So I feel like I just moved houses or something, which I did actually a couple months ago, but now I'm moving again. Welcome to episode 171 or episode 1, depending on how you look at it, of digital creator. Did you notice before you clicked play that some things that change around here? I am rebranding the podcast name from digital podcaster to digital creator. Subtle shift. Got to use the same picture cover art, just changing the name from podcaster to creator. And I'll share with you in this episode how I decided on that change, what that change means for this podcast, and some of the thought process around rebranding that. Hopefully, you can use in your own journey should you ever decide to rebrand your own podcast or online brand. So let's get into it. This is the podcast for digital creators by digital creators with me, your host, Dylan Schmidt. Let's dive into insights on content entrepreneurship, creator strategies, and the occasional random topic because why not? Whether you're on day 1 or 1,000 of being a digital creator, let's learn and grow together. You're listening to Digital Creator. When I first started Digital Podcaster in June of 2021, the name was actually AI generated. Chat c b t wasn't a thing yet, and I had just used this service called copy dot a I. And I wanted to make online content about podcasting, and one of the names it gave me was Digital Podcaster. Now I knew I was gonna be talking about things in addition to podcasting, but podcasting was gonna be like the main focus. So I just went with that name, digital podcaster, and I like it. I I love it. It served me super well. As time has gone on with this brand, with this company, I developed things that are outside of podcasting. And really my history for the last 10 years is more than just podcasting. And I've had this, like, deep desire to want to expand, but not sure how to do it in a way that feels right. I don't want it to feel forced. I don't want it to feel rushed and I wanna be excited about it. A little over a year ago when I created content clips, I wasn't quite sure how to incorporate content clips content on social media, in this podcast, all that good stuff into digital podcaster content. Because the name digital podcaster always felt to me like a focus on podcasting. 50% of the questions that come in from you are not about just podcasting. There's so much more than that. And members inside the creator club have, like, gone on to witness that I have so much more experience than just podcasting. And I've been playing in the back of my mind, like, how do I incorporate all of these different elements into 1. And the 1st step towards that was something that my business coach suggested who doesn't know much about marketing, but more the organizational side of things. She suggested that instead of having everything on digital podcaster.com, I have it on dylan schmidt.com because I'm a creative individual and I'm gonna have different things that pop up and wanna share with you. And if I only have it on Digital Podcaster, it's just gonna limit myself for what I can offer. And I love that idea because the reality is I have dylan schmidt.com. Wasn't sure what to do with it. So if I just use that as the home base of where I would direct people towards. It makes a lot more sense. And when I had settled on Digital Podcaster back in June of 2021. It wasn't my original intention to be the only voice on it. I wanted to feature other creators. But, like, at this point, I've come to terms with the fact that it's just gonna be me, and I can always feature other people, but it's just me right now. And that's not to say I won't have interviews with other creators and things like that, but there is a lot of me in this brand. So it only makes more sense to just shift things more in the direction of Dylan Schmidt and using the creator word rather than just podcaster. Because I see podcasting as part of creating, but I don't, you know, only see podcasting as a means to the end for everything. So the idea behind choosing the name digital creator and the philosophy behind the name is really what it means to be a digital creator. So tell me if this checks out with you. So when I Google, what is a digital creator? It says this. A digital creator is someone who produces online content across various platforms. This could include social media, blogs, podcasts, or videos. They create and share content that is authentic to them in their brand, and they usually have a specific niche or audience they target. Now that couldn't be more dead on for who I am and what I want to help you with. And so it only made sense, and I googled Digital Creator Podcast. And there's other podcasts out there with, like, somewhat of a similar name, but not the direct name digital creator with so and so's name. So it was like all of the puzzle pieces fit immediately when that clicked. I help digital creators. I don't help just podcasters. I help people through, you know, podcasting, obviously, and I help people with videos. I've gotten a lot of questions lately around cameras, lighting, and just different video setups. It just seems to me like this obvious no brainer to go with digital creator at this stage of the game. Not to mention, it blends nicely with the creator club, and I wanna just simplify things always. So I'll be having, you know, my main name as, like, my name brand moving forward. I'm waiting. You know, by the time you hear this, it might already be changed, but I'm waiting to switch over my Instagram username to the Dylan Schmidt, because Dylan Schmidt or just Dylan are slight variations already taken. Just have to wait for, 1 username to start on the verified program before I can, like, port it over. So that will actually take a couple weeks for that change to happen, but I'll be leading with my name, Dylan Schmidt, across all the different platforms eventually over the next month or so. And then this podcast will be digital creator with Dylan Schmidt. And I'll be really leaning into the digital creator space, which I already have been. If you've been listening to this podcast at all previously, this is where I've been. It just, like, oh, yeah. To me, it just, like, seems like a no brainer, but it's a subtle shift. And so what you can expect as a listener of this podcast is, number 1, just more ease from me to vary up the topics that I cover around digital creating, whether that's social media, email marketing, podcasting still, video content, all of that stuff. Something about just calling a digital creator just frees me up mentally to be able to serve you best. And also, I will be featuring guests who are not just, you know, in the podcast space. I'll still be featuring guests that are in the podcast space, but not exclusively those types of guests. When I look back at my top episodes, those are the most popular episodes anyways. They're the ones that are not directly related to podcasting. They have a branch that maybe serves podcasting, but they help, you know, video creators. They help social media strategy, those types of things. So it's all in the same wheelhouse. It's just growing, which is exciting. And it frees me up again mentally to just talk with more people who are experts in certain areas that maybe aren't so podcasting specific, but maybe they are. And either way, I think we'll be able to take something from each guest that I interview, and implement it in our, you know, content in some way or another. But I'm really excited about this change, and I hope how I've shared my thought process behind everything will maybe help you either feel excited or, you know, get that push you need to overhaul your own brand in 2024 and grow things because you should be feeling good about what you're doing. You should feel revitalized and energized by the thought of who you're helping. And I've felt great about who I'm helping you, but I haven't quite felt it click, and it's been, you know, sitting at the back of my mind. And last night on the couch, just like how when I came up with the name Digital Podcaster on the couch, digital creator. Just popped up to me in the couch, and, and so I feel a lot of gratitude and excitement for what's to come. And I thank you for your support for listening to this podcast. It feels like it's been the longest road getting here because I was doing some marketing for the creator club a couple days ago, and I was scrolling way back through my Canva projects. And I just I've created so many things along the way, and I just couldn't help but feel as like, oh, yeah. Now I know why I have, like, all of this knowledge. Not to mention the years before I started Digital Podcaster, but, like, the years leading up to, like, right now is because I've just made so many things, whether it's programs, you know, free trainings, podcast episodes, social media posts. I've done a lot, and I'm, like, even more excited than I was a year ago or when I first started for what's to come, and that's through things like the creator club. That's through things like this podcast, Digital Creator. I'm jazzed up. I hope you're jazzed up too. And, I've got some really exciting stuff in the works that I can't wait to share with you. But in the meantime, just wanna say thank you. And I hope you're doing great, and I will catch you in the next episode.