Sportswriter Chad Dundashas covered wrestling and mixed martial arts for ESPN, NBC Sports, the Associated Press, Sporting News, and since 2019, full-time for The Athletic. But like many Montanans, he doesn’t hold down just one job: he’s also an acclaimed novelist and short-story writer, a podcaster, and a wrestling promoter. Today on Can Do, we're asking: how does a solo practitioner hop between multiple gigs while keeping track of businessy details like contracts and taxes?
Chad’s diverse gigs aren't a sign that his work languishes in obscurity; in fact, his debut novel, Champion of the World, was nominated for several awards, and was one of The Boston Globe’s Best Books of 2016. Likewise, his latest novel, The Blaze, is garnering accolades. His proliferation of “day jobs” - as co-host of the weekly Co-Main Event MMA podcast, and promoter of live wrestling events around Montana – has as much to do with recent upheaval in journalism and publishing as with Chad's own willingness to try new formats and genres. For graduates of creative writing and journalism programs, a self-directed crash-course in podcasting, video and audio creation has become an essential step in building skills that invite job offers.
Today on Can Do: Lessons From Savvy Montana Entrepreneurs, we’re looking at the most common form of Montana entrepreneurship: self-employment. Chad offers a glimpse into the business side of his career, and his tricks for balancing passion-projects with the jobs that pay the bills – especially under the unique conditions of COVID-19. Chad joins us from his home in Missoula.
Production support for “Can Do: Lessons From Savvy Montana Entrepreneurs” comes from the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation, dedicated to investing in people to improve the quality of their lives. And from the Greater Montana Foundation, encouraging communication on issues, trends and values of importance to Montanans. And from Blackfoot, providing communications solutions for Montana businesses. Plus opportunities like C2M Beta, an innovation lab aimed at helping startups thrive. C2Mbeta.com.
