Episode 138: Niching Down to Scale Up with Phil Howell

Show Notes for This Episode:

[1:00] The gang welcome Phil, a long time listener, to show.
[2:00] Phil introduces himself and his agency, HECreative.
[3:00] How HECreative created their own gold dust.
[4:00] Phil becomes known for designing for rappers and modern music.
[5:00] Phil decides to start sharing work he wanted to see in the world.
[6:00] What do you do when your two markets contradict each other?
[7:00] Care less and lean into who you really are.
[8:00] The first piece that gained HECreative 100 likes.
[9:20] 1 paper doll illustration gains them 10,000 followers over night.
[10:00] Green Mohawks, studded leather jackets and tattoos.
[11:30] Becoming more successful when you are yourself.
[12:00] More authentic across the board.
[13:00] Product sales. Talking Self-Published Books and Paper Dolls.
[14:20] Ian inquires about the ins and outs of self-publishing.
[15:00] Phil recommends buying a small batch of 100 books.
[16:00] Pre-Orders really are a commitment.
[17:10] The mystical realm of product sells and the do’s and don’ts.
[18:00] Use Social Media to test the water and take polls.
[19:00] HECreative’s pricing strategy.
[20:00] Ian talks product sale flops.
[21:00] The excuses behind making a print purchase.
[22:00] Offer free postage to remove the postage nightmare.
[23:00] Choose one day to ship all your products.
[24:40] Smart Niching.
[25:00] Ian asks Phil to elaborate on landing Kanye West as a client.
[26:40] Phil’s 30 minute Kanye sketch gets half a million re-shares.
[27:00] Phil is asked to illustrate a cover for Kanye’s new album.
[28:20] Illustrating A Year In A Life of Kanye.
[29:00] Unexpectedly, Pharrell Williams’s agent reaches out.
[30:00] Spec work is not the enemy.
[31:00] Loads of free work delivered loads of money.
[33:00] Everything is spec work.
[34:00] The Internet loves misery. Don’t fall for it.
[35:00] It’s easy to find the negative. Try hard to find the positive.
[36:00] People are homeless and you are complaining about drawing?
[37:20] Phil shares his belief that even being a Christian is speculative.
[39:00] An obsession with 60’s style.
[40:00] Phil feels he was born in the wrong decade.
[41:00] Lisa and Phil talk Veronica from the Archie comics.
[42:00] What’s up next for HeCreative?
[43:00] Tom asks how long Phil was at it before his career skyrocketed.
[44:00] Getting DM’d by your teenage heroes and heroines is surreal.
[45:00] The values of ‘show up, smile, be nice and positive’.
[46:00] Be true to yourself.
[48:00] Always say ‘thank you for having me’.
[49:00] Just because someone says something doesn’t mean it’s true.
[50:00] Clients will always choose the nice person to work with.
[51:00] Be humble and respect your client.
[52:00] Shared passions build stronger bonds.
[53:20] Sales experience is invaluable in any career.
[54:00] Stop trying to talk about things you know nothing about.
[55:00] You really can get the job without ever talking about work.
[56:00] Stop being afraid to niche!
[57:00] Big brand work requires you to be a specialty.
[58:00] Stop the push back on niching down.
[59:00] Moral of the story is to keep having fun on paper.
[1:00:00] Where you can find HeCreative.
[1:01:00] And that’s a wrap.

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