Uploaded and Unfiltered: Conversations about Personal Growth, Mindsets, and Advice with BIPOC Creators for Creators

Creating While Shifting Prespectives [Guest: DDS618]

• Jermaine Pulliam • Season 1 • Episode 33

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Join host Jermaine in this podcast episode featuring DDS618, a dynamic content creator. DDS shares his rollercoaster journey from photography to gaming, becoming a beacon of humor and diversity. Explore the intricacies of his unique moniker and delve into the challenges of transitioning from viewer to streamer. The episode unfolds with highs and lows of content creation, including mastering OBS and bittersweet moments since DDS's 2020 debut. A cliffhanger hints at a dramatic shift in the streaming community, showcasing the fragility of the digital world.

Jermaine and DDS discuss the essence of content creation—carving a creative niche amid pressure to mimic internet giants. From technical details to embracing diverse creative avenues, the episode provides rich insights. Join the conversation as they encourage creators to make 2024 their year. DDS offers an exclusive peek into his thoughts, highlighting the power of authenticity in a realm where imagination reigns supreme.

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Speaker 1:

Welcome. Welcome back to another episode of Uploaded and Unfiltered, the podcast in which I, your host Jermaine, interviews another content creator in regards to their journey thus far. Tonight, as always, I have a special guest and, as always, I'm going to introduce some Reader Bio and get them on so we can have a lovely conversation Without further ado. Here is DDS's Bio. Dds has been creating content professionally since 2020 on Mixer. He has been part of the Black Gaming Creator Program with Facebook. He was also a part of the Extreme Elements Diversity Program recipient in 2022.

Speaker 1:

Dds has appeared on stage at South by Southwest with Meta, and he has also done panels at PAX West and Nishi Fest. Not only is DDS a live streamer, he's a content creator. He focuses on games reviews, unboxing and vlogs. He plans on reaching at least 1k on multiple platforms this year, mainly Twitch and Instagram. Dds is married to a lovely photographer of a wife, and he has a dog named Gambit and a cat named Gohan. He loves making folks laugh and forgetting the troubles of their day, which is why he became a content creator. With that, without further ado, I'd like to introduce my guest for the evening, the one, the only DDS 618. How are you doing today?

Speaker 2:

Man, I am doing fan tablets. I need that introduction sent to me. I need that recorded. You know what I'm saying. So, every time I get in trouble with my wife I'm just like hey listen to this, right you can't get mad at me.

Speaker 1:

Hey man, that's what I try to do. I like this is part of practice for me. I want to start doing voiceovers and announcing, so I'm like you know what? Let me read this. This dude. He is doing something, so let's go ahead and get it right. So, while I usually don't start here and I forgot to prep you with this and hopefully it's not an issue If it's so, just let me all go cut it. But I got to ask DDS 618,. Can you give me the origin of this name?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, man. So I used to go by a rap name. You know, coming up, I wanted to be a rapper. You know spitting bars and things like that. I actually have an album that would never see the light of day.

Speaker 2:

So that's, yeah, yeah, it's, with a couple of homies and everything, so I keep that locked up. So when I was trying to come up with, I guess, an S-Bots name, I had the S-Bots 360. I forget what my name was. Oh, it was the rap name and I try not to give that away because I ever want to use that for branding again. But I was like, okay, I just got to change it. You know, I just want to change it. It's not really representative of me and I couldn't think of anything and I just remember, like a lot of people just call me DDS because that's like my real name. My real name is, you know the initials, yeah, there we go.

Speaker 2:

My real name and I was like, oh, okay, and then 618. A lot of people think it means I'm from Illinois. It actually is my birthday. The morning of the 18th, you know, the greatest day in the history of the nation, you know. Let them know, God you know, cried happy tears on June 18. I was born.

Speaker 1:

Okay, I hear it. I hear it. That is awesome. I was wondering because I was looking at your name and I'm like I'm going to try to guess this and I had that was not the guess. I should have thought birthday. I'm going to start putting that into my default guess is birthday because that makes sense.

Speaker 2:

Oh, yeah, all right, damn.

Speaker 1:

Well, thank you for that, and I'm going to go ahead and jump into the real first section. How did you start creating content? What is the origin story of DDS?

Speaker 2:

I guess I'm going to have to. I'm going to go way back into the females of history. You know it all started when I first saw that bright light as I was coming out the womb. And I'm just playing.

Speaker 1:

I'll be back. I'm creating content then.

