Brian Sebastian - What If Your Breakthrough Is Just Around the Corner?
Consistency Wins: Brian Sebastian on Building a Media Career
Brian Sebastian has hosted his live show every single week for years, including holidays, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. He believes that steady consistency is what separates the people who make it from the people who quit.
On this episode o fConversations with Carroll, Carroll Patrizi welcomes Brian, founder, creator, host and producer ofMovie Reviews and More. His work reaches audiences through outlets including iHeartRadio and HD radio, and his streaming platform is approaching 45 million views. He was also named fourth on Hollywood Elite Magazine's list of best TV, radio shows and podcasts.
Brian is quick to say he simply interviews famous people, plus the up-and-comers who may be famous next. Carroll calls him famously respected, and admires how he treats every guest with kindness and professionalism. Even when a film doesn't top his list, his reviews still find something positive to say.
Steady growth over overnight success
None of Brian's videos went viral overnight. His biggest month came from a short clip of artists performing Jon Bon Jovi songs when Bon Jovi was honored as MusiCares Person of the Year. Views grew steadily over about two weeks. Brian will take that kind of steady growth any day.
From Behind the Mic to the Red Carpet
Brian is an old-school radio guy who always preferred working behind the scenes, behind the turntables and the microphone. He started in radio in Connecticut, worked news radio, and even worked forThe Merv Griffin Show.
In 1987 he moved to California, planning to head north to be near his favorite drum corps, the Santa Clara Vanguard. God had another plan. He landed in Los Angeles, the country's number two radio market, and juggled three jobs:
Promotions for Power 106, driving the station van
Tower Video on the Sunset Strip, where celebrities and music legends came through the doors
Voice work for The Wave, an easy-listening station
Surrounded by the music and film world of Southern California, he soaked up everything: what worked in marketing, what didn't, and where people were leaving money on the table. From there he moved into voiceovers, then face-to-face interviews at hotels, junkets and film festivals.
Closing one chapter to open the next
Brian spun records as a DJ from 1977 to 1991. When he was done with that phase, he sold his entire vinyl collection to Amoeba Records so others could enjoy it, and moved on.
Carroll loved that he closed the loop. So many people never do. She also noted that Brian was always building on each experience, even when he didn't know what it was preparing him for.
Brian's Advice for Aspiring Hosts and Podcasters
Carroll asked what someone hoping to follow Brian into radio, media or interviewing should focus on first. He named three things.
Heart. If your heart isn't in it, it won't work. Carroll added that this question comes first, because if you don't love what you do, the rest falls apart.
Faith. Brian has practiced Buddhism for more than 35 years. He prays for others and believes in cause and effect: make good causes, and the effects come back to you in different ways.
Consistency. Attention spans are short, and staying power is rare.
The one-year test
Brian offers a challenge for anyone starting something new. Imagine success is waiting for you one year from today, around a long corner. Would you keep going every single day, holidays included, to get there?
He has lived that test. His live show had passed 200 episodes in a row, nearly three years without a miss. It airs Tuesdays at 5 p.m. Pacific and 8 p.m. Eastern, chosen to dodge Monday holidays and to reach an international audience across time zones.
As Brian points out, it takes years of love and persistence to make a documentary or film too. Whatever the project, you have to love the process enough to see it through. Carroll says she plans to follow his example and go live more consistently herself.
Kindness, Respect and Taking a Chance on People
Brian's word for the year is kindness.
He never says no to an interview, because you never know who someone will become. He points to the casting choice that put a young Brad Pitt inThelma & Louise. People always remember who took a chance on them first, and Brian wants to be that person. For him, it's about giving a voice to the voiceless.
Everyone is just people
Carroll asked whether the famous people Brian interviews are just like everyone else. Brian says yes, they simply have a bit more money. He shared a story he once heard about Denzel Washington handling a stranger's wariness in an elevator with grace and humor. The lesson: plenty of people won't know who you are, so treat everyone with respect.
Carroll connected it to kindness. Assume the best in people, because that's the energy you'll give off in every situation.
The tortoise wins
Brian calls himself the turtle: slow, steady and focused. When he started out, he was the low man on the list at studio press junkets, often at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills. He knew two things. Nobody would out-watch him on movies, and nobody would outlast him on consistency. He saw himself in competition with no one, and played the long game.
He also admires how Barbara Walters kept landing the big interviews in a field where many doubted she belonged. Go get the interview, he says, or someone else will.
How a Media Career Actually Works
Brian's family, 3,000 miles away, couldn't picture what he did. So he explained it with a movie poster: you knowMission: Impossible? He's the one on the other side of the table interviewing Tom Cruise, and he walks out with the tape to prove it.
Getting paid
Carroll asked how an independent host earns a living. Brian's answer: sponsorship, the same model behind the NFL and the Grammys. Sponsors look at viewership. New podcasters often want sponsors right away, he says, yet with no audience they start several rows behind. You have to build first, with patience and determination.
By the numbers
Brian tracks everything and timestamps it in his calendar.
What | Brian's count |
|---|---|
Interviews last year | 352 |
Movies watched per day | About 2.5 on average, with a record of 9 in one day |
Videos on his YouTube channel | Nearly 2,700 |
Sites he posts each piece of content to | 16 |
Even while working on a ranch in California, he kept uploading content between chores.
Do it yourself first, then build the right team
Brian still runs his own social media. He was once told you can't direct others to do something you don't know how to do yourself, the same way a store owner should know every job from sweeping up to ordering supplies.
He also works with a team, including publicist Meredith Corning PR in Arkansas, whom he chose deliberately from outside New York and Los Angeles. Picking the right team matters, he says.
Carroll agreed that teamwork makes the dream work.
Lift People Up Along the Way
For years, when Brian noticed a friend going through a hard time, he asked who inspired them. Then he found a way to bring them along to meet that person at an interview. Years later, many still thank him for it. Some were carrying struggles they only found words for later.
His "southern mom" taught him that life throws boulders in your path. Go around them, over them or through them to reach your goal, but never hurt people along the way. You never know when you'll cross paths again.
Carroll summed it up: whatever you do, use your platform to give others hope and inspiration.
At the time of recording, Brian was preparing to launch a military spotlight series honoring service members, veterans and military families.
His parting words of wisdom, delivered with a grin: "Just when you think you know the answer, I change the questions."
Key takeaways
Start with heart: love what you do.
Faith and good causes create good effects.
Consistency wins, even on holidays and 90-degree days.
Build an audience before you look for sponsors.
Learn every part of your work, then build the right team.
Be kind, take a chance on people, and lift others as you go.
Frequently asked questions
How do you grow a podcast? Brian's formula is heart, faith and consistency. Show up on the same schedule every week, build your audience patiently, and keep putting out content.
How do podcasts make money? Through sponsorship, which follows viewership. Brian advises building an audience first before expecting sponsors.
What is the one-year test? If success were waiting for you one year from today, would you keep going every single day, holidays included? Brian uses it to test commitment.
What is Movie Reviews and More? Brian Sebastian's show, where he interviews established and rising names in film and entertainment and reviews movies.
