The Podfest 2018 Show

Episode Summary: A recap of Podfest Multimedia Expo 2018 — why Mike keeps going back year after year, and the four biggest lessons he brought home this time.

What You’ll Learn

• What Podfest Multimedia Expo is and how Mike’s reasons for attending evolved over 3 years
• Why in-person industry events matter, even for self-described introverts
• 4 key takeaways from Podfest 2018: collaboration, feedback, authenticity, and not undervaluing yourself
• The book Principles by Ray Dalio and its lesson on the value of honest feedback

What Is Podfest Multimedia Expo?

An educational and training conference for independent podcasters, created by Chris and Katie Krimitsos, originally based in Tampa before moving to Orlando to draw a more international audience. Podfest 2018 ran February 8-10 at the Wyndham Orlando Resort, with early bird pricing at $249 and hotel rates around $139/night. The schedule is dense and tightly run, with both shared main sessions and breakout tracks — 2018 introduced a dedicated YouTube track for video creators.

Why Mike Went

2018 marked his third year attending. Year one (2016): a new podcaster looking for general advice and trying to get his name in front of the community. Year two (2017): more focused on Mike Murphy LLC specifically, absorbing as much as possible from people already succeeding and looking for chances to help others. Year three (2018): almost entirely about networking — building stronger relationships in a space he knew he’d be part of for the long haul.

Podfest keeps a spot on the calendar every year because of its unusually kind, generous community — podcasters, creators, and entrepreneurs genuinely trying to help each other, largely a reflection of the organizers themselves.

Even as a self-described introvert who finds conference small talk draining, Mike pushes through — no excuses. Being around like-minded creative entrepreneurs, all working hard and learning from each other, makes attending worth the discomfort every time.

Takeaways From Podfest 2018

Four things stood out, beyond a bad cold:

1. Collaboration is key. Research people worth connecting with and find genuine ways to help them — even something as simple as a helpful comment or Instagram DM builds a real working relationship.
2. Honest feedback needs to be a priority. Making it easier for the audience to leave feedback (in show notes visible on mobile, and more direct calls to action) came directly out of this realization. Book mentioned: Principles by Ray Dalio — Dalio credits radically honest feedback as a major reason for his own success and his $150 billion company’s.
3. Being authentic is powerful. A presenter fumbling with a broken PowerPoint tossed his notes aside and asked the room if he could just ditch the slides and be himself — the room visibly relaxed, and it became one of the most memorable moments of the conference. The lesson: people want you, not the packaging.
4. Undervaluing your own skills isn’t an option. A recurring struggle — confidence in the work itself, but reluctance to actually charge what it’s worth, often overdelivering instead. Conversations at Podfest 2018 reframed this: what feels obvious to you is often genuinely valuable and impressive to someone else.

Conclusion

Podfest is an annual event in Orlando, Florida, and a strong recommendation for both new and experienced podcasters, along with anyone building an online business around video or other new media. It keeps growing, but retains an intimate, mutually-supportive community feel that’s hard to find elsewhere — solving both technical problems and creating friendships, clients, and opportunities that don’t happen the same way over social media alone.

Show Notes & Links

• Podfest Multimedia Expo
• Principles by Ray Dalio (Amazon)