Transcript:
Dave Bricker (00:07)
This is Speakipedia Media brought to you by Speakipedia .com. I’m your host, Dave Bricker, bringing you straight talk, smart strategies, and amazing stories from visionary speakers and thought leaders. From the heart of small town Minnesota to the global stage, my guest has followed a journey of unrelenting passion and perseverance. Renowned for his compelling music photography,
He has become a trusted confidant of music legends and top tier executives. Today, we’ll talk about lessons learned for more than 30 years of traveling with and photographing some of the music industry’s most iconic stars. Please welcome Rob Shanahan.
Rob Shanahan (00:53)
Hello, hello. Thank you for that intro, Dave. Very nice.
Dave Bricker (00:54)
Rob.
So Rob, one need only go as far as the front page of your website to see the images you’ve taken of iconic rock and roll figures. And I’m sure our listeners are wondering how you found your way into those circles and created those opportunities.
Rob Shanahan (00:56)
Yeah. Yeah.
That’s the question. do we have time? That’ll be the whole interview right there. All right, you photographers out there, you young photographers, find what it is that you love to photograph and find a way to make that your living. That’s what I did. I’m a musician. I started drumming at 10, photography at 13. That’s all I’ve really ever done. And I found my way into the A -list circle of musicians. And once you get there, just
always produce good work. The word spreads like keynoting. You do one, you get more referrals and it just builds from there. So I’ve been fortunate. I’ve been blessed with being able to follow my heart, my dreams and my passion photographing the big, the biggest musicians on the planet. You can go to my website. It’s a lot of fun.
Dave Bricker (02:11)
And I’ll tell you, there’s something that you kind of downplayed it, because you just said, always do your best work. But you know what? The gig isn’t always glamorous, especially when you’re climbing the ladder. Always do your best work because you never know who’s going to look at it. If you’re doing a little freebie speech to some not -for -profit organization, give it your all. Whatever it is that you do, do your best work because you never know who that one person in the room is who’s going to say, I need you.
Rob Shanahan (02:17)
Yeah.
Yeah, and now everything is recorded. You don’t know who’s filming with their iPhone and it’s going to be on social the next night or the next day. You always have to be on the top of your game.
Dave Bricker (02:55)
Right, so mediocrity is not gonna get you anywhere and…
Rob Shanahan (02:59)
That’s why I don’t drink. I’m in the music industry, but no drugs, no drinking. I’m a health freak, very conscious of what I put in my body. And I always want to be ready to rock at a moment’s notice. Because a lot of times my work is last minute at a moment’s notice. Hey, we need you to fly to New York or whatever. I’m always ready. Be prepared.
Dave Bricker (03:22)
And I’m exactly the same. I completely get that. Be on your A game. Take care of yourself because the rigors of the road are such that you’ve got to be in shape.
Rob Shanahan (03:29)
Yeah.
I learned that from Mick Jagger, studying him. He’s the top of his game 100 % all the time. Amazing. Dedication. Whether it be fitness or business or anything, anything Rolling Stones related, always at the top of his game. So a lot of good lessons to be learned there.
Dave Bricker (03:37)
Hahaha
And I
and an interesting teacher. So before we get deeper into that, take us back a little bit. What path led you from small town Minnesota to touring with some of the world’s top rock and roll acts?
Rob Shanahan (04:10)
So as I mentioned, drums, age 10, photography, age 13, and then I graduated high school and won a bunch of awards and I did the obvious next step. I went to the university to study accounting. I know, blow minds. Income statements, balance sheets, macroeconomics, microeconomics. What the hell was I thinking?
I thought I needed a good business background. I always knew I was gonna be an entrepreneur. So my senior year of college, I’ve done all the work. All my classmates are sending out applications and meeting with firms. And I’m thinking, is that really what I wanna do the rest of my life? Crunching numbers in an office somewhere? Nope. So I packed up a van with…
Everything I owned, including my drums, my camera, and I hit the gas for California.
Dave Bricker (05:13)
Love it. Love it.
Rob Shanahan (05:15)
Mile 127, I had a flat tire. I had 500 bucks in my pocket, 50 bucks for a new tire. Wasn’t gonna stop me. I kept going. Four days later, I’m driving on Sunset Boulevard going, okay, I’m here. Where do I start becoming, being a rock star? How do I become a rock star photographer? I had to figure it out. And I guess I did. Here I am.
Dave Bricker (05:19)
Ha ha!
