In episode five of the Content Creator Society podcast, hosts Bonar Bulger and David Ross sit down with acclaimed content creator and creative director Alan Palander. Known for his signature cinematic style and work with high-end automotive, travel, and lifestyle brands, Alan opens up about building a career rooted in consistency, personal branding, and artistic integrity.
The conversation dives deep into Alan’s journey from urban planning student to internationally recognized visual storyteller. He shares how influences like Antoni Gaudí helped shape his distinctive visual identity, and how a commitment to consistency became a cornerstone of his personal brand.
Alan discusses the balancing act of staying true to your creative voice while working with major global brands, offering practical insights into commercial partnerships, personal authenticity, and mentorship. He also speaks candidly about mental health in the content creator space, the pressure of constant output, and the importance of building a supportive team.
From running global production teams to launching one-on-one workshops for aspiring creators, Alan’s thoughtful and grounded approach to creativity offers valuable lessons for anyone navigating the ever-evolving content economy.
Whether you’re a creator, brand strategist, or simply curious about what it takes to succeed in today’s visual storytelling world, this episode is packed with insights, personal stories, and tactical advice from one of the best in the business.
In episode four of the Content Creators Society podcast, hosts Bonar Bulger and David Ross are joined by Morgan Ross (no relation to David), a content creator known for his work on the Old Toronto Series and Old Canada Series. These online platforms focus on curating historical content and producing mini-documentaries, often involving sponsored projects that allow Morgan to maintain creative control while promoting complementary products.
Morgan shares his journey from being a musician to pursuing graduate school in Canadian history and eventually starting the Old Toronto Series as a hobby. This led to significant growth on social media platforms, especially Facebook, where his content has attracted over a million followers across Canada. He emphasizes the organic nature of his growth and sponsorships, largely driven by his passion for history and ability to create content that resonates with a broad audience.
The conversation also touches on the challenges and opportunities of working with brands, the importance of genuine content, and the potential risks of relying on social media platforms that can change or disappear. Morgan highlights the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 as a crucial tool for content creation, praising its ease of use and quality.
Throughout the episode, Morgan, Bonar, and David discuss the value of historical content, the balance between entertaining and educational material, and the significance of personal connections and introductions in the content creation industry.
In this episode of the Content Creator Society podcast, we dive into the realities of being a content creator, pulling back the curtain on the often glamorized life of making and sharing content online. Our guest, Jon Simo, shares his journey from working in the traditional ad industry to embracing the one-man-band approach to content creation. We discuss the challenges of managing business logistics as an individual creator, from navigating payment terms with big companies to the impact of illness on workflow. Jon also highlights the importance of standing out in a competitive field and the value of long-term partnerships with brands over one-off projects. Additionally, we explore the role of mental health in the creative process and the benefits of simple strategies like taking walks for idea generation. Finally, we touch on the potential of AI tools in content creation and the need for creators to differentiate themselves in a rapidly evolving industry. Join us for an insightful conversation that sheds light on the business side of content creation and the strategies that can help creators thrive.
Turn a passion into a personal brand with one goal in mind - breaking mental barriers and pushing the limits in physical and psychological health. Bryan started Bryan Chang Fitness in 2015 and has utilized social media - mainly Instagram - to connect with and help people reach their fitness goals.
I caught up with Bryan and discussed the importance of keeping connected during this time of uncertainty and how he’s used Instagram and Zoom as a way to help his 12.5K followers not lose sight of their goals. Bryan has to continually develop and create unique content, which can create stress and anxiety as he tries to stand apart in an already supersaturated content world.
The stress of trying to create different content
Bryan chang
It’s an up hill battle. Building a community doesn’t happen over night and it takes dedication and tenacity. The thing is, if we look at the audience of some “Influencers,” you can find yourself wondering how they built such a large audience.
The reality is, it isn’t so much about the size of the audience, it's about how engaged they are. That’s what makes an audience great, that's what makes an audience compelling.
For Nhu - that engagement comes from just being herself. Nhu doesn’t have hundreds of thousands of followers. Her community of about 6,000 are passionate and engaged. For her it's about sharing her passion and the beauty she sees in the world.
She started posting images of cars and car parts, and as can be expected her audience was 80% male. She wondered if she could shift that demographic make up and started to inject images of herself into her feed. As her feed becomes more personal she’s noticing an uptick in engagement and a change in those demographics.
Pack it all in for life on the road. That is what Coleman Molnar did many years ago…and he hasn’t looked back. Coleman and his partner Lisa left their jobs in the fashion and entertainment publication industry for the confines of a slightly used Westfalia camper van.
