“I’m blown away by it. So, when I close my eyes and I listen to these things, and I hear those textures and I understand the footsteps coming from afar and getting closer and, you know, like, this stuff matters. Like, it paints the picture [so] that I don’t even have to have my eyes open. I can see the whole movie happen with sound.” – Michael Dargie

This episode is the second half of my conversation with founder & executive creative director at Make More Creative, and Author of BrandJitsu™, Michael Dargie as we talk about his approach to uncovering and building up a sonic brand, how close we are to fully synthetic voiceover, and his insights as a marketer and director into what he’s looking for in a voiceover artist.

As always, if you have questions for my guest, you’re welcome to reach out through the links in the show notes. If you have questions for me, visit audiobrandingpodcast.com, where you’ll find a lot of ways to get in touch. Plus, subscribing to the newsletter will let you know when the new podcasts are available, along with other interesting bits of audio-related news. And if you’re getting some value from listening, the best ways to show your support are to share this podcast with a friend and leave an honest review. Both those things really help, and I’d love to feature your review on future podcasts. You can leave one either in written or in voice format from the podcast’s main page. I would so appreciate that.

(00:00) - Finding Your Brand’s Unique Sound

The second half of our conversation begins as Michael talks about how the art of quickly building up a story in improv intersects with storytelling in branding. “What do you do? Why do you do it? Who do you do it for? Why do they care?” he asks. “It’s that circle of expectations. And it doesn’t have to be perfect and it doesn’t have to be sales-y.” He shares more about his process for establishing a brand’s sonic identity and the building blocks of a successful campaign. “I think from a brand standpoint,” he explains, “and a sound specific standpoint is, ‘What is true for the brand?’ Just to oversimplify, ‘are you comedy, are you rock and roll, or are you country? Are you Donnie or Marie?’”

(12:30) - The Balance of Sound and Storytelling

Michael walks us through his process for casting and directing an ad campaign for a company that wanted to build a more versatile brand image. “We were trying to show that it’s manufacturing,” he tells us, “going from idea to thing to in the hands of somebody who needs a thing. That was the narrative arc. So part of it was I really wanted a feminine voice to tell that story.” He describes the casting process and what sets the right voiceover artist apart from the competition. “I think the other thing too,” he says, “that you’ll know as well is like, are you direct-able? Can you take a note and then do something with it and surprise us with your new approach to it? …Especially when you’re doing a read that’s maybe not even half a page, but you have to go through eight emotions.”

(24:37) - The Future of Sound in Branding

Our conversation wraps up as Michael shares his thoughts about the power of sound, and how critical it is to a successful ad campaign. “It’s not something to be thrown away or to be tucked in at the end,” he tells us. “It’s your palette, and I think it… serves the visual that you’re going for. It’s the subtext for it all.” He tells listeners how they can get in touch and offers his thoughts on AI and where humans fit into the mix. “My agency name is Make More Creative,” he explains, “because that’s what we do… We are using AI for a lot of stuff right now, but we always have people in

“I don’t know if you can see it, [but] that’s an octopus. Yeah, on my upper arm. If you’re not watching this, the audio version is, there’s sunlight coming through and it’s dappling across this octopus. I’m a scuba diver. I really did believe, when I was young, that I was going to be a marine mammal biologist. That was my destiny. I watched Jacques Cousteau and I was all about it, and then life happened and I wasn’t all about it. It was until later in life that I got into scuba diving.” – Michael Dargie

This week’s guest is a storyteller, creative instigator, occasional octopus whisperer, and founder of Make More Creative. He mentors with Calgary Economic Development and Canada’s Trade Accelerator Program, and speaks regularly at incubators, colleges, and universities. He’s the author of BrandJitsu™: Move Your Brand From ‘Meh’ To Memorable, a methodology that helps companies find, shape, and share their stories, and he’s a creative chaos agent with Loose Moose Theatre and Dropbear & Panda Productions, and the host of the multi-nominated RebelRebel podcast.

His name is Michael Dargie, and in this episode, we’ll be diving into the power of sound in storytelling, branding, and bold creative expression. From podcasting to performance, he shares how voice and sound shape everything he creates—emotionally, strategically, and playfully. You’ll hear how his experiences as a comedian, filmmaker, and entrepreneur all connect through the thread of sound. And whether you’re a fellow storyteller or just love great audio, you’ll leave this conversation inspired to find your own voice, and maybe stir up a little creative trouble while you’re at it.