Rob Shanahan (05:43)
35 years later, that was 1988. So yeah, it’s been a while.
Dave Bricker (05:47)
Wonderful. And of course, it’s those flat tires. That’s where the good stories come from, right? Can you imagine like, well, I was traveling across the country and everything went fine. Okay. Next speaker, please.
Rob Shanahan (05:53)
Yeah, well another
No, nothing always goes fine. Nothing always goes fine. There’s gonna be something, whether it’s a flat tire or, you know, life throws a lot of things at you. You need to handle it and find the good in everything and move on. That’s it.
Dave Bricker (06:18)
completely agree with you. So here’s something that photographers deal with because every 19 year old yoga instructor claims to be a life coach, and a keynote speaker, by the way, and everyone with an iPhone claims to be a professional photographer, but you and I know that’s a load of crap, but you…
Rob Shanahan (06:21)
Yeah.
A lot of photographers out there nowadays, everyone has an iPhone in their pocket. I have one in my pocket. Doesn’t make me a movie producer. Doesn’t make me a video editor. I don’t know anything about that. I send all that stuff out. I trust the professionals.
Dave Bricker (06:55)
Yeah, but you didn’t get asked to go on tour because you owned a Nikon. So talk about the art of visual storytelling, of getting that magic shot.
Rob Shanahan (07:07)
When I studied photography, analog, in the dark room for a day just to make one print, I learned everything about photography from the ground up. Shutter speeds, f -stops, ISOs. I learned my camera. I never had it on auto. In fact, my first camera was a total manual. Knowing a camera and the photography art,
so well on the back of your hand, I don’t have to think about it, it’s second nature. I can concentrate on the connection with my subject. I love connecting with musicians. I know the language. I know what to ask. I know what to talk about. And my subjects think they’re…
hanging with the musician talking about cool songs and hey how did you create this drum fill and what snare drum are you using on this track and let me take a photo you know it’s it’s talking drums talking music and by the way click click they don’t even realize i’m working when we’re hanging and that’s that’s the beauty but the thing is you need to know your gear you trust your your skills and it’s just a lifetime of doing it that 10 000 hour rule
I’ve done it in photography and in drums, so they all come together when I’m working. And just finding the magic with the artists. It’s good.
Dave Bricker (08:35)
Yeah, and you don’t get that by buying an iPhone or a nice camera. You get that by learning to use the tool.
Rob Shanahan (08:39)
Now.
Yeah, well the fun thing is when, and I’ve heard this before, my cousin and I, he’s a videographer down in San Diego, we joke about this a lot. When I do gallery shows, people will be like, looking at my photos. They’re like, wow, you must have a really good camera. It’s like, well, yeah, I use great gear, but it’s not the camera. It is the camera, but it’s gotta be, you know.
capturing the right moment at the right time and creating a feeling and a vibe and an emotion, capturing an emotion is where it’s at for me. That’s what I like.
Dave Bricker (09:18)
And that’s like going up to a really good speaker and saying, wow, I bet you have a fantastic microphone. As if that has… Yeah, it’s really a backslap, right? So let’s go back on the road for a minute because I’ve met a few celebrities who love to be idolized.
Rob Shanahan (09:26)
Exactly. Yeah, wow, your microphone is amazing.
Yeah.
Sure.
Dave Bricker (09:44)
And then I’ve met others who are just desperate to be treated like the real people they are. And I’d like to think it’s the second type who makes authentic subjects for successful photography. Or maybe it’s just waiting for the moment when the real subject pops into the light. So what are your thoughts on that?
Rob Shanahan (10:04)
I can tell right away which of the two my subject is. Are they the kind that likes to be treated normal, human, everyone else? Or do they like being treated as the rock star, pop star that they are? I can figure that out right away. So I know my boundaries and I know what I can push and I know how to approach. So being aware, trusting my instincts and
just knowing which approach to go for. If it’s one, I can easily get them to the other and vice versa, just by knowing, by first picking out which one they are, which type they are, and then working within.
I like to take them back to a teenager. When they first started playing their first guitar, drums or piano, whatever it may be, finding that person because that’s where I’m at all the time. I’m still like, Steven Tyler and I joke about this. We’re still that young teenager.
that loves music and every musician has that. I can find it. Whether it’s talking about their first instrument, their first drum kit they got at Christmas, that was my story. But a lot of drummers have that same story and I can find it. And bring out the inner child. I get that compliment a lot. Your photos have a lot of joy in them. My new book, people say, wow, there’s so much joy in the book. Yeah.
