Tony Chapman Talks About His Journey to Becoming A Keynote Speaker and Podcaster

Tony is the host of the podcast Chatter That Matters and often dabbles in video, articles, and keynote speaking. At age 5, Tony remembers putting up his lemonade stand with the intention to make a few cents and recalls the feelings of pride having earned his own money. This was the starting point of his career in marketing. Starting out early in his career in radio, Tony found his passion for connecting consumers with businesses. “It was authentic and exciting,” he describes, in doing it he found there wasn't a better place to make a living for him but in advertising. Working for his own marketing firm for a few years, then working on the consumer side, later on, starting his agency Capital C to do something different and finding great success.

A few years ago, feeling like he had done it all, Tony sold Capital C and decided to go on the road to speak his mind and conferences around the world until he discovered podcasting recently with his show Chatter That Matters.

Tony says he got into the speaking business as a conference host because it seemed easier than getting into something tech-related because it was less familiar. He enjoyed being the host at these events because it did not discriminate, the audience could be anyone from anywhere, and he knew he was sending people home with more knowledge and insights than they went in with and cared enough to listen or ask questions. With COVID-19, Tony mentions that the way these events take place has obviously changed but his role to keep audiences engaged has not. With the distractions of being at home, his job is even more exciting because he has to find a way to be that narrator or as he puts it, “the Yoda”, to keep interested and the conference going. He is enjoying the challenge and says that reinvention is in fact the essence of life.

One thing that needs to change when it comes to conferences is the representation of BIPOC, and Tony thinks the only way for this change to happen is for people to leave behind their biases and to understand that diversity is an incredibly important part of our learning and curiosity. “I'm a believer that all lives matter,” he elaborates, he wouldn’t want to get a gig unless he thinks he is the best at delivering the message that needs to be told. He wants people who will get the job done and deserve to be up there, no matter what ethnicity they are. That’s when the fusion of culture comes together.

Tony thinks there is a shift in consumer thinking these days, it’s more about the personalization of products and what it means to the individual, more than about what product tastes the best for example. Another large thing consumers are taking into account is the planet and what businesses are doing to combat climate change. The businesses that get these trends and are doing something about it to benefit them are seeing great results, Tony says the ones who don’t pivot to this new way of thinking will fall to the wayside.

Tony’s podcast Chatter That Matters started with what Tony calls, a lot of his own ranting, but morphed into what he really loves which is interviewing. “It wasn't just asking, as you know the questions, but drawing out nuggets,” he explains, then he repurposed the podcast to showcase the hero's journey of small business owners and why they do what they do, and also bringing in top experts to offer advice to the business owner and also to listeners all in 30 minutes. Tony thinks in this world full of fear and uncertainty, this resource that his podcast offers can hold some great information and advice to many people.

He thinks the reason podcasts are picking up so much speed is because it offers a sense of escapism. You can press play and be a part of someone else's story or the life of a little while also learning lessons, so it doesn't feel like you’re wasting your time. It also helps that there is podcast content on all kinds of interests, so there's something for everyone, and usually more than one. For Tony’s own podcast, he's focusing less on the numbers, and more on the passion, engagement and what matters to his listeners. “If I'm holding on to people for 30 minutes, it's because there's something of value for them,” he explains, it's more about the content within for podcast listeners.

Tony’s podcast picked up its own success by having his relationships with CBS which allowed him to showcase the highlights of his episodes to 60 radio stations in Canada, as well as getting RBC involved all within 2 weeks. “It's a labor of love, it will be my swan song,” he says he will do it as long as he can. He loves that he can be positive and inspirational with this outlet in a world that seems to be full of negativity and impossibility.

Written by Juliana Bermudez