What Is Humans‪?‬ Shane Strunk and Dennis Kluba

Almost Friday Media today is an established brand in the new age media world. Boasting more than a dozen channels, multiple podcasts, and sketches, Almost Friday Media has grown significantly since its early days as a proverbial meme page on instagram. A lot of that growth is in part thanks to our guest on the podcast today. Alex Edge is the VP of operations at Almost Friday Media. The individual that has helped create the systems and processes that have scaled this company from 6 employees to approximately 40 in about 2 years. Alex is quick though to pass the praise and admit the growth and success has been a team effort. During our time together he constantly reminded us of all the talented individuals that have helped him on his journey and how none of the success he has received would be possible without the others around him. 
 
This humble mindset and attitude is a theme that while contrary is what he attributes to his success over the course of his career. Alex outlined the importance of chasing your wildest dreams, but advocated for doing it a little differently than maybe what is portrayed in the movies. He believes the key to his success has been his ability to get along with others and work hard. Seems simple right? Alex Edge is the epitome of first in the office and last out of the office, always there to keep the ship moving in the right direction. The thing that separates Alex is his ability to inspire and understand the people around him, and always allow them to feel heard. Recognizing what an individual or the room needs to hear at any given moment. 
 
This soft skill which has set Alex apart over the years has been a staple over the course of his storied career, in television, film and digital media. He has worked on projects like Adam Ruins Everything, Chopped, and College Humor. He describes the ups and downs of chasing your dreams, from his first days in Los Angeles as a broke kid parking boats in the marina all the way to the future of digital media for Almost Friday. While this episode is chalked full of takeaways the one we are most left with is the Edge’s ability to lead with an undeniable combination of effort and compassion. Enjoy this episode from a friend and hero of ours, Alex Edge!
 

The correlation between how much you care and how much you succeed is palpable. You could be the most talented baker in the world, but if you don’t love to bake there is only so high that you will be able to go. Caring and passion push those that are good into greatness, and it’s not something that comes in time or develops more as you go, it seems it truly is there or it isn’t. Whether this is in our careers or in our relationships we have to care more than anything about them to be able to fight through adversity. There is a difference however between external and internal care. 
 
External care can be deceptive. Maybe we care because we want validation, or we are seeking safety and security. That type of care can be detrimental, because it is dependent on things outside of ourselves. This care is misguided and has our self worth tied to the result or the reactions of others. In career and relationships we have to be married to the progress and the work, and ultimately this will be what allows us to achieve success apart from external circumstances. 
 
When you are building a team, the first characteristic that comes to mind might not be caring. It might be an afterthought or something that you assume is a prerequisite. This turns out to not be true. Look for the person that may need a little more training or coaching to get there, but cares more than anything else. That person will have the capacity to go further because he or she will continue to work even past what they have been told they are capable of, and this includes ourselves as well.
 

No idea is original? Every single idea that you have had has been informed by a million different stimuli before you. Your childhood, the sandwich you ate yesterday, the way your shoelaces didn’t tie quite right every single thing is a culmination of experiences that have crossed your mind. This can be a sobering thought…one that shouldn’t be digested lightly. There is a piece of us that wants to hold on so tightly to ideas, sentiments and beliefs that we believe to be our own. We take pride in them, they are ours aren’t they? 
 
The reality is this idea of hubris and originality can hold us back from creating the idea that unlocks the world for so many people. The minute we believe an idea is solely ours we covet it, and hold it close to our heart, scared that anyone might claim it as their own, and god forbid poke holes in it. That however is the genesis of how real innovation and originality is created. By sharing your ideas and experiences with others they can give you feedback that you haven’t been privy to. 
They make your idea stronger because they have different experiences than you do. Those ideas are then boosted by collaboration because you have engaged new ideas and thoughts that were never before thought of…all because you shared it, and weren’t worried about the credit. No idea is owned by you, but great ideas are born out of what is already in existence and then iterated upon. Remember that the next time you are worried about sharing a new thought in fear that it might be stolen or your bubble might be burst because of someone else.
 

