The Scariest YES I’ve Ever Said In Business | New Content Studio???!!

Darin and I were just newly married, you know, and starting our careers, and we were like, so we'll take any job we get. So we were trying to photograph weddings, we were trying to film weddings, we were trying to do events, we were trying to do all these like single projects, and honestly just to pay the bills.

There's a lot of sentimental value here because I poured so much blood, sweat, and tears in here to get here to this spot.

Yeah.

And it's already been 2 years here, and now the Lord's like, okay, you figured this out, now it's time to go to the next level. I already think we I consider us the premier spot to film content in West Texas right now because we're fully suited to film and do whatever you want. So I wanted to talk about today the kind of evolution and progress evolution that Howdy Media has seen. I think it's important to— and this is honestly, this is kind of a selfish episode. I'm documenting kind of where we're at. And, and it's gonna be cool to look a year from now, 2 years from now, to see what has changed and what's different. Currently we're in our 250-square-foot studio, our first ever podcast studio that Abilene has seen. Yeah, and to our knowledge, we moved in 2 years ago almost. Uh, in January it'll be 2 years, and it was the first commercial lease I ever signed. Um, before I was working out of the house, I had a home office.

We had a, um, it was a bedroom but not a bedroom. It was so small nobody wanted to live in there, but it was also— yeah.

And so I had all my gear, all of my equipment. I would film videos in there. I had a desk, blank white walls.

Um, I had a cozy desk.

Very cringy videos as well. And I actually am planning on making a video on that soon, just reviewing some of my very first videos. Um, but I just kind of wanted to reflect like the last 2 years on what we've seen, what we've done here in this little space. Um, it's been super cool. And so Katie kind of helped me design the set, um, here, what you're seeing right now. And so I don't know, what was your thoughts and perspectives on whenever we were making the transition into this studio. It was a project, like it was an experiment for sure, and it was something that I feel like the Lord was like, hey, do this. And I was like, okay, cool, show me where to go, show me how to do it and how long we need to be there. And the next day I found this spot and signed a 2-year lease.

Yeah.

And so as a wife, what was your perspective on that, on you receiving that. This is the whole thing.

Yeah, for sure. So we were living in the apartment, right? It's time.

Yeah, we just moved into the apartment.

We just signed a lease at, um, an apartment complex. Loved it. Really cool place to live. Um, and I just remember you waking up, and we talk about it all the time, but Darren woke up one morning and he said, babe, I really feel like we need to make a step and do something a little different. And, you know, what he was already doing in my eyes was really great and really successful, and he was growing his business. And I was like, you know, do you want to just keep doing what you're doing and like get better, or like whatever it needs? That— no, I think we need to add something very unique and different. And just talking about the podcast studio, and I am a very like logistical person, um, at the beginning I was like, okay, cool, Great idea. Love it. Um, add it to your Pinterest board. Tag it for later. Um, you know, how are we going to make that happen? We're newly married. Like, we ain't living the high life, you know, like career-wise. Um, and so I was like, financially, like, how the heck are we even gonna afford that? Like, we're trying to live off everything we're making now. Like, why add cost into that? And that was my original, like, first thoughts. And then I kind of saw Darren's heart just like continue to like, no, like I'm really excited and feel like I'm supposed to do this. And so kind of got a spanking from the Lord, I guess you could say, and just submitting and walking with Darren through his vision. And so I think seeing you and how passionate and excited and stoked you were about this lit a fire in me. I was like, okay. How can I help you? And I know nothing about video stuff, really. I enjoy doing it. I'll enjoy taking pictures and video, but like the logistical side of running a business, not my thing. And so I was like, well, I'll help you decorate it, which is helpful because I suck at decorating. Yeah, it's so— yeah, we can— yeah, it's good. We all need a good cozy wife. So anyways, um, yeah, like you said you literally woke up, had the vision, blah blah blah, and you were like, well, I wonder if Abilene has any cool spots. And I was like, I don't know, look it up. And you did, you looked it up, you got with somebody, you went and looked at a couple spots, and you found this little space. And it is honestly such a cool room. Um, for those of you that haven't been in the studio, I feel like I'm the only one talking here. Explain the studio.

