Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua Fisher.
Hi Joshua, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I moved out to Los Angeles about eight years ago after receiving a Television/Radio/Film degree from Syracuse University. For my senior capstone, I made a short film that was accepted into a few different festivals across the United States, including the Los Angeles Short Film Festival. T.his small validation overinflated my confidence in wanting to pursue a career in film and helped seal my decision to move out of my small town in Massachusetts towards something bigger; Los Angeles.
I drove out with my college roommate in October of 2014 over the course of three days. I hoped that my passion and drive would make up for my lack of money and experience. Upon arriving to Los Angeles, I quickly learned that things were not going to come as easy as I’d originally hoped. I was fortunate enough to stay on a friend’s floor for three months, where I would apply to any and every job in the industry. I didn’t know at the time exactly what I wanted to do, just that I wanted to work and find a mentor.
Months went by without finding a job. I was starting to realize that claiming I was a jack of all trades was not what employers wanted to hear. Finally, about two months into my new life in Los Angeles, I got a job as an office manager at a music management company. Even though most of my duties were answering phones or refilling the diet cokes in the mini-fridge, I found some creative solace by helping make music videos & social content for some of the below-the-line artists that were signed with the company. Even though I was making next to no money, this experience validated my need to collaborate with others and produce cool.
A year passed at this job, and I was ready to move up in the company. Unfortunately, the company had no upwards mobility for me, and I was let go. This crushed me, as I felt like I was back to square one. To keep busy, I found a bunch of freelance editing jobs. One of these jobs in particular led to my next full-time job. I was editing highlight reels for different brands for a company that worked in brand integrations and product placements with different Hollywood productions. So for the next year, I was a project manager at this company. As someone who had been a brand ambassador throughout my high school and college career (doing everything from dressing up as the Nesquik bunny and passing out samples at Walmart to being a parrot mascot for Polly-o String cheese), this job made sense. But it wasn’t what I saw my future looking like.
One day, I found a job opportunity to run a digital radio station. At that point, I had no experience in radio other than a love for music and the sound of my own voice. After a multi-week interview process, I was hired as the program director for a company called Heard Well. This job was in partnership with a digital radio station called Tunein, where I would program a 24/7 music station and interview everyone from artists to musicians.
Wanting to prove to myself I could do this job, I created a roadmap for a 24/7 radio station geared towards a younger youtube influencer-skewing crowd. I programmed every hour of every week with music, creating different themes for every hour of the day. Playlists like “‘Yonce’s Brunch Mix” in the mornings with upbeat pop hits, to “As Long As I’m Awake” at night with LoFi dreamy beats to fall asleep to. And on top of all of this, I began reaching out and interviewing up-and-coming artists and influencers. In my first year on the station, I interviewed such artists as Emma Chamberlain, Conan Gray, and Billie Eilish (I was her first ever radio interview).
After a year on the station, I learned that while the radio station was not performing as expected, my interviews were doing really well. To keep this momentum going, Heard Well decided to sell all of my interviews to a podcast company called Castbox, where I helped create their first original podcast. At the time, podcasts were just starting to rise in popularity. And while I was a fan of them, I had never even considered the medium as a viable career option. But nevertheless, I continued making the show for Castbox; learning more and more about the storytelling potential within the medium.
After 6 months of this hosting job, I was burnt out. I was making next to no money, and it seemed like that would never change. I left the company in 2018 and was back to feeling as aimless as I did when I lost my first job. I was so lost that I started working as a brand ambassador for a popcorn company, where I would pass out free samples of popcorn at Costcos around the LA area. After about six months of this, I got a call out of the blue from someone asking me if I was “the podcast guy.” I answered yes with some hesitation, then the person on the other line asked me if I would help her produce a podcast for the head of Sony TV, Steve Mosko. I agreed to it, and from there the podcast spark was reignited.
For the next year, I would go on to produce numerous independent podcasts for people. I taught myself everything about the medium and became a one-man band of sorts. Everything from pre-production through recording and editing/mixing and mastering. I was then referred by one of my former clients to a job at a reality television company, where I was hired as their Head of Podcasts. I spent a year at this company helping build out their podcast endeavor. This company was so generous with their resources, but all the while it never felt like they wanted to take the medium seriously. They approached it from a television point of view, and ultimately I was never allowed to let the shows I was building take off. Seeing the writing on the wall, I began formulating my own strategy for how to run a podcast production company my own way. And after the company dissolved their podcast division a few months later, I was ready to take this strategy out in the world.
Through referrals and the connections I’ve made across my time in Los Angeles, I began building out my production company by collaborating with different companies and hosts on shows across all genres. I struck a working partnership with iHeart Media, where I helped produce numerous shows across their slate. I was really good at helping artists and brands take what they excelled at and optimize it for the audio medium. I also became really good at sound designing, which enabled me to help soundscape worlds within the podcast medium and tell intricate stories.
In 2021, I was hired by The Springhill Company to produce a show with DJ Khaled called “The First One” for Amazon Music. This show was the first big-budget show on Amazon’s premium podcast lineup, and it did really well for their overall podcasting initiative.
At the end of 2021, I realized that being a “one-man band” was really hard to keep up, especially given all of the referrals I was getting. From there, I decided to expand my business by incorporating my company. The company named Fish Food Productions is a name that I’ve had since I first started making home movies when I was in 6th grade. It was a dream come true. I was finally able to collaborate with other people and help create things using my own instincts.
Currently, I have about six shows in production and 3 shows signed fully to the company. One of these shows, Dear Therapists, is one of the top therapy shows in the country. I have multiple editors working for me now, as well as a video and social media team that I collaborate with. This helps Fish Food be a one stop shop for getting a show from pre-production all the way through distribution and forward marketing. Also, since the company is self-financed, we are able to keep overheads low, which enables us to continually put out high-quality episodes for our clients. But above all, I do not consider Fish Food a podcast company but a production company specializing in audio mediums that has a keen focus on story. While there are an endless amount of podcasts out there, I try to make each one that I produce sound unique and different from the rest, with a focus on engaging audiences through the intersection of sound and storytelling.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road has not been smooth, but you learn from all the low points. I always wanted to find a mentor in this industry. Instead, I’ve always learned what not to do from people. I believe when you have a grasp on your trade and what you bring to the table, it is easy to spot out the people that have no idea what they’re doing. As someone who works from show to show, I am fortunate to meet so many new people, and I always learn something from every single one. I also learned the power of knowing and perfecting a trade. Coming from someone who took pride in being a “jack of all trades,” you quickly learn that is not what people are necessarily looking for.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a Producer and Founder of Fish Food Productions. We specialize in storytelling within audio mediums, which include audiobooks and podcasts.
I take pride in the fact that every show I’ve produced under this company has come through a referral from clients I’ve worked with over the years. I believe it is a showcase of my work ethic, as I know deep down that any show I commit to I put everything I have into it. My passion for collaboration and storytelling bleeds through onto the work and helps create the indescribable style I bring to any show I work on.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
The biggest thing I learned is my innate ability to adapt to my surroundings. I think on a deeper level, it’s something most people took out of this crisis. For me personally, I learned how to continually work and create remotely. I created systems that enabled us to record remotely and ensure our audiences still got content while they were stuck at home. To me, podcasts are all about community building. They can help listeners feel less alone. During the Covid-19 crisis, we needed that more than anything.
Above all else, I learned how valuable relationships are and to recontextualize what is actually important in life.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://fishfoodprod.com
- Instagram: @jtothefish
- Linkedin: linked.com/in/jmfish02
Image Credits
vulture.com
