I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Matt Cheney from Kult Media, and we talked about the ups and downs of the audio editing world. This is an excerpt from our 70 minute conversation.
Matt opened up about a fear we've all felt at some point – imposter syndrome. Like many podcast editors out there, he struggled with a nagging fear of being unprofessional and a lack of credibility. No matter how hard he worked, he felt like a fraud for nearly a decade.
Matt realized he had to shift his mindset and attitude. He needed to see things from a more holistic perspective. He stressed that at the end of the day, if something went horribly wrong with a podcast or TV show, life would go on. What really mattered was improving 1% every day and treating himself better.
Feeling isolated for much of his career, Matt learned the importance of collaboration. Since going freelance in 2014, he began to reach out and engage with communities. He found that by sharing the load and working together, the competition just fades away.
Matt emphasized the importance of grasping the entire process of content creation. Knowing what clients had been through before reaching him allowed him to empathize, resonate, and quickly build trust. It shifted his perspective from hindering to enhancing the content he was working on.
Lastly, Matt discussed the invaluable lessons learned through experience and, yes, even mistakes. From deleting essential files to sending a blank tape to Disney (ouch!), he's made errors that cost time and money. But those mistakes taught him to be calm under pressure and equipped him with the skills to work with bigger clients.
Matt's journey is a testament to the importance of mindset, collaboration, understanding, and experience. It's a powerful reminder to all of us in the podcast editing world that we're not alone in our fears or struggles. And that, in the end, every challenge is an opportunity to grow and become a happier audio editor.
Check out the full video in the Pro Group, and let's continue to learn and grow together as we continue our editing journey. 🎧