loader from loading.io

Burn The Map: DIY Podcasting Power with Anika Jackson

Burn The Map

Release Date: 07/07/2025

Burn The Map: Chasing Chaos, Curating Creativity, and the Relentless Art of AI Video w/ Luka Tisler show art Burn The Map: Chasing Chaos, Curating Creativity, and the Relentless Art of AI Video w/ Luka Tisler

Burn The Map

“Limitations? Please. The only thing that matters now is the idea—because with today’s AI, you can create anything. The rest is just noise.” —Luka Tisler In This Episode: We sit down with Luka Tisler, the Slovenian mastermind who treats AI video tools like his personal playground. Luka’s journey is a whirlwind of reinvention—from post-production purist to VFX wizard to motion graphics innovator to, well, teaching the rest of us how to keep up. He went from wrangling cameras to breaking generative models, turning every “hobby” into a full-blown career, and building Lighthouse...

info_outline Burn The Map: DIY Podcasting Power with Anika Jackson show art Burn The Map: DIY Podcasting Power with Anika Jackson

Burn The Map

“Don’t spend $25,000 building a studio before you’ve recorded your first episode. Please. Use your laptop, a good mic, and just get started.” —Anika Jackson In This Episode: We talk to Anika Jackson about what it actually takes to go from “hey, let’s start a podcast!” to running a slick, sustainable media machine. She walked through her own scrappy journey—launching Brand Amplified out of her PR agency, turning a side hustle into a business, and learning (sometimes the hard way) that you don’t need a $25,000 studio to get started. What you do need: consistency, a clear...

info_outline Burn the Map: Psilocybin, Law, and Life with Bridger Jensen show art Burn the Map: Psilocybin, Law, and Life with Bridger Jensen

Burn The Map

“Every human is entitled to utter syllables and words and think thoughts and commune with their own highest power. That is… certainly an inalienable right.” —Bridger Lee Jensen In This Episode: We sit down with Bridger Lee Jensen, founder of the world’s first federally protected psilocybin religion, Singularism. Bridger takes us on a trip (pun intended) through the wild ride of founding a new movement—in Provo, Utah, of all places—facing down the SWAT team, and coming out the other side with his mushrooms (and his freedom) intact. Bridger’s story is a cocktail of therapy,...

info_outline
 
More Episodes

“Don’t spend $25,000 building a studio before you’ve recorded your first episode. Please. Use your laptop, a good mic, and just get started.” —Anika Jackson

In This Episode:

We talk to Anika Jackson about what it actually takes to go from “hey, let’s start a podcast!” to running a slick, sustainable media machine. She walked through her own scrappy journey—launching Brand Amplified out of her PR agency, turning a side hustle into a business, and learning (sometimes the hard way) that you don’t need a $25,000 studio to get started. What you do need: consistency, a clear sense of why you’re doing it, and a willingness to put in the reps, even if your first few episodes are a little rough around the edges..

We discuss:

  • How to launch, grow, and monetize a podcast without burning a pile of cash.
  • The real story behind turning a hobby into a business—spoiler: it’s not glamorous, but it is possible.
  • Why most podcasters quit too soon, and how to avoid rookie mistakes.
  • The hidden cost of “doing it all yourself”—and why AI is your new best friend.
  • How Anika’s DIY approach landed her speaking gigs, teaching gigs, and more guest requests than she can handle (seriously, 100+ waitlist).

Enjoy the episode. This show is brought to you by Wrench.ai.

Guest Bio:

Anika Jackson is a communications maestro with 25+ years in the PR and media trenches. She’s the Executive Director at the ICL Foundation, co-produces USC’s MediaScape series, and is the host of Your Brand Amplified®—a top 1.5% podcast where she cracks open the world of branding, entrepreneurship, and the business of being heard. When she’s not turning chaos into content, you’ll find her teaching grad students at USC, judging the Webby Awards, or wrangling AI tools into service for indie podcasters everywhere.

Follow Dan:

Follow Anika:

Follow the Pod:

Selected Links From This Episode

People and Organizations Mentioned

  • Anika Jackson (Guest)

  • Dan Baird (Host)

  • ICL Foundation

  • ICL Academy (online middle and high school)

  • University of Southern California (USC)

  • Full Capacity Marketing (Anika’s PR agency)

  • Maestrix.ai (Guillaume Demortier, Founder)

  • Ziotag

  • Simplified

  • Podgagement

  • ListenNotes

  • Webby Awards

Show Notes & Timestamps

  • 00:00 — Why most podcasters quit before they get traction (and how Anika didn’t)

  • 03:00 — Turning a hobby podcast into a business you can actually monetize

  • 06:00 — Building a content backlog: 10 interviews a week, 100+ guests in the queue

  • 08:00 — Why AI tools are a podcaster’s best friend (and which ones actually work)

  • 10:00 — Making your podcast accessible (for real, not just for compliance)

  • 13:00 — Metrics, downloads, and the lies you tell yourself (and your sponsors)

  • 16:00 — The future of podcasting: AI clones, digital personas, and what’s still very, very human

  • 22:00 — Small teams, big impact: How AI is killing middle management and opening up new business models

  • 28:00 — Why every business, big or small, needs an AI-literate workforce

  • 34:00 — Anika’s top 3 tips for launching a podcast (hint: don’t overthink it)

  • 36:00 — Where to find Anika and why LinkedIn is still king