The Isaac Jarnagin
Podcast

Gerrit VanDyk on Video Assets, Personal Branding, and the Des Moines Creative Scene

Gerrit VanDyk runs Soll Media, a Des Moines video production and content marketing business built around the idea of video as a strategic asset in a marketing funnel. He and Isaac talked about rebranding, building a personal brand with content pillars, picking the right platforms, the jump from videographer to production, and why client testimonials win in the AI era.

Jaden Moore on Blue-Collar Marketing, Networking, and Big Goals

Jaden Moore is an Ohio-based marketing agency owner who niched down from general video production to serving blue-collar businesses like excavation and home services. He and Isaac talked about choosing business owner over creative, why your network is your net worth, his goal-setting system, and the aviation bug that shapes his vision for life.

Cade Hanson on Building a Studio, Ultramarathons, and Doing Hard Things

Cade Hanson is a Colorado-based videographer who built out his own production studio and runs 100-mile ultramarathons. He and Isaac talked in person about compressing a studio buildout into 90 days, the difference between dumb and stupid risks, what ultrarunning teaches about pain versus suffering, and why touching grass matters more than ever.

Nneoma Nnaji on Going Viral, Brand Deals, and Creating Far From Home

Nneoma Nnaji is a University of Northern Iowa student from Nigeria who woke up to 60,000 new followers after a single post went viral. She and Isaac talked about brand partnerships as a college creator, finding community far from home, fighting doom scrolling, and what it actually looks like to build an audience in Iowa.

Dylan Van Leuven on Full-Time Video, Kelderman, and Doing It Your Own Way

Dylan Van Leuven is a full-time freelance videographer from Oskaloosa, Iowa who built his business around Kelderman Manufacturing and real estate after dropping out of college. He and Isaac talked about the Aaron Lewis truck build, why real estate sharpens your craft, and what it takes to go full-time on video in a small market.

Johnny Jarnagin on Photography, Weddings, and Doing Work You Love

Johnny Jarnagin is a University of Iowa junior, photographer for the Belin-Blank Center for Gifted Education, and Isaac's cousin who was forming his first LLC when they recorded. He and Isaac talked about producing a Hulu commercial, what six years of photography has built, setting up a business entity, and landing his first wedding contract as the lead photographer.

Chris Timothy on Chasing Totality, Tamron, and Building a Creative Life

Chris Timothy is a Virginia-based landscape photographer, Tamron brand ambassador, and JMU geography junior who drove 11 hours to Vermont to photograph the 2024 solar eclipse. He and Isaac talked about chasing totality, how consistent Instagram tagging turned into a Tamron deal, a Lightroom-only editing philosophy, and what a geography degree and a camera can actually build together.

@ilyaonthefly on Mental Health, Freelance Hustle, and Building a Creative Network

@ilyaonthefly is a Tennessee-raised freelance filmmaker who went full-time in high school and built his client base almost entirely through Instagram outreach and community. He and Isaac talked about the mental health side of the creative grind, the tension between passion projects and freelance work, lessons from a lost retainer, and why years of consistent DM outreach has driven everything.

Jeremy Paredes on Georgia Tech Football, the NBC Olympics, and Building a Creative Pipeline

Jeremy Paredes, known as jdopefx, is a Georgia Tech junior who runs the football program's student creative team and interned with NBC Sports for both the Beijing and Paris Olympics. He and Isaac talked about building a student creative pipeline at a D1 school, what 12-hour shifts pulling clips at the Olympics taught him, and how Georgia Tech football runs its game day operation.

Sam Musgraves on Sports Videography, Hot Takes, and Filming His First Wedding

Sam Musgraves is a Michigan-raised media production student at the University of Cincinnati who got his start filming high school football after years of filming himself do gymnastics. He and Isaac talked about landing a college media internship on day two of school, chasing event credentials, hot takes on Road mics and ego, and filming his first wedding.

Amanda Torres on Film School, the Dark Room, and Directing Her Thesis Film

Amanda Torres is a film student and gaffer based in Los Angeles, weeks away from shooting her thesis film with a crew of 25. She and Isaac talked about working her way up from PA to lighting crew, the dark room obsession that runs through her still work, and what it takes to lead a full production as a student director.

Ben Skaar on NFTs, Digital Art, and the Cinema in the Sky Series

Ben Skaar is a Massachusetts-raised photographer and digital artist attending NYU who built a following in the NFT space through Twitter Spaces, aerial cinematography, and a series of drone films sold on SuperRare. He and Isaac talked about the shift from Instagram to crypto, what it takes to enter the digital art world, and a Samsung-funded trip to Iceland that became a short film about his father.

