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Show Notes
Have you ever wondered how storytelling can transform your brand and business? In this episode, David Hall sits down with Jake Isham, a filmmaker turned brand strategist and creative director, to explore the power of storytelling for entrepreneurs and business leaders. You’ll hear about Jake Isham’s journey from the stage and film school into the world of content creation, marketing, and personal branding.
Learn practical tips on crafting compelling stories, building consistency in your content, and how to make your message stand out across multiple platforms. Key takeaways include the importance of finding your unique message, getting comfortable on camera no matter your personality type, and developing a content strategy that works for you. Whether you’re looking to scale your brand, find your voice, or simply create more engaging content, this episode provides actionable advice and real-world insights.
Tune in for strategies to develop your own style, increase your visibility, and create growth through storytelling — and be strong.
Embracing Introversion and Telling Your Story: Lessons from Jake Isham
As the host of the Quiet and Strong Podcast, I’ve had the privilege of interviewing many inspiring guests who have shown that introversion is not a limitation, but a strength to be embraced and harnessed. In episode 276, I sat down with Jake Isham, a filmmaker turned brand strategist and creative director, who exemplifies how quiet strengths like deep thinking and imagination can lead to powerful storytelling and impactful professional journeys.
Whether you’re an introvert aiming to carve out your own path, or simply someone interested in personal branding and storytelling, Jake’s story offers valuable lessons on developing your craft, building confidence, and making your mark in today’s digital world.
From the Stage to the Director’s Chair: Jake’s Journey
Jake grew up in a highly creative environment, surrounded by artists—his father a jazz musician and composer, his mother a painter. Early on, he was drawn to acting and visual storytelling. Rather than relying on others to decide his fate as an actor, Jake made the ambitious decision to write and direct his own material. He shared that this choice stemmed from a desire for creative control, following in the footsteps of actor-directors he admired. This decision would spark a passion for directing that continued to shape his career.
After film school, where the focus was on the craft rather than the business, Jake faced the daunting reality of entrepreneurship. He observed his younger brother’s success with a side hustle in college—earning serious income through videotaping gigs—while he himself was still finding his footing despite his formal training. This eye-opening experience pushed Jake to learn the entrepreneurial side of the arts, eventually founding a creative agency that has produced content for high-profile entrepreneurs and brands, generating over a billion views online.
The Role of Family and Support in Creative Careers
Jake credits much of his confidence to his parents, both working artists who proved that making a living through creativity was possible. Their guidance wasn’t to “get a job,” but to “go figure it out.” This supportive environment showed Jake that pursuing a creative career wasn’t an elusive dream, but a practical and achievable path.
His father, in particular, became both a personal inspiration and a client. As a classic introvert and jazz musician, Jake’s father thrived in performance but often preferred to listen and observe during family gatherings, only contributing meaningfully when he felt he had something important to say. This illuminated an important point: introversion doesn’t preclude one from thriving on stage or in public-facing roles. Instead, introverts can bring their unique strengths—like deep thoughtfulness and powerful imagination—to their craft, often resulting in more authentic and compelling performances.
Busting Myths: Introverts as Performers and Leaders
There’s a prevailing myth that introverts can’t be successful performers, speakers, or public personalities. As both Jake and I discussed, that’s simply not true. In fact, many accomplished actors, comedians, and musicians are introverts who channel their energy into their art rather than casual conversation. The world of performance, storytelling, and leadership is richer for their contributions.
Personally, I relate deeply as someone who used to lack confidence but eventually realized that my natural inclination to think before speaking is a strength. Preparation has become my ally, whether I’m recording a podcast or presenting in front of an audience. I’ve found that while introverts may not always seek the spotlight, they can excel in it with the right mindset and preparation—a message I share often with listeners and guests alike.
Storytelling as a Learnable Skill
One of the most actionable takeaways from my conversation with Jake is the idea that storytelling is not an innate talent bestowed upon a select few—it’s a skill anyone can practice and improve. For Jake, the foundation of strong storytelling consists of both technical and creative elements: a compelling hook, a clear message, an engaging arc, and an authentic voice.
He works with a wide range of entrepreneurs, many of whom are introverts or naturally camera-shy, helping them build their personal brands through social media and digital content. Jake approaches these clients like a director guiding an actor—helping them become comfortable on camera, shape their stories, and communicate with clarity. He emphasizes that, just like learning a sport or a recipe, the key to improvement is consistent practice. The more you record videos or do podcasts, the better you get—not because you change who you are, but because you hone your unique style and message.
Building Your Brand: Authenticity and Consistency
Helping entrepreneurs identify what they want to be known for often means putting a mirror up to what they’re already doing. Jake advises starting by examining the conversations you naturally have and the advice you frequently give. Your brand should reflect your authentic interests and expertise. For some, this clarity comes easily; for others, it requires digging a little deeper to find that “North Star.”
Once your brand message is clear, Jake recommends building a content roadmap that aligns with your time and resources. Start where you are—whether that’s writing weekly posts or creating short videos—and focus on being consistent. With today’s digital platforms, it’s easier than ever to reach your target audience. As he explains, you don’t need viral numbers to make an impact; reaching and connecting with the right people matters most.
The Power of Omnipresence in the Digital Age
Jake introduced the concept of “omnipresence”: making your content visible everywhere your audience might be. That doesn’t mean spreading yourself too thin, but rather repurposing your content intelligently across multiple platforms. For example, a single one-minute video can be shared on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube Shorts, LinkedIn, and more with just a few extra clicks or the help of a social media scheduler.
He suggests starting with your preferred platform, then gradually scaling up to post consistently across different channels. Over time, this approach not only increases your reach but also helps you discover which platforms resonate most with your audience and style.