There’s a lot of good and a lot of joy in the world and that’s what I focus on. If you want to be negative and be a shit stir, that’s your world. I love the joy. Bring out the joy. Music, it’s another art form. It’s a beautiful thing.
Dave Bricker (11:52)
And right. And it’s certainly full of joy and plenty of other emotions. Now, it’s it’s interesting and we can again, as speakers, we can sort of map this onto the music industry. But look, you get up on stage, you have a certain stage persona. Now, that’s going to vary from speaker to speaker in terms of the distance from.
Rob Shanahan (12:00)
Yeah.
Dave Bricker (12:20)
their true self, who they are when you just run across them in the grocery store is one thing. When they’re up on stage, when we’re up on stage, we’ve got to be big. We’ve got to be entertainers. And when you’re shooting somebody giving a rock concert at a stadium, they’re in full stage persona mode. That’s their job. That’s what they’re paid to do. So where do you find that balance of not diminishing
that persona that is their product, that’s what they’re selling, and still capturing that authentic self.
Rob Shanahan (12:58)
I keep forgetting that this is Speakipedia. We’re on a speaking interview here. We’re talking a lot about music, but that’s cool. That I love. But you’re absolutely right. As a speaker on stage, different than when you’re in the supermarket buying blueberries. So how do you find that balance when I’m photographing subjects? As I mentioned before, it doesn’t matter how big a superstar they are on stage. I mean, if I’m shooting a live show,
definitely capture that. But if I’m back in the dressing room or, you know, in a studio somewhere with this artist, that’s where I get to determine what part of them that I’m going to try and capture. And as mentioned, I just love going for that young inner soul, that big lover of music that’s inside all of us from an early age.
Dave Bricker (13:50)
Well, as they say, takes one to know one. And it sounds like that’s one of the reasons you’re the perfect person to be doing this.
Rob Shanahan (13:58)
Yeah, exactly. I know the language. I know the ins and outs of concerts and venues and recording studio. I know where to be, where not to be, and how to be. That’s a big thing. Being a fly on the wall, not interrupting the proceedings, as Ringo would say.
he, called that out on the forward to my first book. Rob’s always there, but he’s not interrupting the proceedings. that’s it. I’m there as an observer, as a, as a documentarian and just recording visually stuff that’s happening, not putting my, you know, I have a big personality. I don’t come in and like try and dictate a room. I love to just observe and be the recorder of history.
I feel like that’s my role.
Dave Bricker (14:55)
And I’ll tell you what, just, this pops into my head because I was at a networking meeting and there was a young woman who wanted to sing a song and play guitar as part of the opening of that meeting. And she had a microphone, but she had no way to amplify the guitar. And I said, let me grab the second microphone. And I sat on the floor in front of her and I held the mic to the guitar. And what was going through my mind was
Rob Shanahan (15:10)
Yeah.
Dave Bricker (15:22)
this is her performance, I’m here to help her shine. I want to be as invisible as possible. And I think in that supportive role, you’re there sometimes walking around on the stage while the performance is going on. And at the same time, you have your invisibility cloak on. And I think that’s a whole skill that some people don’t even get.
Rob Shanahan (15:50)
Yeah, I am on stage, which still blows my mind. I’ve done it with Aerosmith. I’ve done it with the Stones. I’ve done it just a couple of weeks ago with Sammy Hagar, a couple of dates with him. You know, they want me out on stage. Do your thing. Just go everywhere. And I get those shots that nobody else gets. It’s a really great place to be, to have that access, because I get the stuff that nobody else can get. So.
Dave Bricker (16:19)
And there’s a boldness to this, I think. And I am by no means a professional photographer, but I’ve had times where someone said, hey, Dave, can you take some pictures at my wedding or something like that? And I’ll get down on the floor with the camera shooting up or I’ll climb a tree or get on a balcony or I’ll go places that, you know, stand on a table, things that most people would not be comfortable to do.
And then I get this call like, wow, we hired a professional photographer and your shots are better. And it’s like, well, they didn’t have the testicular fortitude to go where they needed to go to get those shots. And there’s a boldness, a bravado that comes with that, I imagine. And especially you can’t let your imposter synd… like, what am I doing on stage with these people? It’s like, I’m up here to capture these people.
Rob Shanahan (16:52)
I
Yeah, you need to go where you need to go. And having an all access laminated on for shooting these great shows is the best because I don’t have to worry about anyone stopping me from doing what I do best, capturing art. And that’s the best. It’s very freeing.