Um, the studio right now is about 276 square feet. Uh, it's just a rectangle, no closet.

All y'all see is like the set, but like on the other side of the set—

this half of the room that you're seeing is the filming side, and we've prepared it and equipped it to film basically whatever we need. Uh, we have a white wall, we have a brick wall, we have some windows. Um, and so this is whatever half of 276 is. That's how big this portion of the room is. And then the other half is where we office. And I do have a video on my YouTube channel, I have a couple of doing some studio tours that I have done before.

Maybe we could throw some B-roll up.

And so yeah, maybe we can throw some B-roll in there. But it's, it's really not big at all. There's no storage space. So like my storage is underneath my standing desk.

Um, That's one of the first things people, when they walk into the studio, they're like, man, when I watch the videos, like, I feel like this space is so much bigger. And I'm glad it gives that look, but no, it is tea tiny in here. And it gets toasty and it gets warm, um, but it gives you a natural glow for your podcast.

So yeah, and it's literally been perfect, the perfect spot for what we needed during the season.

Couldn't have been any better. Budget Sigh. Like, everything's just been so sweet in here. And the— I just kind of—

I have debated keeping it.

Oh, okay. I got sentimental, I guess.

Oh, I'm telling you, it gets— it gets you.

Um, God has brought some really cool people in here, um, to film some really cool stories. Um, and I'm just grateful. I'm really grateful.

You better stop because you're gonna make me cry on camera. I don't cry on camera.

I just had a baby, okay? So give me grace. But, um, no, for real, like, holy cow, it's been really cool because of your yes and your obedience. Like, whenever one of our, like, really close friends through, uh, church and just, like, friends, I guess, had been praying about a podcast and, um didn't really know like where to go, how to get it started, what to buy, all the things. And it was around the same time Darren was like, we're gonna do this podcast studio. And like, um, so she was like, okay, we'll just jump in it with y'all. And they were like one of our first members. And like literally the amount of people in here that have gone through tough times and shared their testimony, and then there's so many other clients we have, you know, that are giving wisdom and all that. Like, there have been so many cool things, worship sessions videoed in here that have happened, and it's just so cool.

Yeah, and to think of like all of the projects and recordings and stories that have been told, especially on the podcast. We've had a lot of, um, faith-based podcasts bringing in testimonials and, and things talking about the Lord. Pretty much all of them except for a couple are specifically to spread the gospel, spread the good news. And so I think it's been cool because that's one of— obviously we're called to do is go and spread the word. And for me to be able to not only make content like this and do that, um, but also like be a tool and a vehicle to do that for other people—

absolutely—

who otherwise would have not been able to reach the amount of people, I think that's been the most fulfilling part.

Yeah. And you just— the amount of people that— some we talk about all the time. Not everybody needs a podcast. Um, not everybody needs to have a podcast. I don't know if we need to have a podcast, but we're here talking, we have space, whatever. And so, um, but the amount of people that have the heart and the dream and the vision behind it, but they're like, I just don't know how to execute it. That's where we feel like we're supposed to step in and create a space. And so, Darren, like, where we're at now, like, I don't know, like, what are you excited for? What's coming?

So this is our—

what are we doing?

This is our soft announcement. This is our soft, um, opening of the idea. We are moving locations to a new studio um, literally 2 blocks down from where we're currently at because we love downtown. Downtown Abilene is awesome and it's growing and there's lots of cool things, and so we want to continue to be a part of it. Um, lots of young entrepreneurs. Like, we literally just met with the new owner of Monks, um, super cool dude, and I mean, he's 22 years old. So there's lots of young people who are starting to become business owners and who are Gen Zers, I guess. And so it's cool to build a community of that. But like, we saw this space and you'll be seeing stuff in the next few months. I'm sure we're going to start promoting lots of stuff, but we're moving to a space that's— it's about 900 square feet. And so about 3 times, over 3 times the size.

Yeah.