Speaker 2:

All right. But the way it really started, man, I remember being a kid and I was always interested in photography Like I was always, you know, mesmerized by photography and my dad decided to buy me a PolarWord camera, which was a huge mistake on his part. We didn't know how much film cost at the time. So, you know, I had a PolarWord camera and I'm just taking pictures of everything. And he had to finally tell me, like you can't just take pictures of everything, you got to like be intentional with your photos. And so I stopped doing photography for a while. And then my mom got me my own camera. It wasn't a PolarWord, it was one of those old Kodak cameras I'm showing my age right now Kodak camera for those of you that don't know and this was one of the automatic ones. So you take the picture and you hear the sound. It winds the film to the next empty slot and things like that. So I'm aging myself very badly.

Speaker 1:

I love it. I love this.

Speaker 2:

So I had that man and so that's kind of how I got into content creation as far as a kid and then I kind of, you know, dropped it a little bit. I did end up with a digital camera eventually in high school. I didn't really use it and when I got the collies I was actually trying to be an actor. I was like, yeah, I'm gonna be the next will Smith. I know, okay, I know, will Smith got some, got some situations with him. Right now my favorite man okay, nobody say that man is still one of my favorite actors of all time man. And so I always say I'm gonna be the next deaf will Smith, because I wear hearing aids and I remember I was.

Speaker 2:

I was getting Funding from the state, so the state of Louisiana had somebody that would basically they would pay for my hearing aids and things like that. And the lady made a remark and she was and she this is crazy. I know some people are not gonna like what I'm about to say. What she made a remarks she's like have you ever heard of a deaf person making it in Hollywood? I don't wow, you should go in the act.

Speaker 1:

She told you that to your face, to my face.

Speaker 2:

That's crazy. And so so I was like, okay, I'll choose something else. Like I'm not you know, I wasn't as I Don't want to say I guess I'll just say I'm not as blunt as I am now. Yeah, I was in this one, as I am now and I don't know the word I'm looking for.

Speaker 1:

I'm trying to dig into that vocabulary, but yeah, I feel you like you wasn't, you didn't like combat her for like saying that you just kind of yeah.

Speaker 2:

I didn't go back at it like I should have, but yeah so so I Ended up saying, okay, let me find something else to do. And I heard about mass communication. I was like, okay, whatever. And by the way, I have to make sure I say this I went to the greatest HBCU in the land, a grambling state university.

Speaker 1:

Okay, I say that.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, grambling state university. You know the real type of the swag. I think we need to be just a state the other day. So you know, I gotta make sure I say that exactly, let him know I.

Speaker 2:

Got in the mass communication and I'm not gonna give the whole spiel of this, but I ended up becoming a photographer with with the grandma night, with their student newspaper, and I had like the worst camera when I first started. It was, it was very bad. I had like a point-and-shoot Kodak camera and Maddie's trying to be a photographer at a football game. But a point-and-shoot Kodak camera, right damn, I can't I.

Speaker 2:

Finally got a refund check and then, for those you know, the refunds have to be hitting back in the day. I wish I had invested in Apple, but that's another story. But I ended up getting a refund check and I finally got a Canon digital rebel and that's what really jump started my content creation career, because I went to school for mass communication To be a journalist and that was like my whole go I want to be a journalist. I was gonna report on the hard-hitting stories and I was gonna be a politics and all that stuff.

Speaker 2:

Then eventually politics. I got on my nerve because everybody's always fighting. Nobody is the thing about politics. Nobody ever says, hey, let's actually really talk this out and let's make a compromise. It's always you know well, that's our sauce if you don't agree. Or my saying I got tired of it. So I mm-hmm. I didn't do politics, but I got to give the Grammys like a lot of credit, because without them I would have never been able to do photography, copy editing, writing my own stories, winning awards for all of this. By the way, doing video, doing video. I ended up going to the TV station and working with them a little bit. Learn how to do video with what.

Speaker 2:

I mean internship Chips Quinn, the chips Quinn journalism Institute. I need to be in the internship with them.

Speaker 1:

Damn.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, they're the ones that taught me how to edit, how to tell a story, how to sell a story and everything, yeah, so I was pretty prepared. So so that's how I got the background of concentration. Now, how did I get into live streaming? Mm-hmm, microsoft bought beans and I remember like, oh, I'm like a diehard Xbox fan. I love Xbox. I'm like I bet I'm gonna go sign up for being. I didn't use it. I saw this live stream and I'm like man, I'm like who, who, who's gonna watch somebody live stream? Like, come on, be for real. Who go watch the money live stream? Like man, just play the game myself. You know what I'm gonna watch. Somebody lives. Are that stupid? That's kind of how those my attitude mm-hmm in fast forward a little bit Microsoft drop.

Speaker 2:

They gave out free subs to Ninja because Ninja had just joined Mr.

