**This transcript was generated using AI and was not professionally edited. Please excuse any errors.*
Gianna Andrews 00:00
Hello and welcome to another Studio Sundays. I'm your host, Gianna Andrews. We are hanging out in my art studio. Today is Sunday and Sunday's are the day to relax, reset, get ready for your big week ahead. So why not listen to some inspiring people while you're working on your meal prep, you're planning your outfits, maybe you're doing laundry cleaning the house, it's time for another studio Sunday spotlight. This week, I was super excited to chat with Chris. Just a piney first has a super interesting story of how he got to where he is. Chris also has a really interesting YouTube channel based on conventional living, his channels growing quickly. So definitely check that out link in the show notes. But not only did I learn a lot from Chris's story, but he also gave me some consulting advice on my own business. His perspective is that if you stick with one thing long enough, you become a master in it. It's okay if competition joins the scene because those people are just copycats. And the more you just stick with what you're good at and keep refining yourself, the better you're gonna get and the better you'll stand out from your competition. But yeah, there was just a lot of golden there. So I hope you enjoy your conversation as much as I did. And with that, let's dive into it. Chris, welcome to Studio Sundays. Happy to have you here.
Chris Giuseppini 01:29
Thanks so much for having me.
Gianna Andrews 01:31
Where are you at right now? What state are you in?
Chris Giuseppini 01:34
I'm in New Jersey, about 20 minutes outside of New York City. Okay, I've been here my entire life.
Gianna Andrews 01:39
And you went to school in New Jersey as well. I saw.
Chris Giuseppini 01:44
Yeah, I went to film school, Montclair State University, and graduated. And basically, I've continued to be a storyteller ever since. And that's just been my trajectory, had a relationship with creating YouTube videos, and then took my passion to helping uncover stories from people that didn't know they had it in order to help them progress their careers. And so that would be like an entrepreneur or business owner. And I'd help them leverage video and extract the stories from within themselves that they didn't know was that interesting, and it helped attract them a tribe, and then audience and then in turn, help their business out. Yeah,
Gianna Andrews 02:29
That's super interesting. Because there's, there's different ways to start businesses almost, it's like some businesses start with the product or what they're selling. And then they need that story to like, kind of attract those customers or connect with people. I feel like I did it the opposite way where I liked to start telling my story. And then all of a sudden, people were like, We want to buy your stuff. And I was like, I don't even have a website. So it's interesting, like how the difference can be, can happen there. Before we dive too far into what you're doing today. What was your childhood? Like? What's your what's the story or kind of like the thread in your childhood that kind of almost superseded where you're at now?
Chris Giuseppini 03:07
Yeah, there are. My dream as a kid was to be a football coach. And I went to Barnes and Noble and got every kind of football book that I could get just random things like the football coaching Bible, like textbooks on strategy and football. And I would gather the kids in my neighborhood. And I would take, you know, pieces of paper and draw like blocks, and we would run plays and stuff like that. And we would run these plays just five of us. And I loved doing that. Because it was a collaborative process. And it was like an organized thing where a lot of people were operating at the same time to complete a task. In retrospect, I recognize that's what it was back then. I loved football. As I grew older, and I started to play football, I realized it wasn't for me because at least in the year, yeah, at least when I grew up, or where I grew up, and I guess many, many places. Youth League football is very unorganized and macho and not as strategic as I had been reading in my books, and I'm sure at the higher levels, it changes, but it's like it's tackling kids and intense male, you know, aggressiveness. And I was like, Okay, this isn't for me. So luckily, around that time my cousins who were big into like 80s, horror references and stuff like that. They started during family holidays. We didn't make movies in the basement, just little skits like recreating movie scenes and stuff like that. And that made me fall in love with making movies. Because again, here's a collaborative process where a bunch of people get together, actors, lights, stuff like that. And we didn't do any of that, we just filmed ourselves on a movie camera. But it was the same feeling. And then I took that and ran with it into high school.
Gianna Andrews 05:26
So you ran with that into high school when you kind of like got into filmmaking and started getting into camera more.
Chris Giuseppini 05:32
In high school, my program and high school had a really great investment into things like the arts, and extracurricular activities. So like I was very, very blessed because even others that I grew up in the state that went to other high schools that I met in like college, they didn't have what I had access to. And one of the things that they invested heavily into was like a media thing, where we would have a morning show and morning announcements and stuff like that. But each Friday, we would create like a Good Morning America type of thing with like, the show with different segments, whether it's like man on the street interviews, or skits and things like that, and I got, again, really into that. And I became like a producer of this show, as I got more experience and grew up in high school. And it was like, hey, you know, we have a schedule, we have a team, we have all this stuff. And I knew that I wanted to go to college for filmmaking. My senior year, as I was deciding to go to school. My media teacher was also the tech person, the tech Supervisor of the school's play. And he asked me, I had a lot of free time senior year, because I was just like, chilling because I knew what I wanted to do. So I was like doing as little credits as I could and stuff like that. He asked me if I wanted to be a part of his tech crew. And he said, you know, he's got his established people. If you just want to be extra hands and like, learn the ropes, and live performance, let me know as of yeah, let's go. I showed up to the first, like, tech rehearsal for the school play, which that year was lame is a crazy, crazy, ambitious play to start. In my experience with that as my first play that I've ever seen, my first musical that I've ever seen. And, you know, for the first half hour, we're like setting up lights, making people do all that stuff, then I'm sitting just in the audience, because I have nothing to do because I'm just like, extra hands. I'm not anything important. And I'm just watching. And then the first overture comes, there's a live band. And like that lame it is an epic. And it just caught me completely off guard, like the level of talent at that school. It was crazy. Because like I you know, I knew people could sing, but I didn't, you know, the mix between his epic story, the talented kids, the live music, and all of these creative lighting, everything had to come together to to make this and I'm just I'm the audience member of one first day of tech rehearsal. And for the first seven minutes until the director paused it and yelled at some air. I was just completely enthralled in that, and I realized that in that moment, football in my life, filmmaking in my life and theater, it all stems back to the same thing of that teamwork, to create something that would not otherwise exist. And that's kind of what my backstory is, I would say, Wow, that's super interesting.
