We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alejandro González Charles a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alejandro, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
Last year, my colleagues and business partners AD Dolphin, Joshua Engle, and I embarked on an exciting venture: the creation of the That’s F***ed Up Podcast. Originally, my role was intended to be that of a behind-the-scenes producer and show runner. However, after persuasive discussions with my co-host AD Dolphin, I decided to also participate as an on-camera talent. Considering the controversial nature of our discussions and the current climate in the United States, I must admit I had concerns about the potential consequences for my future. Nonetheless, we forged ahead, and now, with over 30 episodes and millions of views on our short-format videos, our platform has amassed more than 14 thousand subscribers on YouTube in less than a year. It has been a remarkable journey to say the least. Our two biggest interviews so far have been with Hip Hop Legend Dame Dash and NBA Legend John Salley. Needless to say, both interviews were very fruitful for the current success of our podcast, with some of our clips being feature in Complex Magazine, TMZ, World Star, The Art of the Dialogue, HipHopDx Magazine and many other news outlets.
Alejandro, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I consider myself a jack of all trades since I grew up in the digital age of media. It pays to be able to perform every position at the highest possible level, from camera operating to audio mixing, editing, scriptwriting, and speaking in front of the cameras. My ultimate goal has always been to screen a feature movie I directed on the silver screen. Although I haven’t reached that goal yet, I firmly believe it will soon become a reality. Currently, I’m the lead show runner of an upcoming podcast, constantly grinding to produce entertainment for the masses. Working in the entertainment industry has always been my dream, and I’m making it happen. I completed my Bachelor’s in Film Studies & Digital Media Production in 2017 and my Master’s in Film and TV Production in 2021. Since then, I’ve been on the grind, writing and producing short films that are being sent to film festivals across the states. At the same time, I’m helming the production of the “That’s F***ed Up Podcast” and creating music videos. It’s a busy but fulfilling journey, and I’m excited for what the future holds.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
As of today, I handle all the physical and post-production duties for the That’s F***ed Up Podcast by myself. It’s truly rewarding to see my work receive love and attention from viewers worldwide. However, the pressure of running such a big operation alone can be daunting. I take full responsibility for ensuring top-notch video and audio quality, as well as managing the release of each episode and clips. This journey has been incredibly fulfilling, teaching me valuable lessons on running a successful channel and making it profitable. Although there’s still much to do, I believe it’s important to reflect on our progress since the early days. Til this day, my philosophy remains “no risk, no reward.”
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
Streaming as opened the Pandora’s box, and I personally don’t see a way that we can close said box. Having said that, I do have some ideas in ways that we can bring more profit to the creative world. As the current entertainment world is on hold because of the Actors’ and Writers’ Strike, its importance to understand how and why we ended up were we are today. It’s clear there isn’t as much money in the entertainment business as there once was, yet the production demands have never been higher. Due to streaming, there aren’t as many commercials as there once was, and DVDs sales are slowly become obsolete too many consumers. I often think what would be a good solution for our current problem. Although the world of live streaming has taken over, I think there is still a big market of regular television broadcast. My current solution would be that Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming services, create their own cable channels, were people can watch their content but through cable with commercials. One can argue, why would I watch cable if I have on demand access for any show the streaming service has, to which I answer, there are people who want people to choose what they want to watch, maybe they are tired from work and they don’t want to make a decision, so they turn on the Netflix channel and whatever it is playing they’ll watch. There is also the allure of not having to use the internet to watch a show you can only watch on Netflix. Then on the streaming services cable channels you can add commercials and properly pay the creators who cultivated the shows and films.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/alejandrogcharles/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thatsfeduppodcast/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alejandrogcharles/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thatsfckeduppodcast
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/thatsfeduppodcast/
Image Credits
Alejandro G. Charles