to listen to it, you might not think there’s anything wrong with it. But in the intervening time, I’ve simply had more reps, and my own personal editing standards have raised as a result.

If my lowly subordinate were to hand to me work at that standard of quality, I would immediately send it back to him and ask him to do it again.

And I wouldn’t hesitate to use the angry face emoji to reinforce just how serious the situation is.

The work that was acceptable in 2019, I couldn’t in good conscience publish in 2021 with my seal of approval. I ended up spending at least 4 hours removing “ums” “ahs” long pauses, just tightening up the conversation.

So I’ve gotten better at what I do, and in turn have passed on those standards to those I employ, not to mention those who employ me.

And it’s not just this one client I’ve worked for these last few years. Even clients we took on last fall, while our work was acceptable then, it wouldn’t be now. In fact, a series of emails and Voxers this past February with one client in particular led to a major breakthrough in how we handled the workflow for them, the result being the product is infinitely better than what we had before.

Aside from my very first podcast episode I recorded in February 2015, which I use as a running joke as to how bad I was when I started, I think I would chuck the pho ba I just had for dinner if I were to listen to my early work.

It’s just natural to get better at anything the more you do it.

It’s why the best way to get good at something is to just start, embrace the suck, and trust you’ll get better at it with time. When I picked up a trumpet  when I was 8 years old, I didn’t think I’d be preparing to perform a trumpet concerto and Rhapsody in Blue in Hanoi, Vietnam 37 years later. I just learned the scale and played it and played it, and got a little bit better over time.

When I started podcasting in 2015, I didn’t think that 5 years later I’d be the lead editor for a multi-million dollar show, which would lead to forming a podcast production agency servicing clients all over the U.S.

I just did it, and got a little bit better at it every time I hit “publish”.

I’ve been sharing my thoughts on podcasting, as well as publishing our Trumpet Dynamics and Musicpreneur podcasts on our mobile app. I’ve finally figured out how to automate the registration process, so I no longer have to go all 2003 on y’all and have you reply to emails to get access.

I’ve spent this past week preparing videos and web pages on how to get access to the app. It’s pretty slick if I do say so myself.

And I do.

To get the app, just click this link.

BTW, you need to have a mobile device that is older than when Mr. Obama was POTUS to get the app.

James Newcomb
committedmedia.org