Gianna Andrews 08:57
So in this scenario are the actors actually like mic'd up?
Chris Giuseppini 09:02
Yeah, it's a full on live band. Yeah, I was like, and this is like, my first day on the job. I, the only musical I ever saw was probably like, sound of music on TV. You know, I was not a theater kid. And then from there, I became one, you know, football,
Gianna Andrews 09:20
You're a football jock, and then converted
Chris Giuseppini 09:23
To a nerdy film kid, and then I became a theater kid.
Gianna Andrews 09:30
And we definitely did not have a lot of theater in my school and musicals, but we'd never had like, a media team with a footprint like we never had mics, none of that. So that's super interesting for people to experience that at that young age.
Chris Giuseppini 09:43
My school really, they spent on that production, like $120,000. Like that was like the budget that was going off or I'd like to get the rights to laymen's. I remember, it was like 25 grand to just get the rights to put that on. And the only reason they did It was because they knew the talent level of, they're like, Hey, we have all these talented people, this isn't going to be the case three years from now, we got to do it this year. And it was 2014, which is right after the movie came out, which I still have never seen. My only experience with lame is is this production.
Gianna Andrews 10:22
So are you still in touch with any of those people today that were kind of in the actors in the theater group? Yeah,
Chris Giuseppini 10:29
Yes, I am. One of them. Who played Andre Ross, the leader of the rebellion, he ended up being a composition major at Berklee, and then got his MBA at Boston University. So all of these kids grew up into just really exceptional artists, and performers. And I was lucky to be around that. So that particular person I am close friends with still the other people I'm loosely connected to. And I feel like, because it was a half year of my life, but because of that half year of my life, I could message any of them today and say, Hey, I'm thinking about you. And like, it sparked a conversation.
Gianna Andrews 11:21
Yeah, well, there's something it sounds like that whole experience was really impactful. And there's something about those formative years when like, we have those moments that kind of our life changing that really stick with you. And it's where time is almost not so linear. It's like this experience was so impactful, it almost takes up more brain space than maybe another year of your life. Might. So you went on to film school? And then you kind of transitioned into like production as far as filmmaking, TV, directing, did you always freelance or were you ever like employed by an establishment after college?
Chris Giuseppini 12:03
Well, after college, I did some freelancing. And then for about two months, I had a nine to five I two different nine to five in the span of those two months, and it wasn't for me, and what had happened was actually, let me take it back towards the end of college because it kind of sets it up. One thing that I always liked being was like the younger person that the older people, like, I always went to the older people with more wisdom, because I did two things. One, I like being like, the next hot young thing, like and like, you know, being somebody's prodigy, but the other thing was, I always like learning from older people. And that's just what I've surrounded myself with, from whether it's content that I watch, or the people I surround myself with. So in college, the first kid to get like a paid gig, like a paid like real where he was an assistant camera on a real Toyota commercial, he was flown to Atlanta, like he was like, I would say my mentor, one of my closest friends, and I lived with him, he was my roommate to a year above me. And he comes back. And you know, everyone thinks he's like a superstar and stuff like that. And I'm in his kitchen one day, and he comes back and he's like, Dude, you know, that this was nice and everything, but I feel like this career that we've chosen, we're going to be like, working until our graves because you can't make money as an artist. And I'm like, hearing this from this kid that I was looking up to that got, you know, somebody papers hotel room, you know, and like, it was like Hollywood at the time. And I'm just like, yeah, no, that's not going to be me. And I was always like, fiscally responsible and learning to save and stuff like that at a young age. And I made it my mission to like not to be that I did not want to be like the starving broke Sundance filmmaker, Film Festival artists and stuff like that. It's like, if I'm going to make a career and as I could, like, fund my passion projects. So what I did was within six months after that, I was working so much that I had already liked it. Six months after that conversation, I was on a plane to Tokyo to film a commercial for a Sony project, because I just took that moment as motivation. And I just ran with it after school. The momentum just I don't know what happened. I don't know if it was a mindset opportunity or what? Boom, nothing like I was not working. I had a lot of work. I graduated in May with a lot of work in June, July, nothing August, nothing September nothing. And I was like, wow, what's going on here? I was like, Okay, let's, let's see if this nine to five I think might work there was on. The first one was a digital company in New York City, it was just like a content mill, like, really cheap labor type of stuff. And I went with it, because why not? And I got to experience it. And it was really cool. I actually really loved the job because even from day one, I was in the collaborative aspect and felt like the high school media program I was in everyone was like, together, there was no cringy authority type of thing I like. I felt like one of them right away. Then I got a message on LinkedIn from a headhunter, who was like, Hey, here's this job that you might be a good fit for, can you interview for it? And the job was for like, double the salary, health insurance, stuff like that. And it was based in New Jersey, so I didn't have to go into the city and take public transportation. Because it was by my house, I could drive there. And I interview for it, it's fine. But it was like a corporate office videographer job, I could tell it's going to be soul sucking, but at the same time, like adult money, versus like, almost depends on your parents, like, as close to $15 an hour as you could get. And so I take the offer letter to my then current boss. And I'm like, hey, I want to stay here. It would be irresponsible for me to like, turn this down. Is there anything you could do? And he said, No. So I took the job, the corporate job. And I lasted like four weeks there. What had happened was on my third day, it was an office. It wasn't like public facing. I just had to go around like the factory and film videos and edit them and stuff like that. Because they were manufacturing trades, trade show booths. And on the third day, it was like summer, and I got an email from my boss like, Hey, you can't wear shorts. And like, I didn't wear basketball shorts. I was dressed fine. But like, I've one I've never been told by like a dress code in my life or anything I've ever done. So that was like, really weird. And then I realized, I'm like, Oh, these people are just not wired like me. They think I'm probably this weird person, you know, who has the gall to show up in an office with shorts. But I did it because I just did n't know any difference.
