Tales From the Bandwagon
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the memes joking “I survived 2020 without starting a podcast” were abundant. I succumbed to the pressure and started one anyway. As 2021 comes to a close, I wanted to take some time and reflect on the first season.
Getting Started
Sometime during late-summer 2020, I was on the phone with someone I look up to; he lives the life that I aspire to live. He said something that sparked an idea I didn’t realize at the time. This won’t be an exact quote, but he said something along the lines of “always be the dumbest one in the room” in regard to absorbing lessons and skills.
A few months later, I decided I wanted to start a podcast called “Dumbest in the Room.” At the time, I didn’t make the connection that this idea had come from that conversation with him. I purchased the necessary equipment to get started such as the Rode RODECaster Pro along with necessary accessories. I knew that I also wanted there to be a video element because several of my favorite podcasts (Sal Vulcano & Chris Distefano Present: Hey Babe! and The Nine Club) are on YouTube. I had an old GoPro Hero 4 and then went and bought a new GoPro Hero 8+ Black. There are some distinct quality and color differences between the two cameras but I didn’t want to go broke if the show was going to be a flop. It was close enough that I knew I could manage for the first season. I knew that I was going to have professional sounding audio from the RODECaster so I didn’t need to worry about audio from a camera (or so I thought, more on that later). I recorded a trailer, designed a logo, and started spreading the word. The idea of the podcast got a lot more traction than I anticipated so I was very excited to get started. With the help of coworkers, family, and future family I was able to turn my spare bedroom/office into a podcast studio.
Takeaways From the Guests
Jason Hawkes
For the first interview, I wanted to have a guest that I was comfortable with and had an existing rapport. It was only natural that Jason Hawkes, owner of Cardinal Skate Shop, helped me launch the show. Jason told amazing stories about getting into skateboarding, his time in the military, buying the skate shop in 2009, and the trials and tribulations that came with moving Cardinal from Virginia Beach to Norfolk. Jason is a true testament of giving something your all and beating the odds. It was inspiring to hear of the times he faced adversity and was able to overcome. If you’re a small business owner or planning to start one, skate shop or not, Jason’s story is a great listen.
Joe Bullock
Episode 2 focused on Joe Bullock, a colorectal cancer survivor who does more grassroots work raising awareness than anyone I’ve ever heard of. Joe is the go-to guy in the Man Up to Cancer -The Howling Place Facebook group and it seems like he never sleeps. I was honored to have Joe on to tell his story while continuing to advocate for men’s health awareness. We will probably never know exactly how many men’s, women’s, and children’s lives Joe has touched, but hopefully when Joe does find time to sleep, he sleeps well knowing the difference he’s making.
Dr. Mark T. Fleming
My third guest kicked off the duo of my personal superheroes appearing on Dumbest in the Room. Dr. Mark T. Fleming is a Genitourinary Oncologist with Virginia Oncology Associates. He has many accolades and has held/holds several important roles in the oncological world. Dr. Fleming is currently the National Policy Board Chair of the US Oncology Network. It was my absolute honor to have the man who helped save my life after a testicular cancer diagnosis on the podcast. It was interesting hearing about his detoured trip through medical school, the different genitourinary cancers and his personal connection to one of them, and more.
Dr. Clint Cary
Guest number four was the second of my personal superheroes to make an appearance on the podcast. Dr. Clint Cary is a world-renowned urologist and surgeon practicing at Indiana University Health Hospital. Dr. Cary talked about the life of a surgeon and how he became one. He also talked briefly about the retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND), the surgery he performed on me in November 2019 that ended my cancer journey. If you’re interested in learning more about the RPLND, be on the lookout for Dr. Cary on an episode of my other podcast, "It Takes Balls,” in 2022 where we’ll talk more about the surgery.