And it's, it's over double what we pay in rent. Right now. Um, and so it's another situation where it's like, this is where somehow the Lord has laid everything out.

And we were literally like— was the first time we saw it together, or had you already known about the space before I went with you? So I'm trying to think about how we found the new space.

I went up there like a year ago for a shoot because it was an event space before, and within the last year they decided to section it off into multiple different office areas and like studio collaborative space.

Super cool spot. It's the third floor of Grain Theory.

Third floor of the Modus building.

Oh, sorry, Grain Theory owns the whole— no, no, yeah, we are there.

They're above, or we're above Grain Theory in there. And anyways, I knew about the space before because I had taken some videos and I thought it was like super cool.

Now I remember, and you're like, we were eating lunch one day and you were like, man, what about that space or something? And you were like, there's probably no shot that it's available. Like, it's too cool of a spot.

Hey, really quick, I wanted to let you guys know about a 5-day challenge. It's called 5-Day Build Loop Video Challenge that we put together exactly for you, because if you're watching this, you're probably an entrepreneur, a business person, or a creator who's looking to monetize. And so if that's you, there's going to be a link in the description. We're going to be going over all of the things that I've learned and took away over the last 4 or 5 years to figure out how to make content work for your business and not against your business. And so for us, this is how we get about 90% of our clients within our business. And it's 10x, sometimes 100x our engagement and views and even leads. Same exact thing goes for all of our clients. And so if you're interested in this, click the link below and apply today. There's only a limited number of spots because it is one-on-one. And so hope to see you in the challenge. Let's get back to the episode. So I was like, dang, we have a year left of our lease and they're already trying to find people to rent it before it's even built out. And so I was like, okay, I talked to one of the tenants and they got a pricing for me and I was like, oh, at the current state of the business, I was like, that's not possible. And I would have to buy out the rest of my lease to get out of the current one. I was like, it's just not going to happen. And so fast forward about 9, 10 months, and we just happened to go up there to look at the progress, see how everything was going. And this one room that I originally— like, the first time I saw this space was the guy going, there's going to be a wall here, and it was completely empty and open. And I was like, that would be perfect. And, and that, that was the first conversation I had about it. Fast forward 10 months, back to where we were. Um, we went up there, looked, everything was built, the walls were put up, there was doors, and such a vibey spot.

Like, it's gonna give us so many textures, like, to work with. And so we know, like, not everybody is an industrial, like, exposed brick vibe. Like, totally get that. Um, and we want to, like, be able to cater to, like, a bunch of different, like, podcast members. And so it's going to give us a lot of, like, a modern vibe, but also keep that still, like, coziness and warmth. And there's a beautiful, like, floor-to-ceiling window. Um, it's gorgeous. There's, like, some darker tones. And so we're really excited to get to kind of, like— my favorite part is, like, kind of designing the space. And so, like, some mock-ups that we've made they get me so fired up because it really is coming together really cool.

It's gonna be awesome. We are gonna start moving in there in December and plan to open the doors in January to start recording, and we'll be fully moved out of here. And I was telling Katie, I was like, man, it's kind of crazy and like sentimental. There's a lot of sentimental value here because I poured so much blood, sweat, and tears to get here, to get here to this spot.

Yeah.

And it's already been 2 years here, and now the Lord's like, okay, you figured this out, now it's time to go to the next level.

I don't even know if it's— you— us figured— we didn't figure anything.

No, not necessarily figured it out, but hey, you've used this space and done the things that you needed to do here in this season.

Now it's time to move the next one, which is going to be bigger, and we'll be able to have more room for more people, have some cool events there.

Um, so I really— my, my vision with this, like, obviously we want to be able to serve our clients Currently we have about 4 podcast members who film monthly podcast or weekly podcasts with us. We have currently 4 video partners that we film monthly content for and then lots of other like one-off projects. And so not only is it going to be a cool space for our clients to use, but for us to use, obviously we have our own podcast that you're watching here. Um, and, and as well as like Avalon, I, I want it to also be like the hub for— I don't know if, if we're gonna call it like creator.

