184: Ed Herman (Brown & Crouppen Law Firm)

Ed Herman on Innovation City

“If you actually want to be successful, you’ve got to know when to be the guy and when to step away and let somebody else be the guy.”-Ed Herman

Welcome to Season 5 of Innovation City (The St. Louis Edition), a podcast featuring innovators, creators, and disruptors to discover how business is changing in the modern world.

Created and produced by SLAM! Agency and Aīre Ventures, Innovation City gives you an inside look at how rapidly business and culture are changing thanks to increasing diversity and inclusion, heightened creativity, and a stronger and better-connected business community.

Today’s guest is Ed Herman, attorney and managing partner at Brown & Crouppen, a personal injury law firm in St. Louis. Ed Herman is not your typical lawyer; he’s also the creator and host of “Ed Versus,” an award-winning original tv show on BCTV. In this episode, Ed Herman sits down with the team to discuss how to stand out in a sea of sameness, the importance of being genuine in your advertising, brand affection, and much more!

They discuss:

• Ed’s superpower
  • The ability to observe small details that connect us as humans
  • Ed is an observer and sees himself as an outsider watching the world on television.
  • Ed was overweight as a child, which turned him into an observer who survived by being witty.
• The origins of BCTV
  • Brown & Crouppen was the first law firm to advertise on the radio and television and experienced immense growth.
  • To be competitive in the advertising business, you need to stand out in “a sea of sameness.”
  • Ed credits Jeremy Corray at Coolfire Studios in St. Louis for coming up with the concept of BCTV.
• The Ed Versus Series
  • Ed Herman is a creator and host on Ed Versus. The popular series has won multiple Mid-America Emmy awards.
  • Ed’s favorite episode is “Ed V. Bathroom” because it’s the most personable and relatable.
  • He holds opposing identities, both as a professional attorney and comedian, but his authenticity has made it work.
  • It was a gamble on the professional side, but the public thinks he’s relatable and sharp, and it hasn’t had any negative impact on his law career.
• What advice do you have for people in stiff professional environments who want to embrace their whole selves?
  • You have to be genuine to be likeable, and remember that people have a nose for BS.
  • Great leaders know when to step back and put the right people in the forefront.
• Ed’s Challenges
  • Coming up with new and interesting material
  • You never know when you’re going to run out of creativity.
  • To capture the genuineness of Ed Versus, he never takes more than one take.
  • The editing is a ton of work, but he enjoys the challenge of only doing one take and having to make it work.
• Advice to other organizations who are looking for “deep brand affection”
  • When you’re in a business like law or plumbing, the public doesn’t need you today; they just need you eventually. Until there’s a need, you don’t care about them.
  • Don’t worry about being funny; it all boils down to being genuine.

Lightning Round:

• What can you do that you could not do a year ago?
  • Target shooting and playing new songs on the piano
• What is most important to you?
  • Getting a peaceful sleep at night
• What does this world need more of?
  • Empathy
• What is one of the kindest things someone has ever done for you?
  • The fact that anyone enjoys his videos, and all the acts of kindness his mother has shown him.
• What challenge do you want to overcome?
  • Not understanding when someone doesn’t like him
• If you could run your own country, what would it look like?
  • Something a little bit more equitable

Get in Touch

• To watch Ed’s content visit BCTV.com
• Call Brown & Crouppen call 314-222-2222 for the St. Louis Office and 816-777-7777 for the Kansas City office. They offer free consultations.