🎤 Speaker 1:

Well, welcome back to another Media Firestorm case study with one of our favorite one of our well, they’re all our favorites, but another one of our rockstar clients, Michael Banner. I’m Angel Tuccy. I’m one of the co-founders of Media Firestorm and super excited to introduce you to Michael, so he can share just his experience and his success that he’s had through the Media Firestorm program in really just a really short period of time. So, Michael, welcome.

I I know I just gave your name, but go ahead and give us your name, where you live, and tell us a little about your business. All righty. Well, my name is Michael Bannon. First of all, thank you for having me here, Angela.

I’m just thrilled to do this. Um, I live in Tampa, Florida, which is the west coast of Florida. I am a career mortgage banker that built a national niche over the last 20 to 30 years um in the reverse mortgage world, which is not a very popular world. The words reverse mortgage are not well accepted in the country.

It’s a it’s a very misunderstood product and um but be that as it may uh as I got older and I’m getting older u I needed to reinvent myself um and therefore I came up with something several years ago almost five years ago now called 62 who knew that dealt with the double-edged sword of longer lifespans and um it seemed I I did it in the beginning with a very small independent um television studio here on the west coast of Florida. Um and it seemed to touch a nerve. We we built up to 60 to 70,000 views per week. We did go off the air during COVID because of COVID issues.

Um but people just don’t realize that the fact that you’re going to get to 62 and the odds are pretty damn good you’re going to go to 92 is a double-edged sword. Most people aren’t prepared for that. and it just opened up a plethora of things to talk about that everyone just went, “Oh, wow.” And uh decided to bring it back a few months ago as I’m reinventing myself at I guess I should say my age. I was 50 16 years ago.

That’s how I say my age now. Um but reinventing yourself at this age and techn you know but all the powers to be including my brilliant children said bring it back as a podcast dad not a little independent you know TV kind of thing and um after being familiar and seeing some of your stuff on Facebook uh you were the first person I called to make 62 who knew into a national podcast. Wow. Oh I didn’t realize we were the first people you called to turn it into a national podcast.

personally only. So you you found us through through Facebook um through our our need a guest probably our need a guest Facebook group. Um so let’s talk about that. Right.

So you reached out to us because why what was it about us that made you think we were the one? Well truthfully I I reached out to Media Firestorm you know because you seem to be hitting the nail on the head. You weren’t selling me on a philosophy. You weren’t trying to teach the way certain things should be done. You were simply giving the message that by being a guest on powerful podcasts and then you you personally taught me the two words uh host swapping.

Is that two words or is it a hyphenated word on the one word? I’m not sure. And um when you said Michael when you do good they come on yours and you build and it just made sense. So then I checked out a lot of your stuff. You know, you have a great site and I I started looking at other podcasts that were getting hundreds and thousands and tens of thousands of views and I said, “Yeah, um I I I kind of make my decisions, you know, by my gut.” And I said, “Yeah, this this is the way I’m going to do this with Media Firestorm.” Did you have any doubts at any part of the process about joining Media Firestorm? Oh, yes.

Yeah. when when you’re um when you were 50 16 years ago, you would have doubts of anything that you’re not familiar with. And through my mortgage banking career, Knockwood, I I’ve been on Fox Business News, CNN, um all sorts of ABC, CBS affiliates. I write for the Wall Street Journal.

Um you know, so I’m nationally known in my circle. I guess the cliche you would be familiar with is, you know, I’m a big fish in a little pond. So yeah, I I was hesitant to go out there in the big pond of, you know, or the ocean, not the pond, of podcasting. Could I do it? I needed to lose weight if I was going to be in front of a camera constantly.

Could I do that? I’ve been trying for years. So yeah, and and and there was financial misgivings, too. Um, you know, because it costs not a not a fortune, but not an insignificant amount of money, either. Um, I’ve I I’ve written my share of checks in my 40-year career and um regretted it in less than 30 days going, “Okay, chalk it up to experience.

This is the first time that I I wrote a fairly sizable check and within 30 days went, “Wow, so glad I did this.” And I guess that’s what brings us to today. Yeah. Right. I think this is in fact, you know, a fabulous testimonial.

