You are now tuning in to discover your potential. So listen, participate. Be inspired. Know that you can discover your potential. Welcome to Discover Your Potential. I'm your host, Dan Gilman. And we have an amazing talented guest today. Kevin Callbee. Kevin is a content creator, coach, who helps creators create, share their gifts, and make an impact to the world. He has over 30 years of experience in video production, creative strategy, and marketing. After being on the radio for several years, he moved to TV and worked at stations affiliated with Fox, NBC, CBS, ABC, just to name a few. Kevin led an award-winning creative team for one of the most recognized Fox affiliates in the country. And he also started his own marketing, his own video marketing business, rather, Kevin Callbee Media. And has worked with national brands, small businesses, non-profits, entrepreneurs, and solo content creators. He is a husband, dad of three kids, including one with special needs, a coffee drinker, a Batman fan, a music lover. Please welcome Kevin Callbee. Hi, Kevin, how are you? I have to write the bio to send to people like that and then you're listening to it thinking, you know, that's kind of cool. Oh, it's you. Oh, that sounds so cocky. But Dan, I'm great. I hope you are. I've been looking forward to this. Thank you so much for having me on the show. Oh, thank you. Thank you for being here. It's a pleasure. In an honor too. I wanted to start with, but I usually like to open this. What was your childhood like? How were you brought up? What, and also, what, when your passions met with media and video creation and marketing and design, what drove you to that world? So, I'm an only child. I don't have any brothers or sisters, which as a child, I never understood that. I always kept bugging my parents like just to go get a brother. I wanted a little brother, so basically not so I could nurture just so I could boss around. That's so that may tell you something. I don't know. But I always hear people go, oh, that explains a lot. You're an only child. But I had a vivid imagination as a kid. I mean, I had friends growing up, but I would just create stuff and play and things like that. And so I think I was, I think everybody's has a creative spark and a creative gene and gifts. But I think we use them differently. And mine is just kind of, it's gone into what I do. So I've always been around that. But I remember long, long before I you never got into any type of business that I would sit in my room. I had a little bit of turn table. And for those of you that it's a record player. So if you don't you have to Google that. But it's like a little bit of record player. And I had a stack of 45s. And I would play DJ. And I would act like I was on the radio. And I would take the radio, the record off and play it. And so, and that was really at a young age. And I was fascinated with just, you know, I think the visual and the audio side of things. I mean, I did watch a lot of TVs, a child, and still watch a lot of TV. But well, I actually probably not as much as I did. But I've just always been fascinated with how things are done. And even up to today, I mean, I watch movies and TV shows kind of two different ways. I watch to be entertained. And then I watch to how did they do that. And I joke that I've totally ruined just the entertainment value for my wife, who could just sit and watch a show and enjoy it. And I'm like, hey, you know how they got that shot? Who did you notice that? And now she'll go, hey, did you notice? And I'm like, I'm sorry, honey. I used to just be able to enjoy stuff. So I mean, that's that's kind of it. I mean, I was blessed with parents who, you know, I mean, they, you know, they didn't make a lot of money. My mom stayed at home because she wanted to be a stay at home mom. And my dad worked for a long time for the same company, much smarter than me. And but, you know, we took vacations together. And family was first for my parents. And they sacrificed a lot for me. And so, you know, those are things that I've taken with me up through my years and my family, too. So, you know, I just, I don't really remember a time when I haven't been creating something. And then I was blessed to, as I started college, I started working in radio. And I thought, oh, this is the bomb. I'm on radio and I'm going to college. And I really don't know why I'm going to college. But they're paying me to be on the radio. And then eventually got into television. And here we are today. I also, I would love to learn more about, you know, about your passion. When you found and discovered your own potential of, in what drove you to where you are today. And you're helping so many people with, with your mission and your purpose, which is, which is beautiful. So I just love to come up with that. Well, I mean, you know, wow, that is, that is a great question. You know, I grew up originally. You know, I wanted to be a policeman. I thought that's what I was going to do. I was wanting to be a policeman. But then over the years, everything changed. I was going to be a social worker. I wanted to be a stuntman for a while. Probably because I just fell down a lot and never got hurt. There were so many things. I was going to be a youth worker. And I think when the radio thing kicked in, I thought, wow, I like this. This is really cool. And then when television came around, and I had a chance to work for a TV station, I'm