Wilder Politte forced his way into every opportunity he has ever had. And then AI took one of them away. In this episode of Arrows in Motion, Cory sits down with Wilder Politte, freelance videographer and photographer based in St. Louis, for an honest conversation about what it looks like to build a creative career from scratch, lose it to something you never saw coming, and figure out what comes next. Wilder's origin story is not a straight line. Fire Paramedic Science student who switched to advertising after watching Mad Men sophomore year. Lindenwood grad who bartended for two years trying to break in. Unpaid intern who forced his way from community management into photo and video by asking the right person at the right moment. Seven years of agency work, building skills and a reputation, and then a layoff he largely attributes to AI allowing companies to run leaner internal teams without paying agency rates. We dig into the through line that connects everything in his career. Nobody is going to hand you the opportunity. You have to show up, speak up, and ask for the thing you want. He did it as an intern. He did it mid-career when he was getting handed impossible creative briefs. He did it when he was laid off with a baby at home and sent emails to every person he had ever known in the industry, even the one he had accidentally ghosted since the last time they talked in 2022. We also get into what AI is actually doing to the creative production world. The tension between massive, practical, human-made productions and AI-generated content. The AI documentary editing tool he used to try to structure six hours of interview footage, what it did well, and why he ultimately went back to editing old school because no algorithm could match the specific vision he had in his head. This one is for the freelancers, the creatives, and anyone who has ever had to rebuild something from zero. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Arrows in Motion Most podcasts about business and marketing tell you what to think. Arrows in Motion asks better questions. Hosted by Scott Heaton, Arrows in Motion is a long-form conversation podcast that goes deep with entrepreneurs, executives, and marketing professionals who've built real things, and learned hard lessons along the way. Each episode explores the gap between how success looks from the outside and what it actually takes to get there: the strategy, the grind, the pivots, the moments nobody posts about. Whether you're a Fortune 500 VP rethinking what career advancement really costs, a small business owner trying to figure out if your marketing agency is actually on your side, or a fitness entrepreneur building something from scratch with nothing but drive, there's a conversation here for you. For early-career marketers and marketing students trying to break into the industry, Arrows in Motion is the mentorship most people never get access to. Real talk on salary negotiation, building professional confidence, navigating agency culture, and what marketing careers actually look like beyond the job description. No gatekeeping. No fluff. For experienced professionals, it's a mirror, and a reminder that the smartest people in the room are still asking questions. New episodes drop on YouTube and all major podcast platforms. Subscribe wherever you listen. Topics include: marketing strategy, entrepreneurship, career development, personal branding, agency vs in-house marketing, small business growth, corporate leadership, women in business, fitness entrepreneurship, professional development, entry-level marketing, marketing career advice, how to break into marketing, business podcast, career coaching, work-life balance, startup mindset, marketing for beginners, first job in marketing, college to career. Topics include: marketing strategy, entrepreneurship, career development, personal branding, agency vs in-house marketing, small business growth, corporate leadership, women in business, fitness entrepreneurship, professional development, entry-level marketing, marketing career advice, how to break into marketing, business podcast, career coaching, work-life balance, startup mindset, marketing for beginners, first job in marketing, college to career.
