self made

man

turn a popular podcast into an eLearning platform

Curriculum Mapping Course Design Production Management

challenge

Create a development and production process that can scale easily.

Mike Dillard had built an audience for himself thanks to his incredible content, which included podcast interviews and some video. We needed to think strategically in order to build a robust but feasible curriculum strategy that would appeal to Mike’s existing audience. But how?

There were dozens of subject matters and instructors we wanted to develop a large slate of classes around, but we weren’t sure how to scale that. The instructors’ time was limited because of their demanding schedules, and we needed to collaborate with them to develop the high-quality educational content we envisioned. What was the best way to format each of these thought-leaders’ unique expertise in a way that would fit the platform’s needs? We also needed to determine how to turn the process into a repeatable system that any member of the team could manage and execute.

We needed the instructors to arrive to set, ready to film, and the production team needed to move with the precision of a clock to stick to the aggressive timeline. With so many challenges for the team, we also wanted to make the shoot days high on fun and low on stress for everyone, but still meet our goals for high-quantity content.

solution

Education Platform Consultation

Before any instructors could be booked or any production days put on the calendar, we needed to map the curriculum based on the content verticals that would most impact the learner. Once the verticals were approved we could then determine the most efficient programming strategy and the type of formats that would most resonate with Mike’s existing podcast and email newsletter audience. This work determined the instructor recruitment and production schedule. Because the platform required a threshold of finished content at launch and enough classes to continue launching new content monthly, we needed to implement development and production processes that would allow us to create the maximum amount of premium content in a limited amount of time. All of this work needed to be completed before the first instructor arrived on the first day of production.

Production Days: 12

Courses: 50

Number of Channels: 7

Content Strategy

Before we even spoke to one instructor we created development templates and a process by which each class was ideated and developed to fit the vision of the platform. Each class required a development kickoff and additional outlining, design, and scripting. While all of the instructors had limited time and busy schedules, some instructors were eager to work with us to develop their classes while others were less available. Therefore the development process had to be flexible enough to maximize the time we had with any given instructor. We created detailed outlines and provided as much support as the instructors would require. Once the content was locked we would write scripts for promos.

Production Management

The production team had an existing relationship with the client but they had little experience on how to shoot the type of formats we developed for the platform. Therefore we had to consult with the team throughout the entire process from pre-production through the editing and delivery of every lesson. We managed the creation of all visual assets as well as the set design. We coordinated 16 production days across multiple locations across Austin, Texas both in studio and on-location featuring over 30 instructors.

results

50+ classes across 7 content verticals, featuring 30+ instructors at launch.

Using Edios Media’s 5 Pillars of Content system, we created a scalable and low-impact development cycle that allowed instructors flexibility in the lead-up to their production day.

Each production day was highly planned and produced, allowing us to shoot between 2 and 5 classes per day. Additionally, the Self Made Man team is using the templates and systems we provided to continue to add classes to the site regularly. Our system was designed to be able to hand off the development and production seamlessly.

The Self Made Man platform launched in February 2018, with 50+ classes launched across 7 content verticals.

“Edios Media provided the guidance and leadership on how to systematize the content and production processes so I could scale the amount of quality classes I am able to provide.”

–MIKE DILLARD, FOUNDER, SELF MADE MAN
“Very unique but practical insights. I loved the one-on-one coaching session at the end.”

— Sharief Hassan, Self Made Man Member
“Just saved me a semester in taking a college course.”

— Howie Coro, Self Made Man Member