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Meet Leo Rydel of Geekly Goods in Aurora

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Leo Rydel.

Leo, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My obsession with movies, comics, games, and music came at a very young age. When I was younger, I used to go through my Dad’s massive movie collection. I’d wait until my parents were sleep and then sneak movies into my room at a very low volume. In the daytime, my Dad would bump all kinds of Hip-Hop and Pop music, so I grew accustomed to the music. Eventually, I went into piano lessons and after dropping them, I was able to learn songs by ear.

Fast Forward to College: I decided to study music. The degree, however, was Music Business and I lucked out and got to take both Music AND Business courses! I studied Piano while also learning about Marketing. In college, I got my first internship with a local musician named Katey Laurel. After helping her as an assistant for a summer, I knew I wanted an unconventional way of life. Later, I interned for the company University of Rock and Rock Home Lessons. I did semi-typical intern work — I published posts on the blog, helped with Instagram content, and did outreach. It was through these experiences that I knew, one day, I’d like to work for myself.

I later worked for the school Newspaper and learned editorial writing. At the same time, I worked for local popular radio station, KS 107.5, and promoted events for the station. I continued these jobs until I graduated and, unfortunately, full-time wasn’t an option for either position. After graduating college, I got a job for Dish Network selling cable packages. It was that real-life experience that proved to me that I was unfit to work a conventional day job. I quit within three weeks.

I began Freelance Writing and Managing Social Media for University of Rock. My publishing got bigger, and I started to publish on sites like Ranker.com and Heroic Hollywood, a budding entertainment publication. It was here that I began shooting videos on my iPhone and posting them on my Facebook and Instagram pages to make a name for myself. Later, after applying for a job with the TV show Daily Blast Live, I landed a job as a Digital Production Assistant. Through my experience at Daily Blast Live, I learned how to shoot on a camera, how to edit photos and videos, and much more.

Fast forward to 2018, I decided to start Geekly Goods — it was merely an online shop at the time. I sold merchandise with the theme of the latest movies in theaters. Eventually. My video skills and editing got to a point where I was comfortable uploading to YouTube. I have shifted the angle from a store to creating content. Now, we are a YouTube channel and blog talking about the LATEST in the Geek Universe — mostly Movies, Comics, and TV for now, but an expansion to gaming and anime is in the works!

Now, I collaborate with several companies to create content, including Digital Fox and Geek Vibes Nation. I’m also an independent Freelance Writer and Video Editor taking on projects as they come in! I’ve also made podcast jingles, published an eBook for someone, and much more!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It’s definitely been bumpy. Geekly Goods has evolved several times — when it started out as a store I was POURING money into Facebook Ads. I was taking advice from all the gurus, listening to podcasts, doing all in my power to sell the items online. Initially, we saw a few sales. But they teetered off pretty quickly, so I was putting tons of money and time into something I wasn’t entirely passionate about.

That all changed when I decided to exclusively create content. Things have been a little bumpy here and there trying to get set up, but we are on a smooth track right now and things are only getting better. The plan is to up the production value and continues to grow an audience just as dedicated as we are!

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Geekly Goods – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Geekly Goods is essentially two parts; we create content for our channels and also for others.

In the new format, I am currently the one person behind the entire project, but I plan to expand to a team as we grow! I am a content creator, so I shoot, edit, produce, and star in the videos on the Geekly Goods YouTube channel and write the content on the Geekly Goods blog with several guests who do guest blog posts and videos.

As a company, I am PROUD of our ability to bring people in. We have a knack for growing community through our vivacious energy and inclusivity. We invite Geeks of ALL kinds to participate in the discussion and because of the way I present, I feel I have a talent for attracting others. We also not only appeal to seasoned geeks, but also to NEW ones. In our Everything, You Need to Know and Brief History segments, we fill in new people on movies or those who need a refresher. That’s what sets us apart from the billions of other YouTube channels out there.

As for other companies, I am currently collaborating with Digital Fox on paid campaigns. I will be creating content for a new film they are helping push to the market. I’m VERY excited to collaborate with others! I also collaborate with Allied Integrated Marketing as a Movie Reviewer and I also do Giveaways and Contests for their movie screenings!

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
For the future, I’d like to creatively collaborate with more brands and company and create content for them! As for the channel, I’d love to actually produce geek based shows. I am looking forward to expanding the Geekly Goods team and bringing on more creatives for their own franchised segments on the Geekly Goods YouTube channel.

Also, PODCASTS! Again, once more creatives join in, I’d love to produce several podcasts as well!

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Peter Ortiz (The pictures of me speaking in front of camera and posing as Spider-Man).
Travis Harrison (Picture of me drinking from Darth Vader cup).

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