1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,920 Hey everybody, welcome to the Poduty Live Podcast Theater. I'm your host, Jeff Ravella. I've 2 00:00:03,920 --> 00:00:07,320 got an amazing guest joining me on Valentine's Day, Conor 3 00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:11,000 Cunneen. Welcome to the show. Hey, delighted to be with you, 4 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:14,640 Jeff. Delighted to be with you, and happy Valentine's Day to you and 5 00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:18,440 all of the people watching. Oh yes, thank you so much. This is 6 00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:22,200 a live news show about live podcasting, recorded live. Conor and I are 7 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:26,030 going to discuss 6 stories about live podcasting I 8 00:00:26,030 --> 00:00:29,470 only have one question for Conor. Do you know what time it is? 9 00:00:31,150 --> 00:00:34,990 I do. And you know what, on my voicemail I say 10 00:00:35,230 --> 00:00:39,030 it is 5 o'clock somewhere, and I think that's a good 11 00:00:39,030 --> 00:00:41,150 way to approach the day. 12 00:00:42,910 --> 00:00:44,110 What time is it? 13 00:00:50,430 --> 00:00:51,630 Poduty and the News. Poduty and 14 00:01:05,690 --> 00:01:09,530 the News. The only live news podcast about podcasting 15 00:01:09,530 --> 00:01:10,650 from the stage. 16 00:01:10,650 --> 00:01:17,210 Poduty 17 00:01:17,210 --> 00:01:21,050 and the News. Poduty and the News. 18 00:01:21,050 --> 00:01:24,890 The only live news podcast about podcasting from 19 00:01:24,890 --> 00:01:25,690 the stage. 20 00:01:31,110 --> 00:01:34,710 The only live news podcast about podcasting from the stage. And 21 00:01:34,870 --> 00:01:38,310 those of you watching the show, you know that we play the theme song so 22 00:01:38,310 --> 00:01:41,870 I can go from the backstage to the stage. It's the only way I can 23 00:01:41,870 --> 00:01:45,430 do it when I'm here at the theater alone. I'm so glad to have 24 00:01:45,430 --> 00:01:49,030 today's guest. We already wished each other Happy Valentine's Day. Conor, 25 00:01:49,030 --> 00:01:52,710 welcome to the show. Delighted to be here. Actually, I love that 26 00:01:52,790 --> 00:01:56,070 intro music. It's really kind of bright and poppy and 27 00:01:56,640 --> 00:01:59,760 full of life and great energy, which is what your show is all about. 28 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:03,600 Anyway, so kudos to you. Well, what you didn't see is I 29 00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:06,720 forgot my notes. I had to run to the stage 3 times to get up 30 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:10,480 here, so I'm a little bit winded right now. Uh, Conor, 31 00:02:10,480 --> 00:02:13,920 the Irishman Speaks, that's kind of like your tagline. Irishman Speaks, 32 00:02:13,920 --> 00:02:17,481 Conor Keneen. Tell me a little bit about that name. How did, how did you 33 00:02:17,481 --> 00:02:21,160 become Irishman Speaks? Well, I developed this 34 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:24,880 fake accent and Brogue Jeff. And then I 35 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:27,920 said I would go with the Irishman Speaks kind of 36 00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:32,080 nomenclature as well. But essentially what I do is I speak a 37 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:35,920 lot to associations and corporations to improve their people performance 38 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:39,680 and productivity with a smile. The Irish 39 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:43,000 experience, the Irish brogue is obviously part of my 40 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:46,840 branding. And after a couple of years of doing it, I've just been 41 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:50,690 just Conor Cunneen. I keep talking about having an appropriate 42 00:02:50,690 --> 00:02:54,490 brand and brand name, and suddenly Irishman Speaks popped 43 00:02:54,490 --> 00:02:58,210 up. I checked it, the website was available, etc. So 44 00:02:58,210 --> 00:03:01,650 it's now Irishman Speaks, uh, Conor Cunneen. Irishman 45 00:03:01,650 --> 00:03:05,290 Speaks, I love the name. I was thinking of all the backstories that could have 46 00:03:05,290 --> 00:03:09,050 went into developing that name. Sometimes, you know, there's that chicken and the egg. 47 00:03:09,050 --> 00:03:12,810 Maybe you came up with the idea, but obviously you are Irish, so 48 00:03:13,130 --> 00:03:16,770 that part makes sense. But You know, he was the Irishman Speaks. Let's 49 00:03:16,770 --> 00:03:20,490 listen to the Irishman Speaks. Dead right. I mean, 50 00:03:20,490 --> 00:03:24,210 it's something I've worked really hard on. So all 51 00:03:24,210 --> 00:03:27,970 over the interweb, we've got that branding, 52 00:03:27,970 --> 00:03:31,570 Irishman Speaks, and it helps me to differentiate 53 00:03:31,570 --> 00:03:35,170 myself in a business that is difficult to differentiate yourself in. 54 00:03:35,730 --> 00:03:39,450 Yeah, sometimes with guests I spend, you know, 20, 30 minutes just 55 00:03:39,450 --> 00:03:42,830 trying to find something on them. But because you have that branding 56 00:03:42,830 --> 00:03:46,390 established, you came up 1,000 times right 57 00:03:46,390 --> 00:03:50,070 away. You know, doing the research on you was super easy. That— you're right, 58 00:03:50,070 --> 00:03:53,670 that little, little bit that comes before your name sometimes, or 59 00:03:53,670 --> 00:03:57,390 whenever you do an appearance and you put in Irishman Speaks, I 60 00:03:57,390 --> 00:04:01,110 mean, you really control that. You own that conversation, that keyword, 61 00:04:01,270 --> 00:04:04,710 and it's a phenomenal strategy. Yeah. And you know, as you 62 00:04:04,710 --> 00:04:08,290 reference that, I do say that my goal is to be all 63 00:04:08,290 --> 00:04:11,810 over the web like a rash, um, because 64 00:04:13,490 --> 00:04:17,170 you— it's, uh, it's important obviously for business booking, etc. So 65 00:04:17,330 --> 00:04:20,970 I'm obviously creating a great rash all over the web at the 66 00:04:20,970 --> 00:04:24,650 moment. I hope it's curable, you know, maybe it's 67 00:04:24,650 --> 00:04:28,410 not like impetigo or MRSA or something. The itch 68 00:04:28,410 --> 00:04:31,650 isn't too bad. And 69 00:04:32,050 --> 00:04:34,810 that, what we're talking about here, just goofing around a little bit, having a good 70 00:04:34,810 --> 00:04:38,390 time, Part of your strategy in approaching sales and 71 00:04:38,390 --> 00:04:41,910 business is about that human side of it, about 72 00:04:41,990 --> 00:04:45,750 bringing comedy and laughter and being, you know, being in the 73 00:04:45,750 --> 00:04:49,590 moment and just enjoying each other's company. 74 00:04:49,750 --> 00:04:53,190 And that's the way I think you say to build rapport and to 75 00:04:53,510 --> 00:04:57,270 build trust is through laughter. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, 76 00:04:57,430 --> 00:05:00,470 I speak to business audiences primarily and also 77 00:05:00,550 --> 00:05:04,390 oncology and healthcare because I've had two bouts of cancer over the 78 00:05:04,840 --> 00:05:08,520 the years. So good stories, well-researched. But 79 00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:12,240 how do you connect better with your audiences? And one of the ways— and 80 00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:16,080 neuroscience defines this well, Jeff— is that if you can 81 00:05:16,080 --> 00:05:19,640 put a smile on your audience's face or on your prospect's face, 82 00:05:19,800 --> 00:05:23,240 you're generating the dopamine and the little feel-good 83 00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:27,120 chemicals in the brain that helps to build connections. 84 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:30,850 So in each of my presentations, and depending whether 85 00:05:30,850 --> 00:05:34,530 it's business or whether it's just a pure motivational one, I do 86 00:05:34,530 --> 00:05:38,330 make an effort to add that humor. Now, you mentioned a 87 00:05:38,330 --> 00:05:42,170 word there that could be a death knell for me. I think I'm a funny 88 00:05:42,170 --> 00:05:45,810 guy a lot of the time, but I am not a comedian. And 89 00:05:45,969 --> 00:05:49,570 when I'm speaking to or pitching myself to event planners or to business 90 00:05:49,570 --> 00:05:53,010 planners, I do not want to position myself as a comedian 91 00:05:53,170 --> 00:05:56,800 because that is a different skill set which I I don't have them 92 00:05:56,800 --> 00:06:00,280 funny, but comedians hard work and getting them laughing, laughing, 93 00:06:00,280 --> 00:06:03,760 laughing all the time. But I can put a smile on people's face. I can 94 00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:07,000 put a laugh in their face from time to time. But it's based on 95 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:10,560 reinforcing messages that I have. 96 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:14,480 So that's basically the kind of position that I go with. A good business 97 00:06:14,480 --> 00:06:18,240 sense supported by humor to reinforce 98 00:06:18,240 --> 00:06:22,080 the message. But one of the things that I've noticed when people were— 99 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:25,750 when I was watching your talks online is people are so bought 100 00:06:25,750 --> 00:06:29,430 in, and you're doing these storylines where 101 00:06:29,670 --> 00:06:33,350 they're laughing and you're telling stories, and the audiences, they're just 102 00:06:33,350 --> 00:06:36,990 so invested through this element of storytelling and 103 00:06:36,990 --> 00:06:40,630 humor for you to get your points across. And I think 104 00:06:40,630 --> 00:06:44,390 that's really what you're touching on, is that humor really 105 00:06:46,550 --> 00:06:49,830 makes you human. It really does. 106 00:06:50,310 --> 00:06:53,890 There's no doubt about it. Neuroscience confirms this. Humor 107 00:06:53,890 --> 00:06:57,650 builds connection. I actually refer to it as the, the Walt 108 00:06:57,650 --> 00:07:01,330 effect, and you'll see how we know who the most famous 109 00:07:01,330 --> 00:07:05,010 Walt in the world is. I can't necessarily reference the company, 110 00:07:05,250 --> 00:07:08,610 but what humor does though is it builds warmth, 111 00:07:09,169 --> 00:07:12,730 approachability, likability, and trust. W-A-L-T. 112 00:07:13,890 --> 00:07:17,090 And if you as a presenter, as a podcaster, 113 00:07:17,490 --> 00:07:21,110 can once or twice put smile on your audience's face, 114 00:07:21,270 --> 00:07:25,110 you're going to connect better with them. And I know you can do it, 115 00:07:25,110 --> 00:07:28,830 but people who think that I'm not funny, I'm 116 00:07:28,830 --> 00:07:32,470 saying you don't have to be funny to be funny. Just capture the 117 00:07:32,470 --> 00:07:36,270 humor that you see around you. If you were on a podcast last week 118 00:07:36,270 --> 00:07:40,070 and someone made a funny comment that you laughed at, it's quite likely you 119 00:07:40,070 --> 00:07:43,750 might be able to replay that at the next podcast you're doing. 120 00:07:43,750 --> 00:07:47,320 Or you made a comment that someone laughed at, it's quite likely you can replay 121 00:07:47,320 --> 00:07:50,640 that as well. So what I say is don't necessarily try and create 122 00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:54,480 humor, just capture the humor that you see around you, which is 123 00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:57,960 what most of the, the good professional comics do 124 00:07:57,960 --> 00:08:01,240 essentially. But each of us can do it as well if we do it in 125 00:08:01,240 --> 00:08:04,840 a deliberate, intentional way. Yeah, very 126 00:08:04,840 --> 00:08:08,080 awesome. I will have all of Conor's links in the show notes. 127 00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:12,200 Go ahead and go down, scroll down right now, click the links, go over, see 128 00:08:12,200 --> 00:08:16,020 Irishman Speaks, Conor Keneen, are you ready for our 129 00:08:16,020 --> 00:08:18,980 first story? Let's go, my brother. Let's go. 130 00:08:20,500 --> 00:08:24,260 Well, we're going World Cup energy here. Live mic is ready. This 131 00:08:24,260 --> 00:08:27,860 comes to us from KHOU. Men in Blazers is 132 00:08:27,860 --> 00:08:31,420 bringing its live podcast to Houston ahead of the FIFA World 133 00:08:31,420 --> 00:08:35,140 Cup. And this is exactly what I mean when I say podcasting is becoming 134 00:08:35,140 --> 00:08:38,940 part of the main event. Roger Bennett is leaning— is teaming 135 00:08:38,940 --> 00:08:42,620 up with the Houston World Cup host committee to do a show at 136 00:08:42,620 --> 00:08:46,400 Rice University just 99 days before Kickoff with 137 00:08:46,400 --> 00:08:49,840 guests like J.J. Watt and other Houston sports icons. 138 00:08:50,080 --> 00:08:53,920 Think about that. A podcast is not just covering the World Cup. It is 139 00:08:53,920 --> 00:08:57,280 helping kick off the celebration in one of the host cities. 140 00:08:57,680 --> 00:09:01,520 This is what happens when a show builds a real brand, becomes a 141 00:09:01,520 --> 00:09:05,240 part of the cultural moment, and not just commentary after 142 00:09:05,240 --> 00:09:08,880 the fact. And we see a ton of sports podcasts 143 00:09:09,120 --> 00:09:12,800 really attaching. And we've been using the word piggybacking to main events where 144 00:09:13,330 --> 00:09:17,130 If there's something happening, those podcasts are showing up before, during, 145 00:09:17,130 --> 00:09:20,810 and after that event to record live, to 146 00:09:20,810 --> 00:09:24,570 interview some of the people involved in it, and just bring the community together 147 00:09:24,570 --> 00:09:27,930 to watch the live show. This is one of the things we talk about, bringing 148 00:09:27,930 --> 00:09:31,650 the community together and going where your community already is. I 149 00:09:31,650 --> 00:09:35,411 don't think there's a better way to bridge, you know, your audience and your 150 00:09:35,411 --> 00:09:39,090 content than to just go where they're at. So I completely 151 00:09:39,170 --> 00:09:41,930 agree with that. I mean, Bennett has been able to create a kind of a 152 00:09:41,930 --> 00:09:45,530 particular niche for himself, a guy from England 153 00:09:45,610 --> 00:09:49,130 who is able to talk humorously about soccer. 