Oh yeah, for sure. A space where people can just come and like, when they know when they walk in the door it's going to be done with excellence, it's going to be clean. Um, they know that they can get several different— like, I think too, like when we do video work and photography. Like, your space matters a lot, your lighting matters a lot. And so we want to deliver a place where people can come and enjoy it and use it and have so many different options while you're there.

Yeah, it's going to be, um, the premier spot. I already think we— I consider us the premier spot to film content in West Texas right now. Because we're fully suited to film and do whatever you want. If you want to livestream, you can livestream.

Yeah, a lot of people probably don't see our studio. So when we, when we do podcasts, we have different sets. So like, obviously we'll have a couch, we have some chairs, but we can do two chairs, we can do, um, just a stool and just do like a headshot. Like, we have a lot of people that'll like record training videos. Well, they don't need a living room setup. And so, you know, with the studio that we've had currently we really work it in a way that fits what you need. And so yeah, maybe you don't want to be sitting down, maybe you want to talk, maybe you want to stand, maybe you want to do an announcement, um, video. And so it's been so cool that we can kind of shift this little like 100 square feet, um, whatever we've maxed.

We've, we've literally maxed out every single use case that we could get.

Yeah, if we have to take the furniture out, you won't be able to walk in the door, but we're gonna get you some dang good content.

We've had to take the couch out and all this furniture.

The coffee table's been like flipped upside down on top of this couch, throw it against the wall somewhere that's out of the frame.

In the meantime, like, take it out in the hallway. We have had to get very creative. And so that's another reason that I'm, I'm super excited to be able to serve the clients and the people of Abilene better. Yeah, because we're going to have space to do different kinds of stuff. We're going to have a, a bunch of pull-down things for photographers to come and use if they want to do portraits, or we can do portraits there. Um, all kinds of different stuff. And so you'll be able to change the set. There's going to be multiple different spots to film. Um, it's going to be like the ultimate creator studio.

Yeah, and that's our hope.

Yeah, absolutely. And so you'll see more about that soon. Obviously we're pumped. We're probably gonna host like a big grand opening at some point.

Really, we really would like to do that. And, you know, We've done nothing but be like brutally honest on this podcast, so I feel like we also need to take a moment and talk about like there's things we've done here and it was to get the space as aesthetic as we could with the budget we had. I mean, we were starting out, we were like, it was an experiment. Yeah, like we don't know if this is gonna go. We're not gonna invest all this money in bougie furniture and we're not gonna invest all this money in like a flat screen and all this stuff.

What happened was we had—

I invested everything I had into the cameras, and I was like, Darren, you need like—

and computers, like the technical side.

Um, it's a huge investment to, to start this with the equipment.

Yeah, this, this small. Um, people ask me all the time, they're like, okay, what if I want to build something out like this in my house? And I'm like, yeah, cool, you can. We'll help you do it even. Yeah, um, but to get— even if you want it to be of a quality that people are going to enjoy to watch and listen to, it's gonna be— this set, um, I added it up one day, it's probably close to about $20,000 just for this set.

Yeah.

Um, and then we've— and we bought like very cheap furniture.

Yeah, so we were joking the other day like this is some Amazon like faux futon leather situation, um, far from it, pleather. And, um, we were like, oh, it's starting to like bend in the middle and like it's starting to cave a little bit. Our Howdy sign's like starting to warp. And so it's like, we're excited. I'm pumped for the new space and to get to like really kind of try to like invest in some really cool pieces and just make it a fun vibe for y'all.

Yeah, it's gonna be awesome. But I really just wanted to document like where we're at because This is today's, what, October 16th, 17th, something. And, uh, just to see where we're at right now, even from like— I was looking at videos from 2 years ago, a year and a half ago when we moved in, and it looks different. It feels different. The production quality, the production quality of what we're doing has dramatically increased, and it will continue because like we're not settling where we're at.

Like We're constantly trying to be innovative and learn and grow and stay up with the times and all the things. And so it's like, I expect it to go nothing more than up.

Yeah.

