This episode is about building a podcast - specifically, how two friends built the Pulp Kitchen Podcast, into a sustainable creative business.

Pulp Kitchen began as a simple idea: talk about films every week. No built-in audience. No fame. No production team. Just consistency, shared enthusiasm, and a decision to commit long-term. Over time, that weekly habit turned into a full-time creative career with live shows, brand partnerships, junket interviews, and a growing audience.

This conversation exists for anyone wondering: How does something like that actually happen? Not the highlight reel. Not the viral moment. But the mechanics. The risk. The mindset. The turning points.

If you’ve ever thought about starting something creative, a podcast, a channel, a product, this episode is about what it really takes to make it work.

FOLLOW BEN:

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/benhanlin

INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/benhanlin

TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@benhanlin

FOLLOW PULP KITCHEN:

YOUTUBE: @pulpkitchenpodcast

TIKTOK: www.tiktok.com/@pulpkitchenpodcast

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/pulpkitchenpodcast/

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In this episode of What’s The Trick?, Ben Hanlin sits down with Amelia Sordell - founder of multi-million-pound personal brand agency 'Klowt' and now a creator, advisor, and podcast host in her own right - to unpack what it really takes to build a personal brand that works.

Not the vanity version. Not the “10k followers in 30 days” version. The real version.

Together, they explore how Amelia built her company from zero to £4 million in three and a half years, why it nearly broke her, and what she believes now about creativity, positioning, storytelling, and reputation in the modern world.

This conversation exists because “personal brand” has become a buzzword - and Amelia has actually done it. Built it. Scaled it. Burned out from it. Rebuilt it. If you care about ideas, visibility, creative work, or building something under your own name - this episode is for you.

What You’ll Learn:

-Why a personal brand is simply “a reputation at scale” - and why that changes everything

-How to test and refine an idea while still employed (and effectively “get paid to learn”)

-What fast growth really costs - beyond the headline revenue numbers

-Why most content doesn’t convert (and what separates visibility from revenue)

-A simple three-bucket framework for content that actually builds authority

-Why storytelling only works when someone can say “me too”

-How to overcome fear of posting, speaking, or putting yourself forward

-The difference between execution problems and positioning problems

-Why followers don’t matter nearly as much as you think

-How to choose which ideas to pursue - and which to let go

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Music Producer, Songwriter - This episode is about how music is actually made - not the romantic version, but the real one. The rooms. The pressure. The trust. The decisions that quietly determine whether an idea lives or dies.

Ben sits down with a producer and songwriter Owen Cutts work spans hip-hop, soul, pop, and British music culture, someone who has built a long career behind the scenes, helping artists turn unfinished thoughts into finished records.

This conversation exists to answer a deceptively simple question:

- What does it really take to make meaningful creative work that lasts?

- Not just to start, but to sustain.

- If you’ve ever wondered how ideas move from instinct to execution, or how creative people balance art, ego, money, and longevity, this episode is for you.

What You’ll Learn

- Why the music industry isn’t actually about money - and what it is about instead

- How professional creators build trust fast enough to do vulnerable work with strangers

- What a “day-one demo” is - and why it has to be album-ready by the end of the day

- How changing the perspective of an idea can unlock originality

- Why chasing trends almost guarantees you’ll arrive too late

- How great producers think in terms of environments, not just sounds

- What old music can teach modern creators about invention and courage

Why This Conversation Matters

- Most people talk about creativity as inspiration.

- This episode treats it as craft, judgment, and responsibility.

- It pulls back the curtain on the invisible decisions that shape creative work - the moments that don’t make headlines but determine outcomes.

- The value of saying no.

- The cost of rushing.

- The discipline of putting the work before the ego.

- Whether you make music, build companies, write, design, or lead teams, this conversation reframes creativity as something done deliberately, not magically.

Who This Episode Is For

- Creatives who want to understand how ideas become finished work

- Founders balancing vision, collaboration, and real-world constraints

- Makers who care about longevity more than virality

- Anyone curious about how trust and taste operate under pressure

- People who love culture, but want to understand how it’s constructed

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.