Tate Ova on Going Full-Time, Daily Uploads, and Platform Payout Waves

Tate Ova is an Iowa gaming creator who went full-time on content right out of high school — daily YouTube uploads, nightly live streams, and chasing platform payouts across Snapchat, TikTok, and Facebook. He and Isaac talked about the viral video that got him hooked, four-plus years of daily Madden uploads, and why covering his stats screen turned two-hour streams into five.

Eujay Doe on Photography, Jiujitsu, and the Minneapolis Creative Scene

Eujay Doe is a Minneapolis photographer and aspiring director who returned from door-to-door sales to go all in on creative work. He and Isaac talked about building discipline through fitness, what behind-the-scenes content does to you creatively, and why over-polished video can actually work against you.

Micah Haworth on Hotel Syndications, Commercial Real Estate, and the Four Wealth Generators

Micah Haworth is a real estate syndicator who went from losing his live event lighting job in 2020 to owning a 12-unit apartment building and a hotel. He and Isaac covered how syndications work, why commercial real estate beats single family, and what to read before you buy your first property.

Brian Pollari on Real Estate Video, Nautical Network, and Running Pollari Media at 20

Brian Pollari is the founder of Pollari Media, a production company that has worked across 14 states and 1,100+ projects since Brian started shooting real estate at age 14. He and Isaac talked about breaking into the boat show circuit, the retainer pricing mistake everyone makes, a 100-day content challenge that doubled their watch time, and what it means to run payroll at 20.

Jack Windeler on Film School, Blender, and the 7,000-Mile Road Trip

Jack Windeler is a James Madison University film student and co-founder of Ambient Media who arrived at college three years deep into filming and had to find the value in school somewhere other than the curriculum. He and Isaac talked about learning Blender from scratch, running a client video business with a partner, gear philosophy, and a 7,000-mile road trip that ended with a 42-hour drive home from Canada.

Josh Hild on Street Photography, Rooftopping, and the Nomad Life

Josh Hild is a Minneapolis street photographer and full-time nomad who has spent two years house sitting across the West Coast with his wife. He and Isaac talked about building a style through obsessive nighttime shoots, the puzzle-solving obsession behind rooftopping, and why uploading work for free to Unsplash and Pexels turned out to be one of his best business decisions.

Gavin Britton on Landscape Photography, MLS Soccer, and Life at University of Portland

Gavin Britton is a University of Portland senior, landscape photographer, and athletics department shooter who has turned press passes and college sports into a full creative life. He and Isaac talked about a borrowed camera and a grandfather's encouragement, the case for overexposing landscapes, two completely different editing workflows, and the Switzerland documentary trip he was days away from leaving for.

Melly Ullah on UCF Sports Media, Freelancing, and Living a Double Life in College

Melly Ullah is a UCF student and athletic department videographer running two full-time lives — film work and a computer science degree. He and Isaac talk the intern grind, the freelance feast-or-famine cycle, his first time directing on a Red camera, and why he stopped making content for the algorithm.

Nathanael Mudlaff on Photography, Cold Outreach, and Moving to California

Nathanael Mudlaff is a childhood family friend of Isaac's and a college student at California Baptist University in Riverside. They talk photography through cold outreach, CBU's program, fumbled early TikTok audiences, and how gym habits became the discipline engine for everything else.

Kristopher Villa on Stepping Back from Editing, Arc'teryx, and the Move That Changed Everything

Kristopher Villa is a Chicago-based filmmaker and color grading specialist building a freelance creative career while finishing his marketing degree. He and Isaac talk event work with Arc'teryx, his DaVinci color grading workflow, the Clubhouse creative community, and why chasing highs burns you out faster than hard work does.

Austin Sugerman on Road Tripping the West, Building Ambient Media Corp, and Keeping Creativity Fun

Austin Sugerman is a JMU student, co-founder of Ambient Media Corp, and creator of the JMU Video Adventure Club. He and Isaac talk a 7,500-mile road trip out West, building an outdoor content business in college, and why creatives burn out when they stop making things for fun.

Robbie Wheeler on Album Creative Direction, Street Photography, and Building Toward the NYC Photo Book

Robbie Wheeler is a Nashville-based creative director who partners with labels on album rollouts and a street photographer building toward a New York City photo book. He and Isaac talk influences, the independent contractor grind, and what it means to shoot what you love.

