We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Barbara Abel a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Barbara, appreciate you joining us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.
Most traditional media training is focused on fitting in, how to communicate the “right” way. I don’t believe there is one right way. My methodology is built on how to stand out and communicate in the way that best serves you and provides value to your audience.
Barbara, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am a multimedia coach, talent & executive development expert and creative advisor + the host of the award-winning podcast, Camera Ready & Abel.
I completely fell into my career and as my friend, Lisa Roth – founder of Rock-a-Bye Baby – says, I am an accidental entrepreneur.
My circuitous route started in the music business which led me to music television and I spent over a decade at VH1 running the talent development department before launching my own casting + coaching business in 2001.
Throughout, I’ve always had an eye for spotting and nurturing talent – and I have a soft spot for renegades and disruptors and am proud of developing the original RuPaul Show for VH1, working with Candace Bushnell while she was still actively writing the Sex & The City column for the New York Observer, casting and nurturing the talent for the original Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, What Not to Wear and Man vs Food, plus guiding Page Six TV from sales tape to the most successful launch in syndication in a decade.
Now, it’s my joy to combine all of my skills in working with individuals and global brands to maximize their unique superpowers and make an impact on the world.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I’ve experienced many pivots on the road to resilience. I was truly an accidental entrepreneur when I started my business in 2001. I didn’t have a business card or even a personal email address at the time let alone a business plan. But I had energy and optimism and timing on my side – in my case the rapid growth of cable television in the early aughts. All bubbled happily along until three things happened at once: The economic downturn of 2008/2009. the arrival of digital media that upended everything in my industry and shifts in the marketplace. Suddenly what I specialized in was no longer in demand. I wish I could say strength of character led to my resilience but really, having young mouths to feed and a mortgage forced me to dig deep and ask, what can I do now? Because I went from hero to zero, so hot to so not, seemingly overnight. I realized that the media coaching I had been doing piecemeal when someone asked was, in fact, a revenue stream ripe for exploring and fed my soul like nothing else. I trained, studied, read books, asked questions + adapted to new technology so…when the pandemic hit in 2020 and my business ground to a halt one Tuesday in April, I took a nap and woke up confident, sitting with my resilience, because I had weathered storms before and knew I would weather this one.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
I hope it’s not cliché to say but I believe in living and working in alignment with one’s values + being consistent and consistently customer focused, always.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.abelintermedia.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barbara_b_abel/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/88352361879
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-b-abel/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/barbara_b_abel?lang=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFocNRP-cQW5o-9kUWTIU1Q
- Other: Podcast https://www.abelintermedia.com/podcast/
Image Credits
Nick Coleman (headshots) Chloe-Kate Abel (full body outdoor)