Chris Killam, the Medicine Hunter, explains how creating your own video content establishes expertise. He shares decades of TV production experience on shooting in the field, maintaining authority while staying entertaining, and how small media opportunities compound into bigger ones.
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Hey there, welcome to Inside Scoop. I'm Paula Rizzo. Thanks for joining me today. We're talking all about how to use video and media to build your expertise. This is something that I learned a long time ago as a TV producer from a fabulous friend of mine who I'm going to introduce you to in a moment. His name is Chris Killam. He is the Medicine Hunter. He goes all over the world looking for all kinds of medicinal remedies and recipes and all sorts of things that will heal you naturally. I came to know Chris, oh my gosh, I don't even know how many years ago now, but we worked together for close to a decade putting all kinds of amazing television together. One of the best things that I learned from Chris was that he was his own producer. I was there to help him put some great TV out there, but he was already shooting his own video, doing all of his own stuff, whether or not any network was giving him a platform. Very smart guy. So I'm going to bring him on in just a moment to talk to us about, you know, his philosophy around creating your own video, being your own producer, because guess what? That's what we all are now. And if you want to be out there as an expert, you have to be talking about your expertise more than anybody else. When I first started my blog, ListProducer.com, I knew I needed to get myself some media for it to be a real thing. And I just started talking about lists more than anybody else. I don't know that I know more about lists than anybody else, but I definitely talk about it quite a lot. Uh, so you know, there's that. I have a checklist for you if you go to paularizzo.com/checklist, all about how to become a go-to media expert. And if you have a friend or somebody who you're thinking, you know what, they might actually really love this conversation, be sure to share this with them. Hit the share button wherever you're watching this right now. Ask questions. We're going to be talking to you live. But if you're watching the replay, absolutely ask questions in the comments. We'll be able to go back to that for sure. And the other thing is that I am a LinkedIn Learning instructor. And what that means is that I have a whole bunch of courses. If you go to paularizzo.com/linkedin, you'll be able to check those out. And those are courses all about stuff like how to set boundaries and protect your time, how to set up your own remote office, how to make better lists. All sorts of stuff like that. So if you go to paularizzo.com/linkedin, you will learn all about that. And I hope you enjoy it because guess what? You need to get your time back because that's what will allow you to make more videos. See how that all comes full circle? It's all about TV. It's all about how you can be a better person on camera, which I'm thrilled to introduce Chris Killam. Chris, thanks for being here.
Oh, Paula, it has been way too long, but I'm very happy to see you. And if anybody can do inside scoops, Goodness knows it's you. You've got more information and experience than a whole multitude of people. So it's a real pleasure to be on with you.
Oh, thanks, Chris. I know it's so nice to have this new wave of media that we have now. You know, it used to be that we would meet in TV studios. Now we're meeting in totally different cities, being able to do this this way. It's cool. It works.
Oh, you know, I liked meeting in the TV studios and, you know, there were pastries and coffee and things. I mean, there's none of that here at my home. So, you know.
It's true.
I think the adjustment during COVID-19 of being virtual in many ways has advantages in terms of helping people to learn and develop new skills. But I also really miss the contact and the hustle of being in the studio.
Yeah, yeah, I agree. I agree. There's an energy there. There's one thing, it can be, anyone can learn or be taught. I mean, that's what I do for a living now to be better on camera, to be able to teach people to connect with that camera like it's a person, but it's not the same is the energy you get from, from real life, from being there, you know. Um, so you, uh, for, for years we worked together, we created, I mean, hundreds of hours of television together, right? Uh, whether it be, you know, eating some weird thing in Chinatown, right? Durian ice cream. That was our very first episode ever.
Very first. And then I have to tell you something, as soon as we did that I said to myself, these folks are people I want to do as much as possible with. And, you know, we did, we did it. But yeah, we started out with really stinky, nasty ice cream, really gross booze.