So, thank you for that. So, what strategies, what tips did you learn during those first 30 days? What did you implement that made you say, “Wow, this was the best money I’ve ever invested.” Well, you know, your your training calls, you know, the first couple of, you know, training calls just shed lights on things that again, um, I know a lot of your potential client base are not dinosaurs like me, but for a dinosaur like me, um, it shed your training shed light on things that I just didn’t know. Um, you know, I don’t consider myself an ignorant person, but I just didn’t know. And, um, again, one of those things was host swapping.

One of those things, you know, when I called you and said, “I don’t know. I’m a retirement podcast and, you know, I’m seeing hundreds and hundreds of needed guest options that, you know, have nothing to do with possibly retirement.” And you brought up my background creating 62 who knew, reinventing myself and gave me 10 other podcasts that would like to have me as a guest, not just for one reason, but for other reasons. And and that really turned on a light bulb. I’m going on four podcasts in April.

Well, five thanks to you guys, but I’d say four of them are me talking about, you know, what I had to do to reinvent myself and how you sometimes have to do that in your mid60s when when this great country is going through great, you know, terrible economic times. So, um, you taught me that it’s not just to be tunnel vision, you know, about what I want and the message I want to give, but to get myself out there and my career and my reputation out there. That’s how I’ll build my national reputation. I love it.

So, where are you at now? How does this all make you feel now that you’ve got this foundation and this strategy, the system in place that you’ve started implementing? What positive impact do you think it’s going to make? Well, there’s no doubt it’s it’s already helping. Um, you know, the podcast is only 9 weeks old even though it is the successor to the 62 who knew television show, but that’s been off the air for three years. Um, almost four years. And um you know so the first month that 62 who knew was on uh we had 600 views and then after joining you which is only a month ago I mean I think last week was our one month anniversary um and not even being guest on other podcast yet but talking to them having them look at the show I’m very proud to say that the second four weeks we got a little over 2200 views um which I’m very very happy with and you know the goal is 50,000 I hope in the next 6 months.

And you know, a lot of people think that’s unrealistic, but I don’t think it’s unrealistic if I’m going to go on five to eight other national podcasts a month to push mine. I think that’s what you’re making possible. Uh, you know, it’s it’s exciting at this point in life to to do something like this and be excited about it. I I love your excitement.

I love your enthusiasm. And you do give us hope. I think you opened up my eyes too, Michael, that if you hit 62, you’ll probably, you know, you’ll probably hit 92. And I think that is um eyeopening for a lot of us.

It’s good. It is a double-edged sword. Good news, bad news, because there are some financial hiccups, right? Or things that we need to address. And I do want to talk about how you how you help your clients.

Um, what would you tell someone who is watching this, who’s unsure about whether or not to enroll in the media firestorm program? What I would tell someone that’s unsure, and I was unsure for a week or 10 days, and then I hit the button and did it, um, is this is going to get down to confidence in yourself. Meteor Firestorm is going to give you a successful formula. Or maybe I said that backwards. a formula for success in the national podcast world.

They they just are um every time I go on the need a guest uh uh directory, not just to to do my thing every day like you taught me to do, but I’m now watching other podcasts because you said, “Michael, you can’t be sincere about wanting to be on a podcast if you don’t at least give some time and watch their podcast. You know, don’t try and give them a line.” Well, now I’m seeing guests on their podcast that maybe are not part of need a guest that I’m now inviting to be on my podcast. Um, so it it just keeps mushrooming and getting bigger and bigger. So, I’d say if you’re having your doubts, um, be able to put in the time.

You know, I know younger people can do it a lot quicker than me that are more familiar than, uh, than me with the technology. I I’m probably up angel angel to two and a half hours a day. And if I could, I would do it six hours a day. But I also write mortgages and write long-term care insurance and and and host and produce a podcast.

I I think I could take this global if I could spend hours a day on your site just doing what I want to do. So I think you got to have a commitment. You know, I think at the end of the month, if if you’re not doing if if Media Firestorm is not doing what you expected it to do, I I think you’re going to have to look in the mirror to find out why because you you give the success there. You you you give them the rules.

Just do it. Oh, commercial. Just do it. Just do it.