Speaker 2:

They gave out a free yeah now, okay, let me claim this and whatever. And I went to go watch Ninja swing, so I got a sub I will watch. Right, yeah, now watch them. And I was like, oh, this is, this is actually kind of cool. Wait, he's actually live. Oh, this is actually kind of cool. And of course and let me make this clear I'm not attacking Ninja when I say this, but I lost a little insurance because he didn't respond to chat. I mean, you got thousands of people typing Exactly you're not gonna respond to chat. So I'm not like I just want to make sure I don't know how to go. Like, did he just hate Ninja? No, I don't know.

Speaker 1:

No, no, no, he was busy and he's not a chat responder.

Speaker 2:

We know, right, right but you know some people like twist words.

Speaker 1:

But oh yeah.

Speaker 2:

So I watched Ninja and I was like, okay, this is actually cool. And I ended up one night, late one night, I was like man, I just want something to watch. I didn't want to watch TV, and normally I don't watch TV at night because there's nothing on. Now, like you know what, I got this, mr Think, let me, let me see who's on this list. To see who's on, I thought, you know, let me find some black people. I've never seen a black streamer. Like let me find a black streamer. And I ended up coming across Moonlight Wolf.

Speaker 1:

Okay, I'm making like you know, Mr. Yeah.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I came across Moonlight Wolf on Mr and that she was the first Streamer to actually respond to me from the typing in chat, right, so she responded. I'm sitting here like oh, they actually do respond, they're not all like ninja, okay, so Okay, like I didn't know better, like I'm brand new to this, and so I was like, okay, so if I don't one black person, let me find another black person. I think they were doing the black history carousel and much can do. Was on the Carousel something like okay, who is this random black chick? She up late at night, like what's going on?

Speaker 2:

And I decided to check out a stream that she was doing one of her real talk segment. So the prefaces we had, I was my homies who, like we all love Mr, recall ourselves the petty genius squad. Okay, we, we all love Mr. And he kept telling me like man, the way you react to certain thing, doll, you really should stream. I'm like man, I ain't streaming brain for to do that. They're like nah, doll, you really should stream. Be like hilarious, I'm like nine doing that. Then I told my wife about. She's like I mean, why not give it a chance? I'm like man, I'm not been the stream. I'm chilling. I'm not doing any streaming like that makes no sense. That's stupid. I'm not in the stream and much within, and so it was in my mind to see what's playing it. I'm sitting there like man. Maybe I should nah, I probably shouldn't. It's I came across. Much can do.

Speaker 2:

Stream and month was like she's doing one of her real talks. That means it's where she kind of like pause the gameplay. She just talked strictly to the chat and one of the things they were talking about was getting into streaming and of course, I'm like alright, let me just say something. She probably not gonna reply, but she actually replied to me and she was like yeah, and she said something online. Look, if you want, if you're thinking about doing it, you should do it. What's the worst that can happen? At least you can say you gave it a shot. Exactly. I love that. You're right. And that's exactly when I said alright, I'm gonna give it a shot. Got my logits, had C9, 20 my, my S-bots and learning the loud like what the heck is? Obs, I have to go you to learn that.

Speaker 2:

And I started streaming on Mr. There's kind of odd off and on and then I professionally even though I find is okay, I got a actual. Well, I should say, my first time I promoted the stream that. I remember it's like February 28th, but something like that was like late February of 2020.

Speaker 1:

Okay, okay I.

Speaker 2:

I professionally quote unquote started in April 15th of 2020 and that's the very long story of how I got in the stream. I've never told anybody the previous stuff, so exclusive.

Speaker 1:

Every once in a while I get to say Podcasts and I like it, so I appreciate you so like one of them, old DJs man. Exactly because I'm an old head. That's why I was 21, you know man, you know what?

Speaker 1:

Yeah sure We'll tell people that no, thank you. No, for real, thank you for that. Like hearing the backstory, especially all of the education that you came into the game with, like that's, that's amazing. So you know how to tell a story, you know how to like Edit your videos to tell a specific thing that you're trying to reach your audience with, and that goes a long way.

Speaker 2:

Definitely does yes.

Speaker 1:

I love that. So let's go ahead and jump into the next section, current mindset. Dds how are you feeling Mentally about your content and there's anything that you want to move towards in the future?

Speaker 2:

Okay, that's a very interesting question because I've been Like, I've been creating content in 2020 and I've seen a lot of the ups and downs of the industry. Like I was there Well, I wasn't technically there when mr Shutdown because I was technically sleep and they announced that, mr Washer, I said I'm gonna go take a nap, yeah now.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, we're shutting down. My wife runs into the room like like babe, mr Close. I'm like man, shut up, I'm trying to sleep like you play game Like this, ain't the time. She's like no, check your phone, mr Is closing. I'm like what I would. I'm gonna take this, I'm gonna back sleep, I check. Yeah, I see everybody talk about mr Closing.

