The Brick Factor

Ep3 - Nick Wilmshurst - Ginger Wizard Productions - The Interviewer Becomes The Interviewee

Right then. Episode three. The one where I interview the man who taught me how to interview. If that sounds like some sort of podcasting ouroboros eating its own tail, you're not far wrong. Nick Wilmshurst spent 24 years at the BBC doing things with audio that most of us can't even comprehend. Radio, TV, BBC Breakfast – the works. Then he did what all sensible people do after two decades at one of the world's most recognisable broadcasters: he left to start Ginger Wizard Productions and teach ADHD-riddled agency owners how to not sound like complete amateurs. Here's what you need to know. Before Nick got his hands on this podcast, it was... different. Different name. Different strategy. Different everything. The man basically took my vague notion of "I'll chat to people while building Lego" and turned it into something that might actually work. We dig into what it takes to make a podcast that doesn't sound like two people mumbling into their laptop microphones from opposite ends of a bad WiFi connection. Spoiler: it's more than buying an expensive mic and hoping for the best. There's talk of the lost art of actually preparing for interviews, why most business podcasts are indistinguishable background noise, and the uncomfortable truth that your content matters more than your equipment. Nick shares wisdom from decades of professional broadcasting – the kind of knowledge you can't Google because it lives in the muscle memory of someone who's done ten thousand hours of radio. Guest booking strategies. How to make people actually say interesting things. Why planning isn't the enemy of spontaneity. We explore the peculiar journey from BBC corridors to teaching entrepreneurs how to hold a microphone, and whether "ginger" is a state of mind or a hair colour. And yes, there's Lego. A radio set, specifically – because when you're interviewing a man who spent a quarter century in radio production, you pay homage properly. With tiny plastic bricks. The Brick Factor is brought to you by 21 Degrees Digital – the AI-obsessed marketing agency for businesses who want results, not waffle. Find Nick: https://www.gingerwizard.co.uk/ [https://www.gingerwizard.co.uk/]Find 21 Degrees Digital: https://21degreesdigital.com [https://21degreesdigital.com] Rory's LinkTree: https://rory-mason.com/Rory's Personal Website: https://roryvsmachines.com/ [https://roryvsmachines.com/]

Ep2 - Ginny Nicholls - Interim Digital - The Podcast That Wasn't A Podcast, That Became A Podcast

Right then. Episode two. Except technically this is episode zero, because this is the one where we accidentally invented a podcast while racing to build Lego for charity like a pair of competitive children who'd been given too much sugar. Ginny Nichols is the founder of Interim Digital and, more relevantly, a former colleague from my Search Laboratory days. We did that thing ex-colleagues do – completely lost touch for a decade, then got algorithmically reunited by LinkedIn like some sort of corporate romance novel nobody asked for. During a catch-up call, I spotted a Lego set lurking in her background. Reader, I challenged her to a speed-building contest. For charity. Because apparently that's the sort of person I am now. Here's the thing about Ginny. She left the comfortable embrace of agency life to build something of her own. Interim Digital. The clue's in the name – she slots into marketing teams when they need expertise but can't commit to a full-time hire. It's the business equivalent of being the cool substitute teacher, except she actually knows what she's doing. We dig into the terror and exhilaration of going solo. The moment you realise there's no IT department to blame. The peculiar loneliness of being your own boss and your own worst employee simultaneously. There's talk of client boundaries, saying no to money (harder than it sounds), and the art of building something sustainable instead of just impressive. We explore why some people are fundamentally unemployable in the best possible way, and whether that's a diagnosis or a superpower. Ginny shares the reality of leaving a senior role to start from scratch – the imposter syndrome, the spreadsheets, the terrifying freedom of nobody telling you what to do ever again. And yes, there's Lego. Frantic, competitive, dignity-destroying Lego. Neither of us covered ourselves in glory, but somewhere between hunting for that one bastard 2x4 piece and talking absolute nonsense, we realised we'd made a podcast. This is how The Brick Factor was born. Completely by accident. Which, let's be honest, is how most good things happen. The Brick Factor is brought to you by 21 Degrees Digital – the AI-obsessed marketing agency for businesses who want results, not waffle. Find Ginny: https://www.interim.digital/ [https://www.interim.digital/]Find 21 Degrees Digital: https://21degreesdigital.com [https://21degreesdigital.com]Rory's Personal Website: https://roryvsmachines.com/ [https://roryvsmachines.com/]

Ep 1 - Levi Fowler - Fowler & Powell – The Estate Agent Who Actually Gives a Damn

Right then. First episode. No pressure. Just me, Rory Mason, an ADHD-riddled digital marketing agency CEO, sitting across from a bloke who sells houses in North Leeds, while a Lego country cottage exposes exactly how much we're both winging it in life. Levi Fowler is one half of Fowler and Powell – the estate agency that's somehow managed to do what marketing textbooks claim is impossible: make people like an estate agent. Not tolerate. Not grudgingly accept. Actually like. Here's the thing about Levi. The man had two years of estate agency experience, zero network (literally none of his mates owned houses), and the audacity to think "yeah, I can do this better." And then he did. The absolute madman actually did. We dig into the delicious contradiction of building a business on genuine human connection while also being, y'know, in sales. Turns out the secret sauce isn't complicated – it's answering your phone, remembering that people moving house are stressed out of their minds, and occasionally caring about a woman in negative equity enough to want to bring in a handyman on your own time. There's talk of Liverpool FC (sorry in advance), 5:30am gym sessions, meal prepping like a suburban warrior, and the philosophical weight of everyone telling you to "enjoy them while they're young" until you actually start believing it. We explore how Fowler and Powell shifted from logic to emotion – lifestyle photos with wine glasses, brochures you can hold, video tours so good someone's wife bought a house she'd never set foot in. Hundreds of thousands of pounds. Based on a video. Levi confesses to being "unemployable," admits to knowing all the tricks for leaving early, and somehow makes this sound like a qualification. There's wisdom about partnerships, not deviating from your plan, and running a marathon on six weeks of training because your ankle betrayed you. And yes, there's Lego. Questionable competence from both parties. The Brick Factor is brought to you by 21 Degrees Digital – the AI-obsessed marketing agency for businesses who want results, not waffle. Find Levi: https://fowlerandpowell.co.uk/ [https://fowlerandpowell.co.uk/] Find Us: https://21degreesdigital.com/ [https://21degreesdigital.com/]