And, um, I don't know, I feel like that makes us different too, is like the willingness to invest a little bit more and to make the quality sharper. And like, I don't know, I just think it's important.

Yeah. And the quality of the final product obviously is super important. And even like more, I feel like it's even more important, the experience that they get while they're doing it and while they're utilizing our service. Yeah. There have been other people who have tried to kind of do the same thing, which is like, I'm not mad about it. It's a great idea. That's why I'm doing it. But it's like people come to me and they're like, are you not scared? Are you not nervous that somebody is going to take your business? And I'm like, no, because I know for a fact that even if they build up something close to the same, like, value, I, I have been working on building my personal brand so much that it's going to be very difficult to catch up or surpass me unless I just stop. But I have to double down on what I'm doing too. Make sure that, hey, we are the Ferrari of media companies in this area and make sure we're staying on top of everything. So providing better experiences, providing better value, better outcomes, better— what business owners love, the term ROI, return on investment.

I really think too, like, no studio you go to is going to be the same. And whether Darren was talking about, you know, the experience you get when you walk in and This isn't a why choose Matt Howdy speech, but like, I really enjoy too, Abilene. Like, we don't have a ton of studios, um, but every one that you rent or use is really different and unique. Like, there's a new one that just opened and it's got these dope checkered floors, and like, that is the coolest vibe. And then like, the Light Room or the Light Loft has been open and it's got this like cozy home vibe, but we've also shot bridals in there. So there's so many other cool places. I feel like none of us are doing the exact same thing.

No.

Um, and that's really awesome because I feel like there's this sense of respect in like, yes, we're all striving to grow and do our own businesses and all the things, and what everybody does on their own is like totally up to them. But I don't know, I think it's really cool that we all have a unique like thing that we bring. Yeah.

Um, ours is, ours is focused— obviously we are a media company And this is what I tell everybody who we work with. It's like, we can help. Our two main things that we help with are content strategy. So like, I can teach you how to do social media and create videos and content that converts into clients. That's one side. The other side is video production. We can help execute and make that content for you. So we'll film it, we'll edit it and do the things. And so those are the two things that we mainly do. And we have—

Lordy, we did a lot of things on the way to get there. There were times where the whole reason Darren even got into this was he was a real estate agent and he was needing content of the properties that he was listing, and he could barely find— like, there were a few solid ones, but very few. And he was like, man, there's such a hole in our— what we need, yeah, in Abilene, a gap in the market. And so smart, smarty pants over here was like, hey, I gotta fill it. And so, you know, he took that and he started in real estate. Well, Darren and I were just newly married, you know, and starting our careers, and we were like, so we'll take any job we get. So we were trying to photograph weddings, we were trying to film weddings, we were trying to do events, we were trying to do all these like single projects, and honestly, just to pay the bills and to get groceries, to keep the business running.

I had to do whatever came my way, and there is a season for that in every business. You just have to— you just have to figure it out.

And so, but that refined our skills. Like, now it's not that we won't video a wedding or we won't take family pictures in Abilene. Like, we still have a heart to do that for our family and friends that want it and need it. But that's not like our mission is howdy anymore.

Well, that's, that's not what we're marketing. And I'll be completely transparent, the reason why— there's a thousand photographers and they're incredible.

We have friends who, their quality of work for photography, I'm like, we hire them to do our stuff, like, you know, personal family photos. And like, obviously we can't take our own, but like, there are so many people in this area that are so good at what they do. I'm like, if somebody reaches out and they're like, hey, can y'all photograph a wedding? I immediately have my like top 3 people. I'm like, boom, boom, boom, like they've got you. And I— there's some freedom in that. There's—

and I refer people out to them all the time.

Well, there's that freedom in like, we're not trying to do it all, we're just trying to really like hone in on where we're at now.