Gianna Andrews 17:36
Didn't think corporate America had its own agenda.
Chris Giuseppini 17:39
Yeah, it was. Exactly, exactly. So. So a bunch of things like that happened. And then I kind of let go of mutually parting ways. Because I was being like, resistant to things. And like, I just, I just wasn't happy there. I get into the parking lot. And I called my best friend at the time. And then I told him what had happened. He's like, congratulations. I was like, What are you going to do now? And I'm like, Well, I'm going to call the union hall with the IRC local 52, which is like an electric film filmmaking union. And I'm gonna be like, do you guys have any work? And luckily, I called, they called back in like, five hours. And on the next day, I was working on a Netflix show making more that day than I did in three days working at Palmer and so did you wear shorts?
Gianna Andrews 18:42
So those were shorts? Nice. Yeah, you're like, This is where I fit in. I can wear whatever I want. Totally experience. That's so interesting. So I feel like in your story, there's a lot of drive and ambition and just kind of motivation to keep it rolling. Even if things aren't working in your favor. Where do you think that comes from?
Chris Giuseppini 19:07
I think it comes from confidence. And confidence comes from having deeply held core beliefs that you stick by. And so I was always in a position where I would kind of like, audit the opportunities or things in front of me. Bad decisions, good decisions against my core beliefs and did it you know, deviate. And because of that, I feel like I was never like, succumbed to too many social pressures. And I kind of went my own way in terms of what I find, to align with my values. I think that's where it comes from.
Gianna Andrews 19:55
Yeah, that's interesting, because even like back in high school when you were this football player, and then You're like having this experience viewing theater and you're like, This is so cool like, some kids, not you, but other kids might be too embarrassed to like, actually pursue that avenue because that's not cool. Or that's not. Like, that's not what football players do. So like, you can't just be a theater kid. But it sounds like you're kind of like, have this sense of independence where you just follow you. And it doesn't really matter, like the outside influences as much.
Chris Giuseppini 20:29
Yeah, because every group of people is cool. Like, like, whether you're a theater kid or photographer, or football player, like everyone has their own. It's the same social hierarchy within the group. And it just like, and from, and I was observant, and I liked observing these social hierarchies. And I was like, it's all the same, just different interests. And so I'm naturally gravitated towards what other people find interesting. And whether I'm talented at it or not, or just amused. I like hearing from people, too. I like seeing people either perform or hearing people talk about what they're interested in.
Gianna Andrews 21:17
It kind of goes hand in hand with what you're doing now a little bit, or reminds me of, kind of I watched your bio video, I think it was, like talking about what you do. And telling stories is how brands need to tell stories because it helps them connect with a group of people that feel identified with what that brand is about. So like, when a brand tells their brand's story, it's attracting a certain group of people. So one brand might be telling a brand story that attracts football players, one brand might be telling one that attracts theater kids, but your ability to see that it's almost all the same thing, we just need to find that line of kind of identity on how to connect with groups. So it's interesting that you're able to, it seems like your skill sets are very versatile, and like who you're able to work with, or it doesn't necessarily matter what the story or the group is, it's more about the process of the storytelling.
Chris Giuseppini 22:12
I'm just an amplifier for somebody's story, whatever it is, I hold the microphone up to them. And then most people are just naturally good at sharing your story. But if they're not I coached them through it. And we get to some, like we get to a point where like, they're comfortable to share their experiences and who they relate to. I think it's normal in a social setting and in a business setting for somebody to want to appeal to everyone. But my mindset is, the less relevant you are to a majority of people, the more relevant you become to the right group of people. And I try to really reflect that in who I am and the work I put out there.
Gianna Andrews 23:04
So like, kind of furthering developing a niche is important.
Chris Giuseppini 23:10
Yeah. I guess so. Yeah. So a niche niche is important. But I would even say, if you take a horizontal person like Tim Ferriss, I wouldn't say Tim Ferriss necessarily fits into a niche. I don't really listen to Tim Ferriss, but he comes to mind because he's very horizontal, he's interested in a lot of things. And he recognizes that the people that listen to him are also multi-dimensional and very interested in a lot of different things, whether it's health and mindset, or I don't know, space or whatever else he talks about boxing, whatever, fighting good. Oh, yeah, UFC and MMA and stuff like that. Yeah. The name of my company is called Sandor media. And it's derived from my favorite word, which is sonder. My My name is spelled s o n, d, O R and the word sondors, s o n D, E R. And the word sonder is the awareness that everyone who passed by on your day to day life is living an equally complex and unique and vivid life to your own. And just having that awareness changes how you engage with the world. And it's my favorite word.
