32. The Freelance Leap: What No One Tells You About Going Out on Your Own in Ag Communications

32. The Freelance Leap: What No One Tells You About Going Out on Your Own in Ag Communications

This week's guest was actually a listener request AND she also happens to be host, Whitney Dahmer's, bestie. Briley Richard is a freelance agricultural communicator based outside Wichita, Kansas, who has built a thriving business rooted in writing, photography, graphic design, and social media - almost entirely through word of mouth and networking. She grew up in southern Louisiana showing Brahman cattle, found her way to Texas A&M's Ag Communications program, and after stints at the American Angus Association and an advertising agency, took the leap into full-time freelancing two years ago. This episode is honest, funny, and genuinely useful — whether you're in ag comm, considering going freelance, or just trying to figure out what you're building toward. In This Episode: * How Briley discovered Ag Communications as a degree path through a Brahman Association leadership program * Why Texas A&M's program is particularly writing-focused — and why that foundation matters for every kind of communicator * The "you can do anything for a year" rule her mom gave her (and how it shaped every career move since) * What she learned working at the American Angus Association and an ag advertising agency before going freelance * Why she recommends new grads work in an office setting before going out on their own * The loneliness of the creative review process when you're solo — and how she works around it * How her business evolved to focus on fewer, longer-term clients (and why that feels more sustainable) * Pricing your work as a first-time freelancer when there's no guide anywhere on the internet * Setting up business accounts, tracking expenses, and finding a CPA before tax season hits * Saying no to projects (and how to do it in a way that still serves the client) * Managing travel — the highs, the time zones, and the honest conversation about what it means for the future * A "Queenies & Weenies" segment inspired by The Toast podcast Resources & People Mentioned: * Nikki Morgan — financial advisor (Texas-based) * Tonic Site Shop / Jen Olmsted — website templates for ShowIt + newsletter worth subscribing to * Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See — Briley's book of 2024 * The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo — bonus rec * The Secret Lives of Marjorie Post — another listener favorite

31. How Taylor Fort Built a Livestock Media Empire From Scratch

Taylor Fort graduated from Texas Tech with an ag communications degree, went back to the family hog farm, and spent five years figuring out how to photograph baby pigs. Then COVID hit, live sales dried up, and he bet everything on the only skill he had. Nobody was doing it full time. He did it anyway. Today Taylor is a full-time livestock photographer, videographer, live stream producer, and founder of his own online sales platform. In this episode he gets refreshingly honest about what it actually takes to build a creative business from scratch — pricing your work, hiring the right people, surviving a travel-heavy lifestyle, and finding your own style in a crowded industry. Topics covered include: * How video changed the show pig industry and why photos still matter * Learning live stream production through a competitive gaming obsession * Launching the Texas National Stock Show during COVID with a homemade camera rig * Pricing your creative work with confidence and knowing when to raise your rates * What he actually looks for when hiring — and it has nothing to do with experience * Why he thinks you should replace the word anxiety with ambition * The real cost of a travel-heavy creative career and what it takes to sustain it * Finding your creative style by consuming the content you want to create Connect with Taylor: * Instagram & socials: @taylor.a.fort * Website & live streams: taylorfort.com * Online sales platform: taylorfortsales.com Resources Mentioned: * Peter McKinnon, Matti Haapoja & Casey Neistat on YouTube * DaVinci Resolve

30. Social Media Is Not That Serious: Ag Comms, Event Coverage & Taking the Leap with Kyler Hardegree

He was there at 3:30 in the morning on opening day and didn't leave until 1 a.m. He writes 90 pages of copy for a 208-page publication, sends up to 14 news releases a day during the show, manages 60 sponsored social posts across the run, and does it all with a team of four. Oh, and he started the whole thing 13 months ago. Kyler Hardegree is the communications assistant at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo — one of the largest livestock shows and fifth largest rodeos in the world — and this episode pulls back the curtain on what it actually takes to pull off a 23-day event when you're the one holding the camera, writing the captions, pitching the media stories, and building the content calendar all at once. If you've ever wondered what a career in event communications or ag media actually looks like day to day, this one is for you. In this episode, we cover: * Growing up on a West Texas cotton farm and cattle ranch and finding photography through a 4-H contest rivalry with his twin sister * Judging livestock at Howard College and how it shaped his eye as a photographer * How a professor quietly forwarded him a job listing that wasn't posted publicly — and how he beat out his best friend and twin sister for the shot * Why he chose to get his master's at Texas Tech and what grad school actually taught him that undergrad didn't * Winning a national research conference studying AI use in agricultural communications * The full scope of his job: social media manager, on-staff photographer and videographer, news media liaison, copywriter, and more * What goes into planning a 23-day event that draws 1.2 million people annually * How he builds a content calendar months in advance — and how he stays flexible when an ice storm shows up * The strategy behind 60 sponsored social posts and how he decides what actually gets posted * Shooting freehand vs. the full production crew — and why both have a place * Capturing content during the show that fuels an entire year of social posts * Why he wishes someone had told him earlier: social media is not that serious * Investing in camera gear that invests back into you Connect with Kyler: * Instagram: @kylerstonephoto * Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo: fwssr.com