154 00:09:49,210 --> 00:09:52,850 And I think he's created a great audience on 155 00:09:52,850 --> 00:09:56,650 that. Interestingly, J.J. Watt, who is one of his guests 156 00:09:56,650 --> 00:10:00,330 there, obviously a football icon here in the United States. But 157 00:10:00,330 --> 00:10:04,010 if I remember correctly, I think he's heavily involved and has 158 00:10:04,010 --> 00:10:07,730 invested in Burnley, B-U-R-N-L-E-Y Soccer 159 00:10:07,730 --> 00:10:11,480 Club. In the UK. I'm open to correction on that, 160 00:10:11,480 --> 00:10:15,200 but I think that's the team that he's involved with. Yes, 161 00:10:15,280 --> 00:10:19,000 I was wondering because, you know, the football, football, you know, the way Americans 162 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:22,520 call football and the rest of the world calls it football. But I was 163 00:10:22,520 --> 00:10:26,160 thinking the same exact thing. He is a minority owner in 164 00:10:26,480 --> 00:10:30,080 a football club in Ireland. Yeah, in 165 00:10:30,280 --> 00:10:34,000 England. Yeah, in England. Yeah, he is. Yeah. Yeah. 166 00:10:34,830 --> 00:10:38,230 Bennett has been able to capture a really good audience with 167 00:10:38,630 --> 00:10:42,470 his programming. Good content, but actually 168 00:10:42,630 --> 00:10:45,830 a bit like what I'm trying to do as well. And he also brings a 169 00:10:45,830 --> 00:10:49,630 lot of humor to his presentations. He's a bit more over the 170 00:10:49,630 --> 00:10:53,470 top. I try to make sure my humor is reinforcing a particular point, but 171 00:10:53,470 --> 00:10:57,310 he's just a funny guy talking about a sport that he loves in 172 00:10:57,310 --> 00:11:01,110 a way that connects well with people. Yeah, he's a Houston 173 00:11:01,110 --> 00:11:04,300 icon. This event is happening in Houston. And 174 00:11:04,620 --> 00:11:08,020 they're talking about something that he's a part owner in, he gets to get up 175 00:11:08,020 --> 00:11:11,580 on stage and he's going to humanize that experience of owning a team, 176 00:11:11,900 --> 00:11:15,500 working with the players, you know, all the things that are involved with 177 00:11:15,500 --> 00:11:18,700 owning your own team that you don't even think about. He gets to tell those 178 00:11:18,700 --> 00:11:22,500 inside stories and share his insights with the fans who are 179 00:11:22,500 --> 00:11:26,220 showing up. Yeah, and that really is what the fans want. 180 00:11:26,220 --> 00:11:29,820 I mean, they want to get those little nuggets that they wouldn't 181 00:11:30,060 --> 00:11:33,460 normally get. And it's interesting, the number of US 182 00:11:35,300 --> 00:11:39,140 football players and personalities that are now getting involved in 183 00:11:39,300 --> 00:11:42,820 the English soccer scene. I mean, Tom Brady is an investor in Birmingham, 184 00:11:43,060 --> 00:11:46,900 who are in the League One. Wrexham, the 185 00:11:47,219 --> 00:11:50,540 TV series, you're familiar with that, but Ryan Reynolds and Rob 186 00:11:50,540 --> 00:11:54,100 McElhenney are heavily involved in that. And they've been able to create a 187 00:11:54,100 --> 00:11:57,860 huge audience by actually— what they do, Jeff, I think with 188 00:11:57,860 --> 00:12:01,460 their— it's kind of the name of the show, it's Wrexham or whatever its 189 00:12:01,460 --> 00:12:05,040 title is. But what they do is that don't concentrate so much on the 190 00:12:05,280 --> 00:12:09,080 soccer aspect of it. They concentrate on the social aspect 191 00:12:09,080 --> 00:12:12,720 of it and how the success of the football team has actually 192 00:12:12,800 --> 00:12:16,520 impacted positively the whole Wrexham community. So it's a good 193 00:12:16,520 --> 00:12:20,280 social documentary as much as a sports one. 194 00:12:20,280 --> 00:12:23,920 And I think that's a kind of a secret for podcasters. Can you bring 195 00:12:23,920 --> 00:12:27,040 a level of human empathy, 196 00:12:27,520 --> 00:12:31,350 community to your podcast that will help you to connect even better 197 00:12:31,350 --> 00:12:35,150 with your audience. Yeah, I love that, that connection, that 198 00:12:35,150 --> 00:12:38,270 community, humanizing. There's that word again of, 199 00:12:39,470 --> 00:12:43,070 you know, these are American actors and sports players who are buying into 200 00:12:43,070 --> 00:12:46,510 sports that they may or may not have known their whole lives or 201 00:12:46,670 --> 00:12:50,230 just gotten into later in life. And they're now purchasing 202 00:12:50,230 --> 00:12:53,790 ownership stakes in it. And you're right, they're not telling, 203 00:12:55,310 --> 00:12:58,360 you know, or they're not so much focused on the sports as much as everything 204 00:12:58,360 --> 00:13:02,000 else around it that they can share and be there 24/7 205 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:05,720 instead of just during game time. Yeah, absolutely. And you know, it 206 00:13:05,720 --> 00:13:08,480 doesn't always work out well because let me do something here. 207 00:13:09,840 --> 00:13:13,520 I'm a big Manchester United fan. Okay. All right. 208 00:13:13,679 --> 00:13:17,440 I bleed Man United red. They were taken over by the Glazers, which 209 00:13:17,440 --> 00:13:20,800 is an American family, about 20 years ago, and they've sucked the life 210 00:13:20,960 --> 00:13:24,440 out of Manchester United. They are absolutely 211 00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:28,200 despised by every single United fan across the world. But they're an 212 00:13:28,200 --> 00:13:31,820 example of an investors that came in 213 00:13:31,820 --> 00:13:35,340 just to make money out of the club. 214 00:13:35,900 --> 00:13:39,420 They're guys like Ryan Reynolds, Michael Henney, JJ 215 00:13:39,420 --> 00:13:43,180 Watt, etc. I think they are actually involved because they love it. Hopefully 216 00:13:43,340 --> 00:13:46,500 it'll be a good investment for them. But at the end of the day, it's 217 00:13:46,500 --> 00:13:50,220 their love for the game and the club that has got them investing in it. 218 00:13:50,220 --> 00:13:53,340 Very nice. And let's keep it moving. We're going to go to more investment. 