Dave Bricker (17:37)
Love that. So is there anyone you toured with or photographed who just overwhelmed you with their authenticity, their kindness, their humor, their humility?
Rob Shanahan (17:38)
Yeah.
Rolling Stones. Nobody better. Amazing. A really great group of incredibly intelligent English gentlemen. I don’t interact much with Mick. I get like a head nod when I walk into a room he sees me he’ll give me like a little head gesture but Keith Richards come over, Rob, how you doing? How’s Ringo doing? I’m like, you could call him.
But he’s asking me and Charlie Watts. Rest In Peace, one of my favorites. That guy was amazing. And I got to do so much cool stuff with Charlie. Double drumming before the show in his dressing room, doing warmups. And I really, really loved that guy. He would invite me to Stones rehearsals.
tiny little rehearsal room and I’d be sitting on the couch behind him and Keith Richards amps just still mind blowing and sound checks just being on stage with the stones doing sound check is just an incredible experience and when he passed away his daughter Sarafina reached out and said you were able to capture Pa
as she called him, in a way that only the family could see. Thank you. And that’s like the biggest compliment to me. Being able to capture the man as the loving father and husband that he was, that’s wonderful.
Dave Bricker (19:24)
That’s quite a compliment. That is wonderful. And then on the flip side, because we are talking about stories and storytelling here, I imagine you were present more than once when some crazy stuff went down. Can you share an astonishing or a touching story? Maybe something nobody would ever know.
Rob Shanahan (19:26)
Yeah. Yeah.
Here’s another thing. All the artists that I work with know all the good secrets are still inside. They’ll never come out. I don’t talk dirt. I don’t talk about any of my artists. I don’t share any wacky stuff. My photos will never be in the National Enquirer. TMZ will never hear my stories. You get it? I can tell you that there are a million
great stories. have thousands of stories with your favorite artists through the years that I’ve been collecting. I’ve been writing and I keep a journal and I have great notes. I keep all sorts of notes and my calendars. Someday when I’m ready to retire and sit down and start writing, it’ll all flow out. But you know, for the most part, the
The guys that I work with and girls, the musicians that I work with, the upper 5%, I’ll call them, they have nothing more to prove. They’ve accomplished so much. They’re really great to work with. You know, when you get to the B and C level artists, which I’ve done, I’ve shot all kinds, all sorts, for my clients, you know, my clients that are musical instrument manufacturers, I shoot a lot of their up and coming. you know, when you start shooting,
people that are still struggling. That’s when you start getting some weird attitudes and crazy, crazy stuff. But for the most part, you know, the big guys, they got nothing to prove and they’re just out creating and doing the magic.
Dave Bricker (21:27)
Well, I respect your answer very much.
I don’t want gossip and dirt on the Speakipedia podcast either.
Rob Shanahan (21:37)
As far as that kind of stuff, the tours that I’m on and the artists that I work with, it’s such a well -oiled machine. So you don’t see any of that.
travel is always, you know, super A plus. So none of those usual travel issues that maybe a touring band and a, in a van might experience, if you know what I mean. Great to see how great tours are run. Like I’ll keep bringing up the Rolling Stones. I mean, that’s an amazing machine.
And there’s an advanced team, you know, they’re at the next city before the band is even on the stage from the city before. So they have a really great advance. So when the traveling circus does arrive in your town, it’s so well planned and, and, and, laid out. So it’s seamless, pretty sweet.
Dave Bricker (22:29)
Love that. So if you’re just joining us, you’re tuned into Speakipedia Media for aspiring and professional speakers and thought leaders who want to make more money by changing hearts, minds and fortunes. My guest today is rock and roll photographer and keynote speaker, Rob Shanahan. So Rob, there was a study that asked Fortune 500 executives what they’d want to do if they weren’t leading a big corporation.
Rob Shanahan (22:49)
Yeah.
Dave Bricker (22:56)
And you can guess the number one response was Rockstar. And then…
Rob Shanahan (23:00)
I was going to say, let me guess.
Dave Bricker (23:03)
And then one of the most viewed videos on my YouTube channel was a short with our friend Bruce Turkel called Everyone Wants to Be a Rockstar. So everyone wants to be a rockstar. What does it actually mean to be one?
Rob Shanahan (23:19)
that’s why I’m really enjoying my keynote world because I get to bring so many great stories and photos into the business world from my rockstar world. I love it. It’s really great.