Aaron Jarnagin on Brand Strategy, Why Short Form Isn't Enough, and the Owned Audience Nobody Talks About

Aaron Jarnagin is a brand strategist at Pixel Labs in Iowa — and Isaac's brother. They talk short form vs. long form, AI's role in marketing, and why the email list is still the most underrated asset any brand can build.

Luis Borja on Project Sploosh, Presence, and the No-Excuses Creative Life

Luis Borja is a Minneapolis-based creative who shoots photos, makes videos, models, and designs clothing under the banner of Project Sploosh. He and Isaac talk presence, The Power of Now, creating with a cracked iPhone, and why collaboration is the whole career.

Ryan Doser on SEO, AI Workflows, and Why The Loop Des Moines Started with Five People

Ryan Doser is a Des Moines digital marketer specializing in SEO, paid search, and affiliate marketing. He and Isaac talk AI tools that actually work, treadmill content vs. passive traffic, and how The Loop Des Moines grew from five people to fifty.

Josh Horton on No Sleep Club, Keeping Going, and Why People Are the Whole Point

Josh Horton is a filmmaker, surf instructor, and founder of No Sleep Club — a merch brand built on two words: keep going. He and Isaac talk creative resilience, mental health, and why the people around you might matter more than anything you're actually making.

Chay Nott on Creative Agencies, LinkedIn, and Building an Unshakable Character

Chay Nott runs a creative production agency in Florida making photos, videos, and ads for product brands. He and Isaac talk LinkedIn as a B2B sales channel, how 100+ energy drink reviews turned into a $10K client, and what it means to build an unshakable character.

Cade Hanson on Turnkey Digital Marketing, Ultra Marathons, and Building from the Ground Up

Cade Hanson moved to Colorado knowing almost no one and spent six months grinding to build a digital marketing client base from nothing. He and Isaac talk turnkey marketing systems, surface area of luck, input vs. output goals, and what ultra marathons teach you about running a business.

Harrison Reed on Hope You're Happy, Mental Health Branding, and Building a Community That Cares

Harrison Reed built Hope You're Happy — a mental health clothing brand — to 10,000 organic followers in eight months with no ads. He and Isaac talk about building community over just selling product, what luck actually means, and why passion always outlasts a money-first mindset.

Henry Smisek on Concert Videography, VFX, and Letting Your Work Speak for Itself

Henry Smisek is a Minneapolis-based videographer touring with Logic, shooting concert recaps packed with VFX and turning 60-second videos into careers. He and Isaac talk creative process, picking a lane, the trap of chasing money, and why word of mouth still beats any ad.

Jyles Johnson on Amazon FBA, Sports Cards, and Betting on Yourself

Jyles Johnson built Jyles FBA — a paid Discord community with 150+ members — from scratch by cold DM'ing 2,000 cook groups and doubling down when no one said yes. He breaks down Amazon FBA online arbitrage, sports card grading, and how to set up a real business before you're 20.

Concert Videos, Luxury Yachts, and Building Discipline: Geoff Baum on the Freelance Life

Geoff Baumgaertner is a Tampa-based freelance videographer who shoots concert recaps, luxury yachts, and high-end properties. In this episode, he and Isaac talked about leaving college the right way, why phones and cameras aren't competing, and what discipline actually looks like when work and passion are the same thing.

Making Content for Clemson Athletics: Abby Szlosek on Freelancing, Creative Work, and What's Next

Abby Szlosek was making content for Clemson Athletics, filming sorority recruitment videos on the side, and about to leave for London, Paris, and Munich — all before finishing her sophomore year. In this episode, she and Isaac talked about building a creative career in college, why she chose Clemson over the fancy schools, and what comes after.

From Kyrgyzstan to Minneapolis: Vlad Nikiforov on Short Films, Perspective, and Going All-In

Vlad Nikiforov grew up in Kyrgyzstan, moved to Russia, and landed in Minnesota at 16 without speaking a word of English. In this episode, he and Isaac talk about going viral, balancing paid and personal creative work, and why moving around the world gave him a perspective most people never get.

Building an Audience From Scratch: Will Hearn on College Football Pages, Online Connections, and Knowing Your Worth

Will Hearn built multiple social media pages from high school — a Fortnite account, a Georgia football page, and an all-college-football media brand. In this episode, he and Isaac talk about getting hacked and starting over, the real value of internet friendships, and why most young creators are numb to how much they actually know.