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

Michael, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

So first, I originally started the ‘Can We Please Talk?’ podcast, which is a news commentary podcast that has reached the top 75 in the U.S.! I was a former news producer and during the pandemic in 2020, I really wanted to add to the discourse as I noticed family members & friends not really being able to source where they saw a piece of news content, and most of the time it was misinformation or even disinformation. So as a former news producer, wanted to do something about that and we structured this show, launched it, booked guests that are subject matter experts, from journalists, correspondents, legal analysts, historians, members of Congress & more breaking down the latest news making headlines. From there, in 2022, I realized other like-minded creators around different verticals needed a home. So I launched Leon Media Network, which now features five podcasts across news commentary, sports, education & wellness, and we have three more shows launching this year in politics (with a former advisor to Speaker of the House), a leadership & coaching podcast (with a popular influencer/leader) and another short series pod that is still TBD on subject matter.

In terms of the process, it was a long and windy road, but not as terrible as I thought it would be! The time and commitment to getting everything right and on-time is the hard part, but the journey is funny. We had to work to create a site so we hired a site designer, then had to create show artwork for the programs, theme songs, get recording equipment for hosts, shoot pilot episodes, build RSS feeds. I hired a producer, a CFO, we partnered with a marketing firm in Resolution Promotions to help on the marketing front with respect to press releases and getting our hosts featured in articles, podcasts, news segments & more. So it has been so much fun to just concept everything along the way, but also, to have something that is my own is the best part of it all.

Michael, 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?

So I have worked in television for the past 20 years or so, having worked in news and sports, from HBO to Discovery to Fox News to ESPN, in almost every department, from production to programming to product to content marketing. I have taken that knowledge and really put it into Leon Media Network, understanding how to build relationships on the advertiser front so we can have true partnerships with advertisers that not only believe in the content, but also understand the return they are getting on their investment when they do a partnership with us. I also had to trust other folks, some of which I have hired to come work with me, to do design work, production work, marketing work, and that part hasn’t been as bad as I thought it would be because everyone gets the goal & intention I have behind not only the network, but making sure our content is something people want to keep coming back to listen to or watch. And to see this content, visit us at LeonMediaNetwork.com!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I don’t know if its a resilience story as much as it reminds me (and hopefully the readers will take this with them) that you just need to do what it is you want to do. And when I say that I mean, if you have conviction in what you want to do, you have a plan of attack/action for accomplishing this, you need to not listen to the outside noise, some of which may come inside your own home! There will be snide comments from family & friends about this, you will hear doubt in their voice, but don’t let that doubt get into your head! I got a similar comment from a work colleague a few jobs ago that said ‘You must have not been busy if you had time for this little podcast’ to which I replied ‘You must not know how hobbies work because I do this at night and on the weekends’. And that snide comment from her always stuck with me (to the point I am bringing it up in this article haha) because I just don’t get why people choose to hate on others for doing something they a) want to do b) love to do and c) are good at. Never understood that about people. So anyway, to quote Yoda – do or do not, there is no try. If you want to do something, and you have a plan, go do it.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

I am a high energy person and I know that this stuff isn’t the end of the world. I have realistic goals, I’m not expecting to be famous tomorrow and host the Nightly News on NBC and replace Lester Holt. So in that same vein, I am happy to help any and everyone in my orbit or that I work with. If someone needs me to send an email, build a deck to present, lead a presentation, edit a video, I am happy to do it. I don’t sweat the small stuff on doing it, heck, I would much rather do it so if it fails, at least its on me. And i convey that to my team at the network, but also in my day job. I want to help and the people that have worked with me at Discovery, HBO, MSG and other places I think will attest to that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.leonmedianetwork.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/canwepleasetalkpodcast/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leon-media-network-7b3227252/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikeleeeeon
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsJdwipYkr7RgS_ZPIvQjDQ

Image Credits
These are original images used in the show. Permissions have been granted to Leon Media Network, LLC.