Practical Advice for Creating and Sharing Your Story
So what’s the secret to success on social media or in public storytelling? Start and stay consistent. Jake likens it to going to the gym: regular, steady effort beats short bursts of intense activity followed by long gaps. Set achievable goals—post one video a week for six months, or aim for a “100 videos challenge.” Use the data and your own feelings as feedback to refine your approach, but don’t wait for perfection before beginning.
Key Takeaways From This Episode
- Introverts can be successful performers and creators; many actors, comedians, and musicians are introverts who channel their deep thinking and imagination into their work (00:00, 18:19).
- Storytelling is a powerful tool for building a brand; both technical structure (hook, body, ending) and authentic communication are important (21:20).
- Becoming comfortable on camera and developing storytelling skills is a learned process that improves with practice, regardless of being introverted or extroverted (22:23).
- Consistency is key with social media and content creation—start with what you can maintain and build over time (36:39).
- Define your brand by identifying what you already do well or want to be known for, and use content to speak directly to your intended audience (25:45, 26:28).
Immediate Actions You Can Take
- Start Creating Content Now
- Don’t wait for perfection—choose a platform you enjoy (such as LinkedIn, Instagram, or TikTok) and begin posting content consistently, even if it’s just once a week. Jake Isham emphasized that starting and staying consistent is key 37:09.
- Set a Tangible Goal for Yourself
- Establish a measurable target, such as creating 100 videos or posting daily for three months. This helps you track progress and build confidence, as suggested by Jake Isham 38:25.
- Focus on Your Unique Strengths or Message
- Identify the topics you’re passionate about and the kinds of conversations you naturally have. Let your brand evolve from your authentic interests and strengths, just as Jake Isham advises clients to do 26:28.
- Embrace Practice Over Perfection
- Recognize that storytelling, on-camera presence, or public speaking are skills that improve with practice. Don’t judge your first attempts too harshly—keep reflecting and improving, as both Speaker A and Jake Isham discuss 24:13.
- Repurpose Your Content Across Multiple Platforms
- Amplify your message by sharing your content on various platforms to build omnipresence. Utilize social media schedulers to increase your reach without much extra effort 32:44.
Your Quiet Strengths Matter
As an introvert, your voice, perspective, and story are needed in the world. Whether you shine on stage, in a boardroom, or through social media, your ability to reflect, imagine, and prepare are powerful assets. Learn from Jake’s example: leverage your strengths, keep practicing, and don’t be afraid to put your story out there.
If you’d like to connect with Jake, you can find him on LinkedIn or Instagram. For more resources on embracing your introverted strengths and building your confidence, keep exploring the Quiet and Strong website and podcast.
Embrace your quiet strength. Prepare, practice, and share your story—because the world is waiting to hear it.
Contacts and Links
Jake Isham is a filmmaker-turned-brand strategist and creative director who helps founders and entrepreneurs turn their expertise into authority through powerful storytelling.Over the past decade, Jake has worked with more than 150 entrepreneurs and companies—including Grant Cardone, Callaway, 5.11 Tactical, and Travis Mathew—creating content that’s generated over 1 billion views online. Jake focuses on blending his background in filmmaking with deep marketing strategy, with creating digital shows and social media content for CEOs and entrepreneurs to cut through the noise by crafting content that builds trust, drives visibility, and creates true omnipresence across platforms. Whether scaling a founder-led brand or launching a thought leadership show, Jake brings a unique creative lens and proven playbooks that turn storytelling into growth.
Connect wtih Jake:
Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
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Contact the Host of the Quiet and Strong Podcast:
David Hall
Author, Speaker, Educator, Podcaster
quietandstrong.com
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david [at] quietandstrong.com
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Timestamped Overview
00:00 The speaker transitioned from acting to directing after attending film school, where they fell in love with directing and realized that film school taught the craft rather than career development.
05:08 Seeing his youngest brother successfully earn $90,000 in one year by shooting sorority events while in college made him realize the importance of understanding the business side to make a living independently.
09:37 The speaker describes a gradual process of aligning their filmmaking skills with entrepreneurial opportunities in the marketplace, inspired by acclaimed directors who transitioned from the marketing world, aiming ultimately to create movies and television shows.
12:00 The speaker describes their unique selling proposition as leveraging their filmmaker skills to help entrepreneurs become comfortable and effective on camera, tailoring social media content to better tell their stories and engage audiences.
14:16 The section discusses the challenges of making a person comfortable on camera despite their brilliant insights, especially in the music space, and notes how people can become more willing once they decide to embrace being recorded.
17:41 The speaker enjoys talking and sharing, unlike their father, a professional performer who is comfortable on stage but often chooses not to participate in family dinner conversations.
21:20 The section discusses storytelling by dividing it into technical elements, such as the hook, introduction, body, and ending, and creative elements.
24:13 The discussion emphasizes the importance of starting and consistently improving in activities like podcasting, public speaking, and creating social media videos, highlighting personal growth over time.
29:24 The section discusses the importance of defining a brand and creating a content strategy tailored to an individual’s available resources, with an emphasis on the accessibility of content distribution in today’s interest-based social media landscape, exemplified by platforms that cater content to users’ specific interests like introversion.
31:46 The text discusses the concept of omnipresence in marketing, emphasizing the importance of consistently creating and expanding content across one chosen platform, with the understanding that achieving broad visibility is a gradual process that may take years.
34:47 The discussion focuses on systematizing content creation to increase the frequency of posting on platforms like TikTok and Twitter, emphasizing that growth is achieved by posting more frequently, with consideration given to tailoring content for platforms such as LinkedIn.
