We were lucky to catch up with Niyaz Pirani recently and have shared our conversation below.
Niyaz, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?
The most important thing to do when starting a new business is to lean on your interests and your talents.
In 2015 when I started Knife & Spork Public Relations I was at a place in my career where I wanted new experiences outside of an office setting. My previous experience was as a reporter for the Orange County Register and as a union organizer doing mostly social media for the Orange County Employees Association.
When I was looking for my next opportunity, my wife suggested combining my love of food and social media to start a restaurant PR company (she knew all along!). Timing aligned a couple of months after she suggested it and I had a free week in my schedule to put the business together. That required me to figure out the “why” and learn my purpose; hypothesize what the scope of what my work would be; create a website and social media accounts; and draft a list of potential clients. By the end of the week I had all of that plus a business license and friends who invited us to live with them while I started the business. I put in my notice about 2 weeks later.
We moved to Northern California to start Knife & Spork, but I returned to Orange County 6 months later because my first two clients ended up being restaurants I wrote about at the Register. Those days in NorCal were rough because I was learning everything from scratch. Marketing, photography, media relations. Every new skill came with a learning curve, but, because I had some experience and interest in these worlds, even the stressful days had elements of fun in them.
There was a chef who invited me back to his restaurant to pitch him, but when I returned I caught him at a bad time and he told me not so nicely that he didn’t want the help any longer. It was very deflating, feeling so close to landing a client and then being pushed away. Learning to roll with those setback took me a long time, but re-imagining negative experiences as learning opportunities has helped me over time.
I traveled south every few weeks for more content until that didn’t make sense anymore. When I arrived back in O.C. I had a long list of clients that I wanted to work with. I made a lot of pitches, and was lucky to have incredible people supporting my journey along the way. Over the course of 8 years I did end up crossing most of the clients I wanted to work with off of my list, which is something I am very proud of.
In my first year I started with the complete basics in photography, social media and ad creation. In my second year I refined by learning what I was doing wrong and adjusting or gaining new skills. My third year was when things finally felt like I had started to figure it all out.
I felt like I was successful at what I had originally set out to do around year 7, once I became proficient in strobe photography, videography, and social outreach.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’m Niyaz Pirani, owner of Knife & Spork Public Relations. Hello, and thank you for reading this interview.
My career really started at the Daily Titan student newspaper at Cal State Fullerton. I never earned great grades throughout school, and the Daily Titan was the first thing that felt engaging to me in my life. I was a newspaper reporter and writer at the OC Register from 2005 to 2010, covering news, music and food.
From 2010 to 2015 I worked in Communications & Organizing at the Orange County Employees Association, the union which represents approximately 18,000 public service employees throughout O.C. I left in 2015 to establish Knife & Spork Public Relations, a restaurant social media and media relations firm where I am the primary content creator, brand voice and marketer for some of Orange County’s best and most awarded restaurants. In early 2022 I was hired back at the Orange County Employees Association as Communications Director where I work during the day, and at night I operate a more scaled back version of Knife & Spork Public Relations. Returning to that work has been soul satisfying, and keeping some of my restaurant clients allows me to remain creative in a multitude of ways.
Our family expanded in 2022, so finding opportunities that allow me to use my talents to their highest purposes while also making time for my family and my own personal projects is my priority.
My essence is storytelling, through written word, photos and videos. What sets me apart from others is my willingness to delve deep into a subject to understand it further, and my desire to continue learning new skills and pushing myself in different directions to grow my abilities multiple times over. I started as a writer, then a photographer (later developing into a mobile studio photographer), and now I’m a videographer, too. I never had an interest in any of those abilities, but in the act of chasing my talents I’ve come to love myself and my creative output.
I’m most proud that my effort has paid off. I never pulled an all-nighter in college, but the countless times I’ve done it in pursuit of things that truly interest me surprises me, because I always believed I wouldn’t be able to achieve great things without excelling in school.
In the last 3 years I had a photo published in The New York Times print edition and the Michelin Guide website, and I interviewed my favorite band (King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, check ’em out!) for my first written feature in the Los Angeles Times. I thought working at the Register was the pinnacle of my creative career when really it was just a start.