Speaker 2:

Obviously I jump out the bed and so I've been through the, the mr Shutdown and I've been through, you know, having a contract, the ups of the industry getting the contract, getting paid a certain amount every month. With Facebook Black gaming creator program, I've been through the downs of having your contract cut. You know, basically saying that, hey, what we're paying you, you're, you're not worth that, and that kind of thing. Wow.

Speaker 1:

Wow, that's how they really say that. But okay, I'm about to say but that's what they mean they didn't Verbally or they didn't write any event.

Speaker 2:

Okay, I'm just.

Speaker 1:

I feel you.

Speaker 2:

I feel you because I mean that that's just how I felt and I still kind of feel that way and it's like I said nothing against Facebook. You know they they got to make money and maybe I wasn't making them enough money and it is what it is. You know, got you. I've been through the ups and downs of the industry, so that's me how I feel about my current content. Like I just got youtube partner in November.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, okay.

Speaker 2:

Something like that. I should actually remember that they didn't put it in my account right about to say you should probably.

Speaker 1:

I would never remember the. There isn't a calendar somewhere. You got it right.

Speaker 2:

And I just hit a thousand on instagram, about to hit a thousand on youtube. So I have a lot of Ups coming along, but I'm also kind of also in the downs, if that makes sense, because it's like, okay, I've done all this cool stuff, but and and for those of you that are content creators, you're gonna 100% Understand who I'm going with this but I'm not making the money I feel I should make right now. I'm not. I don't feel like I'm getting the traction I should be getting, which I know a lot of people feel that way, and so what I've been doing with my content, I I consider myself going to the school of mr Beast, in a sense Okay and uh, because he did a podcast, I can't remember with who did a podcast, and they were just asking him like, what is your mindset on creating podcast? I mean, on your, uh, korean content. He said he just kept giving the same answer because they kept trying to ask him to give a different answer, but he wouldn't give a different answer.

Speaker 2:

His right his response was always my goal is just to make the best content that I can create at the given time, and so that's kind of where my mindset is. I just want to make the best content that I can create and eventually it will Draw the big sponsors. It will draw the money that I want to make in things like that Exactly. I've been. I've been looking at my live streaming career. I'm kind of like I don't know if that's something I still want to do, uh per se, like it's like I do want to do it, but I don't want to do it. I don't know if that Makes sense, but no, 100%.

Speaker 1:

I'm in the. I'm in the same boat and a lot of people who's jumped on here in the last couple episodes same, same thought process. They're like I like streaming. It's fun, I'm good at it. But the money situation what I perceive I need to do to get those checks while streaming like I don't know if I'm. I don't want to do that.

Speaker 2:

Right, right, that's kind of the boat on me and I'm like I don't know if, uh, I'll just put it this way and and this is kind of changed my mindset a little bit too, for those of you that haven't read the uh, I think it's the youtube ceo's letter. He talks about the, the success of youtube, and one of the things he said With that for the first time ever, there are almost uh, it may not be the first time ever, but he's. He basically said that there are a lot more people watching youtube on their tvs. So there are a lot more people that are like, hey, you know, um, this has been, this is uh, uh, they're cutting the cord. That's what. That's what it is. They're cutting the cord. They're saying, uh, these like literally espion and a couple other sports networks I'm like they're getting together stuff.

Speaker 2:

They're on streaming service. You know, you got netflix with their streaming service, hulu, disney plus, paramount plus, I can go on and on. So a lot of people like, look, I can't afford all this. Why am I paying for, you know, subscription when I can just watch youtube and it's free, exactly. And a lot of people are starting to turn to YouTube. So my mindset right now is okay. How can I capitalize on this YouTube movement Like how?

Speaker 1:

can I?

Speaker 2:

create Content where people throw it up and they just like a lot of people they watch. You know they they're at work, they just throw YouTube on. How can I get people to do that with my content and how can I also for people to actually do actively watch it? How can I make sure they're getting something out of that content?

Speaker 1:

So, even if it's, playing a video game.

Speaker 2:

I'm very, very, very critical on myself a lot of times when I'm playing a video game. So I'm like okay, am I talking enough? Am I being entertaining enough? Am I, am I reacting enough? Sometimes I do get locked in and I'm just yep, I'm playing the game. And you see me playing a game. I'm not saying anything because I'm so In. Exactly that that's something I'm trying to get better at, because I know Sometimes people just want you to talk. Yeah, exactly. So, yeah, that's kind of like my mindset. My mindset is kind of where how can I get to this YouTube money? Because that is literally that, that I'm beyond. The streaming is, is is great. I'm not knocking anybody that says hey, I hear you, but I'm still be a streamer, okay that's great and I hope you have all the success that you can have.