You were a good sport, you know. I mean, that's always, that's always key when you get an expert who is game for whatever. As a TV producer, to find somebody who's like, sure, I'll eat that, that's fine, or yep, I'll do that, you know, not exactly what you do, right? I mean, you do teach people about all kinds of foods and remedies and things from all over the world, but you're not necessarily looking for the grossest, but you were for it.
No, no. In fact, sometimes I'm perfectly happy to avoid the grossest, but you also have to know what people like to see. And in addition to doing, you know, maybe really intelligent comment, hopefully intelligent commentary on, let's say, the benefits of vitamin D or echinacea or whatever. At the same time, you know, I knew and we knew full well well that people love to see mature guys eating really disgusting stuff that perhaps they wouldn't choose to eat themselves. So, you know, there always has to be a bit of entertainment, otherwise you get a lot of viewer drop-off.
It's true, it's true. It was a really, you know, sort of sneaky way to get a lot of people to listen to things, because then after that we created a segment called Nature's Medicine Cabinet, which was a really great way for us to get your information out there and, uh, you know, to be able to talk about natural medicine in a way that But look, you know, I worked at Fox News Channel. It wasn't the place where you might have thought you might have gotten the most coverage in your career, yet you did. So it's important to not judge the media outlet. You never know.
Oh, you know, I'll tell you a quick story, Paula. In, in 1978, I believe, the satellite Skylab was falling to the ground. We knew it was going to fall to Earth, and I was living in a house where a physicist lived, and he sent sent a letter to the local paper. Now, you've never heard of the Brookline Beacon, okay? Because it has like 4 readers. And he sent a letter to the Brookline Beacon saying, you know, I think if we all meditated, we could keep Skylab up, right? This is the smallest newspaper on Earth. And somebody from Associated Press saw the letter. And over the course of 3 weeks, I did 160 media interviews with outlets all over the world.. And we wound up getting NASA involved, the Johnson Space Center involved in a meditation to save Skylab. And it was broadcast all over the earth on a vast radio network of collaborating stations that went, yeah, sure, we'll do that. And it, it all came from this silly little letter in the world's smallest newspaper. So you don't know where stuff's gonna go. You don't know who's watching and you can't go, oh no, that's too small for me.
Yes, do not be a snob. You've heard it here first. Chris Killam says no snobbery.
Oh no, no, not at all.
No, it's very true. That is a good— that is a very, very good point, you know. Um, and also, you know, media begets media. You do one thing like what you're saying, you know, and it just snowballs. It's a really great way to get evidence out there that you can do the thing that you want to. Um, but one of the things that you did early on, which I think is probably part of why we consistently did things together, um, was because you were already producing your own content. You are out in the world, all over the world, shooting videos, interviewing people, finding really cool things. So you already sort of had that eye for it. People are just awakening to this idea now, but tell me about what your strategy had, had been and still is.
Well, you know, I do travel around the world investigating natural remedies of all different kinds, as you said. And, you know, if I go, for example, to China to investigate tea in Sichuan Province, there's an arc to the journey. There's a beginning and a middle and an end. And there are people I'll meet and places I'll see and circumstances I'll get into. And What I do is I take notes, I take photographs, and I shoot video so that when I come back, if I'm going to give a seminar, you know, people get up, they show pictures of folks in lab coats looking at equipment that they don't know what the heck it is, you know. And what I like to do is come back showing Indigenous people in remote and exotic locations working with the herbs that eventually wind up on the shelves of the stores that you go into. And so, from the very beginning of my investigations into botanicals, I always kept notes, always photographed, often shot video as well. And that content has enabled me to not only give presentations all over the world, but then when people like you say, "Hey, you know, what would you like to do?" And I say, "Well, let's do something on rhodiola. I've got some great video from Siberia." Well, we can do that and throw in some still images as well.
Yeah, it's so true. It was a great way to be able to showcase your expertise, to be able to say, I was literally there, you know, in the jungle with this herb and here's evidence of me doing it, you know? So that is important. But for TV producers, we want the video and we might not be able to go with you. As much as you wanted me to go to the Amazon for all these years, it never happened. But I feel like I was able to share with you.
Oh, you would have loved it.