Rick Rubin said in the Creative Act, “Doubt your work, but don’t doubt yourself.” Or something to that effect. The idea was that doubt might not be the worst thing in the world. Doubt is vilified in society. “Doubting Thomas” is even a saying that we use to describe people who are nervous or anxious about a plan, idea or themselves. Doubt can be detrimental though when it is tied to all or nothing statements. Those statements might include, “I can’t” “I could never” “I hate”. These statements are finite or concrete. There is no room for growth. Doubting your work on the other hand is another story. 
 
The language around your work could look like, “I can improve on that version”. You have made something, and you know there is room for growth. “I might not have given my all that time, I think I can try harder next time.” These phrases create room for growth, and they also indicate that work has already been done. When we doubt our work we scrutinize it and realize we can improve. When we doubt ourselves we never do any work to begin with. 
Doubt your work and not yourself. You are capable of doing whatever you set your mind to, but there will always be room for improvement. The only way that we will be able to start and gauge how we are doing is by starting and continuing. The language that we wrap our central nervous center with will undeniably become our reality. Speak growth into existence. Doubt your work. Never doubt yourself. 
 

Ok we realized that when we originally aired this episode it didn't necessarily get the credit that it was due. Our guest Tanner James is a long time friend and mentor to both of us, and we released this episode when Shane and I were both travelling and a little all over the place. We want to rerelease this episode because of how valuable the conversation was not only for ourselves, but also for others at home. I hope this time you are able to better enjoy the ups and downs of Tanner's creative journey.
"This episode was recorded at 7ish in the morning. Tanner sat down in the studio with us and settled in. We were lucky enough to steal a couple of minutes of his time as he was boarding a flight to Japan later in the day. It seems this detail is important to share because it mirrors so much of his way of life. From the outside looking in he moves quickly to and from the next adventurous and awesome pursuit, but always taking the time to engage and connect with friends in his home town of Venice Beach. The conversation we had today begins to peel back some of the layers that explain exactly how Tanner got to where he is now. Like many Tanner wasn't an overnight success. From his hometown in Minnesota to photographing stars like Dwayne Wade, to becoming a model and now content creator everthing kind of seems like a blur. 
Tanner as we already knew is an open book. He explains how he fell in love with photography, despite family and friends choosing more traditional hobbies and career paths. His love of skating created some unique opportunities down the road, but not without some obstacles in the way. He teaches us valuble lessons in believing in yourself and taking the leap long before you think you're ready. His life today is a testament to this. Whether it was when he moved to California without a plan, or becoming a model in the middle of the pandemic with zero prior experience he is constantly going all in on his dreams. Tanner's most recent journey into content creation makes complete sense considering all his roles up to this point. Listen in on today's conversation to learn a little more about what it's like to photograph Oscars nominees, model for brands like Hoka and Converse all while eating some of the best food in the world!"

This is a finance term, we will not be trying to explain finance in this episode because as everyone knows we are not experts in this subject. Rather we are going to explore how the idea of economies of scale informs other facets of our lives inside and outside of business. Economies of scale primarily refers to the connection between the costs of production as a company grows. In layman’s terms this is the advantage that you or a company may have by increasing production. If we are planning for success which we always should be we have to be looking down the road a little bit to see what’s on the horizon. 
 
If we are lucky enough to see that we are going to have to increase production efficiency in order to continue growing at the rate that we want to, then we have achieved economies of scale. As we grow, someone who has been there before is used to producing at a higher clip than you are. This could be as simple as balancing work and family, like a parent with ten years experience. This could be something like completing a homework assignment much quicker due to more resources than yourself. The worst thing that could happen is output goes up but average costs per unit does as well. 
 
To avoid diseconomies of scale in our lives we have to work on communicating early and often. If others around us know that we are growing and thus need help, have less time etc. it makes them aware of your change in behavior. We must also trust in others around us to help carry the weight as production increases. Ultimately you are one person and your limits do exist. By trusting the people around us this drives average cost per unit down in our life as a whole. With another set of hands we are able to move quicker, faster and farther than we ever would have been able to by ourselves.