Right. Yes. I think uh yeah, we give you the success, we give you the tools, but you do have to take the action. My my son just developed that.

he realized if he, you know, spent more time, you know, doing this one thing, right, he his business would grow. And and so it’s finding out what is the one thing that you need to spend more time on to grow to grow your business. And Michael, I’m so I’m so delighted to to talk with you, to watch your story, to watch your success. So tell our audience how you how you serve your clients and tell us about the show, how they can connect with you.

Um, and yeah, what what’s uh what’s your big vision for where we’re going next? Well, 62 Who Knew is an unusual show. Our our star of the show is that week’s guests. It’s not me or any of my expert panelists. We’re there to keep things flowing.

Um, and I’m an expert on a couple of things. the use of home equity during retirement, um, longer lifespans, but I’m certainly not an expert on the literally dozens, if not hundreds of topics that people need to learn about at that point in their life, whether it be Social Security, Medicare, Medicare supplemental policies, long-term care insurance, dozens of different types of annuities. I mean, I’m not an expert at all that. So I bring on top national experts to talk about that and then we are in the middle of updating because we seem to be updating every week the 62 who knew uh website.

We don’t just give the advice and go all right go see this guy. Isn’t he great? Bye-bye. See you next week. The 62 who knew website allows people to click on do I need an annuity? Do I need to have life insurance? Am I missing some of my social security benefits to tap into an expert whether they’re in Tampa, Florida or New York or Anchorage, Alaska, to help solve that problem.

So, it’s not just advice, it’s actionable advice. And um we’re proud of that. And and then, you know, as science and medical technologies continue to move forward and that’s what 62 who knew is about. I mean, um, when my parents were young, they dealt with worrying about diseases and sicknesses that, you know, my generation didn’t have to.

And my I dealt with certain things when I was little, 60some years ago that my children don’t deal with. and my grandchildren don’t even know some of the names of diseases that I was my parents worried about for me or your grandparents worried about for you and um we bring on medical experts and science and scientists on 62 who knew as well and what we’re learning is that the medical and technology breakthroughs of the last 30 years are going to be dwarfed by the next 20 or 30 that it’s going to make it look like stone age what’s coming now. And um there’s no doubt about it. It’s a scientific fact.

Um you know um your children um you have children, right? I do. I have three. How and how old are they? Uh my oldest I have twins. They are 32 and my son is 27.

Okay. Um you Oh, wow. I never would have guessed I thought you I thought you were going to say I have twins that are five years old and Okay. Oh my goodness.

No, I will tell you. Do you have grandchildren yet? There’s a reason. Not. No, we No, we don’t have grandchildren.

Um my my husband actually my husband uh just turned 62, Michael. So, um yeah, just you can watch my podcast. Yeah. Now, now you’ve got a you’ve got a new fan.

You’ve got a new listener. Okay. So, how do we how do we connect with you? Where do we send people to watch the show? Plug in. Maybe you maybe you need guests.

Um well, of course you you go to the uh the need a guest directory at media firestorm and you can look up either Michael Banner or 62. Who knew? Um right now our most popular channels have been Facebook and YouTube and um we are just starting a marketing thrust um next week to the Spotify and the iHearts and the Apple Pie. You know, we we seem to be going big on the two popular ones. you know, YouTube and Facebook, but I need to get out there on those other platforms, you know, so Joe Rogan will invite me on one day.

Um, so you can find us basically anywhere if you Google 62 who knew. And if you’d like to be a guest or if you’d like me to be a guest to talk about the double-edged sword of longer lifespans, you know, you can contact me at mbanner at62h who knew.com. I love it. mbanner at62h who knew.com and um you can also find him inside of our Facebook group and for our media firestorm clients you get exclusive access to that incredible directory and you get direct access to Michael and any of our other podcast hosts in in the group.

Michael, thank you so much. so excited to celebrate your success and continuing to watch you just shine and um just really you’re on a on a rocket pace for growth this year and just honored to be a part of that with you. Actually, let me do this. So, we do this, right? Yeah.

So, yeah, super excited that um that you were willing to share your experience that it has been a positive experience. Um, and so we invite you to get to know Michael, go watch his show, plug in with him, and if Media Firestorm is something you’re considering, we’d love to have you be another one of our case studies that we showcase and highlight in the next 30 days. So, Michael, thanks so much for being here. To our audience, thanks so much for watching and cheers everyone.

We’ll see you soon. Thank you so much, Angel.