219 00:13:54,060 --> 00:13:57,710 The Culture On Stage just comes to us from NRF. Ulta 220 00:13:57,710 --> 00:14:01,470 Beauty CEO Kesha Steelman joined the Retail Gets 221 00:14:01,470 --> 00:14:05,150 Real podcast live from NRF 2026 in New 222 00:14:05,150 --> 00:14:08,750 York City, and this is a great example of leadership happening in 223 00:14:08,750 --> 00:14:12,350 public. Instead of a press release, she stepped onto a live 224 00:14:12,350 --> 00:14:15,950 podcast stage to talk about culture, opportunity, and 225 00:14:15,950 --> 00:14:19,590 how AI should enhance human connection, not replace 226 00:14:19,590 --> 00:14:23,230 it. She shared her journey from the sales floor to the C-suite and 227 00:14:23,230 --> 00:14:26,800 explained how Ulta builds performance through people 228 00:14:26,880 --> 00:14:30,160 first. This is what live podcasting does at its best. 229 00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:34,400 It humanizes leadership. It lets customers, employees, and 230 00:14:34,400 --> 00:14:38,160 partners hear directly from the decision makers in a 231 00:14:38,160 --> 00:14:41,880 real moment, not a polished ad. I used to talk 232 00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:45,360 about 20 years ago, you'd have to subscribe to like a trade 233 00:14:45,360 --> 00:14:49,000 publication. They would host an event, a 234 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:52,820 writer would cover that event, maybe do an interview, and then 6 235 00:14:52,820 --> 00:14:56,300 months later that article would get released in that trade publication 236 00:14:56,620 --> 00:15:00,420 and everybody involved in that industry would get to hear it. But now, 237 00:15:00,420 --> 00:15:04,100 through these live events and through the speed at which podcasting can deliver 238 00:15:04,100 --> 00:15:07,780 the news, you're getting these immersive events in almost 239 00:15:07,780 --> 00:15:11,180 in real time. They may have this interview, have this Q&A, 240 00:15:11,580 --> 00:15:15,020 this panel on stage, recorded as an episode of their podcast, 241 00:15:15,340 --> 00:15:18,620 and release it to the public before many of the attendees 242 00:15:19,060 --> 00:15:22,820 even get back to their homes. So this is something I love as far 243 00:15:22,820 --> 00:15:26,420 as really showing what your company is about, 244 00:15:26,420 --> 00:15:30,260 showing what your progress that you want to make over the next 245 00:15:30,260 --> 00:15:33,700 year is going to be, and then delivering that information to people 246 00:15:34,180 --> 00:15:37,700 almost in real time. I think what she is 247 00:15:38,020 --> 00:15:41,820 showing is that she's totally aware of the various media 248 00:15:41,820 --> 00:15:45,220 options that are out there to get her message across. 249 00:15:45,700 --> 00:15:49,390 I don't know when was the last time you actually watched a television commercial. Because 250 00:15:49,390 --> 00:15:52,910 what we do is we record everything and we just flick through the 251 00:15:52,910 --> 00:15:56,750 television commercials. And the only time I watched television commercials in the 252 00:15:56,750 --> 00:15:59,990 last 6 months, I'd say, was the Super Bowl, 253 00:16:00,390 --> 00:16:03,830 and most of those just left me kind of, eh, anyway. 254 00:16:04,070 --> 00:16:07,590 So you've got to find ways to be able to connect with your audience, and 255 00:16:07,590 --> 00:16:11,230 obviously podcasting is one of those. I haven't 256 00:16:11,230 --> 00:16:14,310 heard her particular podcast, but she's obviously a very accomplished 257 00:16:14,710 --> 00:16:18,550 leader given where she's got, she's got to. So I'm sure she's able to get 258 00:16:18,550 --> 00:16:22,070 her message across very well, and they will be able to target 259 00:16:22,470 --> 00:16:26,230 the podcasts she goes on that are suitable for her audience. 260 00:16:26,230 --> 00:16:29,910 So it's obviously a very sound media strategy by 261 00:16:30,070 --> 00:16:33,350 Ulta, which is generally a very successful 262 00:16:33,590 --> 00:16:37,390 business. Yeah, I actually pay extra. I mean, I'm in marketing. I've been in 263 00:16:37,390 --> 00:16:40,910 marketing for 15, 20 years now, and I pay 264 00:16:40,910 --> 00:16:43,590 extra on all my apps to not get commercials. 265 00:16:44,870 --> 00:16:48,620 Little inside baseball. And you're right, people don't want to sit 266 00:16:48,620 --> 00:16:52,380 through these curated, perfect crafted moments. They 267 00:16:52,380 --> 00:16:55,660 want to see the real story. They want to hear from the real people who 268 00:16:55,660 --> 00:16:59,140 are making it happen. And events like this are only growing in 269 00:16:59,140 --> 00:17:02,660 popularity because people want to be there. They want to hear these 270 00:17:02,660 --> 00:17:06,340 stories. Yeah, absolutely. No, I am intrigued as how 271 00:17:06,340 --> 00:17:09,780 she might actually claim that AI should enhance human 272 00:17:09,780 --> 00:17:13,580 connection, not replace it. I have yet to see any convincing 273 00:17:13,580 --> 00:17:17,060 arguments that AI will improve human connection. I mean, I'm a big 274 00:17:17,060 --> 00:17:20,820 AI fan. I think it's fascinating what's going on. But in terms of 275 00:17:21,300 --> 00:17:24,660 building and enhancing human connection, I'm— 276 00:17:24,980 --> 00:17:28,540 shall we say the jury is out on that one for me. Agreed. 277 00:17:28,540 --> 00:17:32,060 We're still 4 or 5 years away before I think we'll start to see 278 00:17:32,060 --> 00:17:35,860 meaningful customer service experiences. And then 279 00:17:36,020 --> 00:17:39,850 maybe we'll start to see these other tasks happening. There's some other 280 00:17:39,850 --> 00:17:42,970 things that just happened in the past couple of weeks, whether you've been following 281 00:17:43,050 --> 00:17:46,810 OpenClaw, they've been turning agents 282 00:17:46,810 --> 00:17:50,410 loose. So, we're going to see how that unfolds in the next month. 283 00:17:50,490 --> 00:17:54,210 Was that a good idea or not a good idea? Yeah. Well, the 284 00:17:54,210 --> 00:17:57,890 other thing that people talk about AI enhancing productivity, I'm involved 285 00:17:57,890 --> 00:18:01,610 in a speaker mastermind group where we all get together. 286 00:18:01,930 --> 00:18:05,730 And one of the guys, every single meeting we come on to, he comes 287 00:18:05,730 --> 00:18:09,410 up with a new idea on AI, which is 288 00:18:09,410 --> 00:18:13,190 happening every day. So, Actually, at the last meeting, I suggested— his name is Jim— 289 00:18:13,190 --> 00:18:16,790 I said, I suggest that Jim should be banned from this meeting. 290 00:18:17,030 --> 00:18:20,870 Because what he does is he comes on to the meeting, tells us the latest, 291 00:18:20,870 --> 00:18:24,630 newest thing on AI. So for the next week, we spend our time looking 292 00:18:24,630 --> 00:18:28,190 at the latest, newest thing on AI. And we just get the hang of it 293 00:18:28,190 --> 00:18:31,910 until the next meeting where Jim comes on with the latest, newest thing on AI 294 00:18:31,910 --> 00:18:35,510 again. He's a productivity destroyer, not a productivity 295 00:18:35,670 --> 00:18:39,510 improver. Is what I think. One of the 296 00:18:39,510 --> 00:18:43,310 things that we're seeing with AI is the thing that it's really good at 297 00:18:43,310 --> 00:18:46,990 replacing is the top-level executives who are, 298 00:18:47,390 --> 00:18:50,830 you know, reading reports, analyzing reports, analyzing spreadsheets. 299 00:18:51,150 --> 00:18:54,830 AI seems to be doing that stuff really, really well, but those 300 00:18:55,070 --> 00:18:58,830 top-level C-suite people are the ones making the decisions on whether to use 301 00:18:58,830 --> 00:19:02,390 AI. So the AI may run into a roadblock 302 00:19:02,390 --> 00:19:05,860 because C-suites aren't going to put themselves out of a job. 303 00:19:07,380 --> 00:19:10,420 That is true. And I think honestly, 304 00:19:11,060 --> 00:19:14,700 maybe the Elon Musks of this world, because I mean, I'm not a fan of 305 00:19:14,700 --> 00:19:18,020 his, but the guy is obviously a genius and he can see 20 years into 306 00:19:18,020 --> 00:19:21,740 the future. Maybe he has an idea what's going to happen in 307 00:19:21,740 --> 00:19:24,660 10 years' time, or Sam Altman has. But it's— 308 00:19:25,460 --> 00:19:28,540 I don't think we've got a clue what's going to happen even in the next 309 00:19:28,540 --> 00:19:32,240 3 to the 6 months, the computers will take over 310 00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:36,160 the world, Jeff. And I think the way to bring this back 311 00:19:36,160 --> 00:19:39,840 into podcasting is there are things that you can do 312 00:19:39,840 --> 00:19:43,280 if you understand the basics of what you want to do. 313 00:19:43,520 --> 00:19:47,120 You can really tap into AI and build a superpower. 