Gianna Andrews 24:25
Yeah, that's really cool. So for somebody because I feel like this is one of the things I've run into with storytelling in my brand is that I have multiple interests, like many interests, I'm a very curious person. I'm a Gemini affino. Astrology is just like, kind of like all over the place with different fascinations of things. But my audience doesn't seem to always respond well, when it's like, getting too far outside the box of like, nature, art and like kind of my core themes of storytelling that I've carried along Um, so how do you, I guess, there's almost a difference between like what Tim Ferriss is doing. And he's got all these interests, but what he's really good at is also being super detail oriented. And he likes, almost takes apart the details. How do you advise somebody that has almost like too much going on? And like, are you? Are you suggesting people become more narrow, before they become more wide focus? Or how would you kind of handle that?
Chris Giuseppini 25:31
It's very difficult for an artist or any creative person to become narrow-minded because they like exploring. And we don't want to be confined in a box, like I was in a cubicle and told I couldn't wear shorts. The thing is, and you've probably noticed with your ability to excel in what you do with paintings, and all the types of artwork you're doing, is that over time, you developed your own voice, and that voice is consistent. And to me a brand is a promise and an expectation that the audience puts on you that the next thing that they see from you, is going to be consistent with what they've known you to be. So as an artist, when you're struggling internally with, okay, um, I'm doing these murals and paintings, okay, well, now I want to do I want to do like cut glass, glass mosaics, and are people gonna respond well to that are, where you want to do things out of, I don't know, found items, you know, sculptures and stuff like that, people are gonna respond to that. They might not at first, but I want to talk about the core feeling of what that is, that boxton feeling of like, oh, I only have to do painted murals. To me, what that speaks to is this irrational fear that when you walk into a room, and this is your life, now, this is what you're doing, you feel like you're gonna get trapped in this room, and there's never going to be an exit, you're going to open that door, you're gonna walk in that room, and now it's a prison cell. But what you find, as you get better at what you do, is that each room you walk into now there's two more doors. And eventually, you get the confidence within yourself to open and walk through another door. And there's two more doors. And so each room, you collect a new thing along your journey, and the faster you move through each door, the more velocity you take in, the more momentum you get. And eventually you get to this Tim Ferriss level, where, you know, he has a lot of wisdom and a lot of experiences to share. Yeah, and I believe that's what the best artists in the world do. They recognize that there's gonna be another opportunity. Don't have analysis paralysis with what you're doing right now. That's what I have to say. I did that to answer your question. I don't know if I know, that was really big, I came back,
Gianna Andrews 28:19
I really liked that metaphor of moving through rooms. And because it's almost like the evolution of a brand, or an artist, whatever you want to call it, that evolution of an artist is, if you also just keep doing the exact same thing in the same way eventually might tap out and bore your audience. So it's kind of like, there is a certain time at which walking through the doors might be important or like to continue the exploration and evolution of adding to that story of what an artist is, or even like the creativity because I could see, like, it can get stale if you just keep doing the exact same thing.
Chris Giuseppini 29:06
But there's also the idea that you become more of a master, like if you're the best person in the world at what you do and super specific. You will never run out of work. There's and I wish I could just pull out in my head right now, like an example. But like, there are people that do one thing. And it's them and everyone else is the copycat. Yeah. And that's a great position to be and then kind of like an author, you could create other pseudonyms or other names and offshoots of your brand and you're just experiments and grow that to the side if you want and then bring it into your main collection if you want to. But yeah, that's important. And, and it's always, it's important to, rather than having a, like a finger or thumb on the pulse of what's trending, it's important to learn the direction that your tribe your audience is going into. Because that's, that's more important because what's trending is probably not what's relevant to your particular audience. At least, I believe that.
Gianna Andrews 30:26
So how would you go about figuring out where your audience is kind of heading?
Chris Giuseppini 30:33
Well, let's break that down. What's your audience to you right now?
Gianna Andrews 30:36
Okay, my audience is outdoor people that love to go outside. pretty heavily Pacific Northwest focus, but I'd say there's kind of the national spread in terms of like different outdoorsy towns all over the nation. They like to ski, surf, hike, and be outside with their dogs. Some of them really like to create art as well. Some of them are aspiring artists. How am I doing?
Chris Giuseppini 31:12
Perfect. Is it okay, it's it? It's a clearer picture to me, because now I could think of three different buyer personas, customer avatars, whatever you want to call them. Okay,
Gianna Andrews 31:21
yeah, that one thing I would add is like the, I think the reason people want to, like, buy my art or kind of identify with it is that since they identify with being outside, my art is very nature focused. So having it in their home, is part of their identity, because they're outdoorsy people,
Chris Giuseppini 31:41
That's exactly where I was gonna go with it. And more specific to the Pacific Northwest. Either they're moving to Los Angeles, or New York City for a job and they want to take a piece of home with them, or they visited on vacation and want to bring it back home. Or they're a native and they're proud, and they want to represent that in their style at home. So those are three reasons beyond that I just like art, that somebody would buy art from you. And so now with that in mind, whatever you create next, and it could be a different genre, but of art, it could be the glass mosaic thing or recovered, found garbage turned to art, whatever it is, if you keep that in spirit, it'll be successful. I think. Yeah,
Gianna Andrews 32:34
That's really interesting, because you're right, it's not just people that identify with living here, it's like because this place is kind of iconic on a national scale. People want to say Oh, I visited this place that I love going to. I'm going to go back and that definitely makes a lot of sense. Cool. I like the way you broke
Chris Giuseppini 32:54
I have not been to the Pacific Northwest. It is the one place I have not been to. I've been everywhere in the country except for the Arizona Grand Canyon and the Pacific Northwest. So it's and the reason is because I want to dedicate time and energy to each place that I go to so I get to experience the entire region isolated and as a whole. So
Gianna Andrews 33:19
Yeah, well, it's definitely worth a visit and let's get you a project out here so you have a good excuse.
