The Angry Designer is a no-nonsense graphic design podcast hosted by zfactor’s Massimo Zefferino and Shawn Carlsile. Each week, the two hosts share wisdom from their deep pools of design knowledge to help graphic designers survive and thrive.
We started working with Massimo and Shawn in early 2021 when they decided that they wanted a more professional result and more time to work on what they do best. Massimo sat down with us recently to share the story of The Angry Designer and the growth that they’ve had since working with us.
The Story of The Angry Designer
Massimo and Shawn had been floating the idea of starting a podcast for a while. A podcast where they can get together each week and vent about the trials and tribulations of the design industry. When Covid struck, they felt it was the right time to get started – if only to get them through it!
The initial idea was to give themselves and their listeners a platform where they could discuss the hardships that designers face. The deeper into the podcast they got, though, the more they realised how truly helpful their 20+ years in the industry could be to people.
Massimo wasn’t happy with the design podcasts that were already out there. He wanted to create a podcast that tells it how it is. That doesn’t sugar-coat the industry. They wanted to create something real and relatable and they’ve found that their audience appreciates their authentic nature, as well as their dynamic personalities.
When asked what Massimo wanted to gain from making the podcast he spoke about his personal brand. Massimo wants to let loose his persona and his attitude toward the industry into the marketplace. He cited business moguls such as Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos, and how their fanbase elevates them and the company, even though their activities aren’t always directly attached to their businesses.
Massimo understands the importance of creating content that demonstrates authority and that shows he’s current and active in the space. He also spoke about the potential for monetizing the podcast in the future. He and Shawn have high aspirations of turning The Angry Designer into a platform where like-minded designers can come together as a tribe and support each other. And if they’re wearing some sweet The Angry Designer merch at the same time then that’s a bonus!
It’s far from being all about the money though. Massimo also spoke about his desire to leave a legacy behind and a track record of people that he’s helped on their design journeys.
“We’re not for everybody, and everybody’s not for us.”
The Challenges of Podcasting
Massimo and Shawn did have a few episodes under their belts before they approached us. As tech-savvy creatives, they did hold “…some of the skillset to fumble through…”, but they didn’t have the time for it, and were hoping that a professional engineer could elevate the show’s quality to the next level.
Being designers, they want to ensure that the visual identity of the podcast is up to scratch, too. And that takes time. So does all of the planning that goes into each episode. And being a business owner and a family man, Massimo needed that time freed up. So, by removing the audio production elements from the equation, they would be able to free up valuable time that they could put elsewhere, and the boost in sound quality would be a bonus, too.
Why They Chose Us
Massimo began searching for an editor who could not only produce an exceptional result but also understood the industry and the pair’s mindset and sense of humour. A total of four editors were tested, but Clarion was the only one that could meet both standards, while also providing a professional-grade service.
Massimo was concerned that perhaps we wouldn’t be able to quite get their style right, but after listening to our initial edit, he realised that he had nothing to worry about!
“It was pretty quick to see that you were just ahead of everybody else. No regrets!”
How We Responded
We spoke in-depth with Massimo about what he wanted from The Angry Designer. We listened to previous episodes of the show so that we could keep things consistent, and we made a couple of tweaks to the vocal sound to ensure that we matched the tone to Massimo’s preference.
More recently, we’ve also been creating video episodes to increase the podcast’s reach. This has freed up even more time for the pair, and we’ve ensured that we’ve kept the visuals consistent with their existing content.
Massimo stated that we helped right away and that when listening back to older episodes now, you can really tell the difference. He felt relieved that time had been freed up to spend on marketing and branding and was optimistic about the show’s future.
“Investing in you initially brought that first level of professionalism to what we were trying to achieve.”
The Results
Since Massimo and Shawn started working with us, The Angry Designer has grown by ten times the number of weekly downloads. And while we can’t take all the credit for that (the hosts work stupendously hard and their work oozes with quality). Massimo did make it clear that we have accelerated this growth.
Their show is growing a loyal fanbase who love their work (seriously, check out the reviews).
Oh, and by the way, they’re not that angry once you get to know them… they’re actually really chill guys!
Are you starting a podcast and looking for support? Or do you already have a podcast that’s sucking your time away and is causing you stress? We can give you your time back and reduce your stress, by providing expert podcast editing services that will help you to achieve your business goals. Book a call with us today to get started.