Speaker 2:

I will never knock anybody for streaming right. It's just in my Opinion. At the level that I'm at, I want to make it to where I make money while I sleep. Yes, and one of the things, my biggest criticism of Twitch and I don't know how they're gonna fix it. But once you stop me alive, your page is dead.

Speaker 1:

Yep exactly.

Speaker 2:

You're not. You're not making money, and that's one of the reasons I love Facebook Was because my page wouldn't die when I stopped being alive. I can still post, you know, boss, I can post what they call them reels and all that stuff and keep my page alive. Various twitches Not much, unfortunately, you can do, even though it is the biggest, one of the biggest live streaming platform. But technically, the biggest live streaming platform is YouTube. Right, but it is like the second biggest live streaming platform. It is one of the big dogs. Youtube is king. They, they paid out I think they said 70 billion in the last three years, exactly. I just need like, like, like, 1%, you know, like, give me half a percent of it?

Speaker 1:

Exactly no, I think a lot of people and I I hope During these conversations I'm having on the podcast people realize that YouTube, if you can figure out your YouTube game, that's where your money's at, that's where you sit, put up a video and you get that ad revenue and you make money. Why you sleep like that's what it is. I'm not saying that you jump in the content creation to make money, but if you want to do this and enjoy yourself and not have to worry about bills and I have to worry about working out full-time then Keep your options open. Look at YouTube, see how all you can monetize on there and then just make a jump for it.

Speaker 2:

Right, right, and I, you know, I hear people say that all the time like yeah, you know, I didn't get in this thing to make money, man, bull crap. Okay.

Speaker 2:

You know, I'm saying all got into this thing to make money, because if that was the case, then then you know, just go to your job for free. That's what somebody. Somebody did tell me that it was like oh, you really didn't get anything for money, I'll just go to you. Why don't you just go work for free? I'm like wait, I don't, I don't want to do that. I said okay.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, you got in this thing for money. Let's not lie to myself, mm-hmm, you dig it into this for money and that's okay. Like there are people that literally say, yeah, I got in this thing for money and they go make the money. So, yeah, yeah, I gotta be honest. I do enjoy entertaining people, I do enjoy Making the impact and everything. But look, I do want that money. I see the money that somebody pf 10, 10 or what they make, 10 grand a month, you know yeah. I deserve 10 grand a month.

Speaker 1:

That's what I'm saying, like, and you know, honestly, that's that's nothing in content creation, like 10k, we should be doing that and I feel like the more we talk about, the more we put our mind towards that, like it's gonna happen. Eventually. It's, yeah, has to right with that. You know what? I'm gonna go ahead and slide into this next section because I'm dying to know, because you had a buried life In regards to content creation, so lessons learned what is a lesson that you have learned? Because you started creating content and either you taking it into your everyday life or you just Utilize it in content creation.

Speaker 2:

Oh.

Speaker 1:

There's so many.

Speaker 2:

One of the things I would say content creation is kind of Re-init it, or I Can say I've kind of relearned some things. I did go to school for Journalism, which really is content creation, the news. I could put my education. I could have worked at a TV station or newspaper or magazine or whatever. I it learn a little bit more about myself. I say that's one of the biggest lesson you're gonna learn about yourself. Yes, you're gonna learn everything you love about yourself, everything you hate about yourself, everything you like about yourself, everything you don't like like.

Speaker 2:

Content creation is really like holding up a mirror, because one you're, you're, you're alive. That's the first thing. You're live and people get to see you. You're gonna learn that everybody that you think are your friends really ain't your friends, and I mean those people that like to Like you like, for example, I've always you Try to celebrate everybody. I never try to hate on anybody's success because I always look at it this way what's meant for you is for you. So if, let's say, like me and you both applied to get a grant, that's gonna be like a hundred thousand dollars, and you get the grant, why am I gonna hate on you for getting the grant. I don't know your story or what you went through to get that grant. I don't know what Lessons you've learned and things like that to get the grant. So, like I'm, I try my best to never hate. I may be upset.

Speaker 2:

But I'm not gonna be like man man, why did he get it like? Like, like Crip, crip, they need that Crip Crip. That Crip got three jobs. What do you mean Exactly? I'm not gonna do that Right.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that makes sense.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and that's. That's like one of the lessons I learned. And then another lesson man is just be yourself, like it's one of the hardest things sometimes. Could you see? Let's say like, for example, I'll use, for example, you see, cost or not he's been winning, and Things like that.

