Techsploder is here!

The Human Side of Tech.

PHEW! Can I tell you how exhausted I was last night after being on TWiT? This past week was a ROLLERCOASTER for me with the launch of my big new project, Techsploder. In many ways, the past five months post-layoff have been leading to this launch and it was a lot of work bringing it to the public.

Techsploder

So I was out for a walk with my dogs last year, still working at TWiT. This was post-All About Android cancellation, pre-layoff by about six months. So my mind was really focused on what I would do if I no longer worked at TWiT. Then this name popped in my head out of nowhere. “Techsploder.” I thought “Sounds like exploder, but with tech. SURELY this is taken already, it’s far too obvious.” So I immediately pulled out my phone and hopped on Hover to see. The “Techsploder.com” domain was available. No freakin’ way. OK, is it a podcast? I search around, nothing. Is it a YouTube channel?? Get on YouTube, the username “@Techsploder” is available. I’m telling you, I freaked. I LOVED this name. I had no idea what it would be, but I knew it would be SOMETHING. So I held it close, bought the URL, and waited for the right time. I waited to know in my heart of hearts what I could use it for. It was only a matter of time.

It turns out, that name is the most important part of my post-TWiT journey. And it took me five months post-layoff to figure it all out. I have spent the past three months experimenting with ideas and approaches on the Yellowgold Studios YouTube channel. Figuring out what I like, what I don’t mind doing, what I don’t want or NEED to do (after all, I’m now self-employed).

I started to think about how fortunate I am to be in the position where I find myself. After nearly 20 years in the industry, I’ve met and collaborated with many of the biggest names in tech journalism and content creation. I’ve had all of these opportunities at TWiT to practice my interview skills, and to understand what I bring to a podcast, and now I have this opportunity to get truly creative. To create something that speaks directly to my HEART in the world of tech.

Techsploder was almost a daily or 3x per week news headlines show. But I realized that there are plenty of ways for people to get their tech news fix. DTNS and TWiT have been doing that expertly for so many years. I didn’t want to do another show that was the same as before, I wanted to do something truly different.

Then it hit me. When I think of my life, and everything that has brought me to this pivotal moment in my career, I have some seriously awesome and cherished stories from my childhood that paved the way. Sliding door moments. I was a child with a knack for tech, and a desire to be close to it in whatever way I could. And in knowing so many people in this industry, I know that I’m not alone in that. There are so many amazing people in my circle, some of whom I know much more than others, but this thing unites all of us, this passion for technology. And we each have a tech origin story of sorts. AND it’s something we can all totally relate to. Even you, right? YOU care so much about tech that you are willing to consume hours of content every week about it! (Let me tell you, not everyone is equipped to do that!) So if WE can relate to this together… then there’s a real nugget to focus on.

We can each connect on a human level for the reasons we find ourselves interested and passionate about technology. This is the human experience of tech. Our stories are different. But we are united in our love of this always-changing, always-evolving, often challenging industry.

THAT is what the Techsploder podcast is all about. I love knowing what’s happening now in the world of tech and tech news. But I also love getting to know PEOPLE and who they are when they aren’t sitting in front of a laptop typing out their next article. Or sitting behind a microphone with a camera on them as they read the news. Or sitting in the boardroom directing the creation of some new product. HOW DID THEY GET TO THAT POINT? That’s a perspective that I hope to shine a bright light on with the Techsploder Podcast.

The Techsploder YouTube channel is the place where all of my independent efforts will live, cause they all draw from the same source of inspiration. My tech reviews will be done in a way that emphasizes my personal experience over specifications. Because REAL PEOPLE care less about specs if the product is capable of delivering a unique and captivating experience. Sure, we geeks love to know all the hardware details, but where the rubber meets the road is whether the device, service, or product DELIVERS on its promises. Does it improve our lives? Or make things more difficult?

I am so fired up by this blueprint if you can’t tell.

OK, a few clarifications as I’ve had these questions come up a couple of times now:

So, is Techsploder and Techsploder Podcast different?

They are. And they aren’t. hehehe How’s that for confusing? So, Techsploder is the brand and the YouTube channel. All of my reviews, hands-ons, unboxings, hot takes, think pieces, whatever… all of the edited non-podcast content IS Techsploder. The Techsploder Podcast is the weekly interview show, also found on the Techsploder YouTube channel as well as all podcatchers in audio RSS, where I talk with my friends in the industry about their tech origin story. It’s all part of the same beast. THE TECHSPLODER!!

But what about Yellowgold Studios?