314 00:19:47,840 --> 00:19:51,600 Conor was complimenting me on this show, all the research I 315 00:19:51,600 --> 00:19:55,400 was doing, the theme song, and even some 316 00:19:55,400 --> 00:19:59,120 of the editing and the distribution is done. I use AI. To run a 317 00:19:59,120 --> 00:20:02,840 one-man show, to do this show 2 times a week. So things like 318 00:20:02,840 --> 00:20:06,120 that, you know, I want to perform live, I want to bring this show to 319 00:20:06,120 --> 00:20:09,960 the people, but I don't have a budget to hire a staff of 10. So 320 00:20:09,960 --> 00:20:13,680 I'm able to tap into AI to build something that we can kind of make 321 00:20:13,680 --> 00:20:17,520 a human experience between Conor and I and the audience. And we're 322 00:20:17,520 --> 00:20:21,360 able to do something that I couldn't do 10 years ago. You know, 323 00:20:21,360 --> 00:20:24,970 I'm able to tap into these tools to build something 324 00:20:24,970 --> 00:20:28,690 bigger than myself. And I think that's where AI is really strong 325 00:20:28,690 --> 00:20:32,170 at right now, is these small little tasks to help you build something 326 00:20:32,170 --> 00:20:35,050 bigger or to really enhance your knowledge on something. 327 00:20:35,770 --> 00:20:39,410 I think that is correct. But it's also based though on having the right 328 00:20:39,410 --> 00:20:43,090 premise. And you said you were in marketing. My background is marketing as well. You 329 00:20:43,090 --> 00:20:46,570 do understand the power of knowing your market and doing your research. 330 00:20:46,970 --> 00:20:50,570 And what you have done, as I said previously, kudos to you, the research 331 00:20:51,050 --> 00:20:54,820 you do on prep you do for the show, that is absolutely 332 00:20:54,820 --> 00:20:58,660 critical for you. What is happening, and that is what podcasters need to 333 00:20:59,060 --> 00:21:02,660 do, I think Larry King got away with just kind of not knowing anything about 334 00:21:02,660 --> 00:21:06,380 the guests, but very few people can do that. What you're 335 00:21:06,380 --> 00:21:10,060 doing is you know what you want to do, but you're using AI as the 336 00:21:10,060 --> 00:21:13,780 tool to help you to do it. Yeah, I always 337 00:21:13,780 --> 00:21:17,540 describe it as it's like having a superpower that you didn't know that you had 338 00:21:17,780 --> 00:21:21,540 where you can multiply yourself and get so much 339 00:21:21,620 --> 00:21:25,420 done efficiently because you have somebody who thinks like you, acts 340 00:21:25,420 --> 00:21:29,021 like you, who's learned from you, you know, replicating what you can 341 00:21:29,021 --> 00:21:32,620 do. Yeah, absolutely. So this is a terrible 342 00:21:32,620 --> 00:21:36,259 segue, but speaking of replicating yourself, they're going on tour. 343 00:21:36,260 --> 00:21:39,900 The History Class goes on tour. BBC Radio 344 00:21:39,900 --> 00:21:43,700 4's You're Dead to Me is hitting the road for a full UK 345 00:21:43,860 --> 00:21:47,580 live tour. And this is what long-term podcast success looks 346 00:21:47,580 --> 00:21:51,210 like. This took 7 years. After 7 years of mixing history 347 00:21:51,210 --> 00:21:54,890 and comedy, Greg Jenner is taking the show from the studio to 348 00:21:54,890 --> 00:21:58,650 major theaters in London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, and Manchester. 349 00:21:59,050 --> 00:22:02,890 This is not a small meetup. These are serious venues. What 350 00:22:02,890 --> 00:22:06,410 stands out to me is that the format stays the same: expert 351 00:22:06,410 --> 00:22:10,090 insight plus sharp humor. The difference is the audience is 352 00:22:10,090 --> 00:22:13,890 now in the room. The shift— this is the shift we keep talking 353 00:22:13,890 --> 00:22:17,440 about. When a podcast builds trust over time, live 354 00:22:17,440 --> 00:22:20,760 touring becomes a natural next step, not a 355 00:22:20,760 --> 00:22:24,600 risky experiment. And you know what, I was 356 00:22:24,680 --> 00:22:27,960 reading that, it reminded me of a 357 00:22:28,280 --> 00:22:31,720 little story that I was told when I was in school, 358 00:22:31,720 --> 00:22:35,440 maybe 5th, 6th grade, I was probably 10 or 359 00:22:35,440 --> 00:22:39,000 11 at the time, and it was about St. Patrick, 360 00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:42,670 and St. Patrick was a 361 00:22:43,150 --> 00:22:46,750 young kid in Wales or Scotland, I'm not sure which. 362 00:22:46,910 --> 00:22:50,470 He was actually captured by roving bandits who 363 00:22:50,470 --> 00:22:54,150 lived in Ireland and brought to Ireland for a number of years. And the 364 00:22:54,150 --> 00:22:57,710 guy, he escaped, came back to Ireland then as a priest later on. 365 00:22:57,790 --> 00:23:01,390 But the guy who brought him to Ireland was a guy who was known as 366 00:23:01,390 --> 00:23:05,030 Niall of the Nine Hostages. Now, why do I 367 00:23:05,030 --> 00:23:08,510 remember Niall of the Nine Hostages? The reason why I remember that St. 368 00:23:08,510 --> 00:23:12,310 Patrick was brought to Ireland by Niall of the Nine Hostages is that Brother 369 00:23:12,310 --> 00:23:16,110 Flaherty— I can still remember his name— the Christian brother told us that it 370 00:23:16,110 --> 00:23:19,750 wasn't actually Niall of the Nine Hostages that brought him to Ireland, it was 371 00:23:19,750 --> 00:23:23,590 Niall of the Nine Sausages. And we all thought, my God, that 372 00:23:23,590 --> 00:23:27,190 is so funny. But 50 years 373 00:23:27,190 --> 00:23:30,710 later, it's still sticking with me, that little message. And 374 00:23:30,950 --> 00:23:34,370 I hadn't actually thought of that anecdote until 375 00:23:34,610 --> 00:23:38,450 you were talking about this little concept here. And I said, wow. But 376 00:23:38,450 --> 00:23:41,810 that's just an example of good, solid 377 00:23:42,210 --> 00:23:45,410 messaging reinforced by a little bit of humor that 378 00:23:45,570 --> 00:23:49,369 improves retention. Think about all those history lessons 379 00:23:49,369 --> 00:23:53,210 you sat through in high school. They were dry, they were 380 00:23:53,210 --> 00:23:56,930 fact-oriented, and the example you're giving, 381 00:23:56,930 --> 00:24:00,620 you remember that because of the humor. And we're seeing people 382 00:24:00,620 --> 00:24:03,580 who didn't like history during high school or college 383 00:24:04,380 --> 00:24:08,020 falling in love with history podcasts because of the, the way they're 384 00:24:08,020 --> 00:24:11,580 being told, the, the alliterations, the, the funny 385 00:24:11,660 --> 00:24:15,500 aspects that they're tying in, even maybe sometimes the current events. 