Speaker 2:

There are people that like cod. If people that don't like, I Burial. There are people that don't like the way he asked, and things like that. There are people that loves the way he acts and Sometimes people like, well, you know, kai is winning, so why not just be the next cause or not? But it'd be like oh, why don't I be the next, mr Beast? Oh, I don't beat me, the next, uh, whoever, and I'm just like To be yourself, yeah, at the end of the day. At the end of the day, and this is. I literally just had this conversation with one of my homies, because he was. We were talking about gatekeepers and stuff like that, and I was, and I was telling the man the one thing about the content creation industry that a lot of people don't understand is that everybody can make money.

Speaker 1:

There's something for everybody in the industry.

Speaker 2:

Yes like even your podcast. You may not appeal to, let's say, bill Gates, but it could appeal to Oprah Winfrey, but I know First name of my mind.

Speaker 1:

Okay, I'll be like damn man, oprah, listen, I gotta make some decisions now. Yeah, oh, my god shout out to Monique Um, if you ever want to do another podcast, I'm here just saying Speak that into existence. She.

Speaker 2:

But yeah, like that's how I feel like there's a lane for everybody. Man Like I, I can't make all the money in content creation, so when I'm not gonna stop Crip from making money for what, I'm gonna stop anybody like that's like one of the lessons I learned, it's like one be grateful. I'm gonna give you three lessons. The first lesson I learned is uh, don't hate like appreciate. You know how to say don't hate, appreciate exactly.

Speaker 2:

Yeah like could you never know when your turn is gonna come and what you want everybody hating on you when you win? So that, that's how I look at that one. And then, um, the other lesson is to be yourself, yep, and there's only one, you at the end of the day, exactly. And uh, uh.

Speaker 2:

Third lesson, I would say just be grateful where you are man because there are some people like I remember I was like I down, like literally last month was kind of like a Bad month mentally. I was like going through a lot and yeah, I was trying to figure some things out and uh, I was talking to uh Munch and she was like she's like you gotta understand there are a lot of people that wish they were in your position.

Speaker 2:

I was like, hey, that is true, there are a lot of people that wish that they spoke on you know the like you they gave the accolades they wish they were. That they spoke on the stage in south by southwest didn't have to be a. Better. But they wish they spoke on a stage in south by southwest, or they wish that they were a part of the black gaming creative program, or they wish they were a streamed elements Recipient and all the other stuff that I have that I didn't name on there like they wish they had that stuff.

Speaker 2:

So how am I gonna sit here and be Ungrateful for what I've done and God is just sitting there like so I gave? You all this and you just don't spit in my face. Huh yeah, and I'm like I don't ever want to piss God. If there's one person I don't want to piss off is God, you know.

Speaker 2:

I'll piss off every human in the world, but I'm not gonna piss off God, okay. So that's kind of how I look at it, man, like like yeah it, sometimes you wish you could be somewhere a lot quicker. Sometimes you wish you could have things a lot faster, but at the same time you got to run your race. Yeah, I know, there was a lot, a lot of.

Speaker 1:

Hey listen. That's what this podcast is about people learning stuff and sharing that information, and I appreciate it, so thank you for that.

Speaker 2:

No problem, no problem.

Speaker 1:

Well, with that, I again to stay in the spirit of learning and and sharing. I definitely am going to ask you and I cannot wait to hear the answer to this words of advice If you had to give a piece of advice to, let's say this I was just starting off, I'm new, I see you doing your thing and I'm like man, I got a webcam, I got a, I got a computer. I want to start streaming. What was your piece of one piece of advice you would give that person Just starting off?

Speaker 2:

Man, when you just started out, I would say Don't keep up with the Jones. That's like the biggest. Yes, that's that's the biggest mistake you can make. I will admit that I made this mistake. A lot, mm-hmm Like a lot. I have a lot of freaking equipment In my room right now that I'm not using because I was trying to keep a.

Speaker 2:

I was like, oh snap, uh, harris hella said this is a good, good lighting system, Let me get that. Oh, this is a good mic, let me get that. So don't keep up with the Jones's Like, like it's gonna sound weird, but stay in your lane. And when I'm what I mean by staying your lane, it's not like, oh, you can't, you know, do multiple things, but I mean is, accept the lane that you're in, master that lane, because there's only one of you, only one person like you in that lane, right? So like, just don't feel like you have to be all over the place. So if you, if you love, let's say you love call of duty, but you see, like final fantasy, seven rebirth, getting ready to come out, and you're like, like I mean I don't really like final fantasy, but that's gonna give me a lot of you. That's the worst mistake you can make is one.