And while that might seem like a rash decision to most - they did so with a well-defined plan. Along with their new camper van life, they launched a brand and agency … LietCo. The Instagram account of the fledgling agency soon grew to cover 17,000 followers.
The road hasn’t been easy - there have been bumps (and the odd breakdown) along the way, but through it all, they’ve built a successful influencer/lifestyle brand that companies seek to help bring awareness to their products.
If everything is under control…you’re not moving fast enough. Words spoken by famed race car driver Mario Andretti. That statement seems to fit race car driver and entrepreneur Daniel Morad.
Daniel began his career earlier than most when he competed competitively as a race car driver at the age of 8. Fast forward 20 years…really fast…he has created a resume that boasts many racing championships and a solid reputation as a top driving instructor.
Daniel kept the pedal to the metal and diversified. He taught himself photography and videography…. blogging during race weekends….and building his audience. As his audience grew he co-founded “Moradness” a lifestyle brand focused on apparel and race inspired hats. The brand was designed as a perfect hybrid between fashion and his personal brand building.
I had the chance to catch up with Daniel about building an audience and communities and promoting brands through his social channels as well as tips for people interested in turning their passions into content.
Remember when you were a kid standing at the edge of a swimming pool. You were all set to go swimming and you were building up the courage to jump in. You knew that there would be a shock of cold but after that shock the fun would start. You closed your eyes and took a breath and jumped!
What is the secret to success? Whether that success is building an audience Starting a company and venturing out on your own as a content creator can be a lot like taking that first plunge. Marta Tryshak took that leap with the help of a financial grant and made a bold decision to start her own agency. She utilized her personal social channels as an outlet of support to curate content that would help market her services. Today I get the opportunity to virtually sit down with Marta and discuss what goes on behind the scenes as a young entrepreneur building a company in the online and content marketing industry.
What is the secret to success? Whether that success is building an audience or something else? It’s a question that’s been asked untold times yet we still ask it and the answer still evades us.
The secret hasn’t evaded content creator and Porsche and beard enthusiast Magnus Walker. Magnus’ content success was jumpstarted when a short film about his obsession with classic Porsches, called Urban Outlaw, was released. From there lady luck smiled on him as shows like Top Gear highlight the film. Even though Magnus got a kickstart when building his community, he kept putting great content out and experimenting with new ways of connecting with his audience. As he describes it…is a hobby that’s gotten out of control.
He keeps the content coming and continually explores new ways of connecting to his audience. Take his recent foray into a cooking show, that's about as far away from a Porsche and beard as you can get.
Is the secret getting a kickstart from a large publication or organization? Is it the ability to continually publish great content or the ability to continually explore new ways of connecting?
Magnus might have the answer.
The dream of many people is to travel the world and get paid to do it. It’s not as far fetched as you might think. Zach Brehl, a notable car spotter based out of Toronto, Canada is living that dream.
Zach started shooting cars about seven years ago.… way back in the days before Facebook had purchased Instagram for one billion dollars.
His content journey all started when Zach and his friend had a wager to see who could get the most Instagram followers. Shortly after winning that wager, he started to take the platform a little more seriously.
He invested in equipment and started to look at what other successful content creators were doing on the platform. Over the year he’s developed his own style, although he acknowledges that inspiration comes from others around him. Standing on the shoulder of giants.
What do you dream about doing?
If there was something you could be doing right now…like if you could drop everything and do this one thing what would it be?
This is a question that’s everyone’s thought about from time to time. But life gets in the way and we often end up doing what we do and dreaming of what we’d like to do.
Jakob Pospieszynski decided that he’d like to spend more time with his Porsche. From a humble beginning participating on car forums, Jakob turned his passion into a streamlined YouTube channel releasing weekly shows about his Porsche 993. and…while building subscribers on YouTube he also built a significant Instagram following.
They say it takes ten thousand hours to master something…. and if you need proof there’s even a Macklemore song about it, so that makes it real.
Now…not everyone subscribes to the ten thousand hour philosophy, but I’d argue that regardless of the hours, being great at something usually takes consistency, dedication and practice.
This week I caught up with automotive photographer, publisher and reluctant influencer Lucas Scarfone of Scarfone Photo.
Lucas has been behind the camera shooting cars for the better part of sixteen years now. Over those years he’s steadily built an audience on Instagram that is more than just an audience…may have become friends. Lucases’ secret? Well, let's find out…
These are unprecedented times. Unprecedented, now there’s a word that’s been thrown around a lot. However, that is where we are at. The world has been turned upside down and companies and content creators are flocking to live-streaming in an effort to remain connected to their audience.
This week, we caught up with Live-streaming master Alex Lindsay of 090 Media and discussed some of the ins and outs of live-streaming and what it all means as we navigate these unprecedented times.