like, well, you know, all I know about TV is the fact that you can spell it with two letters. I mean, that's all I knew. And what I enjoyed, I mean, my first, my first job in TV was a very, very small independent station in Nashville, Tennessee, that eventually became part of Fox, when Fox first started. So I always thought it was ironic that my first TV station became a Fox affiliate. My last TV station in the TV business was a Fox affiliate. And, you know, I was a team of me and the graphics artist. I had, you know, I was on TV and I had to learn how to edit and I had to spend money on advertising budgets and things like that. So it was really a crash course in getting in there and figuring things out, which I've always enjoyed doing. I don't mind saying, I don't know. I don't mind, thankfully we have Google now in YouTube, but I don't mind checking that out. So, you know, over time, opportunities kept presenting themselves. And eventually led to us being in North Carolina and I was with a company for a long time and that position went away, which I kind of thought it would because the way the business was going. And so I kept thinking, what do I want to do? What am I going to do? I get back in the business. People are like, oh, you can just work for any station you want to. But then I had people coming to me saying, hey, can you help us with this project? Can you help us with this video? I've always had a heart for nonprofits. I just, I just, I, and especially as I started doing my own business, I just, I enjoy working with nonprofits because to me, those are the folks that are a lot of times on the front lines. They're not getting any, any, you know, praise and glory. They're doing the grunt work. They're doing the hard work just to help others. And I'm like, you know, if I could help them with video or marketing or share their stories or whatever, wow, that's not a bad day. And so, you know, when the position went away, I really struggled with who I was and what I was doing and stuff like that. And probably wrote my most cathartic blog post that probably nobody's ever written as like my journey, my creative journey to find my why. Because for the longest time, I figured out, it took me a while to figure out that my, my, my, what had been confused with my why. And so people would say, what do you do? Well, when I was in TV, I could say, hey, I'm a creative director. And they'd go, oh, yeah. And then after they'd say, what do you do? And I go, I don't know. So then it became that, well, what do I really do? What am I here for? What am I wanting to do? And, you know, and I had to get comfortable with self-promotion. I had to get comfortable with putting myself out there more. But then you do that. So then more people can say, hey, you know, I'm liking this. Can you help us with this? Can we talk? And from there, a lot of deals and friendships and sponsorships and things have come through that I would, I would have never, ever dreamed of, even when I was in television. So, so everything along the way, it's a long answer and I apologize. Everything along the way, I think has just been seeds for where I am now that I never saw years ago. And I don't know what next year, the next several years going to look like. I just, I love creating professionally, personally. And it's a blast. And it's really a blast when you know you touch somebody's life, whether they comment on one of your YouTube videos, or you see yourself out there with a nonprofit or something like that, or, you know, a business client or something like that. It's just, it's, it's, it's just nice. Who, who do you think your favorite, who's your favorite director? Actually, do you have a favorite director? Oh, man, you know, for a long time, it was Spielberg. One of my favorite actors is Tom Hanks. Love Tom Hanks. I think Tom Hanks is our modern day Jimmy Stewart. I just, oh my word. Now, I haven't liked every Tom Hanks movie, but I do like Tom Hanks. I like Christopher Nolan a lot. I won't tell him that. The next time you tell him, just say, I like Christopher Nolan a lot. Of course, you know, didn't hurt that he did the Batman trilogy. He did it very well. But I just, I like his, his movies, and the way he does things. I just recently saw a tenant. I have to watch it again to fully understand it. But just in how he constructs things. So those would be some. You know, there's a lot of directors. I probably don't know, but I admire for just, just trying different things. You know, I mean, there's been, you know, Scorsese stuff I like, but I'm not necessarily a Scorsese fan. One of my favorite stories, though, if you don't mind me sharing, is that when Scorsese was doing gangs of New York, I think that was the movie, gangs of the gangs of New York. He and as the story goes, he and Lucas are friends. So Lucas comes to the set to visit Scorsese, and they've built like this set, and they've got this huge ship, you know, and it's in a dry dock, and it's going to be pulled in, and they'll fill it up with water. And he's showing all this stuff. The Lucas and Lucas goes, Martin, why don't you just create it all digitally, save a lot of money. And then the other one Mars like, no, you got to be realistic. And I thought, wow, you've got two great directors coming at, at the aesthetics totally different. But yeah, they're both still rooted in story. And I just, I don't know, I just always thought that was interesting, and I thought, man, what