386 00:24:15,500 --> 00:24:19,300 You see history repeating itself, and audiences in droves are 387 00:24:19,300 --> 00:24:23,060 going towards these history podcasts. And, and this is proof that they're 388 00:24:23,060 --> 00:24:26,610 doing a 4-city tour they're filling up theaters 389 00:24:26,690 --> 00:24:30,370 just talking about history. You never would have dreamt about that while 390 00:24:30,370 --> 00:24:34,130 sitting in high school history class. That is so true. 391 00:24:34,370 --> 00:24:37,970 I'm a big history buff myself, I got to say, but I think where these 392 00:24:38,370 --> 00:24:42,130 particular programs that connect well is, you mentioned the word that a lot of 393 00:24:42,130 --> 00:24:45,650 history was dry, but if you can bring good 394 00:24:45,650 --> 00:24:49,450 storytelling to the history, that's 395 00:24:49,450 --> 00:24:53,270 what makes it memorable. You know, you don't mess around with the facts, 396 00:24:53,270 --> 00:24:56,910 but you can actually convey your messaging via story rather 397 00:24:56,910 --> 00:25:00,630 than line 1, line 2, line 3, etc. And again, it's about 398 00:25:00,630 --> 00:25:04,310 building connection and empathy with the audience, which is critical 399 00:25:04,310 --> 00:25:08,110 for everyone as a podcaster. It's 400 00:25:08,110 --> 00:25:11,750 the best way to build connection, is applying 401 00:25:11,750 --> 00:25:15,070 something that you're familiar with, which a lot of people are familiar with current events, 402 00:25:15,230 --> 00:25:18,680 to these great stories throughout history, and you're telling 403 00:25:18,680 --> 00:25:22,520 jokes, you're bringing those stories to life in a way that modern people understand, 404 00:25:23,400 --> 00:25:27,040 and they're just falling in love with the storytelling, they're falling in love with the 405 00:25:27,040 --> 00:25:30,840 host, the jokes, the way that the stories come together, and 406 00:25:30,840 --> 00:25:34,640 it's probably something a lot of people who love this history podcast are 407 00:25:34,640 --> 00:25:38,200 looking forward to every week, week after week. Yeah, 408 00:25:38,200 --> 00:25:41,160 and I think the British are good at 409 00:25:42,680 --> 00:25:46,520 what we call it dry humor or that kind of comedy 410 00:25:46,780 --> 00:25:50,540 to get that message across as well. Another way to get your 411 00:25:50,540 --> 00:25:54,300 message across is on Twitch. Twitch hits record. This comes to 412 00:25:54,300 --> 00:25:57,980 us from the Times of India. Twitch CEO Dan Clancy 413 00:25:57,980 --> 00:26:01,500 is launching the platform's first official podcast, Let's 414 00:26:01,500 --> 00:26:05,260 Chat, and he's debuting it the only way Twitch knows how— 415 00:26:05,660 --> 00:26:09,260 live. The first episode features NFL player and 416 00:26:09,260 --> 00:26:12,780 Twitch streamer Cam Skadaboo. 417 00:26:13,210 --> 00:26:16,650 And it will stream live on Twitch before rolling out to major— 418 00:26:19,370 --> 00:26:22,810 Skitibo. Skitibo. And it will stream live on Twitch before rolling out to major podcast 419 00:26:22,810 --> 00:26:26,170 platforms. That order matters. Live first, 420 00:26:26,330 --> 00:26:29,730 replay second. This is a major platform stepping into 421 00:26:29,730 --> 00:26:33,570 podcasting, but they are not abandoning what makes them strong. They 422 00:26:33,570 --> 00:26:37,330 are leaning into real-time interaction and community. This is 423 00:26:37,330 --> 00:26:40,930 the infinite seat theater that we talk about here at the Poduty Podcast 424 00:26:40,930 --> 00:26:44,270 Theater. The audience isn't just listening, they are 425 00:26:44,270 --> 00:26:48,070 participating. This is a great example of— here's a 426 00:26:48,070 --> 00:26:51,710 platform, you know, Twitch is a huge live streaming platform. Live is what they do. 427 00:26:51,710 --> 00:26:55,510 They do it better than anybody else. And the CEO is going 428 00:26:55,510 --> 00:26:59,190 to do a recording, a live show on Twitch, and extract 429 00:26:59,190 --> 00:27:02,830 that to be released as a podcast. It's another way 430 00:27:03,150 --> 00:27:06,870 to bring that CEO role to the people and explain 431 00:27:06,870 --> 00:27:10,620 the concepts, explain the direction that the company's moving in. And 432 00:27:10,620 --> 00:27:14,260 I don't think there's a better way to, to get a one-on-one connection 433 00:27:14,260 --> 00:27:18,020 than to have an interview or a podcast with the CEO. You know, the 434 00:27:18,020 --> 00:27:21,060 first thing that struck me when I saw that story, 435 00:27:21,460 --> 00:27:25,260 Jeff, was that the CEO, Dan Clancy, I thought 436 00:27:25,420 --> 00:27:29,140 was a young Robert Plant I was looking at from Led Zeppelin 437 00:27:29,220 --> 00:27:33,020 initially. But that then got me 438 00:27:33,020 --> 00:27:36,532 thinking, can you imagine just going back 10, 439 00:27:36,628 --> 00:27:40,350 15 years ago that the CEO of a large 440 00:27:40,350 --> 00:27:43,870 organization would have long straggly hair, etc., be coming on in a t-shirt 441 00:27:44,230 --> 00:27:47,950 that's half burnished or something like that. I 442 00:27:47,950 --> 00:27:50,550 mean, what is happening with a lot of the 443 00:27:51,830 --> 00:27:55,550 CEOs and leaders is that they are basically, I 444 00:27:55,550 --> 00:27:58,950 think, trying to show more 445 00:27:59,190 --> 00:28:02,150 genuine empathy with their 446 00:28:02,550 --> 00:28:06,270 audience and being like the ordinary person who is watching or 447 00:28:06,270 --> 00:28:09,750 listening to the show rather than kind of being a stiff white-collar, 448 00:28:10,350 --> 00:28:14,190 shirt and tie, etc. The world has changed, and guys like 449 00:28:14,350 --> 00:28:18,190 Clancy and others obviously being on Twitch fully appreciate that 450 00:28:18,510 --> 00:28:21,950 podcasting and similar vehicles are important for 451 00:28:21,950 --> 00:28:25,270 connecting with the audience. 15 years ago, you didn't know any 452 00:28:25,270 --> 00:28:28,671 CEOs. You would— you never knew who ran the company, who did what. 453 00:28:28,830 --> 00:28:32,430 But social media, videos, these conferences getting livestreamed 454 00:28:33,070 --> 00:28:36,870 has really changed all that. Even product announcements have become a big event 455 00:28:36,870 --> 00:28:40,510 for CEOs to get up on stage talk about the direction of the 456 00:28:40,510 --> 00:28:44,230 company, really maybe boost shareholder value a little bit. That's probably, 457 00:28:44,310 --> 00:28:47,990 you know, part of their momentum. But they are becoming the 458 00:28:47,990 --> 00:28:51,750 face of the company where you didn't have that before. But now 459 00:28:52,310 --> 00:28:55,790 people want to know who they're dealing with, who they're talking to, who's running the 460 00:28:55,790 --> 00:28:59,630 ship. And the CEOs are becoming more and more the face of the 461 00:28:59,630 --> 00:29:03,270 organization. Yeah, I mean, Steve Jobs is probably the first 462 00:29:03,590 --> 00:29:06,680 famous CEO— he had a certain 463 00:29:07,400 --> 00:29:10,680 personality. Jack Welch from GE was another famous CEO. He had 464 00:29:10,680 --> 00:29:14,160 another personality, which I didn't think did much for 465 00:29:14,400 --> 00:29:17,800 the business in general. He was just