Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Freddy Tyler Paul. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Freddy Tyler Paul, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you manage your own social media?

I actually run every aspect of my social media. My brand is my name so It has to be somewhat personalized. But f you listen to my music or podcast, see my photography or clothing, there’s a clear thread of authenticity that I think people who follow me can see. My socials are just a more personal extension of that and my main social, IG, lets me stay engaged with fans, customers, and friends on the daily, and drive traffic to my website.

I think some people treat their socials as this squeaky clean part of their business, brand, or self. But I’ve found that people react when your forth right with your opinions, feeling, and intentions, regardless of what your product is or how you think people will react. If you aren’t genuine or just have radically different views than your target audience then you probably have bigger problems to deal with ! Social media also shouldn’t only be about selling selling selling. Obviously that’s part of it but you should try and be entertaining in some form. Whether that’s just having fun with photos or reels that are irrelevant to your product but just showcase you being a human being, ya know?

Freddy Tyler Paul, 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?

So I have a few creative endeavors that I tackle on a weekly basis. Im a singer, songwriter, audio engineer, and music producer. I’ve produced for other artists in the past but mostly focus on writing, releasing, and performing my own music these days!

But music’s forced me into these other worlds that have ultimately become other talents and income streams for myself. I was running social media for my last band, constantly shooting photos for us, and honing that photo craft without quite realizing it. I eventually started shooting portraits for artists in Chicago and then LA for their promo materials (along with my own) as well as selling framed prints of my street photography work!

Last year though, I taught myself how to screen print and started my own streetwear clothing line of graphic tees and other apparel. It originally started with me using song lyrics on my tees but I started making more off-the-wall, sexually charged, or meme-like designs with a vintage twist and people really seem to dig them, praise the lord. This has recently become the biggest part of my business with me hiring a handful of employees now to keep up with orders and grow the brand! I couldn’t be happier with it.

I also started a podcast last year called Sex, Drugs, & Bad Advice where I have a new LA creative on every week. It’s a nice break from the constant work-week and helps me strengthen relationships with people in other industries that I’m interested in. I also love talking about sex, drugs, and having light hearted conversation, and I think that gets across to the people who listen every week. It’s also been liberating to be more open about sexuality and drug use with others who have had other, often more interesting, experiences than me! I also promote my clothing line by wearing new products on the show and give out discount codes for my website during ad breaks!

I’m still growing everything in the way I foresee it but I’m moving in the right direction!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

What drives me to keep doing what I’m doing day in and day out is quite frankly, I just want to keep having fun in my life and career. And I know if I start to work for another company, which I’ve done many times, I almost always stop having fun and I start looking at the clock. Why would you want to spend a majority of your day and working life hating what you do? I understand, we may not all have the option or know how to pivot into doing what we want. But life’s too short to not be proud of what you do for a majority of your week.

Also, my name’s on everything. If I f*ck up, it’s on me. The most important thing you have is your credibility. And I take what I do seriously. My art is my business. I have a good sense of humor and a lot of what I do may appear in jest, but I care a lot about what I put out and portray in the day in day with my product and work. If you want to make art for a living, you have to devote an endless amount of your time to it. Or else it just won’t work for you.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

So my clothing brand has been where I’ve seen the most consistent growth in customers and clientele. With my clothes, I’ve been consistent with having my name on the back of every article of clothing. You buy the shirt knowing my name is on it. People see the wacky design on the front and ask who the shirt is by and its right there on the back for them to see, even if the guy wearing it’s forgotten in the moment! The word of mouth has done wonders for me as I don’t actually do any paid advertising whatsoever. I do do pop up markets across LA every single weekend which has been my main method of distribution and that’s been what’s let me grow the word of mouth and bolster my online sales dramatically as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: Freddytylerpaul.com
• Instagram: @freddytylerpaul
• Youtube: @freddytylerpaul