38:25 The section discusses setting a target to produce and post 100 videos over a period of three to six months to assess both quantitative performance metrics (KPIs) and personal satisfaction before deciding on improvements or continuing for another 100 days.
Podcast Transcript
David Hall [00:00:00]:
So your father’s a performer, you said he’s performed in front of thousands. And people try to say that, that, oh, introverts, they can’t be performers, actors, comedians, name whatever performance and that’s just not true. And you know, a lot of famous actors and comedians are introverts.
Jake Isham [00:00:21]:
A lot of musicians. There’s, I mean, I’ve been fortunate to be around it with my father and a lot of these guys are very much introverts and we’re just. But they love the craft of whatever that is. And yeah, doesn’t change if, okay, great, you’re a big personality or you’re a quieter personality. Like, all right, like you’re good at what you do and you love doing that.
David Hall [00:00:46]:
Yeah. And a lot of times they’re putting their strengths of having deep thinking and imagination. They’re putting their strengths into their performance.
Jake Isham [00:00:53]:
Foreign.
David Hall [00:01:02]:
Hello and welcome to episode 276 of
David Hall [00:01:04]:
the Quiet and Strong podcast, especially for introverts. I’m your host David hall, the creator of Quiet and Strong Dot com. It’s a weekly podcast dedicated to understanding the strengths and needs of introverts along with strategies for success. Introversion is not something to fix, but to be embraced. Normally we are each episode on a Monday. Be sure to subscribe on your favorite platform, leave a review or a rating that would mean a lot to me and help others find the show.
David Hall [00:01:30]:
Tell a friend about the podcast and
David Hall [00:01:32]:
help get the word out there that introversion is a beautiful thing. Jake Isham is a filmmaker turned brand strategist and creative director who helps founders and entrepreneurs turn their expertise and authority through powerful storytelling. Over the past decade, Jake has worked with more than 150 entrepreneurs and companies including Grant Cardone, Calloway, 511 Tactical and Travis Matthew, creating content that’s generated over 1 billion views online. Jake focuses on blending his background in filmmaking with deep marketing strategy with creative digital shows and social media content for CEOs and entrepreneurs to cut through the noise by crafting content that builds trust, drives visibility and creates true omnipresent across platforms. Whether scaling a founder led brand or launching a thought leadership show, Jake brings a unique creative lens and proven playbook that turns storytelling into growth.
David Hall [00:02:40]:
All right, well, welcome to the Quiet and Strong podcast, Jake. Jake, it’s so good to have you on today.
Jake Isham [00:02:46]:
Thank you for having me. Yeah.
David Hall [00:02:47]:
So we’re going to get into the work you do first, of course, tell us a little bit about yourself and the journey to the work that you do.
Jake Isham [00:02:56]:
Well, I grew up acting and Loved performing, loved just the, this, the medium of visual storytelling and grew up on stage and whatnot. Ended up then going to film school, trying to you know, be more, always more causative and in control of my career. And I didn’t know how to do that as a young actor in my teens and whatnot. And so I made the pretentious decision, I’ll just write and direct all my own stuff and I’ll, I’ll never have to do an audition ever again in my life because that’s how it works. Well, good for me that I ended up falling in love with the art of directing. And by the end of those four years, I forgot that I even cared to be an actor after that. I again, they don’t teach you really how to have a career as a filmmaker in film school. They just teach you how to do the craft.
Jake Isham [00:03:58]:
And left that going, okay, what, what do I do now? And from there I kind of had to figure out and learn entrepreneurship. The, my parents were never ones to say, go get a job. They were always ones to say, well, go figure it out. And so I eventually started in a creative agency, kind of just doing what I love and doing, you know, as a filmmaker, taking those skills that I spent many years already developing, added the skills of entrepreneurship and build agency. So far we’ve done over a billion views online for our clients. We’ve worked with big clients, entrepreneurs like Grant Cardone, to big brands like Callaway, Campari. Jeff Matthew, L.A. golf 511 yeah, very cool.
David Hall [00:04:53]:
There’s so many things that someone goes to college for that don’t include the business aspect of it. And I mean everything we do, there’s the business aspect of it. So you had to learn that on your own.
Jake Isham [00:05:08]:
Yeah, it was a story that I always tell, which was, it was a big kind of decisive moment for myself was seeing my youngest brother pick up a camera, didn’t know how to use it, you know, would shoot everything on auto. He was in college and he would get gigs that he would shoot these sororities on the weekends between Friday, Saturday, Sunday. And the first year doing it, he made like $90,000. And I’m there and you know, this is part time in college and making like 90 grand. And wow, what, what, what is going on here? I’m the one with the, the diploma and he’s a business major now. My youngest brother, he always, he was always entrepreneurially inclined. You know, he had started a video editing business as a teenager in high school and doing well, but he, he always but that’s where I went. Okay, if I’m going to actually make a living off of this and not work for somebody else, I have to figure out the business side.
David Hall [00:06:22]:
Yeah, definitely. So when you were younger, you said that you were an actor and then you decided to go into filmmaking so you could kind of create your own path as an actor. Is that, am I understanding that right?
Jake Isham [00:06:39]:
100%. I’ve always been in the, I don’t want to rely on others for work, for whatever. And so that, that was definitely the, the original goal was just to write myself as the, you know, do the Ben Affleck thing, Do the Honeyswood. You know, I was like, George, I’m like, these guys could do it. What’s the, what’s the issue? You know, a lot, a lot of skills there that you got to be really good at to be able to do that.
David Hall [00:07:12]:
So when you were younger, did you also have an interest in photography and filmmaking before that or did that come later?