a cutthroat 466 00:29:18,120 --> 00:29:21,760 guru expert. But in general, though, I think people 467 00:29:21,760 --> 00:29:25,440 are beginning to understand that the CEO has got to have 468 00:29:25,440 --> 00:29:28,920 communication skills. Leaders have got to have communication skills as well. 469 00:29:29,160 --> 00:29:32,950 And if they're not able to look good in front of a camera 470 00:29:33,030 --> 00:29:36,310 or on podcasts, I don't think you get to the top level 471 00:29:36,310 --> 00:29:39,990 in organizations anymore. Yeah, I may never be a. 472 00:29:41,750 --> 00:29:45,310 CEO. You look great, Jeff. Don't you worry, my man. You got good content and 473 00:29:45,310 --> 00:29:48,310 you presented well and you do your research. They're critical, my 474 00:29:49,030 --> 00:29:52,870 brother. Well, thank you. Thank you. You'll find me on stage. I'm going to invent 475 00:29:52,870 --> 00:29:56,670 a company just so I can be the CEO. Well, a couple of 476 00:29:56,670 --> 00:30:00,420 stories ago was a a podcast that took 7 years to have, uh, to 477 00:30:00,420 --> 00:30:04,180 get on the road. This podcast is celebrating 10 years with 478 00:30:04,180 --> 00:30:08,020 a live party. The Ask Mike Reinhold Show just 479 00:30:08,020 --> 00:30:11,860 celebrated its 10th year anniversary, and they did it in the right way. 480 00:30:11,860 --> 00:30:15,540 Not with a quiet post, not with a graphic on Instagram. 481 00:30:15,540 --> 00:30:18,780 They hosted a live stream where fans could ask questions in real 482 00:30:19,100 --> 00:30:22,460 time, announce new courses, offer discounts, and gave away 483 00:30:22,460 --> 00:30:26,100 over $2,500 worth of products. This is what 484 00:30:26,100 --> 00:30:29,740 I love about live podcasting. Milestones become 485 00:30:30,060 --> 00:30:33,580 moments. Instead of saying thank you in a caption, they said it face to 486 00:30:33,820 --> 00:30:37,500 face. And here's the bigger lesson: when you build community for 487 00:30:37,500 --> 00:30:41,260 10 years, celebrating is not awkward, it is 488 00:30:41,580 --> 00:30:45,100 earned. In the theater space here, we have people celebrating 1 year, 2 489 00:30:45,660 --> 00:30:49,340 year, their season 1 kickoff. I've had shows on their first 490 00:30:49,420 --> 00:30:52,700 episode have a party because they were recording their first episode live, 491 00:30:53,350 --> 00:30:57,190 and Having some sort of milestone, some sort of reason to celebrate and bring people 492 00:30:57,670 --> 00:31:01,070 together is one of the best things you can do. I can't tell you how 493 00:31:01,070 --> 00:31:04,790 many times we've had like a season 1 wrap party where 494 00:31:04,790 --> 00:31:07,910 there's full catering in here. We've had like full 495 00:31:07,990 --> 00:31:11,670 American barbecue briskets and pulled pork and beans and corn, 496 00:31:11,750 --> 00:31:15,470 and we've had full spreads where it's almost like a buffet, and 497 00:31:15,470 --> 00:31:19,220 then they're going to perform their show. So having these milestones is 498 00:31:19,220 --> 00:31:22,980 a great way to bring the community together and, and celebrate, you know, with 499 00:31:22,980 --> 00:31:26,620 one another. There's no doubt about that, Jeff. I mean, 500 00:31:26,780 --> 00:31:30,540 people want to be recognized, and if they're 501 00:31:30,540 --> 00:31:34,300 on stage, I've been going for 10 years, they obviously want to create a 502 00:31:34,780 --> 00:31:38,580 party there. One of the ways to do that is obviously have that 10-year party, 503 00:31:38,580 --> 00:31:42,380 but also have some of their listeners and previous guests involved in 504 00:31:42,380 --> 00:31:45,900 it as well. So you've got the sense of a community and 505 00:31:45,980 --> 00:31:49,410 interaction going as well. Going for 10 years in this environment is pretty 506 00:31:50,210 --> 00:31:53,490 good. Yeah, add in prizes, add in catering, I'm going to be there for. 507 00:31:55,250 --> 00:31:58,930 Sure. As long as there's good Guinness there as well, which is not something that 508 00:31:58,930 --> 00:32:02,210 is very well known here in the United States, 509 00:32:02,930 --> 00:32:06,610 unfortunately. Oh, I love, I love me some Guinness. It's one of my favorite. 510 00:32:06,850 --> 00:32:10,690 I hardly ever drink, but Guinness is like my go-to. I 511 00:32:10,690 --> 00:32:14,360 just, there's something about it. I've never had real authentic Guinness. I 512 00:32:14,360 --> 00:32:18,120 know it's completely different in Ireland, but whatever they serve in America is 513 00:32:18,120 --> 00:32:21,920 pretty good. Not if you're used to the Irish. Stuff, I have 514 00:32:21,920 --> 00:32:25,680 to say. Well, it's good for me, 515 00:32:26,080 --> 00:32:29,840 but, uh, someday I'll have my life changed whenever I have a real Guinness in 516 00:32:30,560 --> 00:32:33,800 Ireland. Like, get over there, man. You'll be made to feel very welcome. It's a 517 00:32:33,800 --> 00:32:36,800 wonderfully friendly, hospitable country and 518 00:32:37,680 --> 00:32:40,870 experience. I, I feel like I would never leave Ireland. Like, I would I would 519 00:32:40,870 --> 00:32:43,710 just nestle in and they would have trouble getting rid of 520 00:32:44,670 --> 00:32:47,910 me. We have one last story. I thought this would be a fun one to 521 00:32:47,910 --> 00:32:51,550 finish out on, a little comedy, a little Lewis Black social 522 00:32:52,110 --> 00:32:55,150 commentary. And he mentions in this performance, you know, he's not really 523 00:32:55,710 --> 00:32:58,830 doing tours anymore. He's not really going on the road, but he loves doing 524 00:32:58,830 --> 00:33:02,630 this Rantcast podcast. And this was an opportunity for him to still 525 00:33:02,870 --> 00:33:06,660 get up on stage outside of the Tonight Show or 526 00:33:06,660 --> 00:33:09,940 the The Jon Stewart Show, I forget which one the official name of it is, 527 00:33:09,940 --> 00:33:13,180 and get on stage and perform his show in front of an audience without being 528 00:33:13,180 --> 00:33:16,820 on tour. So I really love this story. Lewis Black just recorded the 529 00:33:16,820 --> 00:33:20,500 first ever live version of the Rantcast at the Stand Comedy 530 00:33:20,500 --> 00:33:24,140 Club in New York City, and it was sold out. Think 531 00:33:24,140 --> 00:33:27,900 about that. He has done live stand-up for years, but this time the 532 00:33:27,900 --> 00:33:31,660 goal was not just comedy. The goal was to record a podcast in front 533 00:33:31,660 --> 00:33:35,310 of a real audience. He stepped out of his home studio and into the 534 00:33:35,310 --> 00:33:39,030 packed room with a few hundred fans. That is the shift. 