.png)
Paul Salfen joins us on episode 27 of the A.U. Podcast, and we're excited to share it with you! Television host and journalist, Paul Salfen, has his fair share of stories when it comes to some of the biggest names in entertainment. Cabus kicks off the episode diving into Paul's passion for music, film, and travel. Tune in to the full video on YouTube, or listen in on Spotify and Apple Music to learn all about Paul's journey and his early days in journalism as well as a teaser into his upcoming book "Going For it". Read on for Cliffs Notes of episode 27.
photo provided by artist
"I always thought I would be behind the camera, I mean look at me I look like a thumb, especially then with a rock t-shirt, mullet, and ripped jeans... but maybe the teacher thought it was funny so he put me on weather".
Paul learned about his passion in a high school broadcasting class where he never thought he would be on-screen. His teacher put him on weather which didn't last long so he suggested he interview bands since he liked music. Paul scoured through Philadelphia with his friend Joe and a camera going to every venue, bar, and tour bus asking people to be on their show even though it sucked. To their surprise, every single band said yes. After Paul and Joe submitted their assignment, they quickly learned their teacher meant bands in the school. The assignment helped Paul realize what he wanted to do. So much so that when he went off to Penn State for college, he created an online music magazine for the record store he worked at. This lead him to interview Kid Rock, Led Zeppelin members, Rolling Stones members, and so many more artists.
After that experience, Paul moved to Dallas where he met a man who asked him to do interviews for films which led him to interview Nicolas Cage and Tom Cruise. Now he is doing several interviews a day and still finds it to be a thrill for him - even more so now that he gets to interview celebrities, politicians, authors, astronauts, and everything in-between.
photo provided by artist
With years of experience, the question on everyone's mind is, how do you prep? Paul doesn't. He asks himself, "If I was sitting next to someone on the plane, what would I want to know about them?" He finds notes to be distracting so he goes in with his first question and lets the rest be a conversation making sure to spotlight whatever they are promoting and key moments in the interviewees' life and career.
"I probably shouldn't say this but I don't really prep for interviews"
Ten years ago it all changed for him when he met Drew Pearson, make sure to tune in to learn more about how they met. Paul simply asked to be on his show and was instantly given the opportunity - a game of right place, right time. Showing him once again that success comes when you are just going for it.
photo provided by artist
During the pandemic, Paul did 350 interviews thanks to Zoom and began working on writing a book series full of advice, wisdom, and hail Mary moments from 1,000 stars which is a culmination of some of the most iconic interviews of his career. Stay tuned for the release of "Going For It", coming out very soon.
There is so much more to learn from this episode with Paul Salfen that you will have to hear for yourself on our YouTube Channel, Spotify, or Apple Music.
Check out the Artist Uprising podcast to listen to the full conversation with Paul Salfen and other interviews with creatives from across the globe. You can find Paul online on his website, Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.