29. From Angus Kid to Managing Editor: Building a Writing Career in Agriculture with Megan Silveira

She knew she wanted to go to Oklahoma State University when she was seven years old. She applied nowhere else. And somehow, the girl from Turlock, California who loved English class and Angus cattle ended up exactly where she was supposed to be - managing editor of the Angus Journal in St. Joseph, Missouri, six years and counting. Megan Silveira is one of those people who makes it look easy, but this episode pulls back the curtain on what it actually takes to build a career in agricultural journalism including: the interview prep, the unglamorous office work, the AP style rules she once resented and now swears by, and the secret novel series she published on Amazon without telling a single soul, including her mom. Whether you're an aspiring writer, a creative trying to find your lane, or someone who just wants to hear how one of ag's best storytellers thinks — this one's for you. In this episode, we cover: * Growing up in Turlock, California as an Angus kid and knowing OSU was the only option * Taking the leap to move across the country at 17 — and what convinced her parents it would be okay * Applying to every summer internship and hearing back from exactly one: Angus Media * Why the worst they can say is no — and how to get comfortable with that * What Megan looks for when interviewing interns for the Angus Media editorial position * The interview process from start to finish: prep, field time, the formal sit-down, and when to call back * How she knows when she's actually getting a good story versus when to change tactics * Adding video to editorial work — how it changes the interview game * Her photography philosophy and what makes a great Angus Journal cover * The difference between writing a feature story and a technical story — and why both matter * Learning AP style, resenting it, and then realizing it made her a better, more creative writer * The most monotonous part of her job — and why she shows up for it anyway * Her surprise novel series, the Jaded Hearts, that she published on Amazon without telling anyone * Why self-publishing on Kindle Direct is shockingly simple and why more people should try it * Finding the one thing you care about most and never stopping chasing it Connect with Megan: * Instagram & socials: Megan Silveira * Work portfolio: angusjournal.net * Books: Search Jaded Hearts series on Amazon & Kindle * Work email: Available via angusjournal.net Books & Resources Mentioned: * Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (recommended by Anna Miller) * We Do Have the Angus Conversation Podcast * Kindle Direct Publishing (for aspiring authors) * AP Stylebook

28. Videography, Branding & Burnout in Agriculture with Samantha Raney of Story Haus Collective

She started photographing goats at 15 with zero experience, made an ad in Microsoft Word, and somehow convinced herself she had it covered. Spoiler: she did not. But that scrappy, full-send mentality is exactly what built Samantha Rainey of Story Haus Collective into one of the most versatile creatives working in agriculture today. At 24, Samantha is a videographer, graphic designer, web designer, and brand strategist who has worked across livestock, wildlife, real estate, weddings, and reproductive science — all while finishing her degree at Texas Tech online from Kansas and Georgia. In this episode, she gets refreshingly honest about burnout, the unglamorous reality of the creative life, and why she thinks stopping before you feel ready is the biggest mistake you can make. In this episode, we cover: * Growing up in Garden City, Texas and getting behind a camera at 15 for Schaefer Farms * Why AgCom wasn't the right fit and how switching to Digital Art & Professional Communications changed everything * Moving to Kansas as a marketing director before she felt qualified — and why she'd do it again * The burnout cycle that creative people almost never talk about * How she structures shoot weeks vs. office weeks to protect her energy * Switching between photographer brain and designer brain in the same day * Her full gear setup: Sony bodies, lenses, ND filters, Pelican cases, and why she flies first class * Programs she swears by: DaVinci Resolve, Lightroom Classic, Photoshop, Illustrator, Procreate, PixiSet * Why she left Premiere and never looked back * The AI editor she worked with who turned out to not be a person at all * Her honest fears about AI replacing creatives — and how she's staying ahead of it * The difference between what people idolize about creative work and what it actually looks like * "Consistency beats intensity" and other lessons from eight years of figuring it out Connect with Samantha: * Instagram: @story.haus.co * Facebook: Story Haus Books & Resources Mentioned: * Atomic Habits by James Clear * Anything Everywhere with Emma Chamberlain (podcast) * DaVinci Resolve, PixiSet, Better Proposals, Square, Procreate