Speaker 2:

You end up getting final fantasy seven rebirth and the game is playing, or you know you're supposed to be playing the game, but the game is technically playing you. So that's like that's not gonna go well with your audience. So that's one of the things I would say. And then I say the last piece of advice I give. I've always heard this, this saying when I was in in the sales world. They say don't compare, compete. So that means like, uh, let's. Let's say like, for example, I say I want to start a podcast, right, yeah, and you know, krip got a podcast. I got a podcast and instead of me comparing like dang man, krip had like a hundred thousand listeners on this lab podcast.

Speaker 2:

You know, he, he got he a man. He's interviewing, you know, bill gates and Phil Spencer and jim brian. I want to interview them too, like man, like, and see what you start doing. He's start putting your, your talent down, start putting your skills down. You start putting yourself down. You start saying maybe this ain't for me and all this bull crap that goes in your head. So, instead of comparing, you just start competing, be like all right, they are krip vietnam now. But what? What is his worst view podcast? Can I compete with that? Oh, you only had 10 listeners. All right, bet I'm gonna get 11. You start competing like it's small things. You can be like oh, krip, krip, audio was kind of messing up on that lab pocket. Let me see if I have podcasts with perfect audio. You start competing like a little thing. You start competing at your level. So I think they say comparison is the thief of joy and I don't have my joy stolen a lot. All right, I done competed with some people I should have never competed with, I mean.

Speaker 2:

I done compared with people I should have never compared with and you, just you kind of get into that. I call it a negative cesspool.

Speaker 2:

That's when you just literally, if you ever seen I kind of think of a cesspool as like in a it's kind of you know how in the shower drain. When you finally open the shower drain and the finally start to see that little circle, that's all. I see a negative cesspool and that's literally. Instead of you going through the drain, you just stand in it. So it just kind of negativity circling you and you're like, oh my God, I suck. Oh my God, I'm the worst person ever. Whoever thought that I could be a live stream? And you just start beating yourself down. Now, all of a sudden, you're the worst person on the planet. You should have never been a streamer. And then you start saying like dang, my mama could have had a better child. And you started just going crazy, right?

Speaker 1:

Wow, yeah, you took it far, okay, great.

Speaker 2:

I mean, that's literally how the negative cesspool works. You get to the point where you're like, like man, I shouldn't even exist in this space. And then all of a sudden you leave and and God is just sitting there like, wow, I gave you all these blessings that you spent on them.

Speaker 1:

You could have just amazing stuff and you quit too early, mm-hmm.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so that's how I see it, and I'll say the last. I'll give one word, because I think this is very, very key Live streaming may not be for you.

Speaker 1:

Yeah exactly.

Speaker 2:

That doesn't mean you can't be a content creator, though True, like a lot of people think that the only content creation is live streaming. No, you can literally. There's something called a user generated content. You can get into that. You can be like RDC world. They don't. I mean they do live stream, but they're not popular live streaming. They're popular all for their skits.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

So you could just do skits and things like that, or you can do like like Crypt is doing right now podcast nearly everybody has a podcast, so why not do a podcast? Or you can do videos. Like I see a guy named Dubs Grubbs in Dallas. He goes around, he goes to all these restaurants, he shoots, he takes pictures of other food. I mean, I've been videos of the food Shows him eating the food that he posted and he's popular in Dallas. Yeah, he's still a content creator.

Speaker 2:

So don't think that live stream is the only option and cause I know that's the mistake I made. I was like oh yeah, the only way to be a lot a content creator is to be a live streamer False.

Speaker 1:

Exactly False.

Speaker 2:

I know that was a lot, but yeah.

Speaker 1:

No, appreciate it. No, everything that he said I verify, I agree with, especially the piece about the hardware, Like pick yourself out one mic. If you're going to do a camera, pick one camera and don't like just rock with that until it dies. Or if you figure out you need something better and you have a reason to buy something, then you go for it. But I'm gonna say one.

Speaker 2:

You gotta be careful. When you say reason Cause, I mean you say that I'm a man.

Speaker 1:

I got a reason to buy a whole.

Speaker 2:

I'm about to say what? Do you call it a roadcaster pro? Yeah, I'm not doing that. I'm not doing that, I'm walking away.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I recently just purchased. I don't even remember what the thing is called. It's the black magic, oh, speed editor, because I needed it and I didn't need it. But I will say it does make me edit faster. So when you're with the little dial thing, yes, oh, you have that Bro. I got to do a video on it. I haven't did it yet, but I've been using it on my iPad and on my Mac and it's the best, it's so good. You just gonna brag about it. Okay, my bad my bad my bad.