Jake Isham [00:07:21]:
I think, I mean, I remember I was very fortunate to go to a school where to kind of an arts middle school where they, you know, I had a photography class at 13 years old, shooting in the dark room and actually developing actual film. I grew up on, you know, doing theater. I’ve, you know, did over 40 plays and so just the art of the stage. You know, you could say I was kind of direct, naturally directorially inclined. I am the oldest of four kids. So, you know, being able to, to run my, my siblings, you know, when we would. Yeah, I mean, I kind of always had a, an interest in the arts and in the entertainment I, I was doing. I did music a lot at the same time, all growing up.
Jake Isham [00:08:08]:
I was very fortunate. Both my parents are artists, so was very fortunate because of that to have, you know, being that that’s what they do as a career to go great. Yeah, you can do this as a career. This is not far fetched or some elusive dream. That is unreal. My parents make a living through their art.
David Hall [00:08:31]:
Yeah. What, what was their, what was their art?
Jake Isham [00:08:33]:
My dad is a film composer and he writes music, so for movies and television. And he’s a jazz musician, jazz trumpet player and my mom’s a painter.
David Hall [00:08:43]:
Very cool.
Jake Isham [00:08:44]:
Yeah.
David Hall [00:08:45]:
Because a lot of parents might not be as supportive. So that’s really cool that you had supportive parents.
Jake Isham [00:08:52]:
Yeah, you know, they, they proved that it could be done.
David Hall [00:08:56]:
Right. Right.
Jake Isham [00:08:57]:
So, you know, and hence they’re like never saying, go get a job. It was just go figure it out. My dad was a working Musician from like the age of 13. It’s just what he did his entire life. And my mom runs the business of my dad’s company while additionally she’s a painter. So it was always just like, dick, you want to be an artist? Okay, go make art, go figure it out.
David Hall [00:09:26]:
Yeah. And so what we’re going to talk a lot about today is so how did this filmmaking then turn into being a brand strategist and creative director? How did that all happen?
Jake Isham [00:09:37]:
Well, you, I think, I mean it was not a overnight thing, it was a, it was a multi step process. But for me it was looking at where does my skills, where’s my natural skill set or you know, natural or you know, something. I spent many years developing eight plus years of this filmmaking directorial craft. How what’s a marketplace that I can actually sell that in kind of Entrepreneurship 101, if you really think about it. And while at the same time looking at the bigger goal, which is to make movies and television shows, you know, to be a Christopher Nolan, to be a Tarantino. And some of the directors that I truly admired all came, a lot of them came from the marketing world. None of them came from weddings. None of them came from different things.
Jake Isham [00:10:34]:
They came from like an advertising marketing world. Like Ridley Scott and Tony Scott were two of my, you know, all time great directors that I, I love and they started a, an advertising firm, but a production company that you know, focuses on that. Michael Bay, a director that, you know, I know a lot of people are like, oh, his movies are stupid. I love his movies. They’re fun. They are exactly what they are. He makes great silly action movies. He doesn’t make mind bending Christopher Nolan movies.
Jake Isham [00:11:06]:
He makes silly action movies with lots of explosions. And he came from shooting commercials. He was, you know, one of Victoria’s secrets biggest directors. Like that’s the world that came from. So I was like, okay, if I can practice. Because at the same time my father gave me the advice which was get paid to practice. If you want to shoot videos, get paid to just shoot any videos. So that’s kind of what I did.
Jake Isham [00:11:34]:
And I post college. You know, this was social media just starting up and just starting to become a thing. I started growing my own social media quickly and I kind of just became a social media guy and found my niche there. The long winded answer.
David Hall [00:11:50]:
Yeah, yeah. So through all of this acting, filmmaking, you know, marketing, it’s storytelling, right?
Jake Isham [00:12:00]:
Exactly. And I think for me the thing that I love about it is, you know, the kind of cliche thing you Ask an entrepreneur or a business owner is like, what’s your unique selling proposition, your usp? Like, what separates you from your competitors? And for me, it’s that kind of inherent director, that filmmaker director ness of that ability to bring out a story and individual. I worked with a lot of entrepreneurs on their personal brand and I, you know, we shoot a lot of social media content, getting them to kind of tell their story, build their YouTube channels, their TikToks, et cetera. And that ability that, you know, for me is that getting them to be on camera, comfortable on camera, communicated correctly, whether, I mean, even as nuanced as, hey, let’s say that a little faster or hey, phrase it like this, because that’s a stronger hook and will get you more views. Like, and that’s kind of that director in me is that being able to work with these entrepreneurs. And while they’re on camera, I’m behind camera. And it’s just the same way I would treat an actor is to, you know, as we talked about, you know, especially working with somebody who might be a little bit more inclined to, you know, on the introverted side or a little bit more quieter, a little bit more camera shy. I end up working with a tremendous amount of those individuals who are entrepreneurs who are, you know, not the Grant Cardone and Gary Vees who are like, yeah, guys, what’s up? I’m on camera.
Jake Isham [00:13:39]:
Well, let’s do this. You know, who are the. Like, you know, for example, my father is a. A client of mine. And.
David Hall [00:13:47]:
Okay.
Jake Isham [00:13:48]:
And he. He is not one. He is a. A cliche jazz musician. And if. If those who don’t know the cliche, which are individuals who are much more introverted and who are much more quiet and who are happy just to sit in the corner, sit and observe, watch. You know, he will. He can go through an entire dinner of, you know, nine people around the table now between my siblings and all the significant others, and probably say three.
