Check out PhillyCAM this Saturday! / July 20, 2017 by Teagan Kuruna

We have some great shows coming up at PhillyCAM this Saturday afternoon!
From PhillyCAM.org

"You know PhillyCAM and WPPM wanted in the fun sooo, on Saturday, July 22nd, three of WPPM's radio shows will be broadcasting live from 12-3 pm in front of a studio audience. Come and check out Craic Radio, Fully Baked Radio, and the Black Tribbles do a special edition of their show for the podcast fest!"

12:00 pm - Craic Radio
CRAIC Radio’s “Music Makers” segment will highlight three Philadelphia based artists, Hurricane Hoss, Greg Sover, and Sonja Sofya with live in-studio performances and interviews.

1:00 pm - Fully Baked Radio
Fully Baked radio will feature a live musical performance by Ovid the Poet and special guests, The Terp Boys

2:00 pm - Black Tribbles
Soul Tribble Train featuring Zilla Rocca and Ghetto Songbird - From Black Tribbles
"Get on board THE HIPPEST GEEKIEST TRIP IN PHILLY! Black Tribbles &PhillyCAM present SOUL TRIBBLE TRAIN, a Dance Podcast in the tradition of the Groovy 70s Classic! Non-stop boogie, baby! Not a Soul Train line - take a stroll down Amalgam Way with Ariell R. Johnson of Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse, Inc.! A Geekwhozit replaces the Scrambleboard! PLUS special musical performances by Philly's own Zilla Rocca and GhettoSongBird! JUst come to dance, Dance, DANCE!!!! Black Tribbles are proud participants of The Philadelphia Podcasting Society 5th Annual PHILADELPHIA PODCAST FESTIVAL"

ADMISSION is FREE

Q&A with Mouthful / July 19, 2017 by Teagan Kuruna

We have so many great podcasts participating in the 5th annual Philadelphia Podcast Festival, so we're highlighting some of them in this Q&A series. Mouthful will be recording live on Sunday, July 23 at 6:00pm at Kitchen Table Gallery.

How did your show come about? How did you meet your co-hosts? Mouthful was created after host and producer Yvonne Latty approached Philadelphia Young Playwrights (PYP) with the idea of producing a podcast. Yvonne, a longtime journalist and journalism professor, became familiar with PYP, an arts education non-profit founded in 1987, after Executive Director Lisa Nelson-Haynes joined the organization in April 2016. Yvonne and Lisa have known each other for years through their children, and Yvonne felt like the organization and our work was ripe content for a podcast. From there, we brainstormed various ideas for formats and specific content, eventually landing on what has become Mouthful!

Are there episodes you consider your “greatest hits?” Which ones are good “entry” points for new listeners? This sounds like a cheap answer but: all of the episodes are good entry points for new listeners! Every episode is thematically different. Every episode is relatively brief (19-27 minutes). And there are only 11 episodes as part of the first season. Episode Four, "Neighborhood Blue" is a favorite among staff at PYP because it really taps into a salient and important issue of our time--community policing--and looks at it from three distinctly different points of view, including a law enforcement officer of 53 years and a mother/son duo in the wake of a stop and frisk.

What do you appreciate most about this medium? It can be whatever it wants to be! Part of the challenge and thrill of producing Mouthful was figuring out what the format and content should be. While there are many, many good precedents out there in the podcast world, there are no set rules, and the genre is constantly evolving and changing. There's also a level of engagement with audio that is really exciting. Without visuals, listeners are able to fill in the blanks about who they are listening to; they fill the spaces with themselves and focus on what's being said. That's often lost in other mediums, which have to deal with appearances more intentionally.

What do you most look forward to when doing live shows? How does the show change? Our live show as part of the Festival will be our first live show! So we don't have any precedent. We're most looking forward to having a live audience and opening the conversation up to the people in the room.

Where can people find your podcast and hosts? Mouthful is available on iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud, and Google Play. The podcast can also be streamed at www.mouthfulpodcastphilly.com, which also includes show notes and more content for each individual episode. We're on Facebook and Twitter @mouthfulphilly.

Philly Podfest Schedule for Saturday, July 15 / July 15, 2017 by Teagan Kuruna

Come one, come all to two of Philly Podfest's favorite venues to see 12 fantastic podcasts today, Saturday, July 15!