Executives love it. VIPs love it. CEOs love it. And we bring the rock star attitude to their organization. And I’m not talking about all the negative parts of being a rock star. I’m talking about all the positives.
Dave Bricker (23:53)
So to expand on that, look, I’m not famous. I don’t think I want to be famous. And one of the benefits of that is when I go to the grocery store or eat in a restaurant, nobody’s gawking at me or trying to figure out how to sidle up and ask for my autograph. So you’ve been in the middle of this though. What sacrifices do celebrities make to fame? How does it affect them?
Rob Shanahan (23:52)
Yeah.
Dave Bricker (24:16)
And do the people who think they want to be famous really want to be famous?
Rob Shanahan (24:22)
Yeah, you have to be careful. That’s a slippery slope. You want fame, but you got to be willing to give up your personal life. And some artists can go out in public and they handle it well. You know, what’s really fun is have you all noticed in the last stones tour, Mick would post photos on his Instagram, him hanging out at some local pub and he would have his cap on, you know, he wouldn’t be in his stage gear, just kind of enjoying a beer.
with people at the table next to him not realizing, wow, that’s Mick Jagger. He can blend in very well. He’ll go walking in the park. He’ll go make himself appear in public and he can do that pretty hassle -free. Some people, like, I mean, God, imagine Taylor Swift walking through a mall or trying to go have a beer in a pub. I bet it’s impossible, so.
She could probably tell you more about the perils of being super world famous than anyone. You know, there’s a ton of artists like that that just really can’t go out in public. So you have to be careful.
Dave Bricker (25:28)
Yeah, I don’t think I’d want that. But that’s me.
Rob Shanahan (25:34)
Even I get that. can go, I can get stopped at my supermarket, my local market, or I’m walking through an airport anywhere and people come up, aren’t you in that band or what band are you in or are you the photographer? I get it. I love it. I don’t mind. Happy to say hi.
Dave Bricker (25:50)
A little bit, right, a little bit I think can be fun.
Rob Shanahan (25:55)
little doses are fine. I can’t imagine walking into a room or a airport or wherever in public and getting mobbed. I after a while, it’s a little challenging. I mean, you have to live. Here’s a quick story. You like stories. Okay, so I was on tour Ringo Starr and the All -Star Band. We were in Chicago, hubby not of Chicago. And he was to appear on the Larry King shows. Probably back in 2008, Larry was still around and they were doing a live.
Dave Bricker (26:02)
Right.
That’s gotta get.
Rob Shanahan (26:23)
via satellite at the studios in Chicago. So there wasn’t security available and Ringo’s like, Rob’s coming, so we’ll be fine. I’m big enough, I can handle myself. And if anyone comes after Ringo, I’m ready to take a bullet or kick some ass if I have to. So Ringo and I, and his wife Barbara, were in the back of a, you we’re getting driven to the studio and the driver dropped us off at the wrong address. We didn’t realize it until we walked into the building.
Dave Bricker (26:38)
Eh -eh -eh.
Rob Shanahan (26:52)
And the doorman said, no, no, no, you’re you’re a block north. You got to. So we walked out on the street, the three of us, me and Ringo and Barbara walking on Michigan Avenue in Chicago to the NBC studios. I think it was. And I’m thinking, all right, this is going to be a challenge walking in public with him. And nobody bothered us. We’re walking and everyone would be like, wow, that looks like Ringo Starr, but what would he be doing? Walking in the street.
And we got to the next destination with no problems. Nobody stopped him and I’m thinking, wow, maybe Ringo can go in public and be okay.
Dave Bricker (27:28)
Just because no one believes it’s actually him.
Rob Shanahan (27:31)
Yeah, like, wow, that looks like Ringo and Barbara, but there’s no way they’d be just walking the street with that dude.
Dave Bricker (27:37)
That’s funny. So we talked earlier about how being a photographer is kind of a behind the scenes role. And when you get on stage, you try to be as invisible as possible so the stars can shine. But you’re a keynote speaker, which means you have to be the rock star. Has that been a natural transition for you?
Rob Shanahan (27:57)
Yeah, so that’s the light switch I have to turn on. And it is a challenge because I’ve always been really good at, you know, letting the spotlight shine on the subjects that I’m shooting, that I’m working with. I’m really good about hiding in the shadows. I know it’s not my turn to be in the spotlight and shine. When I get on the keynote stage, it’s the lights on, babe. I got to flip the switch and…
That’s the challenge. Working on it.
