Maurice Cherry is creative principal at 3eighteen media, a design and consulting studio in Atlanta, GA. Maurice is also the founder, editor-in-chief and host of Revision Path, founder and host of The Year of Tea, founder and curator of 28 Days of the Web, and the founder and chairman emeritus of the Black Weblog Awards.
You can follow Maurice online on Twitter, Tumblr, or at his personal website.
Can you give us an outline of what you do and how long you’ve been doing it?
I do a lot! By day, I have my own design studio called 3eighteen media. I consult with clients, manage my team, and work on design projects. Outside of that, I teach a few courses for Mediabistro and I have two podcasts – Revision Path and The Year of Tea.
Your podcast, the Year of Tea, is such a great idea and an interesting project. Why did you decide to get into podcasting, and how did you go about getting started?
I’ve been podcasting for nearly 10 years now, so this isn’t new to me. I used to teach courses on podcasting back in 2006, and I’m currently teaching a course on podcasting for Mediabistro! I got into podcasting because I felt like I had something to say and it was really one of the best way to put my most authentic self online. I got started with podcasting like most people do – with a really bad microphone and no idea of what I was doing!
What would you say are some of the challenges of podcasting?
I think nowadays, the biggest challenge with podcasting is just getting started. Podcasting as a whole is something which is both highly saturated and highly misunderstood. If you’re getting started with podcasting from scratch and have no idea on equipment, show format, or anything like that, there can definitely be some misunderstanding on where to begin. Analysis paralysis is so real. After getting started, the next biggest challenge is staying motivated to continue podcasting if you don’t see a big reception to your show immediately. That can discourage people from continuing.
When starting anything, the biggest challenge is getting your work out there. Is there anything you do to help market and promote your podcast?
Well, I do some of the standard things, like outreach on social media (Facebook and Twitter) and building an email list of supporters. Depending on the subject of your podcast, I would recommend finding a niche social network that caters to your podcast’s topic. But I think when it comes to promoting your podcast, it’s important that you’re also providing some value of some sort.
You also have a lot of experience with freelance writing. How did you get your start in that?
Oh wow…I started writing online in the 90s! My first real paid online gig came in 2002 for a site called Backwash. From there, I kept a personal blog and just pitched myself to editors to write for their sites. To date, my writing has been featured online at Mediabistro, Black Web 2.0, SitePoint, and some other sites. Having that body of work really helps because editors see that you can write consistently and stay on topic.
You (also!) run a design company. How do you balance your time between everything you do?
Haha – indeed I do! I pretty much live through my calendar – if something I need to do isn’t on there, there’s a good chance it’s not getting done. I even schedule out my free time (because knowing me, I’ll just keep working). I think it’s important to have that self-care time. One thing I do is have a day out of the week that I call my “lab day”. I use that day to run errands, do non-work projects…things like that. Usually my lab day is on Saturday, but depending on how the week is set up, it floats around.
What advice would you give to people who wants to start up a podcast? What advice would you give to those who want to start freelancing?
My advice for people who want to start a podcast is to get a crystal clear idea of what their show is about and who their show is for. That will help you as it relates to decisions that you make with your podcast, like getting sponsors or determining how often you’ll release your show. My advice for people who want to start freelancing is pretty simple: just do it! There are a lot of people who try and wait for a perfect storm of events to happen before they decide to start their businesses. You have to just get out there and start it so you can get that momentum. If you can, get a business mentor to help you have an easier start. Hire to your weaknesses as soon as you can afford to do so – this will leave you more time to do what you love in your business. And lastly, determine what success looks like for YOU. The entrepreneur community has a lot of show-offs, hucksters, snake-oil salesman and fast talkers, and it can be easy to try and compare your business to theirs. Determine what success looks like for YOU so YOU can be happy with your business.
Is there anything you would advise people avoid doing?
Self-care! Self-care is so important. I cannot stress that enough. Man can’t live on work alone. Take a walk. Cook a meal. Play with your pet. Laugh with your friends. Binge-watch a show on Netflix. Everyone has to decompress and recharge from time to time to prevent from getting burned out.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
I can plug my work, right? 3eighteen media is a design studio that helps clients tell their authentic stories to their audience. Whether it’s a WordPress theme, a MailChimp template, or a podcast, 3eighteen media can design an experience that represents your business and wows your customers. On the podcasting side, there are my two shows – Revision Path and The Year of Tea. Revision Path is a weekly showcase of the world’s Black graphic designers, web designers, and web developers. Tune in every Monday at 10am ET for a new episode! The Year of Tea is my short-burst podcast where I review a different tea every day. Learn about a new tea in the time it takes you to brew a fresh cup. New episodes every day at 8am ET!