Since scaling back on the number of clients I am working with in restaurant PR, my next iteration of self is to take all of the skills I’ve learned and put full effort into my music project We Pod Sonically, which is on YouTube as a live concert video archive with original content and as a podcast (on Spotify, Apple Music, etc.) with Clint Keaton, my childhood friend and equally obsessive music gormandizer.
We have a very encouraging number of video views and listens just doing it as a sporadic hobby, so now’s the time to give this more attention and love. I’m also in the planning phase of writing my first 2 books, about my favorite place on Earth—Coachella. First we’ll build the platform, then we’ll make some products.
Everything I’ve done leading up to this point feels like a training ground for what comes next, and I’m just very thankful to have the clarity, confidence and skills to bring the ideas in my head into reality.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
Most definitely!
The first is “Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisey Social World” by Gary Vaynerchuk. He’s actually speaking in San Diego in October and I’m really excited to hear him. This is the book that teaches you how to lean into give more than you take, before you close the deal and as you do your work. Follow that up with Gary Vee’s “Crush It! Why Now is the Time to Cash in on Your Passion.”
Also, “Deep Work” by Cal Newport gives you the tools to delve further into yourself to achieve great things. Recommended to me by Tim Steed, the Assistant General Manager of OCEA.
My mentor is podcaster Scott Smith. I’ve listened to his “Daily Boost” podcast religiously since 2010. He is a former DJ-turned-motivational guru and a lot of the time it feels like he’s in my mind, answering the questions I’ve had tumbling around. I was fortunate to become friends with him during the pandemic through Zoom, and his continued mentorship/”Scott Logic” is one of the great blessings in my life.
He told me recently to check out “10X is Easier than 2X” which I devoured via audiobook because it’s coming at a time where I’m minimizing in order to reshuffle and create my next maximum output.
A few other personal favorites: “The Beach” by Alex Garland and “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho. My next read will be “How Music Works” by David Byrne of Talking Heads, which I’m hoping will inform my music education for podcasting.
YouTube is your best friend when it comes to learning any new skill.
Also, if you have ADHD, William Curb’s “Hacking Your ADHD” podcast is a self-reflective, easily usable cheat code.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
YES! Conferences! One of the best things you can do is to attend conferences in your field. Getting face time with experts in your field allows you to confirm or find new ways of doing the work you do, while also networking with those same people.
Conferences are what you make of them, however. Sitting in the front row, taking pictures of the presenter slides and making notes while they speak is the best way to absorb what you are there to learn.
Many conferences offer virtual options at cheaper rates if affordability is an issue. Or, start saving now to attend the biggest show in your trade next year or the year after. Investing in your mental growth is essential to leveling up your business and your life.
I’m a huge fan of Michael Stelzner’s / Social Media Examiner’s Social Media Marketing World Conference, which takes place annually in San Diego. It’s the most valuable event I’ve ever attended, and I’ve attended multiple times now, with plans on going again in 2024. I also took his “Becoming Well Known” course during the early part of the pandemic and it gave me a framework that I apply to everyone I work with for standing out by leaning into promoting what makes you who you are.
Contact Info:
- Website: wepodsonically.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/knifeandsporkpr
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@wepodsonically
- Other: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2022-09-28/king-gizzard-the-lizard-wizard-prepare-for-desert-daze https://socalrestaurantshow.com/media/podcasts/show-406-january-2-2021-niyaz-pirani-knife-fork-public-relations-practical-marketing-tips-for-restaurants/ https://voiceofoc.org/2020/03/pirani-the-restaurant-industry-is-resilient-but-it-needs-you-right-now/ https://jenlehner.com/frepodcast/012 https://www.ocweekly.com/coachella-should-remember-its-past-as-it-moves-toward-the-future/ http://www.instagram.com/oceastrong http://www.instagram.com/eatatcrafthouse http://www.instagram.com/lolas_mfk http://www.instagram.com/lidobottleworks http://www.instagram.com/sunnycalfarms https://motivationtomove.com/daily-boost-podcast/ https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/smmworld/
Image Credits
Niyaz Pirani / Knife & Spork PR / We Pod Sonically