Today we’d like to introduce you to James Harrison Jr.
Hi James, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
What got me started on my podcast journey was simple; I would always look at other content creators whether it was youtube, Vine, World Star videos, etc publishing material that I was already doing w/ friends but too hesitant put online because of fear of displaying my goofy and vulnerable to people which I often tried to conceal. With podcasting, I had been a big fan of podcasts like The Read, Brilliant Idiots, Joe Budden Podcast because while these were known personalities; when they’re recording their guards were down and you got to really hear from the person not the characters that they usually were in front of a camera. You got to see a vulnerable side of them and the topics they discussed made you feel as if you were in the studio with them. I felt that that was something I could do no problem because I can talk from sun up to sun fall. I discussed with my friend that we should do this because our phone conversations were so good that everyone should hear what we had to say. We felt it was selfish to horde this amazing convo between the two of us. Egotistical I know, but we felt like what we talked about on the phone could relate to anyone. Fast forward 3 years and I feel like I definitely made the right decision.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has definitely not been a smooth road, more bumps than anything. I mainly feel that way because when I come into podcasting the only work, I thought that had to be put into being successful was recording. Boy was I wrong; I found out quickly that so much more goes into this besides the conversation. I signed up to be a podcaster, I turn into a publisher, producer, social media manager, booking agent, and so much more. It’s something I had not envisioned when I began all this, so with that you can expect to run into so complications. The hardest part was that I had no experiencing in any of those areas so to learn it all was hard since I didn’t have any guidance making sure I was doing things the right way. It was a very stressful task at the time but I am 100% thankful that I had gone through it, I have turned myself into more than just a podcaster, I was able to learn how to become an entire businessman.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am the host of The 8 More Than 92 podcast, which I call a decompression zone where you can just come to relax, unwind, laugh, and engage in good dialogue. The podcast gets labeled as a comedy because we love to make folks laugh but there is so much more to the show than that one label. We talk about everything from current events and sports to gender-specific topics when men and women can discuss their points of view with one another. We don’t just speak to men, we speak to all people. You can look at our podcast and find an episode that fits who you are. That’s something I pride myself on. That is where I feel like the show set ourselves apart from other podcasts; the fact that you can’t box us into one category of a show. What I’m most proud about is that the show has kept going. A lot of times you will hear folks saying they don’t know when is the right time to start but in reality, consistency is the real obstacle. Not quitting when you haven’t hit expectations that you haven’t hit for yourself yet is an obstacle of its own. The show has gotten to where we are now from consistency, there was no blueprint on how to make our show successful from an independent standpoint. A lot of the shows I mentioned earlier were established by notable names. I’m regular Joe (a Navy Medic) trying to go about being like the top shows and because I feel our podcast is just as good as anyone’s out now We didn’t want to be seen as just another one of the millions of podcasts that you can overlook. What the show has been able to accomplish in just three years has exceeded my expectations so much that at times I have to sit back and ask myself “did we really do that?”. I want the world to know that I bet on myself to be able to showcase “James Harrison Jr” to the world on a big stage. Allowing folks see someone other than the person that I display on a day to day basis. Doing this has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. A show that started off as nothing more than our phone conversations has been made into something that is on trajectory to be one of the best shows out.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Some of the most important lessons I have learned has been consistency. You have to be consistent in this game or you will drown in it. That starts from top to bottom, you need to make sure you are on schedule, need to make sure you meeting deadlines while also reminding yourself to stay motivated. There are times when you want to quit or feel inadequate to other shows out there, asking “do we measure up to such & such”. Someone I look up to told me early on not everyone gets past 10-20 episodes. Podcasting is very trendy right which means a lot of people start them but that doesn’t mean they keep it going. 118 episodes in as you can see, I took that advice seriously. That’s what separates you from pretenders is that drive to keep going, You have to weed out the noise and keep pushing to your goal of being successful. If this was easy EVERYONE’s shows would be a hit.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/8Mre_Thn92
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/8mt92_podcast?igshid=13s8vmzhifbiz
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/8mt92pod/
- Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/8mre_thn92?s=21
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEUORvHh60iYloyKd1yEjiQ
- Other: https://www.spreaker.com/show/4930444/episodes/feed
Image Credits
Jaila Matthew(Logo), Romeo Made It (photo)