Jake Isham [00:14:16]:
A literal three sentences the entire dinner for an hour and a half and one. So getting him to be on camera, like, and it’s not. He has some of the most brilliant insights that one will ever. One will ever see and experience, especially within the music space. And. But it took time to get him comfortable on camera and just to get him willing to do it. And I’ve noticed for myself when. I know we’ve kind of gone off a little bit, I’m on a tangent, but I’ve noticed for myself when working with people who are less naturally inclined to want to be on camera is once they just decide to be like, great, this is what I’m doing.
Jake Isham [00:14:59]:
Like, once they decide to do it, it’s fabulous always. And it’s just getting them to. It’s almost more like the salesman hat rather than even the directorial hat that I have to. I have to do more of.
David Hall [00:15:13]:
Yeah, yeah. And with your father, it’s. He’s maybe not saying a lot, but I’m sure he’s thinking a lot, right?
Jake Isham [00:15:21]:
Oh, 100%. I mean, that. That is the. The cliche. I mean, I also have a Jewish mother who is, you could say, the antithesis of an introvert.
David Hall [00:15:30]:
Okay, okay.
Jake Isham [00:15:31]:
You know, she’s. She is the. The cliche, you know, Jewish mother who’s like, oh, my God, what’s going on? What? You know, very big personality, very loud, loves to host, loves to chat, always throwing parties. And that is a unfortunate cliche question at the dinner table, which is, hon, what are you thinking about right now? What’s going on in your head?
David Hall [00:15:53]:
Right?
Jake Isham [00:15:53]:
Say it out loud.
David Hall [00:15:57]:
And that’s the thing. Like, I, as an introvert, I used to lack confidence. And I just realized, oh, I think before I speak. And I also am going to do my best with preparation. So it’s amazing. I’m doing a presentation with some others tomorrow, and they’re all nervous about it, and I’m like. And I just. I love that I don’t get nervous about things anymore.
David Hall [00:16:27]:
You know, I love doing this podcast. I was looking forward to speaking with you. And it’s. It’s. I’m an introvert still. I always will be. But just like, you know, it’s. You just need to prepare and get ready.
David Hall [00:16:40]:
And, you know, I, you know, sometimes people say, oh, introverts, none of us like the spotlight. And that’s not true. You know, I like to do this podcast. I like to speak publicly, but, you know, you just got to get ready for it. You gotta prepare. And somebody that you’re working with might just need to, you know, really know what they’re doing ahead of time where, you know, again, just. You. You’re talking about your mother and your father.
David Hall [00:17:05]:
Your mother might not need to prepare so much because, you know, she’s. She’s just ready to share.
Jake Isham [00:17:11]:
And I’ve noticed, at least from my father and some of the. The. The. You could say more people who are inclined on the introversion side, or at least overtly quieter than the extroverts is, and this is just an observation of mine, is that they. It’s not that they don’t have anything to share is that they don’t care to share. It’s like, where for me, I’m definitely much more on the extroverted side. And it’s more. I just like to share whatever.
Jake Isham [00:17:41]:
I just, I enjoy the act of talking. I enjoy the act of sharing where I notice my dad, like, my dad is a performer. Literally by trade, he is a performer and is performed in front of, like, at any given time, tens of thousands of, like. He’s performed with some of the biggest names as musicians and, and on some of the biggest stages in the world. And he loves it. But when it comes to, like, the dinner table, it’s like, he doesn’t feel like he needs to jump into the conversation. And as much as we would love to have him part of the conversation, he’s like, I don’t, I don’t. I don’t have anything to add.
Jake Isham [00:18:19]:
I don’t care to, to, to. I don’t, don’t have the need to, like, contribute to this conversation. And that’s the simplicity that, like, I have seen with him. And it’s just like, okay. And so sometimes we’re like, hey, please contribute to the conversation. Because then you’ll go, I don’t have anything to say. And like, and that’s just the simplicity of. Or at least for me that I’ve observed.
Jake Isham [00:18:42]:
It’s not that even a nervous or even, you know, or this or that or whatever. It’s just like, I have nothing to contribute, so I’m not gonna try to contribute something. Just to contribute.
David Hall [00:18:53]:
Yeah, that’s such a good point. Because there’s a couple things going on when people are quiet, just like you said, sometimes they just don’t feel like they have something. And that’s great. They don’t have something to contribute. But definitely who I’m speaking to a lot on this show is those that want to contribute. But for some reason, the lack of self awareness, they don’t know how to, you know, maybe they don’t know how to be on social media. They don’t know how to show up. Like that, that’s, that’s a lot of who I’m speaking to, but also the person that doesn’t feel like they want to contribute, that’s okay.
David Hall [00:19:33]:
And a lot of times we’re made to feel like, why are you being so quiet? It’s like, I’m listening, you know, I’m taking it all in, you know, so that’s.
Jake Isham [00:19:41]:
And, and that’s a lot of. At least I’ve noticed with My father, who, you know, again, kind of the yinging yang, you could say with. Between my father and my mother, who. My mother’s the one who’s definitely like, okay, great, let’s talk about this, you know.
David Hall [00:19:55]:
Yeah.
Jake Isham [00:19:56]:
And the. The joke, I don’t even know if it’s an actual saying or if it’s my mom saying, which is I need to know the he said, she said, you know, which is the. I need to know every single detail. The play by play, the script, the exact script of how it went down. When you recount stories to my mother.
David Hall [00:20:13]:
Yeah. And we bust myths on this show, and this is one that comes up often. So your father’s a performer. You said he’s performed in front of thousands. And people try to say that, that, oh, introverts, they can’t be performers, actors, comedians, name whatever performance. And that’s just not true. And, you know, a lot of famous actors and comedians are introverts.