Dave Bricker (28:31)
Yeah, we all are. We all are. And it’s it’s you wonder maybe it’s a good thing that we don’t quite get all the way there. We’re always aspiring to it. We’re always growing into that because we also see people who get stuck there.
Rob Shanahan (28:45)
Yeah, I know how much I need to give. I know how much I need to push. also in my keynotes, I’m showing photos and talking about the rock stars and what I’ve learned and what I can bring to you and what I can share with your company and how I can help your organization see things maybe a little different and maybe kind of retool or rethink
your programs or the way you do social media or whatever it may be. So I’m kind of a facilitator in a way and not really about me, me, me, but here’s what they do. And this is what I’ve learned. And this is how I applied to my personal business and myself. And this is what I would love to present to you. And I get it. I’m a facilitator. I’m not the rock star on stage.
Dave Bricker (29:41)
Right, you’re there to make them the rock stars, but it’s a flip -flop, right? Because they hire you, they hire us, they hire a keynote speaker to be a rock star, and they don’t expect that it’s really about them. So let’s unpack that some more, because as a speaker, you share some of these lessons from the road with your audiences. So what are a few of those lessons? What can your audiences learn? What can our listeners learn?
Rob Shanahan (29:43)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Dave Bricker (30:11)
from the rock stars on the road.
Rob Shanahan (30:14)
Well, the first and the foremost, I mentioned before, fitness, health, you know, getting a good balanced meal while you’re on the road, while you’re at your weakest, so to speak, maintaining 100 % commitment to your physical health, your
healthy diet. It’s a tough thing to do on the road. It’s fast food, whatever. I don’t eat fast food in LA. I don’t do it on the road. I stock my fridge in the hotel from the local Whole Foods or supermarket. And you know, I don’t eat crappy food and I check out the hotel gym and I use it. I make sure I keep up my fitness routine. Mick, same thing. You know, and a lot of times he, I find he runs the hallways of the hotel.
nice and cushy carpet, easy on the knees, on the joints. And, you know, he just starts doing laps up and down, up and down, or around, you know, whole floor. It just starts running around. I’ve started doing that months or years ago, and I find it to be very good. Also, it’s a very good way to keep the blood pumping and keep everything together. Also,
The music biz, people think these guys are partying, doing drugs, as I mentioned before. You know, I’m sure at one time they were. The smart ones learn that’s not the way to longevity. So you have to think about the big picture and that’s why the Stones are still out doing it. know, Keith Richards, those guys are like 80 years old. They’ve been doing it 60 years, filling the massive stadiums of the world. And the only way they can do that is by…
focusing and being the top of their game and even Keith realized he needed to cut out the cigarettes and most of the drinking and whatever but
Rock stars for the most part are pretty dedicated, very focused individuals. You have to be for longevity in anything keynote speaking, music industry, any kind of industry, I guess, being the best every day that you can be working on stuff. Always learning too. They’re always trying new.
Dave Bricker (32:35)
and it starts at home.
Rob Shanahan (32:42)
maybe new recording methods or new ways to look at their art or maybe they’re writing a different kind of song or trying a different fashion or they’re always growing. No one better than Lady Gaga to prove that. I mean, she’s the queen of fashion and music and always pushing the envelope and just, you know, she’s an amazing performer. And she’s one example, so many examples.
Dave Bricker (33:12)
That’s wonderful.
Rob Shanahan (33:12)
I think all of us, need to continue to learn. I’m always trying to learn new things. First of the year, I’m like, what, seven, eight months, nine months into acting classes. I love it. I jumped in. I’ve been in LA for 35 years and I finally got into an acting class. What’s wrong with me?
What happened was I did a one man show at the Grammy Museum here in downtown LA for my book launch and in the audience was great actor.
John Lacey, He’s in the new Joker movie, and he did the voiceover, really great actor. He’s been in a bunch of TV shows, he was in the audience, fan of my work, and after, when I was doing the book signing, he said, I run a Tuesday night acting class, you should jump in, I can help you with blah, blah, blah, and it was so much fun. First day, he pulls me up on stage and got me into a scene and.
It’s been great. I really like it. And it’s just about building, you know, confidence on stage and performing and no better way than to work on it. Everything else, know, AI, figuring it out, learning Photoshop. I’ve always been on the top of the Photoshop curve and learning as much as I can and always challenging ourselves. And I just got a new drone camera a couple of months ago.