Chris Giuseppini 33:27
For sure. No, I was when I went to like Yellowstone and the Tetons in Wyoming and stuff like that. I just went out with a friend one summer and we just slept and slept in like hammocks and tents in grizzly bear country looking back and kind of felt crazy, but like, at the same time, we were really careful. We were really prepared and it didn't make any sense. No nothing. So like we were set but I'll have to go out to Washington, Oregon and in that area, so yeah, there's
Gianna Andrews 34:02
A lot of Van life out here. So a good van project would be good to go. Yep. Yeah, there's a lot of it. The Olympic Peninsula is very heavy on van life. Did you have bear spray? At least when you're in Wyoming? And oh, yes,
Chris Giuseppini 34:15
Of course. Yes. You know, like it. We didn't even like unscented soaps, we kept all our food just far away from us safe like we were set, we had one bear encounter on a hike. And it was a pretty populated area, actually. So there's a lot of foot traffic. There's this giant bear that on all four legs was up to my shoulders. And it was like, it was a black bear. But it was giant and way, way bigger than what I've ever seen. And there are people on that hike with little kids and no bear spray and flip flops and jeans, that sort of thing. And you're like What are you doing?
Gianna Andrews 34:54
It's like yeah, it's like Disneyland Yellowstone can be like Disneyland. I went to school and in Bozeman, Montana, so I go out to yellow camp. Yeah. And it's like the most grizzly bears I've ever seen are just from the inside of a car like driving through Yellowstone. And then there I saw like one time a grizzly bear and then all this traffic was stopped. And people are like running part stops their cars and middle road running with their cameras trying to get a photo. It was the saddest thing I've ever seen, like people stay in your cars, keep driving. Let the wildlife be.
Chris Giuseppini 35:29
Bozeman is a great city. I loved Bozeman. I wanted to live there. But I could also tell that it was very different six years ago, if it felt brand new and shiny, yeah,
Gianna Andrews 35:46
Well, I was gonna say, see, when I went there, I would have called it a town. Now it's really changed. I think even since I left in 2016. And it's the valleys just kind of boomed and grown and it's changed a lot.
Chris Giuseppini 36:04
It's really hard getting heavily developed. I could imagine it's difficult for the locals to be able to continue to afford there with an influx of these migrants essentially, like have like, Los Angeles folks that are, you know, move into that area.
Gianna Andrews 36:19
Yeah. I think it's really, it's happening in a lot of places. But I mean, there's lots of other spaces in Montana to live that are more open and less, you know, developed.
Chris Giuseppini 36:31
Billings was really shocking to me because it felt like a town like a generic town in New Jersey, at least to me, and it felt very crowded. And strip mall after strip mall was the vibe I got. Yeah,
Gianna Andrews 36:45
It's kind of like I think history is very industrial. Okay, makes sense. So like coal mines and mining and all that Coast influence. So yeah, yeah. Um, anyways, little tangent there, Rocky Mountain tangent, but I want to go back to something you said before, in terms of your core values, and how you kind of use your core values to discern whether maybe an opportunity is right for you, or even like a thought pattern? Or, like your next steps in life? What could you share a couple of your core values?
Chris Giuseppini 37:23
Man, it's weird. I wonder how I could phrase them in pithy words, because I guess I've never had to put them into words, because I guess they're just feelings and, okay, so it's feelings of inclusion, like, it's really important for me to feel like everyone feels a part of, of what's going on. And not to feel like I'm excluding excluding anyone, it's a really poor representation of what the feeling is, because I guess I've never had to articulate it into words, maybe I should, maybe I should make a little manifesto and just, like, here's my four core values, but that that would be one of them. Because I think I'm hyper aware of people's feelings when I'm in their vicinity. And I want to make sure that they're, they're comfortable. Another core value is being a conscious consumer, doesn't mean being like an anti consumer, or like anti capitalist or anything like that. It means when you purchase something, purchase it with intention, and don't do it. Because it brings you status. And to go off on the status thing, it's everything we do is for, for status to kind of like Ben status plays an important role in social hierarchy and stuff like that. But people after Maslow's hierarchy is met, that's all we have is our status. So instead of buying a sweatshirt, we buy a sweatshirt with a logo that represents who we are, who our tribe is, where Nike tribe, where reigning champ tribe, we're, this is unique well, and a lot of people wear logos on their stuff to represent who they are. And that's kind of how the relationship between brands and people are. And so for me, I want to return as closely to Maslow's hierarchy of needs as I can and, likewise, be influenced as little by the role status. If there's anything else, I think that's a good start.
Gianna Andrews 39:38
When you're talking about consumption and consumption, kind of products with intention. Would you also say that goes similarly to your consumption with media or your beliefs about consuming media? Because I feel like that's another method of how we consume now. And there's such an influx of information And that if you're not intentional about where you're looking for that information, or you know, just scrolling social media mindlessly, that can be kind of another way we're consuming. So what's your take on that?