a great fly on the wall that would have been just to watch them, you know, kind of spar back and forth on how to get the movie made. Now I will say this though, just in case, that my favorite movie of all time. My kids could tell you this before I even tell you because I talk about is saving private Ryan. I've never seen a movie like that, and I saw it in the theater, and I remember there's only three movies I've ever seen in my life where when it was over, there was a hush in the theater or permeated with some, you know, crying or something like that. Saving private Ryan, Schindler's list, and the passion of the Christ. And I'm even getting chills just thinking about it because, you know, I've never been in service, even though I look like a cross between Lieutenant Dan and Willie Nelson. But I've never been in service, but I felt like what it might have been like to be on that beach and just the realisticness, that's a word of it. And then the story behind it and things like that. So yeah, it's, you know, there's those movies you can watch anytime they're on, and saving private Ryan is just one of those that I just, I don't think it can be topped. Yeah, I remember there are a couple of other films out there that kind of created the same. Somewhere in time, I don't know if you've seen that with Christopher Reeves. Yes, yeah, which is a beautiful film. Yeah, absolutely. Beautiful mind and also. Russell Crowe. Yeah, and also the Robin Williams film that I thought was really amazing, which was, I'm trying to remember the name, where dreams may come or where dreams I should know it. I know the one you're talking about. I never saw that one. Yeah. I don't know if you're into Rob Williams. I'm a big Rob Williams, Rob and Williams fan, but that was not typical Rob and Williams film. It was just anyway, I didn't want to make this a film conversation, but now that I got started, you have a amazing YouTube. I'm going to also post the YouTube link down below. What you're doing and you're, you know, working with other creators and just, it sounds really exciting, everything that you're working on now. Well, you know, I appreciate that. Yeah, I mean, you know, YouTube is my core platform and it took me, it took me a bit to figure that out. I may, I'm trying to say sound smart, I may look smart. I don't know. Anyway, I may ask smart. How about that? But it took me a while to figure out that, you know, YouTube was my core platform that I can, you know, I can reach more people and I do make money off YouTube and things like that. This podcast is sponsored and brought to you by Squarespace. You know, one of the questions we get asked all the time is, how do you keep all of your projects organized? Your show, guests, sponsors, videos, podcasts without losing your mind? The truth is, we use Squarespace for everything. It's not just a website, it's the home base for our entire creative world. From posting new episodes and booking guests to managing our sponsors and embedding videos, it's all in one place. What I love most is that it just works. You can make something beautiful in minutes, no coding, no stress, and it actually looks like you. Whether it's your first podcast, a side hustle or a full brand, Squarespace gives you the tools to make it look professional from day one. So if you've got a story, a passion, or a purpose, bring it to life with Squarespace. Check out Squarespace.com slash dyp for a free trial. And when you're ready to launch, use offer code. dyp to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Squarespace, where your potential finds its platform. But I just at the end of the day, I like to help people create. Because that's the questions I would get is like, hey, you know, I mean, you'll get that, you know, what is the best camera? And if anybody's watching this, here's the answer. I'll save you somebody. There isn't one. Usually it's the one you have. You know, just figure out how to use it, rather than keep chasing something. And I speak from experience there where you think you've got every piece of gear you need. Oh, look at that one. Let me go buy one. I'm, yeah, I have a dish with that too. But I like to help creators create. And I tend to want to speak to the people that are brand new, or have started and they're still kind of struggling. Or even that they've been doing it a bit and they're stuck. And because what I find a lot of times is that I've got a lot, I mean, I'm a professional. I always kind of, when I say that, but I am. But I think sometimes the pro creators almost treat it like it's a secret club that unless you speak the right language and have the right stuff, you're not allowed in. And I'm like, really? I'm sorry. That's horrible. And what I, so what I love to do is help people create. But then you take that to a business world where people that have never done video ever, totally either scared of it or they don't think it works. And then you can help them introduce them into digital media and using that to grow their business or share their story or raise funds for their nonprofit. And they go, oh, it's not that hard. Oh, I can do a lot with it. And so I mean, that's what I just love doing. You know, and the beauty is, is I, as since it's my own business, I can really pick and choose. And, you know, it's a little different when you're starting. I shot three weddings. And after the last one, I said, I will never, ever do another wedding