I love it. Go to my website, robshanahan .art. Go to my aerials. It’s been amazing. I love it. Great bird’s eye view. Really great new angle to see the world.
Dave Bricker (34:47)
Yeah, the tools we get are amazing. And yes, I agree. We have to keep learning and keep growing. And as soon as you get to that point, like, can’t do that. That’s too hard for me. It’s like, that’s when you start slipping the wrong direction. You’ve got to keep challenging yourself.
Rob Shanahan (35:04)
Yeah, okay, since this is a keynote group, my very first keynote, by the way, I’ve been speaking in the photo world for a lot of years, I’ve become an ambassador in the photo world. So I do speak at photo fest, whatever Seattle, New York, Chicago, LA, whenever there’s a big photo convention, they’ll have me come in and speak. So I’m used to talking to photographers, gear, lighting, photo talk. I was at a dinner party here in LA.
for a big country artist. I’ve been shooting his records forever. Had a dinner party night before his show. Invited me to the show. Sitting next to me was his neighbor in Nashville who happened to be a VP of CenturyLink. He said, Rob, I’ve been on your website. I can’t freaking believe it. Van Halen is my ultimate favorite band. Tell me a story. I started telling him a story. Then he wanted to another story from another band.
Two hours later, we don’t even remember who else was at the dinner party, but me and this guy had a wonderful two hour conversation. And the end, he’s like, I’m hiring you to keynote speak for my group in San Diego in six months, thousand people. We’re going to buy a thousand of your books and you’ll sign them all. We’ll give them. I’m like, wow, awesome. Six months later, I’m standing behind the curtain.
Ready to go on the stage manager, you know, with the mic. Okay. 30 seconds counting down and they’re giving the rough shit and rock a roll, but dog slideshow of a bunch of photos, whatever. And I’m standing there going, okay, what’s my first line? How am I going to do this? What am I doing? I have no idea. You don’t know until you try that curtain to opened up. I walked out the wings popped out of my back.
I don’t know where they came from. And I flew and it just came out of me. And I realized, I didn’t realize my wife in the audience realized you have to do this. You have to do this more often. And I found that was the beginning of, you know, this wonderful keynote journey that I’ve been on. And I hadn’t had that opportunity. I don’t know if I would ever found it on my own, but that gets me to.
O of icons in my acronym, opportunity, make them, create them. And that was an opportunity that presented itself. And I’ve always been a firm believer preparation, opportunity, equal luck. You all know it. I was ready. I was prepared. Well, I wasn’t really ready because I had no idea what I was going to say when the curtain opened, but I’ve done the work. It’s been a whole lifetime of it. I’m just going to tell them what’s coming from right here.
The authentic self always wins. So curtain open, they got the authentic me and that was it.
Dave Bricker (38:04)
And you know what? There’s this idea of ready that people get stuck in. You were ready to give it your first shot. Was it your best keynote ever? No. Did you have a lot to learn? Yes. But you know what? The opportunity came and you said, yes, I will be there and I will deliver the keynote. And you gave it your best shot. And probably your standards were a lot higher than the audiences. I’m sure they were thrilled with what they got.
Rob Shanahan (38:30)
It went awesome and I booked so many from that very first one. That was the word of mouth power I realized is very effective in the keynote world. You never know who’s in the audience. You have to give it your 100 % best. And maybe being a little naive, that first one was a good thing. So I didn’t have any kind of preconceived idea or notion what it should be. I thought…
Well, let me just go and share my story. And that’s what my friend, John, the VP said, just share your story. Just tell them, tell them how you did it. Start from the beginning, go back. And I’m like, okay, so I did. And if you live it, you know the story. There’s no script to memorize. You’re just reliving what you’ve done. And that was it. Just be your authentic self, speak from the heart, as I mentioned. And…
Dave Bricker (39:20)
Thank you.
Rob Shanahan (39:28)
Let it go, let it flow, baby.
Dave Bricker (39:31)
completely agree with you. Too many people get stuck up like I’ve got to write this 5000 word book and memorize it and what read it out of the out of your head to the audience. How boring is that? So yeah, it’s your story. You know it just you can refine it, organize it that happens over time. But yes, go for it and let it go. So
Rob Shanahan (39:52)
Here’s another thing. Great point, great segue. John Lacey, my acting coach, John Lacey is so great. You got to look him up. He’s really great. And what I love, he’s a fellow Minnesotan. How cool is that? So he told me actors, they don’t memorize lines. They don’t try and read a script and learn it line for line, word for word. They learn the story.