Jake Isham [00:20:39]:
A lot of musicians.
David Hall [00:20:40]:
There’s.
Jake Isham [00:20:40]:
I mean, I’ve been. Been fortunate to be around it with my father. And a lot of these guys are very much introverts, and we’re just. But they love the craft of whatever that is. And yeah, doesn’t. Doesn’t change if, okay, great, you’re a big personality or you’re a quieter personality. Like, all right. Like, you’re.
Jake Isham [00:21:01]:
You’re good at what you do, and you love doing that.
David Hall [00:21:04]:
Yeah. And a lot of times they’re putting their strengths of having deep thinking and imagination. They’re putting their strengths into their performance, 100%. So let’s talk a little bit more about storytelling. What makes a good story?
Jake Isham [00:21:20]:
I mean, there’s lots of different elements. There’s. I look at it in kind of two pillars or two buckets. However, you know, you want to visually slice it. I look at it as in there’s the technical elements of a good story and then there’s the, you know, creative elements of. Of a good story. The technical elements of like, okay, great, what’s our hook? Or what’s your intro? What’s your, you know, kind of. What’s the thing that grabs you at the beginning? That’s always the, you know, and then you need the body and how it builds and, you know, and then you have, you know, your ending, and that’s kind of more that the, you know, the technical.
Jake Isham [00:22:02]:
But then you have, like, what, really, what makes a great story is the ability to communicate it and. And how the message behind it and how well you can communicate that message.
David Hall [00:22:18]:
Yeah. And do you Find that people can get better at storytelling.
Jake Isham [00:22:23]:
Oh, 100%. It’s like everything else. It is just a skill. Like, it is. It’s just practice and it’s kind of. I was already thinking of that a little bit earlier with just one of the previous things that we were talking about, like, you know, those who might be, again, a little bit more introverted, as we were just talking about, like, oh, well, you know, it. Whether you’re getting on camera, you’re doing this, it is just a muscle. You could be like, I know a tremendous amount of extroverts who have struggled to be on camera.
Jake Isham [00:22:57]:
I know introverts who’ve either naturally inclined to be on camera or vice versa. Like, just because you’re introverted or extroverted doesn’t mean you’re, like, good on camera and, like, you’re a good person. Like, it is a skill like anything else, and it has nothing to do with kind of how you’re naturally inclined to talk with others. And, you know, like, my mom, again, the extrovert, when she. When we first, again, who’s also a client of mine, when we started doing videos together, like, had to really work at it. I. You could say even when I first started doing, like, social media videos, oh, my God, it was horrendous. And even when I.
Jake Isham [00:23:41]:
Which is very different skill than even being on podcasts. I remember the first handful of podcasts, I was like, oh, my God, I fumbled through all of these questions and like. But as I did more podcasts, I got smoother, I got better. You know, similar stories that would come up. The story about my brother. How do I phrase this? So it’s becomes better and it’s just practice. And it, It. It’s not literally anything more than just practice.
David Hall [00:24:13]:
Yeah, that’s so key. I’m glad you said that. Because we just get better, you know, whether it’s being on a podcast, the host or a guest or public speaking, or doing social media videos. You know, I always say I’d like to think episode one was just awesome and I was just as good as I am today, but it’s not, you know, I have gotten so much more comfortable. But you got to start, you know, with whatever it is that you’re doing and just. And just keep, you know, reflecting and keep it getting better.
Jake Isham [00:24:42]:
And it has nothing to do, just especially, you know, we. I know your podcast talks a lot to introverts. It has nothing to do with being an introvert versus an extrovert. It is. It is just comes down to Amount of hours of practice.
David Hall [00:24:58]:
Yeah.
Jake Isham [00:24:59]:
Like, any skill that they’ve, you know, that your listeners have developed, any sport cook, like, literally any skill, any skill can just be learned. Any knowledge can be gained. And then practice. And that’s the simplicity of it. And this is talking on camera, the ability to tell stories. It just is something that needs to be learned and then practiced. And it can’t just be learned. Like, you can’t just spend 10,000 hours studying it on YouTube or reading books or, you know, going to seminars.
Jake Isham [00:25:34]:
There has to be a certain amount of hours actually doing it. And knowing that, okay, great. It might suck, but it’ll get better.
David Hall [00:25:43]:
Yeah, for sure.
David Hall [00:25:45]:
So with someone’s brand or message, how do you help your clients figure out what that should be, what they should be known for?
Jake Isham [00:25:54]:
Usually for the most part, it’s obvious because it’s what they’re already doing. And I. It’s usually just putting up a mirror to them to, like, that’s the Blunt Odyssey. It’s usually just being like, what do you do? Well, we’re the best pest control in the, you know, this county. Great. You know, good. You know, let’s just talk about that. Or, you know, it’s like, well, I always end up, you know, let’s say an entrepreneur is wanting to build their more personal brand, and they want to.
Jake Isham [00:26:28]:
They kind of don’t know what. They want to focus the conversations. Like, well, what conversations do you end up having? I said, well, I always tell, you know, people that. I mean, for example, right here with you, it’s like, look at your. That you’ve built a personal brand around being an introvert.
David Hall [00:26:45]:
Great.
Jake Isham [00:26:45]:
It’s like, well, I always end up getting into conversations with people about being introvert and extrovert and, you know, giving advice to people who feel like they’re, you know, worried about being an introvert. Great. So it’s usually asking a couple of those. Right. Questions, which, again, you could say a little bit comes naturally to me. Naturally. Big air quotes. It’s what I spent six, seven years training before doing it professionally, which I’ve now spent over a decade doing professionally.