again. You know, one was for a friend, one was for paid. And well, the second two, and the second one was paid. And that was actually, I don't want to share details, but that was the only client I've ever fired. It got so bad. I actually gave him the money back and said, we're done. I don't need to do this. You've got the videos. Have a great day. And it's just not for me. Yeah, you have to have a certain mindset for that. That's for sure. Oh, yeah. And I don't have it. Nor do I. I was trying that a while ago as well. So Kevin, is there anything that you're working on now with, with, uh, you know, your own work of art, your own piece that you're working on? Yeah, one of the things I'm glad you asked. And this may segue into some of the other things we're going to talk about. So our, our young, we have three kids and our youngest son has special needs. And his name is a little IS. We, I don't know, I don't know when, but we started calling him little dude. And one of the things I, I have a folder of media and I call it life of E, um, because the light starts with the, and so, um, I, I keep a lot of stuff in there. And one of the things I want to do one day is do a short documentary, series of videos, whatever, just about him. And, and what it's like, you know, uh, from a special needs family and perspective. Because I, you know, I got to say, I'm the other two kids don't have disabilities, you know, thank God or anything like that. So Elias has opened up a whole world to us that, I mean, I'll be honest. You know, I knew nothing about from afar. And it's, you know, it's, it's a crazy world. So I mean, we've actually started a YouTube channel. I'll be honest, I just, I just dumped videos on there. I did all the things you're not supposed to do. I haven't really messed with it. In fact, if you, if you go to it, like the first video is like an old video. And the second one is like a new, you know, it's just, it's all out of sync. But we're, we're talking about, you know, wouldn't it be great if we could figure out a way to either build a nonprofit around him, you know, where it benefits other families of, of special needs kids. We've talked about maybe using some artwork and some things like that with donations going back to whatever it might be, even to traveling around. This is the thing that we've been talking about more recently is, how could we figure out a way to, to just travel more and share that story so it inspires other people and encourages them. And also just shines more of a light on what a lot of special needs families go through. Not, not, not for a pity party, you know, but just to understand some of the, the frustrations, some of the victories and things like that. So that's the thing that I think ultimately drives everything we do. And I say we because I think, you know, that's where my wife wants to get more involved in, in that side as well. And honestly, with having a special needs child and if, and if any of your listeners and viewers do, they're going to understand this. I mean, you know, when you have kids, you're, you know, your priorities and schedules change. But even when you have a special needs or somebody with, you know, disabilities or special things like that, I mean, you got to be really flexible. I mean, just, you know, 10 minutes, 15 minutes before we started today, he was having a seizure. And, you know, I've had to cancel things. I've had to move things around. And it can get frustrating. He can't help it. But you have to be flexible that way. Now, now, you know, thank God I have my own business. And I work out of a renovated, you know, my, my office studio is a, is a renovated bedroom that I have my own space. I can be mobile like that. And, and so therefore I can adapt my work. I mean, I've edited several projects from a hospital room, you know, you do what you have to. So anyway, that's, that's kind of where I think we would like to take it. I love helping people create, you know, even working even more so, not exclusively, but more so with nonprofits. But just being able to share his story, why it matters. And, and I, I mean, I think that's where we want to go. So it's, it's, it's not a complete, firmed out project. But I'm like I said, I keep, I'm pointing at my hard drive. I keep all the pieces in the part. So one day I can tell that, that bigger story. This is a good time to segue the LGS foundation. First for our listeners, because the many of our listeners probably don't even know what is LGS. And, and also what, what, what causes it? Yeah. And, and how do you typically treat it? And it sounds like I'm, I mean, you, I've, I've seen in, in Redposts, it, I, and I empathize, you know, I really feel for you, because it's just a lot of work and it's a lot of energy. And it's just, it's hard. I have, I have two kids. It's hard to even see my child hurt. Oh, yeah. Yeah. And, and to see your son go through that, it has to be so painful. Yeah. Well, and I'll be honest, we had never heard LGS. We never heard so LGS stands for Linux, Gastaut syndrome, which we had never heard of until we had taken him to a neurologist and he mentioned it. It just kind of was impassing. In fact, it was in his notes. And, and as, as it became more obvious over time that that is what he has, you know, we were all having to dig back through and when did the neurologist say this and stuff? And this in the simplest form, LGS is a severe form of epilepsy. You're not born