It’s a story. Every scene is a story. Learn the story like it’s your story. You put the character into that story and then you just retell the story. You don’t have to worry about the words, the lines, if you know the story.
Dave Bricker (40:36)
love that. So Rob, you have released two books appropriately called Volume One and Volume Two with big musical instrument volume knobs on them. But it’s easy enough to look at a big book of cool photos and smile. But I know you went through a process of selecting the right shots, putting them in the right order and making sure they came off the printing press looking the way you wanted them. So talk a little bit about
Rob Shanahan (40:47)
Yeah.
Dave Bricker (41:04)
that very special storytelling process that most people will never be aware of.
Rob Shanahan (41:11)
Talking about this earlier, you and I, being willing and able to delegate. It’s the only way. Books are massive projects, especially a photo book. I’m going through archives and years of my work.
I’ll pick out like three, 400 of my favorite photos, things that I think should be in the book. Doesn’t mean it’s accurate. Doesn’t mean it’s the way it should be. I have an art director and my wife, Hillary, who happens to be an amazing, wonderful graphic designer, who is also my art director. mean, a graphic director of the book. She does all the layout of the book, the design, the cover, all the great work that you see of my books is all because of my wife.
I trust her and my art director, Scott Danil, who I’ve been shooting with for 25 years. He’s my favorite art director. He and I know exactly what we want. We have our own way of communicating. He’ll tell me like three, four words and I know exactly what he means. And he’s been art directing my photo shoots and he’s wonderful. I trust him. So he and my wife, they’re the ones that get to pick what ends up and what gets selected for the books.
You know, they’re all my babies and we just have a big wall where we put the photos up and they come in and they start pulling deadbeats off the wall. And I’m like, no, I love that photo. How can you pull that? I just let them do their thing and I don’t argue. I don’t fight it. I fight it a little bit. I never win though. And I just trust them.
I trust their instincts and I let it go and they decide what order. I may have a little say on the order. I will change the order a little bit and that’s how it goes. And then Hillary takes all the finals and puts them in InDesign and gets all the pre -press files ready and it’s a lot of work. It’s like nine months. It’s like a baby.
Basically a baby it’s conceived in our ideas and then nine months later we have a little product and then You have to watch and nurture that baby. Otherwise Who knows what it’ll come out to be? You know, you have to determine that baby’s future. So we do a lot of marketing a lot of sales a lot of appearances and a lot of work
marketing goes in behind the book. can’t just develop a baby and think it’s going to grow to be what you would hope and expect it to be.
Dave Bricker (43:43)
Yeah, pop the baby out and put it on the doorstep. That doesn’t work.
Rob Shanahan (43:47)
Nope. That’s part of the fun. It’s part of the work. I love doing the TV shows. I’ve been lucky. I’ve been getting on a lot of national TV shows and local here in LA, New York, Minnesota, of course, my hometown. So we do a lot of promotion and it’s part of the fun.
Dave Bricker (44:05)
So Rob Shanahan, if one of our listeners wants to learn more about you and your books and the presentations you give, where can they find you?
Rob Shanahan (44:14)
Well, my gallery online, robshanahan .art, I have a keynote site, robshanahankeynote .com. You can find me at either one. Of course, jump on my social, at Shanahan Photo, Instagram. I’m posting fun stuff behind the scenes you’re never gonna see anywhere. And a few cool stories, a lot of cool stories. And also, in addition to my rock and roll photo world, I found out.
Another love photographing the wild beasts of Africa. So much fun. I did my first safari just before COVID. Loved it so much. I couldn’t wait to get back to Africa. I’ve been back twice and we have another trip planned after next year. And it’s a lot of fun. have a lot of those photos on my gallery site and happy to say that they’re selling. People are collecting. So all part of keeping the magic happening and moving forward.
Dave Bricker (44:47)
Rob Shanahan, thank you so much for being my guest today.
Rob Shanahan (45:16)
Yeah. Thank you for having me, Dave.
Dave Bricker (45:19)
pleasure. I’m Dave Bricker, inviting you to explore the world’s most comprehensive resource for speakers and storytellers at Speakipedia .com. If you’re watching this on social media video, please love, subscribe and share your comments. And if you’re listening to the podcast, keep your hands on the wheel, stay safe, and I’ll see you on the next episode of Speakipedia Media.
Rob Shanahan (45:45)
Rock and roll people.
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