Yellowgold Studios doesn’t go anywhere in all of this. Yellowgold Studios is my business. Techsploder is my new brand under the YGS umbrella. I named my YouTube channel Yellowgold Studios in the beginning because I thought of it as a network, similar to the TWiT model. But over time, I realized that the name didn’t reflect anything about what I was doing. My passion, my asset, is my experience in tech and my connection with so many amazing people in this industry. I wanted a brand that put that fact in a bright spotlight. Techsploder, I’m happy to say, does that! And in the end, YGS IS my content network. Currently, my network has a YouTube channel and two podcasts! Not a bad start!

Is AI Inside going away?

ABSOLUTELY NOT! AI Inside fits right into this model. The Techsploder brand features all major important and current aspects of tech. AI Inside is something that Jeff Jarvis and I plan to build and cultivate into something much bigger. It’s off to a great start. Hopefully, the power of a lively and active YouTube channel can bring even more attention and subscribers to the show! Not to mention, Jeff and I learn so much doing AI Inside that I wouldn’t want it to go anywhere. I’m enjoying it far too much. And in many ways, I feel momentum building. We are getting some awesome pitches for guests in the coming months. All of that increases visibility and with that comes a sense of topical authority. We’re just getting started.

What is the best way that I can support you in this?

Well, I’m so happy you asked! (or maybe you didn’t BUT I’M TELLING YOU ANYWAY!)

PATREON, BABY.

Techsploder Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/JasonHowell

AI Inside Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/aiinsideshow

Look. The fact of the matter is this. Until I get numbers up on the YouTube channel, AI Inside, and the Techsploder podcast, I’m working for… not very much. And like everyone, I have a life and a family to support. I love what I’m doing, but I can’t do it for free forever. Every business takes time to get to a cash flow-positive place, I make no qualms about that. I’ve seen my wife do it twice. I know it takes time and sacrifice, and I’m here for it.

The best and only real way I can bridge the gap and get to that point SOONER rather than later is via crowdfunding support. We’ve all heard about the significant challenges that the media industry is facing right now. Let me tell you, I feel SO GRATEFUL to be able to do something on my own and not enter the job market right now. But that only continues to work if I can increase the value proposition of the Patreons I am currently cultivating.

COMMUNITY. It’s so incredibly important to what I do. And especially in this day and age. No longer are our media heroes off in some fancy million-dollar studio, untouchable by fans. The Internet changed all of that. I’ve been so close to that for most of my career in podcasting. So many of the wonderful things I’ve seen and done were made possible because of the involvement of the community that surrounds my work.

But not only that, it gives YOU ownership in this business. I mean it when I say that you get a seat at the table with me. Part of my strategy is bringing your voice into the work I’m doing. Got a topic you want to see covered? A person you’d like me to talk with? Got an opinion about the music I wrote for episode 0 of the Techsploder podcast? (That was hard to read last night, but I got the message! The music IS a bit dark, perhaps too dark for a show that aims to bring a lot of light to the topic! So I’ll go back and try to lighten it up! See? I hadn’t considered it before, and now I do. I get it!)

Supporting me on Patreon is THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT WAY TO SEE ALL OF THIS CONTINUE. And, not to mention, I think I put together some pretty awesome perks to make it worth your while.

So PLEASE. Check them out. Give what you can. And let’s kick this off together.

One Final Note of Appreciation

As I write this, I have literal tears in my eyes. I FEEL the love of the community. I FEEL the love of my friends who all contributed a short 3-second video recording to my welcome video. I FEEL the generosity of some key community members who reached out and continue to offer me career-changing support for my efforts here. I FEEL my heart’s involvement in this content in a way I haven’t before.

This is my baby. And I want it to thrive. And the fact that I can even do this, and be supported by people from literally EVERY CONTINENT. I mean, it’s overwhelming to think about that. How did I get here? How am I so damn lucky? I mean: HOW DID I GET LAID OFF AND YET I FEEL SO MUCH GRATITUDE FOR EVERYTHING I HAVE?

This work means so much to me. It’s a part of my identity. I don’t know what I’d do or who I’d be if I wasn’t here, right now, committing to this wonderful life with all of you.

On TWiT last night, Leo Laporte began calling me “The Techsploder.” It made me laugh. I hadn’t considered the project to be my identity. It was a name, but not MY name. But the more I think of it, the more it makes sense.

Technology means so much to me. Community means so much to me. The amazing humans in my life mean so much to me. (That includes you, by the way). Technology is a core part of my identity in this world. So sure, why not? I AM the Techsploder.

So then. Let’s ‘splode!