with it. Ironically, you develop it. Now, how do you develop it? Don't know. I mean, Elias has some other things going on. So did that contribute to the LGS? You know, I don't know. Right now, there's no cure. You treat it as best you can. So, you know, at one point, he was on three seizure meds a day. Now we've gotten down to one, but, you know, we have tried everything. I mean, he's even on a keto diet now to help with the seizures and that seems to help, but then keto has the side effect of kidney stones. So there's this cycle. So then it's like, okay, so are we treating the kidney stones or are we treating the seizures, which then, you know, so there's a, there's a cycle. So that's what the LGS foundation is all about is raising awareness and funds. So they can continue the research to hopefully find a cure. There's a lot of ways to minimize it and treat it, but there's not yet the way to cure it. Yeah, they say statistically speaking, there's approximately 48,000 children and adults in the US alone that have LGS. And approximately over a million people worldwide. So it certainly is. Yeah. When I read about it, it was like, wow, okay, there's, and I honestly never heard of LGS either. Yeah. Well, and you know, we kind of joke, it's not it's not the sexy disorder. You know, you know, you know, you know, hear about it because it's a smaller one, but the families that have, and it can develop. I mean, the lady right now that's the executive director, I don't want to misrepresent the story, but I think her daughter didn't exhibit signs until she was early teenage years. And I think she's now 20. So you can live a long time with it. And you know, the seizures can come and go, and then there's obviously other side effects. And then there's some kids that just they don't live long with it, you know, because of the seizures and things like that. Yeah. Then happens. So, but yeah, it's it's it's not the most known disorder or syndrome or whatever, but, but it's, you know, it it's it can be it can be rough at times. It can be. I'm not going to sugar code. It can be tough. For parents who have children who have disabilities, what I find this important to, what sort of advice can you give to them? I yeah, you know, I mean, that's a great question. I, you know, first of all, I mean, my wife and I a lot of times have been told how great we are and oh, you guys are amazing. And we're really not. I mean, we're parents, we're people. I mean, you know, I mean, I think your job as parents is to love your kids and do the best you can. And you realize it as they get older. You know, you do your best and they're going to turn out sometimes the way they do. And they may disappoint you. They may not, you know, and they have to find their own way. But with special needs, you know, what I would say to any parents out there that are just getting a diagnosis or something like that has happened. And we've got friends where, you know, we know a lady who's in a car accident. And because of the car accident, her son now is disabled. And so she carries that guilt. I would say, you know, just love them and do the best you can and know that there's a community out there that that can help. You know, my wife is in a couple of support groups, you know, just a bunch of ladies that also have special needs kids and they're always, you know, exchanging like, you know, just encouragement and things like that. You know, and also know a lot of times it's a battle. I mean, you're fighting insurance sometimes. You're fighting the doctor. You're fighting, you know, medical providers and things like that. But it's all worth it. So I would say, you know, being encouraged in what you're doing, you're doing the right thing. And you, I mean, every parent should be an advocate for their child period. But you really, really have to be an advocate for a child with disabilities. You have to. Because nobody really is going to fight for them like you. Now, we've been blessed to be, in fact, I said in one of the posts, you know, I think we, I feel like we've been surrounded by the Avengers, you know, that we've had the most amazing doctors, the most amazing therapists, the most amazing specialists. But we still have to fight for Elias for what he needs, what's best for him. And the other thing too is like, be okay with just saying I'm tired. I'm frustrated. I need a break. I need somebody to help and reach out. It can be isolating and lonely. And I think that's a dangerous place to be in. And then just tell people, you know, what you need, how you can help, you know, we don't do that as much as I say we should. So I'm not always following my own advice. So that's that's that's some of the advice I would give an encouragement. Yeah. Well, you are amazing. So I'm just me. Right. Amazing you. But so if there's one thing point of advice, whether it be something, you know, about the business or like a tip that you'd like to give out to people or just even some, you know, even some motivation, you know, talk it about your why. I mean, that's something that we're actually having somebody on the program in a couple of weeks actually, they're the why institute. And he talks about all about your why. And I find that really fascinating that you bring that up because that's something that I'm really kind of everybody that I have on or many of the folks that I have on my show, like I had Les Brown on not long ago. And it's all about, you know, who