Chris Giuseppini 40:12
It's really easy to allow, like the Doom scrolling to settle in, and just kind of absorb, without resistance, everything that comes your way. And there's a certain level of discipline, which is, I suffer from everyone suffers from that you need to practice in order to kind of like, break out of that matrix out of that, wait a second, like, what social media is feeding me right now is what they want me to see not what I'm actively seeking out. It's one reason why I don't I don't really use tick tock, I don't have tick tock on my phone. I never look at Instagram reels or YouTube shorts, because I know, I will be addicted to it. And I just don't, I just don't need another addiction in my life. Like, it's so easy for these companies to just hook you. And that's just like an artificial barrier I put on like, I just don't go on that stuff. In terms of other media. When I create, like, my own videos, I think one of the more popular topics that as well, for me is the idea of breaking free from subscription services. And I don't, I'm not anti Netflix, anti Amazon and Hulu and stuff like that. I just kind of propose the question. Are you getting what you think you're paying for. And if you're paying for convenience, and you were just wanted to flip channels and be served like brainless stuff, it's sure you could do that. But also, like, there's a lot of things that you can't get on these platforms anymore, because they're just, I don't know, taking great pieces of media, great pieces of artwork and putting them in a stash in terms of and going the whole Tiger King route, and just feeding a bunch of hot junk in the moment that might be popular. And then a flash in the pan, it's not relevant anymore. And so one of my things is like, if you, if you just recognize that and recognize what you're consuming, then you will have like a better relationship with the time you spend consuming things. And maybe even Well, definitely even with what you're consuming, and it might be able to inspire you, or help you relax and better ways than just giving up on a feed that serves you.
Gianna Andrews 42:38
And that takes a whole lot of self awareness and self control these days, especially when everyone around us. I mean, not everyone, but many people around us are consuming media, social media, in that way without any thought and just taking it for what it is and spending more and more hours on the screen. Where do you think the self awareness piece comes from for you? Does that go back to your core values?
Chris Giuseppini 43:07
Yeah, yeah, it goes back to the core values, because everyone needs something like their internal belief system, or internal Bible or guidebook or employee manual, whatever it is to just kind of audit their decisions. Because, like, left unchecked, you could get influenced from anything and have your mind. Like, lose its ability to critically think,
Gianna Andrews 43:33
Do you think that's happening to people now?
Chris Giuseppini 43:36
Yeah, what happened 10 years ago? And, you know, so it. That's just how it is. And I, I feel like, I like just asking questions. And it doesn't matter. What side of the debate you're on, I always take the opposite side, I just ask questions, because I just want somebody to, like, have to think hard about what it is they believe, and be able to justify it and stand by it. And I like being questioned too, because then it just makes me feel like okay, let's go back to the drawing board. And it's, you know, and especially with algorithms, because we've never met with that resistance, because we're fed with what it is we want to see. We're losing that ability to question. You know, we think we're questioning because they say, Oh, look what this part of the government's doing, or look what look what Disney is doing, or, you know, look what, you know, these different brands or organizations or influencers, it's easy for us to judge with, you know, and have an opinion on literally anything, because we can headline read, and it agrees with. Yeah, that sounds about right, in our inner monologue.
Gianna Andrews 44:58
Mm. Yeah, it's like reinforcing those beliefs. And I mean, I feel like that's part of the reason why almost our political system even is not to, like, go down a political hole. But like, why it's so polarized because it's, we're getting fed these beliefs that just more and more align with Arby's headlines that more and more of one with our beliefs. So it's kind of this interesting dichotomy.
Chris Giuseppini 45:25
It's hard. It's a hard world to live in.
Gianna Andrews 45:28
It is. So with sonder media, you're helping brands and your clients tell stories. Who is your ideal client?
Chris Giuseppini 45:39
Man right now I've been I've worked with to really primarily right now, I would say influencers on one end, but the other end that I've been loving to work with has been campervan, builders, like people that build camper vans and those types of brands, I had the opportunity to work really closely with one for like, most of last year in California, take out their product and go around the desert and, and do stuff. And my goal with that is really to help. Man, it's so difficult to stand out, because people think standing out is putting out some flashy videos. But for me, it's like, Hey, how can we humanize this brand and make it relevant to the right buyer instead of just anyone who's interested in a van. And so I help them really define their audience in a way that a person will take one look at them, and be like, Oh, okay, these are my people, or no, we're gonna go to windows, like Winnebago or another company. And so that's what I've been focusing on.
Gianna Andrews 46:48
Yeah, so with your work now, are you getting behind the camera? Or is it mainly kind of like strategy and consulting work?
Chris Giuseppini 46:54
It's, it's both I would say it's, it's a mix of both, because one is high level thinking. And the other one is the execution of that direction. So for me, like setting a strategy means setting a goal. And the strategy is a bundle of sticks, which I call tactics that you'd like to test out against that strategy. So it's essentially creating a core belief of the brand. That's what strategy is, and then you test. Okay, what? Like, what words do we use? What videos do we make? What does the website look like? We test all of these little tactics that are interchangeable, and see what fits in the belief system of the company and belief system of who they're trying to sell to. And that's what I've been doing and it works pretty well. And it's really fun and rewarding. So
Gianna Andrews 47:46
Are you recommending it? Like, even if you're not kind of consuming Instagram reels or whatnot? Are you recommending some companies based on their audience? Do you use Instagram as a marketing technique? Or are you pretty YouTube focused with that?
