It’s always difficult to be first at something because of the lack of support available when no other subject matter experts (SMEs) yet exist.
Podcasting isn’t new by any means, some industry professionals claim its roots date back as far as the 1980s when “podcasts” were known as audio blogs. But, Scotty Russell, was the first “podcaster” I knew.
Brett Manternach and I had been eating at Greenhouse Kitchen on The Hill, on a random weekday, when we ran into Scotty Russell. Brett had known Scotty from his previous employment, and he introduced us after the two got refreshed with life happenings. Scotty had mentioned he had taken his side hustle to full-time status and that’s what intrigued me most. Chatting subsided and we went on with our days, never to see each other again—or so I thought.
Having enjoyed listening to conversations my entire life, and often catching myself imagining the words I’d interject if given the opportunity, I sometimes find myself daydreaming a whole separate chat. When the podcast started, I spent a significant amount of time listening to other podcasters’ material for guidance and growth. I knew Scotty was successful at turning his side hustle into a full-time gig; consequently, his podcast was one of the first I checked out.
Frequently I’ve been left feeling unfulfilled and diminished after meeting idols, but this was not the case with Scotty Russell—he did not disappoint! I threw a “Hail Mary” pass to Scotty’s direct messages about a podcast appearance because I valued his knowledge, craft, and accomplishments. Having listened to some of his content and watching his growth over the previous couple of years, I knew he could add value for the listeners; moreover, I really wanted to converse with him. He made my job extremely easy because of the amazing content he was able to provide due to his years behind the microphone on the Side Hustler’s Perspective Podcast. My audio engineer even commented that his acoustic pattern appeared to have perfect interval spacing between words. Scotty is a professional in every sense of the word.
While it’s always challenging to be the first at something, thank you, Scotty Russell, for showing me that it can be done. I appreciate you taking the time to share your deep knowledge and expertise with us on the podcast. I was absolutely blown away by your passion to create and the focus on your current season. I can’t wait to see the non-fungible token (NFT) story series in its entirety. Continue putting your whole heart into your work, Scotty, it’s contagious!