Tattooed Mom

1:00pm: The Voice of Free Planet X
2:00pm: Shady Little Hour
3:00pm: Your Weekly Top Six
4:00pm: The Lazy Banana
5:00pm: The Blacklisted Podcast
6:00pm: Lulu and Pop
7:00pm: Get Up In the Cool

Amalgam Comics and Coffeehouse

11:00am: Victims and Villains
12:00pm: Party of One
1:00pm: Comic Book Junto
2:00pm: Quest for Magic and Steele
3:00pm: Micheaux Mission

Q&A with Everything is Awesome / July 14, 2017 by Teagan Kuruna

We have so many great podcasts participating in the 5th annual Philadelphia Podcast Festival, so we're highlighting some of them in this Q&A series. Everything is Awesome will be recording live on Sunday, July 16 at 2:00pm at Tattooed Mom. You can find the full schedule of live shows here. Also, special thanks to Everything is Awesome host Kevin Gallagher volunteering to help keep things running smoothly at Tattooed Mom during the first weekend of the Festival. Kev, you're the best!

How did your show come about? I had taken some time off from podcasting when my son was born—I couldn’t find a way to manage getting a set time for my co-hosts and I to sit down and record on top of focusing on work and being a dad. That’s when I thought of Everything is Awesome, a long-form conversational podcast that didn’t rely on set cohosts; just a new guest each week.

How did you meet your co-hosts? Everything is Awesome only has a co-host when we do our show live. I’ve known Mike DeAngelo since grade school and we’ve been best friends since middle school. Our shared interests and ability to just riff with one another off the cuff was the driving force to bring him in for the live shows.

Are there episodes you consider your “greatest hits?” Which ones are good “entry” points for new listeners? The beautiful thing about having a show that is long-form conversation / interview is that you can jump in anytime. There are few, if any, inside jokes. That being said, I do have my own personal favorites that I would recommend:
1. Episode 20 – Irish Fairies was my first big ‘HOLY CRAP’ moment when I booked Erin McGathy (host of This Feels Terrible).
2. Episode 57 – One Shot to the Heart with James D’Amato. James has been a huge inspiration and his podcasts, One Shot & Campaign, are shows that make me smile no matter my mood
3. Episode 63 – Odin’s Beard! (Live from Atomic City Comics) is single handily one of the funniest shows I’ve ever been part of.
4. Episode 69 – Convos with Kiddos features a short conversation I recorded with my son, who loves the idea of a podcast. That one is super special to me.

What do you appreciate most about this medium? The freedom. I love that anyone can literally do a podcast. There is so much passion that goes into creating this, and people who really put their all into it let it show.

What do you most look forward to when doing live shows? I love performing in front of people—something I picked up when I started wrestling for Falls Township Wrestling. It’s like I get to tell a little story without getting to deep.

How does the show change when you're doing a live recording? Everything is Awesome is normally just me and one other guest for an hour or so talking. When we go live, I tend to dub the show Everything is Awesome: LATE NIGHT because I put a bit of a late night talk show spin on it. We interact with the audience, play games, talk to a guest, and usually have a comedian or musician on to help close us out.

Where can people find your podcast and hosts? You can find Everything is Awesome on AwesomePodcast.com, CoreTempArts.com, and on social media—Facebook.com/RealAwesomePod and @RealAwesomePod on Twitter. You can find me on twitter @ThatNerdyKev (that’s where I do most of my tweeting and twating) and Mike on twitter @Tellest

Even more coverage for Philly Podfest 2017 / July 14, 2017 by Teagan Kuruna

We're really excited that this year's Philly Podfest is getting great coverage. Here's what's been published about us in the past few days:

PHILLY.COM #1: "For clues on how big and lucrative the world of podcasting is getting, consider the Philadelphia Podcast Festival, planting flags at nine area venues this Friday night through July 23...this year, there will be 55 sessions hosted by locals, with many more who 'couldn’t be accommodated,' Kuruna said."
PHILLY.COM #2: "Topics on We Got This! include “Best Color of the Rainbow,” “Best Movie Snack,” “Pirates or Vikings,” and “Bar Soap vs. Liquid Soap vs. Foam Soap” — minor, sure, but topics close to our hearts. Often, decisions come from celebrity guests like Philly’s own comedian and actor Paul F. Tompkins or former Mythbusters cohost Adam Savage."
NEWSWORKS: "For the fifth year going, you can pull up a seat and — here's the twist — watch as podcasts are recorded throughout this city at a variety of venues for the Philadelphia Podcast Festival or PPF. Beginning Friday and running through July 23, the PPF will feature 55 local podcasts; some are free to watch, others require tickets."
GEEKADELPHIA: "With the live crowd involved, the [We Got This with Mark and Hal] taping will have an additional energy to it that will make that episode truly pop and bring out some truly excellent debate about the finer things in life."
BILLY PENN: "Philly lowkey has a lot of podcasts, and this event will feature more than [55] local series. An additional seven podcast teams will travel to Philly from all over the country for the event. The vast majority of the live recordings are free."
METRO PHILLY #1: '"I don't think there's one overarching theme or connection because they're all reflective of the creativity Philly holds,” Kuruna said. 'Rather than a homogenous group, Philly's podcasts are varied in content [true crime, sex, race, comedy, sports, movies, music, etc.] and format [roundtable, interviews, scripted fiction].'"
METRO PHILLY #2: "While Philadelphians are podcasting fans like anyone else, certain members of the community have turned to creating their own audio masterpieces. Thankfully, there is a festival in town that celebrates these local personalities, inviting fans to meet them in person and possibly even get introduced to a new favorite."

