
The Passionate Few
Diary Of A CEO Ex-Staffer: "How We Built The #1 Podcast In The World" (The Truth Revealed)
Grow Your Business w/ GoHighLevel? Get Your FREE 30-Day Trial NOW: https://www.gohighlevel.com/passionate/?fp_ref=omar-elattar-productions39 β Want To Be Interviewed On This Podcast? β https://forms.gle/vS5X5cPdV1i2nMo79 In this episode, we sit down with Anthony Smith β trailer editor for Diary of a CEO, the fastest-growing podcast on the planet. Anthony pulls back the curtain on the craft behind DOAC's cinematic trailers: the 15-point checklist every cut must pass, the psychological research guiding every second of the edit, and the "Three Hats" framework every creator needs to master. He also opens up about hiding his love of drama as a kid to avoid getting bullied, the stage fright that ended his acting career at 17, burning out so bad he almost became a train driver, and how a LinkedIn job posting on New Year's Eve changed everything. What We Cover: β’ Growing up as the second son performing for attention β ballet, drama, and living a double life β’ The stage fright at 16 that made him walk off and never go back β’ How Star Wars and LOTR behind-the-scenes featurettes led him to film β’ Why nobody is born talented β the Ed Sheeran example β’ Joining DOAC at 250K subscribers (now 15M+) β’ Being told creative work was a "Mickey Mouse" pursuit β and getting called a soul-seller β’ The Tim Grover trailer that set the standard β and the pressure to top it every time β’ Why chasing virality is an addiction and a "disease" β’ The 15-point trailer checklist and the "Moment of Value" philosophy β’ The "Jenny" avatar method used to crack the Kevin Hart trailer β’ Second-by-second emotional research and how DOAC plans around it β’ Evolutionary psychology, true crime engagement, and genre conventions in editing β’ Hitting burnout and panic attacks β and seriously considering becoming a train driver β’ The cancer patient who watches DOAC trailers during his lowest moments β’ How AI fits in as a tool, not a threat β voiceovers, B-roll, costume changes β’ The 1% standard: why 99%-ready doesn't make the cut β’ Building A-players: Liv, Cam, and "little Dom" β’ The Three Hats: Top Hat (storytelling), Marketing Hat, and Data Hat β’ Final advice: become a student, find your voice, focus on the bottom of the iceberg Follow Us: Omar's IG: https://www.instagram.com/omar_therockstar/ The Passionate Few's IG: https://www.instagram.com/passion/ Anthony's IG: https://www.instagram.com/anthonyrsmith/ Timestamps: 00:00 β Intro & Welcome 00:31 β Childhood: The Second Son & the Need to Entertain 03:11 β Quitting the Stage at 16 04:37 β Discovering Film Through Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes 06:16 β Talent vs. Obsession: Nobody Is Born with It 09:19 β Joining Diary of a CEO at 250K Subscribers 10:57 β Why the Core of Storytelling Has Never Changed 14:29 β Storytelling as the Language of Humanity 16:29 β Impostor Syndrome & Being Told Creativity Doesn't Count 20:00 β "You're Selling Your Soul to the Devil" 22:11 β The Tim Grover Trailer & the Pressure to Top It 24:12 β How Steve Bartlett Was the First to Credit His Work 26:16 β Building a Different Kind of Show 27:26 β Landing the Diary of a CEO Job 30:06 β Why Virality Is a Disease 32:05 β Why DOAC Trailers Aren't Made to Go Viral 34:30 β Testing Culture Interest, Not Trends 36:16 β The Iceberg Analogy 39:59 β Advice for New Creators: Post Without Attachment 42:10 β Steal from Many, Not One: Tony Bennett's Advice to BublΓ© 44:53 β Care Trumps Talent 47:14 β Burnout, Panic Attacks & Almost Becoming a Train Driver 48:59 β Meeting Helena 52:24 β The Spider-Man Trip That Showed Him He Was Enough 55:17 β From LinkedIn Job Posting to Diary of a CEO 58:16 β The 15-Point Trailer Checklist 59:51 β The Kevin Hart Trailer & the "Jenny" Avatar Method 01:02:47 β The Moment of Value Philosophy 01:03:35 β Empty Views vs. Real Community 01:07:26 β Emotional Data & Shrinking Attention Spans 01:11:15 β Evolutionary Psychology in Editing 01:14:16 β Steve Bartlett Behind the Scenes 01:16:17 β Inside the DOAC Team Structure 01:20:14 β The Scrappy Reality of Production 01:23:24 β Building the Trailer Team 01:28:03 β Why Finding Great Editors Is So Hard 01:31:16 β What Makes an A-Player 01:33:46 β The Art of Text & Justification 01:37:04 β Genre-Flipping for Impact 01:39:45 β Full Creative Control from Steve 01:41:20 β The 1% Standard 01:46:01 β Leading Through Purpose, Not Incentives 01:49:33 β The Cancer Patient's Message 01:51:08 β The Hat From a Stranger 01:52:38 β How AI Fits Into DOAC's Workflow 01:55:24 β AI for Intro Cards 01:59:57 β AI for Cinematic B-Roll 02:02:24 β The Future of Editing & AI 02:04:31 β The Steve-O Trailer & the 1% Principle 02:07:37 β Rapid-Fire Round 02:19:34 β His Mother's Love of Film 02:22:20 β Family, Support & Staying Humble 02:25:23 β The Three Hats Framework 02:29:20 β Tech Stack & Tools 02:30:45 β Legacy: What He Hopes People Remember 02:32:15 β Final Advice to Dreamers 02:34:13 β Closing & Where to Find Anthony

