We recently connected with Aaron Calafato Calafato and have shared our conversation below.

Aaron Calafato , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

It’s been a bit of a winding road but after 15 years of grinding away, I’ve been able to leverage the art of storytelling into a full-time living.

It all started with telling stories at a young age.

In the early 90s, shortly after my parents divorced, my dad bought me one of those Fisher-Price karaoke microphones. I came with a microphone and a blank cassette tape. I started recording myself telling stories and making pretend radio shows. I remember thinking about how amazing it felt to archive my stories and share them with family and friends.

I think this experience was foundational in eventually becoming a storyteller. Although, I didn’t know that was something you could actually do. Early on in my career, I just knew that I wanted to communicate with audiences. That led me into acting, theater, film, and eventually to NYC where I trained at an acting conservatory. I wanted to be an actor like Marlon Brando and Al Pacino. However, it turned out I was better at telling my own stories than being a vessel for the writing of others. In fact, telling stories at cafes in NYC was the first time I actually made money with my art. During this time I developed my own style of extemporaneous storytelling.

Those skill sets led me to touring my first monologue around the country. It was called “For Profit”, and it was about the (then emerging) student debt crisis in America. It was also the first time where I made a full-time living off my storytelling. I traveled for 3 years, performing this monologue at Universities around the country.

After three pretty grueling years, I was sick of traveling and I wanted a better work/life balance. I needed a more sustainable way to tell stories and reach a larger audience all while living in Ohio. I tried getting into radio but I had no experience so that door was shut in my face. Out of frustration, I decided to go back to my roots and start recording my stories. Only this time, it wasn’t on a Fisher-Price microphone, it was done as a podcast. Shortly after, I developed a show called 7 Minute Stories with a super simple formula. Each week, I tell an extemporaneous 7 Minute Story about my life experiences. I released the stories independently and was able to grow a great community of listeners.

Since then, 7MS has become my calling card. And, by chance, it became an engine for my podcast consulting work. I saw this trend early and decided not to try and monetize 7MS. I just shared the stories every week without any paywall or advertisements. A lot people told me this was counterintuitive, but my storytelling actually became (unintentionally) a business funnel. Now, each week I tell 7 Minute Stories, coach executives about being better storytellers, and help businesses produce their own podcasts.

I couldn’t have predicted that my career would be what it is. But I always stayed true to that childhood instinct and love of telling stories. It took me nearly 15 years to get here though. And I’m not sure if anything could have sped up that process. I think I needed to go through what I did to discover my niche.

The only thing that could have sped up this process was trying less to “fit in a box” early in my career. For a while, I wanted traditional industries like radio and theater to “accept” my brand of storytelling. They couldn’t give a shit. And that frustrated me. I wanted them to recognize the value and provide me with the support I needed. I eventually shifted my focus to creating my own space to flourish rather than depending on theirs. The luck and advent of digital technology like Podcasting provided me with this opportunity. But once recognized this as an opportunity, I haven’t looked back.

Aaron Calafato , 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 gave some history about my bio in the last question. For this question. I’ve left my biographical info and other answers below.

Aaron Calafato is a storyteller & podcast consultant. His stories have been heard by millions around the globe on his award-winning Podcast 7 Minute Stories, on stage, and on YouTube. Calafato is an in-demand storytelling coach for C-suite Executives and serves as a podcast consultant for some of the fastest-growing companies in the world. Calafato’s extemporaneous storytelling style has been compared to that of monologist Spalding Gray and radio legend Jean Shepard.

The Work:
Serves as podcast and story consultant to CEOs and C-suite Executives.
His 7 Minute Stories is ranked in the Top 1% of Podcasts Globally.
Delivered over 300 keynotes and seminars across 20 states.
Serves as podcast consultant for some of the fastest-growing companies in the world.
Short stories have been viewed over 4 MILLION times on YouTube.
Recipient of the Emerging Artist Grant from the Puffin Foundation.

– What problems do you solve for your clients and/or what you think sets you apart from others?

I help individuals and businesses redefine what podcasting can be. We don’t approach podcasting in the traditional sense. We focus first on cultivating purposeful, vulnerable, and authentic stories rather than focusing only on Growth Strategy, ROI, and Vanity metrics. We also specialize in short-form storytelling. I think this approach sets us apart of from others.

-What are you most proud of and what are the main things you want potential clients/followers/fans to know about you/your brand/your work/ etc.

I most proud of the fact that I have created an eco-system of storytelling and consulting for my career. I get to tell and share stories to a wide audience, and then, help others create their own. That humbles me.

For people just discovering me, I’d want them to know two things:
1. If they are looking for short stories that leave you better than you found them. They’ll problably dig my 7 Minute Stories or Weekly Stories on YouTube Shorts.
2. For anyone who is looking to create their own podcast or become a better storyteller, I’m here for you.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

The primary community I built with my storytelling is via my podcast 7 Minute Stories. But in the last 4 months, YouTube Shorts has become another viable and robust channel for me (nearing 10k subscribers and 4MILLION views).

There are a few lessons learned that I wanted to share.

1. Experiment

For some time, I was frustrated because, even though I had a growing podcast, I didn’t know how to leverage social media to grow it or promote it. I have a modest following on IG, Facebook, and Twitter. But I just couldn’t develop a unique rhythm and strategy. So, I stopped thinking and started experimenting without fear. I did this for years, posting different types of content across different social platforms. I failed a lot, but it helped me learn what did and didn’t work. It was really in the last 4 months that I (FINALLY) found a rhythm and formula that has been fruitful. But I wouldn’t have discovered it if I had been too afraid to post. Or, afraid that what I put out would “look bad”. That’s one takeaway I would share. Sometimes you just have to create and share stuff until something sticks. Don’t allow the fear of judgment or perceived failure stop you from finding the social rhythm and strategy that works for you.

2. Podcasts can be content engines

A compelling original podcast can be the foundation for infinite content marketing opportunities.

Example: Less than 6 months ago I started sharing 1-minute video versions of my 7 Minute Stories podcast on YouTube Shorts. In that time I’ve gained over 4 million views and almost 10K subscribers. It’s a great example of squeezing all the juice from a lemon. I found a way to repurpose my 7-minute audio content and create “new” 1-minute video pieces that has now reached an entirely new audience. Now, both audiences are cross-pollinating on my pod and my YouTube channel. However, repurposing can’t exist without foundational content.

Learning:
Too many people get myopic and shortsighted about their first podcast. Many people jump ship early when they don’t see an immediate return. Investing time and treasure in a foundational podcast shouldn’t solely be focused on immediate ROI. Podcasting is a long-term play and should also be focused on future opportunities.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I didn’t realize this at first, but being an artist or creative is not a liability. For me, it became a superpower.

When you lend yourself to artist- training or attempt to master a creative process, it opens up your humanity and allows you to connect with the humanity of others. And that intersection is the source that most creatives draw from.

And I think it’s that very thing that will set you apart from your competition in whatever industry you choose to pursue.

It’s literally the secret sauce.

From a business standpoint, that skill is a game-changer. If you learn to leverage it properly, you can become a master problem-solver. As the majority of problems that businesses are trying to solve are how to manage, understand, impact or communicate with other humans.

As an artist, you have a head start on this.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.7minutestoriespod.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aaronccalafato/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaroncalafato/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aaroncalafato1

Image Credits
Photos by Ken Wendt