Yeah, and I love that. Niche down, which has been a whole journey in itself because I've always heard there's riches in the niches. Like, that's how you become successful in your business and become profitable. And so the further I niche down, honestly, the more that I am seeing it work, um, and I'm not having to work as much to get the same result. Um, anyways, it's been a whole offer, like a structure of my offers, pricing how I get clients, like the whole thing. And it all really does stem from social media. And, and I'm a big content guy, obviously. I teach people how to do content. And so, um, but with that being said, I, I'm also a business-minded person. And so whenever I see there's a thousand photographers, like, I personally don't want to go and compete with a thousand photographers. And so I saw there was a gap in the market that we live in, hey, there's not really anybody that does consistently well-done video work that isn't a freelancer. Like, there's no company that can provide these services at a high level and at a high scale. And so I really kind of dove into that idea, and that's how I ended up doing what we're doing now. Not to say we won't do photography, But like, we focus primarily on video and video for business owners and brands. Um, but, um, what was I— I was—

we're chasing a lot of rabbits here, but we were sorry, just talking about just the excitement and the vision and where we're at and what's coming. And we're grateful. We're grateful for every single person that we've met along the way, every client, every friend who's walked alongside us and prayed with us and just believed in us. Um, it really gets— I mean, it just pushes you forward.

Yeah, absolutely. Well, we're excited about the new studio, the new everything that's going to happen. And I think there's going to be a lot more podcasts that come out of the new studio. Um, there was a lot more than I thought was going to happen in this studio, and Like, I just try to add up all of the— like, for example, all the times that the people— somebody has heard the gospel shared. Um, I mean, one of the podcasts, I mean, it's close to probably 100,000 times. And like, there's— there— it's very hard to do that unless you are in a room full of 100,000 people other than video. And so getting your message across and reaching people that you would have never been able to reach is now accessible to everybody. And so whether it's you're building your brand or business or spreading the word of God, like, whatever it is, there's opportunities. And we want to walk alongside you. We want to be your partner in that. And, and not only like do it for you, but teach you like, hey, here's how to actually make an Instagram post that is gonna be valuable to people, or this is how you need to think about content in order to reach the most people. And so the value is huge. And that's literally how Howdy was created. And that's the backbone, the backbone of where all of our people come from, either their personal connections or people find us on social media. Because I post pretty much every day and that has built our clientele base up to the point that it's at. And I am just— I'm thankful, first of all, for everybody who has utilized our services and allowed us to help you reach more people in whatever capacity that is. We're just super grateful that I think Evelyn's slowly starting to warm up to the idea of this new type of business. Because it is new. Like, it's— people have a lot of questions when they come to me, and they're like, okay, what do you do and how is it beneficial to people? So I got to have this conversation all the time. Um, and if you watch our stuff, you probably see the benefit of content already, but the, the city itself, I think it's warming up to the idea, and in the next few years, I think I think it's gonna be very common for people to be making their own content and doing their own podcasts and all kinds of stuff. And so I don't know, I just want to spark a movement and continue to push Abilene forward. And what I mean, Texas, really, like, we are in the middle of Texas. And so we have people come from Dallas, we have people come from Lubbock, yeah, we have people come from Amarillo, from like Waco, Tyler, like all these different places. And so it's the perfect spot for a hub.

And also, like, we don't have to keep going for very much longer, but, um, maybe coming to our studio isn't for you. Maybe you do live out of town. Um, we experience this a lot, is like a lot of the people that are wanting to do a podcast have pretty busy lives. And so, um, especially business owners. Yeah, maybe you need help outfitting a space for you and your lifestyle. And so oftentimes we pitch, hey, if you can't make it to Abilene, like, we can help you create something in your home. We're not pushing you out on your own to figure it out. We'll guide you along the way. We'll get you, you know, the minimum requirements or as bougie as you want for your equipment. But like, if you don't want to make the drive every week to come record or you can't do that, we want to help you in whatever way possible. And so like Darren was saying earlier, I think it comes down to if you have a vision, if you have a dream, and you feel called to share what you're doing with other people, we would love to help. And, um, yeah, it's pretty easy to reach out to us.

I should hire you on the sales team. You're better than me. I want to buy from you, and it's my own business.

Now you're just flirting. Anyways, guys, thank you for tuning in to the Brand Builders. See you next time.