Jake Isham [00:27:16]:
So I’ve been doing for 15 plus years as a film director. It’s the questions that I ask actors. Okay, great. Hey, this character, what did they go through? Why. Why is he saying these lines? Why does he feel this emotion? Where is he coming from? It’s those questions that you learn as a director to ask an actor to get a performance out of them. And so it’s a little bit of natural Inclivity as a, as a director. And so it’s, it’s usually just like, hey, your brand is usually what? It’s just what. And it might not be what you’re already doing.
Jake Isham [00:27:49]:
And this is the one, you know, the one caveat, it’s well, I’m doing blah, but you know, I really want to help blah. You know, I really want to, you know, impact blank. Great. Well, how Well, I want to buy, you know, I want to teach them this. Great, let’s write that down, put it on the wall, tattoo it on the arm, whatever it might be great. That’s the North Star. Let’s just communicate about that. Like I love helping artists.
Jake Isham [00:28:21]:
I have a podcast which literally just dedicated to teaching the lessons. I’ve been very fortunate to literally my entire career make money with my camera and now build a business around filmmaking. And so like I’m all about helping artists create a career as an artist. I’ve been very fortunate to then on the flip side too, make films that have won festivals, have photographs, you know, be published in magazines, but then also like, okay, great. And so like that’s what I talk about. But at the same time I talk about my business, I need to be known about my business. So like being able to juggle brands and knowing what to. I know this is a lot more said but you can balance it all and that’s how I buy it.
Jake Isham [00:29:12]:
It’s just, it’s whatever you want to be known for. And yeah, just keep the star and go.
David Hall [00:29:17]:
So how do you help them work through that creative process of developing their brand and making content and things?
Jake Isham [00:29:24]:
So kind of the first thing is, is defining the brand. If that’s something that somebody might need or want help with, then from there is we kind of build out a content roadmap. And content strategy usually depends on what somebody is either a able to invest in terms of time, energy or money, etc. Because different entrepreneurs are, you know, at different spaces and, and different levels of just even time investment. It’s much, even less than the money aspect of it and but the big thing is, you know, always getting everybody just to start putting out content. That’s the biggest thing is we are now in an age where you can put out content and reach your direct audience easier than ever. And social has turned especially in the last couple years with kind of the tick tock ification as the guys in marketing call it, where it’s all becoming much more interest based. Where this podcast, for example, talk about introverts, it’ll reach People who search that, who are naturally inclined to that kind of interest of content.
Jake Isham [00:30:39]:
About introversion, I speak about, you know, brand marketing or I speak to artists. That content is going to naturally reach that more and more. So all you have to do is speak more and more to your audience on your subject and know that, okay, great, it’s not gonna, it doesn’t need to reach a million views, you don’t need to be getting millions and millions of views for your business to massively explode. As long as you speak to your audience and speak consistently. The one thing where it’s like, oh, the algorithm is against me. The only time that matters is when you’re inconsistent with your content. Every time else, it’s a falsity where you’re not just the storytelling itself. You don’t have the right hook, you don’t have the right body, you’re not speaking fast enough, you’re.
Jake Isham [00:31:29]:
There’s technical things that might be off in terms of scripting, etc. That are stopping you from, you know, creating really great content.
David Hall [00:31:39]:
Yeah. So related. I heard you on a podcast talk about omnipresence. What is that?
Jake Isham [00:31:46]:
So omnipresence is a fancy marketing term for just being everywhere. And it’s this basic concept we’re talking about, but just kind of like, okay, great, how can you take advantage of the content you’re creating and really expand it? And so I kind of look at content in a couple different phases and you kind of graduate phase by phase by phase. And it’s not an overnight thing. It’s not like, great, we’re going to do this all in like a matter of three months or six months, it could be five years. But basically, you know, you first, you just make any. Pick all platform that you like and just start making content on that platform at any sorts of consistency. Ideally you’d be putting out at least, you know, if it’s written once a week, if it’s videos three times a week, or if it’s like long form videos once a week, like just any sort of consistency on whatever channel you like. And then it’s okay, great, now let’s start.
Jake Isham [00:32:44]:
Take the same content and repurpose it on more multiple channels. And that’s now we’re starting to build omnipresence. So let’s say you’re doing vertical videos and you’re making these, you know, little one minute TikTok videos and you like. Let’s just say that you like Instagram particularly, and you’re doing three times a week, Monday, Wednesday, Friday and You go, great, for, you know, $20 a month or something, you can find a social media scheduler and have it go on YouTube, shorts, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn. Cause we’re business people here. You could probably have it be going to an X or Twitter. You can have it be going on threads. You could like for literally a couple bucks a month.
Jake Isham [00:33:27]:
Or if you want to take the extra time, take that same pieces of three content each week and have it go to 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 channels. You’ve now 8X’d the amount of views you’re getting, even if each of the videos only get 100 views, right? Which is nothing in the scheme of things. You’ve now gone from, you know, 300 views a week to 2400 views a week. It’s amazing. Like, think about how much your business will grow. Now one video goes viral on one platform, usually it’ll get more views on more platforms. So you’re naturally growing. That’s where you’re starting to build this omnipresent.
Jake Isham [00:34:11]:
For example. David, is there a platform that you’d like to consume content on?
David Hall [00:34:15]:
Yeah, I, what’s your platform of choice? I do a few, but you know, I, I like LinkedIn. I also like it Instagram.
Jake Isham [00:34:23]:
So there you go. I’m a TikTok guy. I’m a TikTok and YouTube guy. So if there’s somebody who’s trying to communicate to both of us, they won’t reach me on LinkedIn. I don’t really consume content there. They’ll reach you there. But if they post that same piece of content on TikTok, it’ll reach me, but it wouldn’t reach you for. So for very little effort, you can do that.