I don't know if I'm built for the Amazon, Chris.
I'm not really sure. You know, you might not be, Paula, and that's fine. But, you know, the thing is that if people are going to do media, there's a temptation on many people's parts, I know from conversation, to imagine that talking heads are entertaining. And you know, for the most part, they're not really so much. You have to have more than that. And I have been in the very fortunate position of going to exotic and sometimes wildly out-there places, having experiences that I'm deeply grateful for that very few people will get to have, whether it's firewalking in the South Pacific or drinking tea in southern China or riding fighting elephants or being on camels in the Samarkand Desert or wherever it is. And I want to bring back that story. I think in a way it's also about fostering understanding. Everybody's motivated by different things, but for me, I like to show that there are other people in the world living radically different lives from our own, making marvelous contributions to the world and in often producing things that we use in our lives, whether it's a tea or a coffee or an herbal remedy or a superfood or whatever that might be.
Sure. Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, one of the things, too, from the moment I met you, I know this guy has strong opinions about things.
No.
And that's not you. And that as a producer, as someone who wants to make, you know, a really good show, that's what you want. You want somebody who's going to stand up there and say something of substance. Whether or not I agree or the viewers agree or the host agrees, you and Manny, Dr. Manny Alvarez, who we worked with for many, many years, you guys butted heads a lot. He was traditional medicine. You were natural medicine. As much as you embraced and loved each other, there were times when you didn't always agree. How do you walk that line to be able to say, "I have opinions about things. People need to hear this," and be able to come out and say, say it with authority, um, you know, and, and grace, really. A lot of experts shy away from giving their opinion because they think, oh, you know, I don't want to be shut out. What do you think?
Well, you know, uh, first of all, um, I learned something very valuable from my mother, who was a professor of communications, a radio disc jockey for 45 years, and a TV personality, uh, Paula Rizzo, talk about what you know.
Mm-hmm.
That was her, just talk about what you know. And, um, I think that if you're well-informed and you have opinions about things, I mean, I, I'm well-informed about plant medicine. So I may encounter, uh, medical doctors who are skeptical. And then in that circumstance, the challenge is to deliver enough science, enough sort of bridgeable understanding that they can buy in, or at least, you know, we don't come to blows. And, you know, like I found with Manny Alvarez, he was actually very open. It wasn't his area of expertise, and he really did look to me to be the expert on things natural. But, you know, I think that I always like to expand the tent, if you will. I know one of the best things that happened for me at Fox was that we went out onto the international feed and I had vastly more viewers all over the world than in the United States. And I used to go to airports and things and people would stop me and go, "Aren't you that medicine guy?" I love it. Well, yeah, and I did too. And I think the thing was that if you have strong positions that you can absolutely back up with substance, then the trick is to deliver those, especially if you're encountering some resistance, graciously and not back somebody into a corner, but just say, hey, listen, here's something maybe you didn't know.
Sure.
And we did that. Time and again with the segments that you produced, because a lot of what we produced was not familiar to the viewers who were out there.
Yeah, yeah, it's very true. And to be able to— you're right— back it with some science, back it with, you know, something. This is not— you know, there's a difference between an opinion show or, you know, someone— and news, which a lot of the people who are watching are, you know, hopefully going to be doing some news segments at some, some, you know, uh, time, whether it be a podcast or, uh, you know, television, radio, whatever it is, it's probably going to be for a news program. So you really do need to have facts. You need to be able to back up what you're saying with something really, you know, substantial. Um, you know, one of the other things too is, is that you were able to and have been doing media for many, many years, and it has helped you in many ways to, you know, build up your expertise speaking and doing all these other things. Talk to me a little bit about that, about sort of like building this lifelong career using video and using media and how that's been able to help you.