As always, if you have questions for my guest, you’re welcome to reach out through the links in the show notes. If you have questions for me, visit audiobrandingpodcast.com, where you’ll find a lot of ways to get in touch. Plus, subscribing to the newsletter will let you know when the new podcasts are available, along with other interesting bits of audio-related news. And if you’re getting some value from listening, the best ways to show your support are to share this podcast with a friend and leave an honest review. Both those things really help, and I’d love to feature your review on future podcasts. You can leave one either in written or in voice format from the podcast’s main page. I would so appreciate that.

(00:00) - Becoming an Octopus Whisperer

We start the conversation off with Michael’s early memories of sound, which in his case includes gunslinger ballads on the family stereo. “I would just listen to these songs,” he says, “these stories, and just get lost in the moment. I would let my brain drift away and see it all happening.” He also tells us more about what it means to be an octopus whisperer. “I have been diving with them,” he explains, “I’ve interacted with them, I’ve hung out with them. I love them. They’re. They’re smart. They’ve got, like, nine brains. You know, each arm has its own brain. It’s like distributive intelligence.”

(13:01) - Creative Rebel in Sound

Michael talks more about being a creative rebel, and how his podcast, The RebelRebel Podcast, aims for people who don’t necessarily fit just one creative box. “It’s for creative rebels and entrepreneurs,” he says, “people that go left when people go right, you zig when others zag, and I’m curious about that story. So if you fit that model, then you’d be a great fit to the show.” We discuss his improv comedy experience and the lessons it taught him about marketing. “[Improv] is a huge part of it,” he tells us. “Like, you agree to what’s happening and then see where it goes instead of blocking the...

“I think there’s nothing that truly resonates across all of your senses like sound does. If I’m watching something gorgeous, it’s a feast for my eyes, and it starts and ends there. But if I’m listening to something, it’s the one thing that can truly always be in your brain presence — always bringing things up or bringing things down. I mean, if you’re in a bad mood, one of the five ways to get out of it is going to be put on music, guaranteed.” – Jeremy Toeman

This episode is the second half of my conversation with founder of Augie, media and technology leader, and entrepreneur Jeremy Toeman as we discuss the sometimes-random twists and turns that created social media as we know it, the lessons he’s drawn from video-game design to help improve audio-first UX, and his perspective on balancing AI efficiency and human authenticity.

As always, if you have questions for my guest, you’re welcome to reach out through the links in the show notes. If you have questions for me, visit audiobrandingpodcast.com, where you’ll find a lot of ways to get in touch. Plus, subscribing to the newsletter will let you know when the new podcasts are available, along with other interesting bits of audio-related news. And if you’re getting some value from listening, the best ways to show your support are to share this podcast with a friend and leave an honest review. Both those things really help, and I’d love to feature your review on future podcasts. You can leave one either in written or in voice format from the podcast’s main page. I would so appreciate that.

(00:00) - The Role of Sound in Branding

The second half of our discussion begins with a look at podcasting, and why Fortune-500 interviews aren’t always the best approach for a business podcast. “They’re not really leverage-able,” he explains. “There’s not a lot of practical value in, like, ‘he gets up at 5 AM every day and does a 20-minute cold plunge, and he doesn’t look at any device and only eats oysters.’ Okay, but I’m never going to do that.” We talk about what AI has to offer podcasters and about how its ability to sift through user data and predict trends can impact even the most seemingly human elements. “I had someone blow my mind the other day,” he says, “He got on my podcast, and he had used an AI tool to listen to my other episodes and then predict for him what questions I would ask him… And it was pretty on spot.”

(12:15) - Practical Tips for Creators

We talk about UX design for everything from software apps to smart devices, and how he’s taking his cues from the video game industry. “Think about tech products,” he says, “video games have music. They have sound effects, music... There should be so much more in our tech world where audio can make it a more satisfying experience..” He tells us about his daughter, who’s just published her first indie video game, and the hands-on approach to Foley sound effects that her experience taught him. “We were in my car and it was making this weird noise when you open the door,” he recalls, “and she’s like, hang on, can everybody be quiet? And she grabbed her phone and went to record it.”

(20:00) - Enhancing Your Brand Identity

As our conversation comes to a close, Jeremy talks more about the power of sound as a branding tool. “I think there’s nothing that truly resonates across all of your senses like sound does, right?” he says. “Like, if I’m watching something gorgeous, it’s a feast of my eyes, and it starts and ends there.” He tells us about his upcoming projects and AI developments, and how he’s working to balance the human and AI elements of new media. “We don’t want to take away from video editing or voiceover actors...