The Taylor Blum Project

Matt Whitworth (@mattwhitworth_)is a filmmaker and digital media entrepreneur. Matt is the creator and executive producer of the popular political documentary series, The Swamp, which has been viewed by tens of millions of people. Matt is also the creator and developer of the news app TheUpdate. In this episode, we discuss how Matt began his filmmaking and media career while not having a background in either filmmaking or media content creation. Matt talks about the importance of developing and maintaining a vast network of connections in order to help further his career. He tells stories of all-night flights, taking bad meetings, and hearing 'no' continuously while trying to start projects and companies. Matt gives great advice about what it takes to become successful when you start out with zero name recognition – like so many of us do – and how to gain connections and maintain them. Matt is the definition of grinding to get to where you want to go. You'll hear all about his story, his tips and advice, and much more. Enjoy!

Gavin Aung Than (@zenpencils) is a New York Times bestselling cartoonist, illustrator, and author. Gavin is a cartoonist based in Melbourne, Australia. After working in the corporate graphic design industry for eight years, he quit his unfulfilling job at the end of 2011 to focus on his true passion, drawing cartoons. Gavin launched his website, Zen Pencils, at the start of 2012, a cartoon blog which adapts inspirational quotes into comic stories, and hasn’t looked back since. Zen Pencils has been featured by The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, Slate, Mashable, Upworthy, Buzzfeed, Gawker, The A.V. Club, Brain Pickings, Comic Book Resources, National Geographic, ProBlogger, and The Design Files. It was named one of the best 100 websites by PCMag and there are two New York Times bestselling book collections of Zen Pencils comics currently available. Gavin's most current book, CREATIVE STRUGGLE: Illustrated Advice From Masters of Creativity is also out wherever books are sold. In this episode, we discuss how Gavin got started in his journey to become a bestselling cartoonist and the struggles that he overcame in getting to there, especially starting out. We talk about his creative process and what it takes to make Zen Pencils comics and books. Gavin also dives in to what he learned by taking risks in his career and starting his own company and brand. Gavin provides some great stories, advice, and tips for everybody, no matter what industry you're in. Enjoy!

Wrestling Hall of Famer and Congressman Jim Jordan by The Taylor Blum Project