Well, I was really fortunate as a kid, you know, because my mom and dad both worked in radio and TV. He was on the production and sales side and she was talent. So I was in radio stations from the time I was just a little kid, you know, and in TV stations. And I knew the announcers and those were the people who came to our home for dinner or for poker or whatever. And so it was a world that was familiar to me and people that I really enjoyed. And I was fortunate to do my first commercial, I think when I was 7, for grape juice with my mom. We were at the station and she said, "Do you wanna do a commercial?" And I said, "Well, what do I have to do?" And she said, "You've gotta drink grape juice and say it's good and then ask for another glass." And I said, How, you know, how hard can that be? I'm with my mother. So, right. So anyway, that early exposure and then little bits from there on made me comfortable with media at an early age. But I also, I also found that a lot of it is if you're willing to show up in the around circa '80, I had a girlfriend who was a a TV producer for a local television in Boston magazine format show in the morning. And there were many times when we had blizzards when guests were canceling left and right. And I was the guy who would drag myself out, you know, in a nor'easter and go to WBZ and do a segment on like how not to hurt your back shoveling snow.
Right. You were available. You were there.
Yeah. And I think showing up is a lot of it. But also, um, like, I kind of, you know, I do this, Paula. Sorry, I drifted sideways. I don't even recall what the original question was.
Well, I mean, you, you've had a long career, you know, using media, talking to the media, uh, you know, how has that helped you to sort of propel you into different realms? Because you've been all over the place, all over the world anyway. But how has media helped you to grow that? I mean, you've done Dr. Oz a zillion times. Like, there's a lot out there with you you know, as the expert.
It becomes privileged access. That's really what it is. People recognize, oh, you know, this guy does radio and TV, he's got a long background in this, he's somebody to pay attention to, he's somebody to spend time with. So I have found that, you know, with my reputation for media going decades, when I go to different places, I'm often known ahead of time for that, and that makes people want to share information. Maybe I go asking for a particular thing and they say, "Yeah, we'll show you that, but we also want to show you this." Sure. Or tell you about this. So I think that it has really opened things up, and for, I don't know, 22, 24 years or so of my career, I spent on average 20 or 25% of my time working media. So whatever else I was doing, I was, I was doing that and making sure that I was unfailingly on it, you know, sending out inquiries, making contact with people. And there's something else that I want to say, Paula, that cycles back to something we discussed right at the beginning. You never know where people are going to wind up. Sometimes, you know, I've done a 5:00 AM 3-minute segment for a magazine format show in the boondocks of Iowa during a snowstorm, and that person eventually, that producer gets kicked up to the networks and they call and they say, hey, listen, you know, we did something on such and such station, but now I'm on Good Morning America, would you like to come on? So, you know, you don't sneer at the small things, you don't go, oh God, that's just, you know, that's not my league, because, you know, your league will change and so will the league of the producers and the talent.
Very smart. Very, very smart move. But also, you know, you also, you know, you're a very nice person. You know, I've known you for years, obviously continue to work with you, but you'll talk to, you know, the cab driver and tell the cab driver what he needs. You know, you should get this natural remedy. You should do like— you just want the information out there, right?
Well, I also love people, and, and, you know, that helps me in the field, you know, when I go to wherever, uh, a tea plantation or with harvesters into the mountains or whatever the situation may be, I love people. And so I wanna know, well, like, how did you first start doing this? Or I mean, I like to find out about folks. And in the studio, it only makes sense that if there are camera people and sound people and other folks that you're gonna see repetitively, you become familiar. So you walk in, you go, hey Jack, how you doing? Or I mean, it just seems like, you know, everybody's a person, everybody's got a life, everybody deserves to be acknowledged. And then they— I don't plan it this way, but then they go, well, let's make sure we really work to produce a hell of a segment because this guy's a nice guy.
Totally, totally. It makes all the difference. It really does. And also, I have to say, you know, there— anytime it was Medicine Hunter Day at Fox, you know, we'd be like, oh, Medicine Hunter's coming. People would be like, oh, when is he coming? I have a question, you know? And people would run down to the green room and be like, I I have a question for Chris about this new remedy I heard about, or this thing is happening to me. It's like you end up diagnosing all of these remedies for people, which is, you were always very sweet about doing that for us.
