We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Don Kleppin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Don, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I wrote a short story back in college which a friend, who was in film school at the time, asked me to turn into a screenplay. I had no experience writing screenplays but I ended up completing the task in one night (consequently I got no sleep). A month later it was Thanksgiving break and my friend returned home to Morton Grove, north of Chicago. He had rented all the equipment needed to shoot the screenplay and create a short film. We spent the next day calling everyone we knew to get a cast and crew together, and were successful. We contacted a local church and were able to convince them to let us use it as our film set. We shot the film over a three-day span, with many of us working full-time jobs alongside the project, which forced us to shoot overnight. I got very little sleep, if any, during those three days. And we had plenty of problems with equipment, schedules, character/dialogue issues and more. But somehow we finished the film. My friend submitted it to a few film festivals and though it was well-received, it did not win any categories. Despite that, I will always remember the experience and its value is priceless to me. I think because it taught me that we could achieve something by working together and refusing to quit. It was also thrilling for me to see the words I’d written spoken by actors in a film. The experience inspired me to continue writing as a hobby to this day.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Don Kleppin. I starting interning at WLS AM in Chicago after college, and was hired a few months later. That led me to produce shows like Roe Conn & Richard Roeper, John Kass & Lauren Cohen, Don Wade & Roma, White Sox Baseball & Bulls Basketball, Notre Dame Football & more. Ultimately I began filling anchoring the news and reporting on traffic in different markets. I also had the opportunity to run Steve Dahl’s Podcast Network for a year and that was truly a masterclass in podcasting as well as the business side of running a network. The sum of my time in radio has turned me into a polished broadcaster and proficient audio editor. These skills gave me the confidence to branch out and create the Cannabis Man Podcast as well as my side business of editing audio for other podcasters. Check out cannabismanpodcast.com and donkleppin.com to hear my work and contact me if you’re looking for an audio editor, voice over artist or podcast consultant!

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I actually don’t believe in non-creatives. What I mean is, I think every human being has creative potential. We are all artists. Every one of us is capable of being moved or inspired by experiences or relationships or art. But not everyone has an outlet or a medium they are skilled enough in to express what lies beneath the surface. I did improv for a long time, then stopped to focus on my “career” in radio. I still work in radio and branched out with my podcast, and just joined my first improv class in about 12 years. Not to achieve any specific goal, but because I was looking for another outlet and I missed the energy of group performance. I think we have a tendency to limit ourselves as we age, due to stress or obligations or chasing money or whatever. Do not be afraid to try new things. Do not lose your curiosity. Do not forget what it is to wonder. By trying new things, you can find a form of artistic expression that works for you. Everyone has a different journey, and none of us knows when our time here on earth will end. Every day represents an opportunity for a new experience which can in turn inspire you to create something. Step out of your comfort zone and you will be surprised what you might find.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

During college I was introduced to voice over and how some people make a career out of that. I was immediately fascinated and wanted to join the SAG union and get an agent. Anyone who is familiar with this path is probably chuckling at my naivete right now, as this is not something easily attained. I first needed a demo reel, which meant I needed practice scripts, and a place to record, and someone to edit. It took me years to create my first professional demo reel. That is when the next task began: finding an agent. I spent countless hours tracking down contact information, sending emails, making phone calls, and faced an impossible number of rejections before I was finally able to find someone to represent me. Now I have multiple agents, have worked on commercials, video games, audiobooks and more and I am still grinding. Marketing to reach new clients, auditioning for roles, practicing the craft, it never stops. That is why you have to love the journey itself, rather than the destination. I don’t know where this journey will lead me, I may never “make it” as a voice actor by landing a major role or commercial campaign – but that is not why I do it. I do it because I enjoy the chase. Find something you enjoy chasing, and resilience will come easily simply because you do not wish to stop.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.donkleppin.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/dkleppin
• Facebook: facebook.com/donkleppin
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/don-kleppin-7b88a510/
• Twitter: twitter.com/dkleppin
• Youtube: youtube.com/cannabismanpodcast
• Other: www.cannabismanpodcast.com

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