Speaker 1:

Well, what's that DDS? What can people find your content at? Why are we talking about content?

Speaker 2:

All right, you want to just get the quickest way to find my content. I have a website, it's dds618.com, and you can click that social multiverse it has everywhere that I am is on there, but you can find me on Twitch, facebook, youtube. Where else can you find me? You'll find me a lot of places.

Speaker 1:

I just want to remember everything.

Speaker 2:

I'm on LiveSpace, I'm on TikTok, instagram, I'm on Threads, I'm on Blue Sky. I'm on a lot of things. Everywhere, all right you know, you got to claim your name everywhere, right?

Speaker 1:

This is true. This is true.

Speaker 2:

But I will say the most active I am on is definitely Twitter, YouTube, Twitch and Instagram, Because I'm definitely going to start posting a lot more on Instagram. I've been slacking on that and I'm like okay, you know what? I got to open up more to get people to know who I am, so I'm posting more.

Speaker 1:

That's crazy. You said that Because my wife has been telling me probably for two, three years, if you got to get people to know who you are and Instagram is a great space to do it and I'm like, yeah, but I don't want to, but I think I'm in the mindset. I'm like you know what. I want this to grow and I know what I want to do in the future, and it's going to involve me put my face out there more. So I'm right there with you. I'll be on Instagram as well.

Speaker 2:

Oh, yeah, yeah. Plus, instagram is where I know a lot of people think it's TikTok, but Instagram is where most of the brands look to pay people.

Speaker 1:

True? Yeah, I've signed up for a site and according to that site, that's what I'm seeing as well. So I got to get them TikTok, those Instagram numbers up.

Speaker 2:

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1:

Well, as always, let me go ahead and give a shout out to the podcast. If you've been listening this long and you've enjoyed it, if you heard because I know you have go ahead and tell your friends. Uploadedandunfilteredcom is the website. You can find all the past guests there, as well as a little bio about the podcast itself. And leave me a review. I'm on Apple iTunes, I'm on Google wait, Google podcast is going away. I'm on YouTube, I'm on Apple Music and then probably any other player out there you can think of, because there's a little plugin you click a button and it just sends your podcast out to the world. So go ahead and subscribe and do it.

Speaker 2:

But other than that yeah, I do DS For you, for you do it. Oh, what you mean? Google podcast is going away. What?

Speaker 1:

Oh, you didn't Okay. So I started the podcast in July and I signed up for everything and, like a month ago, google was like, hey, google podcast is going away, but we set it up so you can feed your RSS directly into YouTube. And I'm like that's cool, but what? So? Yeah, I don't know, man, you know how Google likes to cut off application when you get in love with it. You're like, oh, I love this. Hey, that's going away, sorry.

Speaker 2:

Right, I just went to Google podcast website and it's on about April 2nd what?

Speaker 1:

Oh, dang, yeah, see oh man, that sucks.

Speaker 2:

They're like hey, you go to YouTube Music. I'm like YouTube Music ain't podcast.

Speaker 1:

It is not, it is not. Well, I will give them, I will say, the integration to the YouTube channel. I like it and I wish I would have started just a uploaded unfiltered channel for this. But whatever you know, I can still do that.

Speaker 2:

Hey, you can do it now, you know. Yeah, download all your past stuff and upload it to your new channel and just start growing that channel and boom partner.

Speaker 1:

Exactly, they count the watch hours. That is true. That is true.

Speaker 2:

Well, we give them more knowledge.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, y'all are about to Y'all. 2024 is a year of the creator. If you have thought about creating content or you've been creating content, it's time to step yourself into gear. Like, stop doubting yourself, stop saying, oh, maybe next year, no, it's this year's when it's going to work. It's as simple as that. Like I, everybody I've talked to on this podcast, including you, has something in them that is driving in them to do something that most people dream of doing. So, dds, I want to officially thank you for this lovely conversation. It was amazing and I appreciate the work that you put in and, like we, this is our first conversation, but I've watched your content. I know you through both Asha and Boss and, like, people they rock with are dope ass people and I knew this was going to be a great conversation, so I appreciate you.

Speaker 2:

All right, man, I appreciate you as well. Man, this was fun Me telling you stuff I ain't never said before.

Speaker 1:

Oh my God, All right, let me relax. It's exclusive. Yeah, all right. With that, I'm going to close out the podcast. I appreciate you all listening this far into the podcast. It's been so. So many gems have been dropped. I hope you got something out of it and, as always, protect your mental, keep creating content and I will talk to you on the next one. Peace.