Well, I got it in hair and makeup every single time for 9 years. Totally. And I love that. It's just like, okay, my daughter has a problem with her skin.
Right, okay.
And I'm sitting there getting stuff put on me, and it's like, okay, so talk to me.
Yeah, it's wonderful, it's wonderful. Yeah, it is. It definitely is. Let's talk a little bit about being, being good on camera. So that's another reason why, you know, we were able to work together for so long, because you already had, you know, you obviously had a background your entire life in television. Um, so people now are trying to be better on camera. You know, I'm doing a lot of work to help people feel more comfortable, but what have you found to really work best about talking directly to that camera being able to get your information out there. What tips do you have for people who might be a little newer to this?
Well, I know for certain, speaking with a lot of people, that when a camera is pointed at them, they have a different sense of communication, almost as though they should be or do something else. And the camera actually becomes a bit of an obstacle The fact is you're speaking to, you're addressing people. And as long as that is a lens to people and you can keep that sense of being as natural as you can, obviously being poised and being articulate and being focused in your delivery, that's very helpful. I do think that a lot of people need media training, especially now with podcasts and webcasts of all different kinds. I encounter a great many hosts who are intelligent, who are well-informed in their fields, and who are absolutely dreadful on a camera or microphone. They just, you know, they— long awkward pauses, not sure how to follow up, and all of that takes away from the experience. So I think it's a combination of Finding ways to become comfortable in that environment, really knowing your message, whatever comes at you. Uh, and, and knowing also, this is another thing with very few exceptions. Um, you know, maybe like the Jerry Springer Show or something, producers and people who work on television want to make you look good. They're not there to embarrass you. They're not there to make you feel awkward. They're not there to necessarily put you on the spot in some sort of terrible confrontational way. So you have support, you know, you've kind of got wind in your sails. And I think a lot of people are just plain afraid or feel like they're on the surface of the moon when they get in a TV studio and a camera is pointed at them and that little red light comes on.
Yeah, yeah, it is true. Producers, you know, they want to look good too. They want to show their boss, look at this great guest I brought in and how awesome this segment came out, you know, like we want you to, to be good. We want to make sure that you're highlighted in a really great way. That's a great point.
You know, there was, if I can tell you, because you know I love to tell stories.
Yes, please.
A few years ago, there was a television show in Los Angeles called The Preachers, and it was for Southern Black Baptist ministers, really wonderful guys, 4 of them. And they were trying in their show to be open-minded. Okay. So, so they had like people come on and talk about cannabis and different things and they really, really tried. And somebody pitched them, I don't know who it was, on ayahuasca, the, the Amazonian psychoactive brew as a god drug. Okay. So they called, I wound up flying out to LA. So So the setup was I was in the middle of these four really nice, friendly, very, very devoted evangelical Baptist preachers. And, um, we had a 7-minute, uh, show that was just a scream because they were trying so hard to be open-minded. And I was doing what I do, talking about, you know, spirituality and the divine. You know how you can experience it in a lot of different ways. And it was— it came off very well. It was probably the funniest thing I ever did. And it was an example of marching right into a circumstance in which I was so clearly the odd person out.
Sure.
And at the same time that they didn't necessarily agree with me or say that they wanted to see, you know, Jesus in a hallucinogenic vision. We all got on famously.
Yeah, see, and it's true, like, that it doesn't have to be that you agree with the person or whatever. Like, you've always been very good, you know, in that way. We— and we did do quite a few ayahuasca segments, I have to say. Oh yeah, oh yeah, we did, we did, we did. Um, I'm, I'm gonna ask you in a second about, um, post-pandemic, um, travel, because I'm curious to know your thoughts on that. But I just want to quickly go over and see, uh, some of the comments that have come in, you know, throughout the show. We have a hello from California from Amy. Hi, Amy.
Hi, Amy.