Jake Isham [00:34:47]:
Then the next thing would be great. How do we start systematizing? How do we start, you know, putting a little bit more attention so we can go from three videos a week to seven videos a week, one a day. You know, these platforms like TikTok, you could be posting six, eight times a day. You know, Twitter X, however we want to call it, you could be posting 20 times a day on that platform. Like, it, it doesn’t, it doesn’t matter. And the, the way you’ll grow is just by literally posting more. Now the final phase, and this is where people get worried about, oh, I need to do that. It’s like, no, no, no, you, you need to, to, to go through these a lot more is, okay, great, LinkedIn, let’s post what’s really good that LinkedIn likes LinkedIn.
Jake Isham [00:35:38]:
Loves polls. So if you’re not taking advantage of polls, you know, for I, I always notice my polls get triple the amount of impressions than my other content for whatever reason. Take advantage of that. Do two polls a week. You know, you might write. Want to write longer captions for a video on your LinkedIn versus on a TikTok or a YouTube short. So it’s now it’s getting. Okay, great.
Jake Isham [00:36:05]:
You know, Instagram loves carousels. Let’s make some really good carousels for Instagram. It’s not going to go on other platforms, but that’s again, the very last phase of content creation is, and that’ll be when you have a team. You’ll have creative director, you’ll have editors, you’ll have like, you’ll have a full team doing that for you. Again, as the entrepreneur, you’re going to just be making the top level content. Your team will help do that.
David Hall [00:36:35]:
Yeah. Awesome. Any other general advice on social media?
Jake Isham [00:36:39]:
Start. Start. The biggest thing is, is that start and stay consistent. Find a number and find a way of creating content that you enjoy and that you’re willing to stay consistent on. And that’s the biggest thing. It’s. I always compare it to the gym where what’s the most important with the gym is just consistently eating healthy, consistently working out. You gotta have a cheat meal here or there.
Jake Isham [00:37:09]:
But like it’s gonna be much better to go to the gym for 20 minutes three days a week and have not have sodas but have a dessert on the weekend. Fine. Compared to great. I’m going to not eat for three days and then go to the gym for two and a half hours and then do whatever and then eat pizza the next five days. Yeah, that’s, that’s essentially when people like, great. I’m going to do videos. I’m going to do two videos a day and put them out there, put them out there, put them out there. And then I’m going to stop for a month and a half.
David Hall [00:37:44]:
Right.
Jake Isham [00:37:45]:
Well, you’re not going to see results that way. So.
David Hall [00:37:48]:
Jake, this has been a wonderful conversation. Is there anything else you want to add today?
Jake Isham [00:37:53]:
No, I mean, just, just, just do it. Have fun doing it. You know, it’ll, it’s, it’s about consistency and the more you do it, the more you learn. You know, it’s just, it just takes practice. It just, it’s annoying. It’s just takes, it’s, it’s not more, it’s, it’s not more complicated than that. And a lot of people overthink it before starting and just know like set a target for yourself. This is one of the things I try to do with my clients and tell them is, you know, think with doing something for six months.
Jake Isham [00:38:25]:
Or you know, do a hundred video. Like think with, okay, great, do 100 videos and see how you like it. But like set a larger target. Like, great, posting a video every single day and for three months, 100 video, which, you know, roughly, let’s say 100 videos and, and then that, or that could be over six months and you go, oh, then you can Compare your actual KPIs, but also how you feel about it. Go, great. Can I do this for another 100 days? Or you know, if I have the stats gone up or if they haven’t. Okay, great. What do we need to improve that?
David Hall [00:39:06]:
Yeah, so and of course, where can people find out more about you and the great work you’re doing?
Jake Isham [00:39:12]:
Well, LinkedIn. I know I was jokingly saying I’m not a LinkedIn guy, but I am, I’m very much a LinkedIn guy. Or Instagram. Jake Creative marketing on Instagram. Jake Isham on LinkedIn. If you Google and search my name, you’ll see a lot of different. You’ll see my photography, you will see my filmmaking on all the social channels. So just know that you’re welcome to follow those but I, I focus on my niches on, on the certain channels.
David Hall [00:39:40]:
Awesome. Well, thanks again, Jake.
Jake Isham [00:39:42]:
Thank you.
David Hall [00:39:43]:
Thank you so much for joining me. I appreciate you. I hope you take the time to explore other episodes and learn from other amazing guests. Remember, if you’re interested in getting to know yourself better, there is now a free type finder personality assessment on the Quiet and Strong website.
David Hall [00:39:58]:
This free assessment will give you a
David Hall [00:40:00]:
brief report including the four letter Myers Briggs code. I’ll add a link in the show notes and I’d love to connect with you. Reach out to davidquietandstrong.com or check out the quietandstrong.com website which includes blog posts and links to social media for quiet and strong and much more. Send me topics or guests you would like to see on the show. So many great things about being an introvert and so we need those to be understood. Get to know your introverted strengths and needs and be strong.
David Hall, M.Ed. is a speaker, author, and host of the Quiet and Strong Podcast, where he interviews thought leaders, creatives, and professionals who help introverts thrive. With over 25 years in higher education, David has led workshops, trainings, and presentations on productivity, personality, and introversion. His mission is to help introverts honor their needs, understand their strengths, and succeed on their own terms. He is the author of Minding Your Time: Time Management, Productivity, and Success, Especially for Introverts and a passionate advocate for creating work environments where introverts can do their best work.
