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