Adam Westbrook

the Ups and Downs of Storytelling on the Internet

This is Episode 1 of Mentorless Podcast where I conduct in-depth interviews with filmmakers deconstructing one creative project from idea to completion. We talk strategies, practical steps, lessons learned, and what they’d do differently now. You can listen to Mentorless Podcast on your phone via iTunes, Stitcher, Pocket Casts and Soundcloud.

Adam Westbrook (@adamwestbrook) is a British video artist and storyteller. I first came across Adam’s work when he published the video essay The Long Game: Leonardo Da Vinci was a loser that changed the course of my life in unexpected ways. The video went viral and after this first success, Adam kept developing his skills at creating video essays and becoming a better visual storyteller.

I have been a Patreon supporter of Adam for a couple of years now and have always learned a lot from his choices and what he shares on his posts. When I asked on the Sunday Newsletter if there were any storytellers willing to share their experience the way it really happened for this podcast, Adam emailed me about the idea of sharing his experience creating his biggest project to date, Parallax. His words immediately hit target:

I’d be happy to talk about all the behind-the-scenes stuff, but I thought it might be interesting to you because of the response it’s had – basically a bad one! Rather than build my audience the series has had the opposite effect, with low views, no coverage and about half my supporters on Patreon walking out the door. It’s one of our biggest fears as creatives: that we try to make something authentic and true and have it roundly rejected. But I’m still very proud of it and have no regrets…I don’t know, I thought that might be an interesting message for other people on the same journey – you can bare your soul, get rejected and live to tell the tale!

How many times do we hear stories about filmmakers and storytellers who worked hard, gave it all and “failed”? Not many.

How many filmmakers and storytellers go through this journey, believing they’re alone and wondering how others are doing it so smoothly? Yep, you thought it.

Even though this is the fastest path to growth, not only for the lead character but for the audience! In this episode, Adam and I talk about how he developed his career and online community online, how that lead to Parallax, and what happened next.

The lessons learned from mistakes, rejections or what we love to call “failure” are often life-changing and work-altering. And this is what we will cover at length through not only this episode but also the five that will follow. There is no growth possible without trials and errors. And we’re here to learn.

In this episode, Adam and I talk about how he developed his career and online community online, how that lead to Parallax, and what happened next.

You can listen to Mentorless Podcast on your phone via iTunes, Stitcher, Pocket Casts Soundcloud .

Topics Covered in the Episode

Accepting to be seen as an artist Accepting to be seen as an artist

Why gatekeepers aren’t dead Why gatekeepers aren’t dead

The pros and cons of Vimeo and YouTube to share your work

What you need to develop and build an audience What you need to develop and build an audience

Following the audience vs following your interest Following the audience vs following your interest

Patreon, asking for money and the journey toward vulnerability Patreon, asking for money and the journey toward vulnerability

Finding the right balance between rewards and pledges

“Per thing” vs. monthly pledges on Patreon

The right attitude to have from the start if you start a pattern The right attitude to have from the start if you start a pattern

The video essay format and its limits The video essay format and its limits

Adam’s creative process for Parallax

From idea to real life

Cracking the story sharing your work on the internet and getting your heart broken

Sharing your work on the internet and getting your heart broken

Finding motivation to keep on going when the response is underwhelming

The difficulty of building an audience when you’re an artist

Freelance life vs taking a “normal job”

Links and Notes from the Episode

Connect with Adam Westbrook

Website – Email – Patreon

Watch Parallax – Episode 1

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