Q&A with Sex with Timaree / July 13, 2017 by Teagan Kuruna

We have so many great podcasts participating in the 5th annual Philadelphia Podcast Festival, so we're highlighting some of them in this Q&A series. You can find the full schedule of live shows here, and purchase tickets for Sex with Timaree's live recording on July 21 at 9:30pm at Ruba Club here. Tickets also get you access to the Philly Podfest Afterparty at Ruba Club immediately following the live show.

How did your show come about? My show's producer, Nathan Kuruna, who is also the creator/producer of the Philly Podcast Festival, approached me with the idea of turning my sexuality education work into audio form. I'd been writing about sex and giving presentations and trainings for years. I was like "what's a podcast?" To this day, I don't really know how all this works, but because I have a super knowledgeable, reliable producer who had a vision for a thing we could create, we are nearly at 300 episodes.

Are there episodes you consider your “greatest hits?” Which ones are good “entry” points for new listeners? Personally, I got a ton out of the Photo Pig episode- this man had never before spoken to anyone about his overwhelming desire to be degraded. It was the center of his life, something he risked his job for regularly and over which he had lost two marriages: because he was afraid to speak openly about this fetish. When we started the episode, he was planning on jerking off while he told me about his interests, but it very quickly become a deeply intimate conversation about his childhood, the meaning behind his behavior, his hopes and dreams for the future. He told me things he had never told another person and I was able to give him resources that he had been missing out on, like Fetlife and Kink Aware Professionals Network. We both got a lot out of that conversation.

Otherwise, I would just scan the list of episodes and see what appeals. We talk to academics, porn stars, artists, inventors, writers, and more. There's an episode for everyone.

What do you appreciate most about this medium? I don't have to wear any make up. I show up in my romper, soaked in sweat from the long bike ride to the studio and for one hour a week, get to be a voice and not worry about how i look while doing my job. That's convenient.

What do you most look forward to when doing live shows? How does the show change? We get to tap into visual senses, obviously. So in previous years we've had live pole dancers, drag, burlesque, etc. This year we're doing a BDSM demo. That's something that I could describe on air, of course, but it's not quite the same. Last year we had Flirt Vonnegut commentate on a burlesque performance like a baseball announcer and that was cute, so the people at home could still get something out of it.

Where can people find your podcast and hosts? SexWithTimaree.com- it's a clearinghouse of my sex education work, although I also write for Philly Weekly and do community organizing for the Philly burlesque scene- and you can check that out at Burlesqueadelphia.com

So much love from The Philly Metro! / July 12, 2017 by Teagan Kuruna

Check out 5 things you can't miss at this year's Philadelphia Podcast Festival

and Live! Philly! Podcasts!

Q&A with By The Book / July 6, 2017 by Teagan Kuruna

How did your show come about? How did you meet your co-hosts? Kristen and Jolenta have been friends for years, they met at work. A while back Jolenta felt like her life was falling apart and wanted to try living by different self help books. She convinced Kristen to join her in this endeavor because Kristen is her most adult, down to earth friend. Kristen agreed to live “by the book” to make sure her dear friend doesn’t go off the rails and join a self-help cult.

Are there episodes you consider your “greatest hits?” Which ones are good “entry” points for new listeners? We love our pilot episode about “The Secret,” it’s really fun. Also the “French Women Don’t Get Fat” episode, things get very real in that one.

What do you appreciate most about this medium? Mostly we love that it’s intimate. And the fact that women and people of color can more easily make their own work in podcasting, as opposed to other forms of media that are harder to break into or cost more. Also you don’t have to look cute while you’re doing it, we love that!