Chris Giuseppini 48:07
Wherever the attention is, yeah, that's working for them. So there are people that are doing really well on Instagram, because they have big audiences, I'm not going to be like, Oh, ditch that focus on YouTube. It's what's working for them. And what I would say is, don't be on every platform, pick one, stick with it, because it's really expensive in terms of money, and time, and resources and bandwidth to be relevant on all of them. Not everyone can be Tim Ferriss, because Tim Ferriss spends a lot of money to be relevant to all. And so if you're just getting into it, and you're kind of dabbling on every platform, I would, I would just, I would just focus there on picking one that you could really stick to, and build it out. Like for me, my two platforms are LinkedIn and Reddit, both text base, not even videos, because my audience isn't particularly Video Base. My personal brand is video based. So I have a YouTube channel for my personal brand, which is great. And with the following Tim Ferriss idea of I'm having this personal brand, be something entirely different from what my work is to kind of just show a well roundedness and it makes the work more attractive when there's a sort of human attached to the work if that makes sense. Instead of like, we make videos I'll get you money, you know, so,
Gianna Andrews 49:34
You're also building out this personal brand congrats on 10k on YouTube. Thank you. Yeah, that's awesome. So is that the purpose of that to connect with these potential clients that will hire you for this type of what you like brand strategy and product auction side of things? Or is this a separate entity that you're building out? For yourself?
Chris Giuseppini 50:10
It pretty much has nothing to do with me trying to make money from my other business, it serves as a dear son or dear daughter, like I'm speaking to, like my future kid, and trying to like, challenge them. You know, like, Hey, here's a question. Here's the question of the day, here's some thoughts and research, I did make up your own opinion on the matter. So literally, what I can do I don't particularly do this, is I'll film a video and I'll start it with. I like, like, dear son, or daughter, and then I end with my beloved dad, and I just cut those two off, and then the rest of the video is the same. And so to me, it's just a personal diary of, of my thoughts, and what I'm thinking at the current time and my perspective on it. And I learned that there's a lot of entrepreneurial burnout culture going on, especially post COVID. And I'm like, let's be the anti hustle culture. Let's live, and have our businesses serve us, instead of us being some slave to two, what arbitrary game are we playing? Who's this Gary Vaynerchuk guy telling us to go go go? What are we going for? Yeah, and that's the spirit of my personal brand, which I don't get to determine what my brand is. And then whatever their perception of me is, therefore the brand. Yeah,
Gianna Andrews 51:37
That's really cool. I mean, it also seems like a good creative outlet, since you are such a creative person, to be able to kind of have that full freedom of full creative freedom over the videos you're making. They're all really creative and interesting. And then it's basically you sharing your thoughts without, you know, because client work can sometimes be like, your focus is on making your client happy. 100% not necessarily yourself. So this is a cool avenue of like, balancing that. You just said that there's been a lot of creative, entrepreneurial burnout post COVID. Why do you think that is?
Chris Giuseppini 52:16
Well, I agree, I graduated college in 2018. And that was like the height of this, like, digital entrepreneur boom, where everyone was like, it was a land grab, and everyone's like, hustle, hustle, hustle. COVID happened, and people just stepped on the gas. And now you're seeing all these YouTubers quitting? It's like the biggest trend on YouTube in 2024, everyone's quitting. And everyone's talking about burnout. And here I am. And I'm like, Oh, this is a good strike while the iron is hot, because this is my entire identity being this anti hustle culture, type of person where we question, what is success? And why are we pursuing it? And is it like, like, What Why Are we pursuing the success of others projected on us? Why don't we find our own core purpose? And that's what I think is going on today. Because there's a chasm between what the story that people were telling themselves is no longer relevant or true. And they haven't yet discovered what it is that they're looking for. So they're lost in this limbo.
Gianna Andrews 53:26
Interesting. Well, I've seen I mean, that's interesting, kind of like my niche or industry with artists that have kind of grown on the internet and become full time, like, because of their internet presence. There were, I was one of like, five that I was aware of artists at the time, back in like 2016 2017 on social media back when you would just like to post one photo with that weird filter. And so many more have joined the scene, which is awesome. Like, there's so much art out there, but a lot of it is not reinventing the wheel, it's doing more of that type of art. And, like people just trying to immediately sell their art and their products, with their art on it. And now I'm in a place where I'm like, there's so much more competition than when I started. And I try not to let that get in my head. And a lot of it is just more of the same, I guess is what I'm saying. But like, there's so many more artists selling their work on Instagram than when I started in like seven years ago. And it's really interesting to see, how can the industry or the niche really support this many of us right? It is there at a certain point at which it caps so it's a little bit different than YouTube, but it's in the same way as Other people's time. Like, you can only view so many YouTube videos in a day, you're only gonna identify with like a couple YouTubers, you're not going to be watching, like, hundreds of YouTubers a day. So people are going to pick their favorites. But it's yeah, it's an interesting time we're in with people losing their jobs being like, Okay, I'm gonna pursue this avenue and then now the economy is slowing down. Like nobody really knows what's gonna happen.