Here we have Barbara saying, hi, Paula. Hi there, Barbara. Um, Paru says, it's not a— it's not that I know more about a topic, it's that I talk about that topic more than anyone else. I tell my clients that all the time. It's so true, right? I mean, to, to be able to be out there, then you become known as that person. I mean, I— right, people think of me as the list person, they think of you as the medicine hunter. It's, it's like real You talk about it a lot, you know, it is what it is. Uh, well, this is great. Well, if there are any more questions, this is the time to ask your questions. We'll, we'll be able to take those. And if you're watching the replay, leave them below, we'll check those out, um, as well. But Chris, I'm curious to, to know what your thoughts are on post-pandemic travel, because now, you know, both of us are now fully vaccinated, we are able to— the CDC has said you can travel. So what are your thoughts on this?
Well, I, you know, I had up until COVID-19, I spent 40 to 50% of my time every year traveling. So for me, this has been a huge loss. And I just recently went across country and hiked in the California desert with friends for a week. And that was wonderful after 14 months of not even seeing an airport. I think that the big problem we face now is that requirements of entry in different countries are inconsistent because every country's got its own unique situation. You know, I noticed that many of the countries I want to go to to do projects, botanical projects, are either still terribly restricted, you know, going through a very bad time with COVID-19, you know, or they require something like 14-day quarantine. So I think that, um, but at the very same time, more and more countries are now cautiously allowing full unrestricted entry to those who are fully vaccinated. So I think it's going to remain inconsistent, certainly through fall. Uh, and I think probably by late fall, many of the countries who don't want Americans at all, because we've had the highest rates of infection and the highest number of deaths due to COVID-19, especially considering our relatively small population compared to some other countries. I think that they will be allowing us in again. But right now, it's still very difficult. You know, even though you and I are safe to travel, sure, it's hard to find places to go to, certainly for me, for the work that I do.
Yeah, right. You're going to places that are, you know, you're not always staying at the Ritz-Carlton somewhere, right? You're like No, not usually.
I mean, sometimes I'm sleeping on a boat, sometimes I'm sleeping in a native hut, and I have to say, I love those times. You know, these are wonderful life experiences. And, you know, I think if you love something and you do media about it, that, you know, that love, that real, you know, ardent involvement comes through in your communication. Sure.
Oh, for sure.
I mean, it's harder if you're talking about, I don't know what, you know, something incredibly boring like the size of sheet metal screws. But, you know, not gonna have a quarter inch here.
No, not the same. Not the same at all. We have a bunch of international people joining us. Sylvia's from Holland.
Hello.
So glad to have you. We have someone here from Mumbai. Wonderful. Look, you're still, you're still getting your international, uh, international cred all over the world. You do need to leave home, Chris. That's great.
I know, I know, but I want to shake people's hands. I want to be with them, you know.
I want to sit down. Totally. You need to be with people. I, I get it completely. Um, so what my last question for you is going to be: where, where are you heading next? Like, what is your first— when it's okay for you to do and go and, and do it the way that you want to do it— where, where will you go?
Well, I, I'm looking at some work possibly in Malaysia or Thailand or going back down to Vanuatu, South Pacific, which is the last place I went to and returned from before COVID-19.
Wow.
So, and I have a couple of conventions scheduled late fall and early spring, but I don't really consider those travel, you know. I mean, travels going out into the forest. So, so I'm not sure. I have to line up clients to sponsor me. And so far over the years, that's gone well. But it'll probably be Southeast Asia, Paula.
Yeah. Oh, I love that. Well, absolutely. Keep us posted on your travels. Of course, if you want to, you know, stay in touch with Chris, go to medicinehunter.com. That's where you can find him and follow him on social media and see where, where in the world is Chris. Which is my favorite game. Uh, Chris, thank you so much for being here. It's been so fabulous to chat again and do some, do some TV in a different way.
You know, I just have to say, you are the best producer I ever had.
I love it. Thank you, Chris. I appreciate that so much. I'm so glad we were able to do this again. To be continued. There will be more for sure, I promise. And thank you all for watching. I'm so glad that you were here with Leave those comments below. Make sure that you, you know, hit us up in those comments. We'll be able to check those out even if you're watching the replay. And until next time, I'm Paula Rizzo. I will see you later.