What do you most look forward to when doing live shows? How does the show change? This is our first live show so we are SUPER excited to experiment a bit and give our live audience a real experience. We plan on doing things like a self help book swap, reading ridiculous book reviews, and other fun things to change up our regular format!

What are you hoping to do in Philly other than record a live podcast? We definitely want to hit up Reading Terminal Market, Liberty Hall, and the Liberty Bell.

Where can people find your podcast and hosts? @bythebookpod, @kristenmeinzer and @jolentag on twitter!

Local Press for Philly Podfest 2017! / July 5, 2017 by Teagan Kuruna

We've been getting some really great press over the past few weeks. Check out what Philly is saying about us and the podcasts participating in this year's Philly Podfest!

TECHNICAL.LY: “'As our lineup grows, so does the diversity of podcasts we’re able to include. This year, podcasts are about a wide range of topics — everything from pop culture, movies, books, and comics to true crime, sexuality, and race.'”

GEEKADELPHIA: "The Philadelphia Podcast Festival is upon us once again, and along with a variety of funny, educational, and niche podcasts, our city is being graced with the presence of Dr. Sydnee McElroy and her husband Justin of the McElroy Brothers family of products!"

PHILLY VOICE: "The Philadelphia Podcast Festival is a little like speed dating. You pick a podcast series that interests you, go to a live recording of it and then either fall in love or try your luck with a different one the next day. There are plenty of fish in the sea."

THE FLAT CIRCLE #1: "'The default assumption is that podcasts are all about movies and comics, or are just a bunch of white guys talking, or are really polished like RadioLab orSerial or This American Life. We know that’s not the case, and especially not in Philly.'"

THE FLAT CIRCLE #2: "Both Philadelphia-area podcasts and broader national shows are on the docket for the festival. The fifth year of the event is a tremendous opportunity to indulge in such a diverse segment of entertainment and maybe add a few more shows to your listening rotation."

Q&A with we Got This with Mark and Hal / July 2, 2017 by Teagan Kuruna

We have so many great podcasts participating in the 5th annual Philadelphia Podcast Festival, so we're highlighting some of them in this Q&A series. You can find the full schedule of live shows here, and purchase tickets for We Got This with Mark and Hal's live recording on July 21 at 8:00pm at Ruba Club here. There are also VIP tickets that include a meet and greet with Mark and Hal, and all tickets also get you entry to the live recording of Sex with Timaree at 9:30pm.

How did your show come about? How did you meet your co-hosts? When I (Hal) knew the Thrilling Adventure Hour was nearing the end of its run, I told Mark "We're doing a podcast together". I'd had an idea for a simple concept of two people taking subjective arguments and settling them objectively as a lark. I told our mutual friend Eric about it and he said "Oh, like whether you should put ketchup on a hot dog?" and we had our first episode. Mark and I met back in 2002 when we improvised together in front of three people in a small theater in L.A. We definitely knew one another over the years, but it wasn't until Thrilling Adventure Hour that we became super close.

Are there episodes you consider your “greatest hits?” Which ones are good “entry” points for new listeners? I like to think that our first episode ("Should you put Ketchup on a hot dog?") still holds up. Any episode with John Hodgman (our reigning guest-in-residence) is pretty great, especially his first episode with us. I also think that "Liquid vs Bar vs Foam soap" is a great example of our chemistry. Also, "Best Vintage Toy" with Janet Varney is great because she's such an A+ guest. Same with "Calling or Texting" with Paul F. Tompkins.

What do you appreciate most about this medium? How democratic it is. We can create a show, put it out there, and evolve it without any restrictions or interference from a higher authority. Anyone can. It may not be a level playing field, but it's an open playing field.

What do you most look forward to when doing live shows? How does the show change? Our live shows just have more energy. The live laughter is always great, but at any give moment half of the crowd is in vehement disagreement with our stance on something while the other half is in total agreement. It's the best kind of tension.

What are you hoping to do in Philly other than record a live podcast? We both have family here (I'm a hometown boy, and Mark's father is from Philly) that we're hoping to see, and I'm planning on seeing my closest and oldest friends, visiting some of my old haunts, and eating at least one ACTUAL cheesesteak while I'm in town.

Where can people find your podcast and hosts? You can find us at wegotthispodcast.com (which will take you to Maximum Fun, our home for the last two years) and on iTunes or Stitcher or whatever podcasting app you use under "We Got This with Mark and Hal". The show is @wegotthistweets on twitter and this is our Facebook group - on of my favorite places to visit online. Mark is @markgags on twitter and I'm @hallublin.