Watch me, the black guy in the red shirt, compete for a job on MTV’s reality show, “Hired”:
Spoiler alert – I won! And when you watch the show you’ll see the pivotal role my Personal Brand Blog played in impressing MTV’s career coach and the interviewer.
(Vanity alert – thanks to my wonderful new wife, who is a professional dancer, I’m 40 pounds lighter than what I was in this episode of the show!)
That wasn’t the first time my Personal Brand Blog won me a job in entertainment.
Picture this. In 2001 I was an industry outsider, with big dreams and no contacts.
I wanted to be a music journalist, so I worked for free, writing underground hip-hop show reviews for a college radio station.
I loved what I was doing; writing was much more satisfying than my boring day job as a clerk in a city government office. And of course, I enjoyed the free show passes and the drink tickets promoters would pass to me, hoping to secure a positive review.
But all of my hard work was leading into a dead end.
The only connections I made were to people who wanted me to do more free work. And my writing was doing a lot to build up the radio station’s brand and audience, but zilch for my career.
By chance I read an article about a new way to publish articles online, that didn’t require technical or web design knowledge, or a college radio station to back you. With just a few clicks you could have your own website and share your thoughts with the entire world.
They called it “blogging” and I jumped into it like a fanatic.
Since then I tested and perfected ways to build my own audience and personal brand using blogging. And the results have changed my life and career.
I scored my first full time, paying gig as a writer through my blog. It turned out the founder of a hip-hop magazine was one of my readers. He sent me a simple email one day – “Hey, I like your website” – and I quickly responded. “Is it called a ‘blog’ or ‘weblog’” was his second email to me, and it wasn’t long before I was hired as his blog editor, with a staff of five freelance writers under me.
I also met my first mentor in the music industry through blogging, and she became my boss at Vibe Magazine, my second full time job in the business.
While working as an editor at Vibe, Def Jam Enterprises recruited me to help them launch a new website. It turned out their VP of marketing was another one of my readers. Without ever having to show a resume, I got added me to her team.
I did a short stint at the web startup, About.com as an editor. My job was simple – recruit subject matter experts and teach them how to run their own blog. The week I left I was working with experts in FOREX trading, Portuguese cooking, and interior decorating, teaching each of them how to do what I learned years before – attract an audience using a blog.
My next stop was my first job in television. I cold called an online editor at BET Networks, asking for a web writing job. She also knew me through the work on my Personal Brand Blog, but she didn’t have an open position for a journalist. Instead, she helped me land a gig as the Interactive Producer for one of the network’s shows.
I left the music business behind and focused on the television industry ever since.
It’s clear that I owe my career to the personal brand I created and audience I built, solely through my blog.
I thought I had a strange story, until I met other professionals in the business who leapfrogged gatekeepers, toned their talent, and gained unconventional success through building a following online.
They used videos, podcasts, webinars, photo blogs and all sorts of formats to express themselves.
Their voices and interested were varied. But the similarities are what really mattered. They each gave freely to their audiences, and their audiences gave back with a parade of unexpected opportunities to work in film, television, and music.
Just like my audience did for me.
And just like the audience of your Personal Brand Blog can do for you.
I’m teaching an online class on Personal Brand Blogging. And I want you to register.
It took me years to figure what works and what doesn’t on my own. However, during this 6 week online class, I’ll save you time, money, and headaches by showing you everything you need to know about:
- Choosing a topic that will attract readers and not get boring for you
- Using your blog to meet hard to reach people and get access to exclusive industry events
- Landing your next job in music, television, or film through your blog
I also have bonuses for the first 10 people who register. So, if this course is for you, move quickly on it.
You can click here to find out everything you need to know about the Personal Brand Blogging course.