535 00:33:39,030 --> 00:33:42,710 The podcast becomes the event, and once you sell out once, 536 00:33:42,710 --> 00:33:45,710 you start to wonder how many more times can you do that 537 00:33:46,830 --> 00:33:50,590 again? I mean, it's interesting that he's going down 538 00:33:50,590 --> 00:33:54,270 that road. I don't know what happened to him, but he's obviously 539 00:33:54,270 --> 00:33:58,030 either lost a lot of weight or he's not the same Louis Black that he 540 00:33:58,530 --> 00:34:02,130 was a number of years ago, but he's obviously created 541 00:34:02,130 --> 00:34:05,850 a brand and a persona where he rants, rants, rants the whole time. 542 00:34:05,850 --> 00:34:09,210 And you've probably heard this, Jeff, but apparently 543 00:34:09,650 --> 00:34:13,490 offstage he's the nicest, most calm guy in the world. He's just got a 544 00:34:13,570 --> 00:34:16,970 stage persona there, but he comes across as the, 545 00:34:16,970 --> 00:34:20,650 the ranter. I'd love to see what the reaction of the audience would be though 546 00:34:20,650 --> 00:34:24,450 when he's ranting like that, because, um, I mean, Jimmy 547 00:34:24,770 --> 00:34:27,720 Carr, who, the English comedian, He loves 548 00:34:28,520 --> 00:34:32,200 to interact with the audience, but a lot of it is just kind of insult 549 00:34:32,200 --> 00:34:35,720 comedy, which is really good, but you can feel the audience kind of 550 00:34:35,720 --> 00:34:39,480 going, 'Oh, I'm afraid what he's going to say next,' kind of thing. And I 551 00:34:39,560 --> 00:34:43,240 think Lewis Black might be the same when he's ranting like that 552 00:34:43,320 --> 00:34:46,800 on, on stage. Do you kind of raise your hand, or if you start laughing 553 00:34:46,800 --> 00:34:50,520 too much, is he going to pick you out, etc.? But it's interesting 554 00:34:50,520 --> 00:34:53,810 that he's taken that concept and He's a guy 555 00:34:54,290 --> 00:34:57,930 who obviously has been in the business for a long time 556 00:34:57,930 --> 00:35:01,570 and knows how to stay connected with the audience. He has a great 557 00:35:01,570 --> 00:35:04,530 way of delivering his frustration through 558 00:35:05,090 --> 00:35:08,690 comedy. Something just really bothers him and irks him, and he's able 559 00:35:08,690 --> 00:35:12,490 to just rant about it for 5, 6 minutes, and it keeps going, and 560 00:35:12,490 --> 00:35:16,170 he keeps building on it, and new material all the time, 561 00:35:16,170 --> 00:35:19,490 which is very impressive. And that's why you would go see a show like 562 00:35:20,000 --> 00:35:23,520 this. You know that the only time you're gonna see that performance from Lewis 563 00:35:23,760 --> 00:35:27,440 Black is in that moment. It's a once-in-a-lifetime 564 00:35:27,520 --> 00:35:31,200 performance because he can't do that show again tomorrow. Once he 565 00:35:31,200 --> 00:35:34,640 does those rants, people have already heard them. So he has to 566 00:35:34,640 --> 00:35:38,320 completely reinvent himself for every episode, and a talent like 567 00:35:38,320 --> 00:35:42,120 that, that's something you gotta see in the moment. I wonder, how is he able 568 00:35:42,120 --> 00:35:45,720 to keep that going though for 50 minutes or 60 minutes? Just that 569 00:35:45,720 --> 00:35:49,550 rant, rant, rant. Really interest me as 570 00:35:49,550 --> 00:35:53,030 well, to see kind of rant a little bit, then going into more standard kind 571 00:35:53,270 --> 00:35:56,990 of stand-up work, and then come back ranting again. Because I, I 572 00:35:56,990 --> 00:36:00,590 gotta say, I think a 55-minute rant would not be something that would 573 00:36:00,590 --> 00:36:04,390 appeal to, to me. The 3 or 4-minute rant is good. 574 00:36:04,630 --> 00:36:08,470 The 34-minute rant, I'd be interested to see what, 575 00:36:08,470 --> 00:36:12,150 how it works with the audience. He has to be 576 00:36:12,150 --> 00:36:15,890 reading and researching all day long, every day, or he maybe even has 577 00:36:15,890 --> 00:36:18,970 a team of writers that work with him now and help him put it all 578 00:36:18,970 --> 00:36:22,530 together, but he still has to deliver it, he still has to know the material 579 00:36:22,530 --> 00:36:26,050 and deliver it. It would be so impressive to do that every 580 00:36:26,050 --> 00:36:29,890 week. Here's 50 new minutes of Lewis Black ranting. 581 00:36:30,050 --> 00:36:33,690 Yeah, yeah, mind you, there's enough things messed up with the world that 582 00:36:33,690 --> 00:36:37,410 you shouldn't have too much difficulty finding 50 minutes to rant about, in. 583 00:36:39,250 --> 00:36:42,970 Fairness. Yeah, it's very easy with today's news. Cycle, so Isn't it 584 00:36:42,970 --> 00:36:46,690 just? Yeah. Yeah. Well, Conor, I told you it goes so fast. 585 00:36:46,690 --> 00:36:50,090 We're already at the end of the show. I can't tell you how much I've 586 00:36:50,090 --> 00:36:53,610 enjoyed this conversation today. One last time, I'd like to turn the show 587 00:36:53,610 --> 00:36:57,290 over. Plug, promote, talk about anything you'd like to talk about. The floor 588 00:36:57,290 --> 00:37:01,130 is yours. Okay. Well, thank you for the time, Jeff. I do 589 00:37:01,130 --> 00:37:04,930 appreciate it. The brand is Conor Cunneen, Irishman Speaks. My 590 00:37:04,930 --> 00:37:08,590 mission is to improve people, performance, and productivity. 591 00:37:08,590 --> 00:37:11,550 With a Smile. And I speak to 592 00:37:11,710 --> 00:37:15,230 associations, organizations, healthcare, etc. And 593 00:37:15,310 --> 00:37:18,670 the idea is that I will leave you with a smile on the face, with 594 00:37:18,670 --> 00:37:22,510 a spring in the step, and memorable actionable takeaways to help you to keep 595 00:37:22,510 --> 00:37:26,150 on keeping on and achieve whatever objectives you have got. 596 00:37:26,150 --> 00:37:29,870 The promise is that you will not be bored, but you will leave with some 597 00:37:29,870 --> 00:37:33,470 good content as well. So that's the Irishman Conor 598 00:37:33,640 --> 00:37:37,480 Cunneen. Irishman Speaks. Awesome. I will have all those links 599 00:37:37,480 --> 00:37:40,840 in the show notes. This has been so much fun. If you like kind of 600 00:37:40,840 --> 00:37:44,160 what we're doing here, we're performing a live podcast live on the stage here in 601 00:37:44,160 --> 00:37:47,880 the theater outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and you may not have a 602 00:37:47,880 --> 00:37:51,200 place like this in your hometown, but reach out to 603 00:37:51,200 --> 00:37:54,600 bars, restaurants, libraries. There are places to perform 604 00:37:54,600 --> 00:37:58,400 live podcasts and bring your community together. If that interests you at all, check 605 00:37:58,400 --> 00:38:00,141 out our website poduty.com. 606 00:38:01,694 --> 00:38:05,410 P-O-D-U-T-Y.com. You can also find more about me because I just 607 00:38:05,410 --> 00:38:07,930 redid my website, jeffrevilla.com. 608 00:38:09,090 --> 00:38:12,170 R-E-V-I-L-L-A. Check me out if you want to learn about me. A brand new website 609 00:38:12,170 --> 00:38:15,690 just launched last night at like 10:30. I've been up all night working on a 610 00:38:15,690 --> 00:38:19,530 new website. This has been Poduty and the News. And Conor, do 611 00:38:19,530 --> 00:38:23,290 you remember what time it was? It is 5 o'clock 612 00:38:23,290 --> 00:38:26,250 somewhere, my man. What time 613 00:38:32,950 --> 00:38:33,990 is it? What time is 614 00:38:39,110 --> 00:38:41,910 it? It's time for Poduty and the 615 00:38:44,070 --> 00:38:45,670 News! Poduty and the 616 00:38:47,830 --> 00:38:50,710 News, the only live news podcast 617 00:38:51,030 --> 00:38:53,350 about podcasting from the state. 618 00:38:53,350 --> 00:39:02,870 Poduty 619 00:39:02,870 --> 00:39:05,650 and the News! Poduty and the News, the only live news Podcast 620 00:39:05,970 --> 00:39:08,380 about podcasting from the stage.