you are, your purpose and your, you know, driven and once you find your why, you find your world opens up, which is really fascinating. Well, you know, I read a book years ago that probably a lot of people have heard of Purpose Driven Life by a guy named Rick Warren. And I don't, the sad thing is I don't remember a lot about that. I don't read that much I should. I, there's a, I have a running joke with my wife is that she loves to read. She's been in book clubs. And I'm like, why not just watch the movie. It's a lot faster because it takes me forever to read a book. But the book basically starts out with it's not about you. And I think, you know, we live in a world and probably we always have probably, but even more so with social media, which I love. And, and digital media and virtual where it, it is, you know, influencers is so much about me, me, me, me. And, you know, I mean, I, I'll share with you. I mean, my why, what took me a while to get to was that my, well, my why came down to three things. I need to honor God, support my family, and help others. That's my why. That's my purpose. Now, how I do that may shift and change, you know, um, you know, I have to make sure that my YouTube channel is helping people, you know, and I've, and you know, it's, because it's easy to throw a video up there and are people commenting and they liking it and things like that. And it's like, yeah, but did it help anybody? Did it touch anybody? And then what the work you do, how are you doing that? And everybody has to decide how they do that. So if you are wanting to create, I just did a video on this. Dan, this can be any more timely. But, um, I, I really think it comes down to three things. And these are my three things. Um, and I'm probably going to do more about this. You know, this is maybe that project that grows, because I've thought about maybe doing a course and some other stuff around it. But I'll just share this. It comes down to three things. Consume, create, and connect. I think those are the key that if you want to be a student of something, if you want to understand it, consume it, you know, if you want to understand YouTube, understand about it. If you want to understand about, uh, LGS, read about it, talk to people about it, you know, consume content so you can have a better understanding of it. But then create. And, and as I say in the video, what should you create? I don't know, whatever you need to. But, you know, if you've got a phone, you got a camera, I got a webcam, got a camera. Um, I think you can, you can do that document, you know, and, and, and even if you just have kids, you want to like do videos with the kids, that's fine. But you need to be creating to figure out what you want to do and how you can do it and what your voice is and then connecting. And, and it's, it's connecting with your community, reaching out to folks, not just what can you do for me, but how can I help you or just, you know, shooting a message as somebody going, dude, I really like that video you did on whatever or, you know, thank you so much for whatever. Uh, I, I have connected with people around the world, you know, by just like sending a message and just talking. And, and to me, I really think it comes down to that, um, that helps you develop your voice, develop who you are, develop your content because, I mean, quite honestly, anybody can be a content creator. We may be on different levels and different mediums, but my word, I mean, think of a better time we've lived in. You want to start a podcast, start it for free. You want to start video, start it for free. You want to start a blog? You can start all this for free. I mean, the biggest platforms on the world are giving us the tools to reach the world. Yeah. I mean, I think that's pretty sweet. Yeah. Yeah. No, that's, that's incredible. So Kevin, how is it? I'd love to have you back on here and see how you're expanding that project, it sounds really fascinating. Um, how can people reach you? What's the best way to people reach you? Best place if you want to check out my YouTube channel and see if there's anything on there that would help you, that would be fantastic. It's youtube.com slash Kevin call be. You can also check out my website, Kevin call be dot com on there's some things about projects I've worked on and gear I use and resources and things like that. Um, and then also we were talking about this too. If you want to check out Kevin call be media dot com, which is technically my business name. Um, that right now is hosting my podcast, few blog articles and some, some video too, but, um, but any of those you can reach out to me, message me, leave a comment on a YouTube video. I'm just not that big that I don't comment to everybody. Um, but yeah, those, those would be the best best ways to do that. And if somebody's interested in, you know, coaching or working together or just wanting to know more, especially nonprofits, things like that, probably the website would be the best, the best option. Yeah, that's great. Well, thank you, Kevin. I truly appreciate your time today. Uh, it's, it's really great to, to talk to you and looking forward to the next time as well. Hey, thanks for having me on. It was a blast, highly honored and I just appreciate it. Yeah, thank you. This is Cindy Gilman and your listening to discover your potential. So until next time, do something nice for yourself, but do something nice for someone else.