Chris Giuseppini 55:25
I'll land the plane beautifully with this one. Because it's something I have a lot of thoughts about. Because when I was, I've been making YouTube videos off and on and different. Trying to find a direction for like 14 years finally found it this year, in 2013. When I was making YouTube videos, I made one called Is it too late to get big on YouTube? And 20,013? Wow, because there's a guy named PewDiePie, who had 6 million subscribers at the time. And I was like, This is it. However, at the time, I opened the video as a 17 year old talking about the composer Bach . I'm getting this slightly wrong, but it's kind of on track. He's said, like, people say that he has composed pretty much every type of the lot melody that you can, like, compose like he's done it. He's made every combination possible. And I say, okay, maybe if that's technically true, why is there new music coming out, because it's reinventing what was older, and it's now becoming irrelevant to a new thing. And so you have each artist that comes on Instagram, or whatever next platform there is. You have these people that are bringing something that there wasn't before. But there's two ways, one creative and inspirational. But to audience wise, the audience in 2013, on YouTube was extremely different than it is in 2024. And it's a new set of eyeballs and a new set of ways for people to grow. I believe the more artists there are on a given platform, the more opportunity it is for you to be discovered. Because like I said, at the start, you're going to be relevant to 90% of people, but there's a 10% of people that are going to love Pacific Northwest art, you're going to love what you stand for. I've been complimented on a specific piece, because I like that piece. That is that one speaks to me, that's really cool. And there's tons of people out there like me, like you, and more people, more people creating just means more opportunity to discover where you fit in on this planet. And hopefully, eventually that means that everyone is going to once again feel included, and it's going to lead to a better place. But see about that. Yeah,
Gianna Andrews 58:08
No, I think that's a really cool way of looking at it. And you're right, that is, it does just get more and more defined or like your specific talent, like if you're trying to be too many things at once, as a creator, on the internet, you're kind of losing everyone. At the same time, like you're not really connecting with anyone. So it's like, how can you connect with that specific group of people, which is kind of what you've been getting at through this whole conversation?
Chris Giuseppini 58:41
Right, right. Yeah. It's, it's just, it's just finding that connection point. And the more people create, the more opportunity is for them to discover you too, because they might discover you through being exposed to that other creator.
Gianna Andrews 58:58
Totally. What can we expect to see from you in the future,
Chris Giuseppini 59:02
I would say doubling down on my YouTube channel, because I think it's working. I finally figured out a mix between what I love doing, what I can be consistent about and what people are responding to. I just got to add gasoline to that fire. So it's literally just gonna be that. That's my focus.
Gianna Andrews 59:16
Yeah, that's awesome. Do you think you are finding out what your audience is into? And then also, what you like to do is a combination of a lot of experimenting to figure out what that is and what connects with that group of people?
Chris Giuseppini 59:31
Yeah, it's just constant experimentation. And there's a Venn diagram you have to draw between what people want and what you want. And then in the middle, is your unique value proposition and what you have to contribute to the world. And so that in the middle of the Venn diagram, I finally found that it took a while but I found it.
Gianna Andrews 59:56
Yeah, and what would you call it? Videos?
Chris Giuseppini 59:59
Out living with intention and exploring the departure of a conventional lifestyle.
Gianna Andrews 1:00:06
Awesome. Now they're really creative. And I've watched a couple of them, I did watch the one about YouTubers losing their influence and, or losing their own. So that was a good one too.
Chris Giuseppini 1:00:18
That's one of my favorite ones. So
Gianna Andrews 1:00:19
Oh, that must have been a lot of time. How long do these things take you to edit? Are you editing them all yourself? Um,
Chris Giuseppini 1:00:25
So that one in particular. And there's another one that I filmed a long time ago, and I spent way, like, an unsustainable amount of hours on it. I'm now learning how to create things. That's like an 8020, where it's like, the right amount of hours and the right amount of like, attention on it and the right amount of like fulfillment for me. I'm getting better at that. But I still need to practice. Yeah, for
Gianna Andrews 1:00:54
Sure. Well, I'll definitely link your YouTube in the description of everything. And then final question, what do you normally do on a typical Sunday,
Chris Giuseppini 1:01:04
I spend a lot of time cooking on Sundays, because it allows, like, if I don't have to think it's okay, this ties back to the core belief. I don't like eating out. Even today, I got a LOX bagel. So like there's accepted days, but on a Sunday, I prepare to make the rest of my week easier. So whether it's cutting vegetables, putting him in a bag, cooking rice, freezing them in something for free, you know, I make things easy. So I have like almost microwavable food for the week, just so that I can, like I can, if I do something for my future self, I know it's going to reap a reward. So my Sundays are basically that. And then I would say at night, I'll watch a movie and, and just just relax. That's my Sunday's Nice.
Gianna Andrews 1:02:01
Love that. Yeah, you got to like, fuel up and meal plan for the week ahead. I feel like when I was younger, I never planned any of my food. And I was always starving or not feeling good after I ate something quickly. But being an entrepreneur takes self care, and you have to fuel your body and your mind with good food. So love that you're doing that on a Sunday. Are you typically working? Like, kind of Monday through Fridays with your job?
Chris Giuseppini 1:02:31
Um, I'm all over the place. i It depends. Like yesterday, I just pretty much burned myself out to meet a deadline. Like that's another thing. I don't miss deadlines, if they say it's gonna be done in a day. Like no matter what it's done. Today, I have like, you know, this podcast is an opportunity to be on your platform, and I'm meeting with my business coach. And we're talking to a few people for the first time this afternoon, which is great. And, and yeah, so it varies from day to day.
Gianna Andrews 1:03:08
Yeah. For sure. Especially when you're not working that nine to five in that suit and slacks you got your shorts on, you are making your own schedule and making it happen. So Chris, it's been really fascinating hearing all of your thoughts. I feel like I got a little bit of consulting strategy planning for my own brand, which was definitely really interesting. And just the story and the motivation and drive of how you've got to where you are, was really interesting to hear. So thank you so much for coming on and sharing everything.
Chris Giuseppini 1:03:40
Oh, thank you so much. Let's do it again, sometime happy to talk anytime about content strategy and how artists can grow.
Gianna Andrews 1:03:49
That's my favorite thing by Chris. So yeah, thank you