Laura Caso
I was fortunate to have my buddy Laura Caso on the podcast. Laura is one of the most genuinely kind people I’ve ever known. Laura is now an anchor with WKYC in Cleveland, OH but we met when she was an anchor at WAVY in Hampton Roads, VA. Laura was a coworker who was compassionate and kind to me during some of the lowest times in my life including breakups and cancer. I enjoyed hearing how she made her own destiny when it came to getting her first job in TV news. As they say at Moe’s, “[Caso] is extra, is that alright?” I can attest that Caso being extra is, in fact, “alright.”
Leah Martin Tribus
Having Leah Martin Tribus on the podcast was the first time I really went out of the wheelhouse of things that I had peripheral knowledge of. Leah is a Lactation Consultant who helps new mothers with breastfeeding. This is not something I had ever had a discussion about before but it was probably the episode from which I learned the most. There are many benefits of breastfeeding but it’s also OK if a mother cannot or chooses not to breastfeed. Leah explained both sides of the coin in this episode.
Phil “Smagical” Smage
Smagical is one of the most inspiring people currently walking the planet. Emphasis on walking. After a major accident while filming for a Nitro Circus movie, Phil became an incomplete quadriplegic. As an action sports athlete, this is something that is always a concern but is faced down anyway. Phil has an incredible story of perseverance as he talked about the highs and lows of his recovery. While still battling side effects of the crash, Smagical has been able to get back on all kinds of boards and motorized vehicles. He even gave a sneak peek at something he was able to accomplish that many people thought would never be possible.
Condos are Dumb
My audio in Smagical’s episode unfortunately had to come from the natural microphone on the GoPros. My condo was flooded by my upstairs neighbor’s dishwasher and I had to have industrial fans running to dry out my unit. There was a technical difficulty with the audio mixer and my audio sounded alien-like. This is the only episode that had this issue. I was able to record the next episode with Don Slater before going on a 3 month hiatus while being displaced from home for a total (insurance covered) renovation. This was devastating to me because I wanted to be consistent and follow through with doing a year of podcast episodes. My equipment was packed away during this time.
Don Slater
If you’re someone who has been in Hampton Roads, VA for any amount of time in the last 40 years, Don Slater is a name you’re familiar with. Don is the Chief Meteorologist for WAVY-TV 10/FOX43. Don told an interesting story about being the first on-air meteorologist to use the weather computers that are commonplace today. He also discussed the futures of weather, forecasting, and himself as he enters semi-retirement. Don Slater is a living legend and I can’t thank him enough for gracing me with an hour of his time from “Paris.”
James Strickland
James Strickland was my first guest back from the aforementioned hiatus. He was also my first guest who I didn’t already know in real life. He was recommended to me by my aunt who works with him and the Virginia Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad. James is another real life superhero who inspired me with stories of helping people in their darkest hour and how rewarding it can be. It was interesting to learn about the ambulance, it’s equipment, and how the Virginia Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad does not charge patients for services.
Korey Gandy
My highest performing episode of season 1 on audio platforms was with Korey Gandy. Korey was the winner of Love Island season 3 on CBS. Korey and I talked about growing up skateboarding together before he talked about his time on the reality show. It was interesting to hear the behind the scenes of the show and how he was able to win with Olivia Kaiser. Korey is an inspiring example of living for the moment and giving everything you do 110%.
Josh Plasse
I was very thankful to have Josh Plasse stop by and be a guest on the show. Josh and I talked about how we know each other and how neither of us ever saw him becoming an actor/writer/producer. Josh went from wanting to be in the military to a very successful career in Hollywood after experimenting with theater in Richmond, VA. Josh is another example of giving something 110% despite the ups and downs. Josh has appeared in many different projects including Grey’s Anatomy and the reboot of iCarly on Paramount+. Season 1 of iCarly ended on a cliffhanger so I’m looking forward to seeing if he will reappear in season 2!
Andrew Dotson
My highest performing episode on YouTube was with Andrew Dotson by a long shot. Andrew is the face of a very successful YouTube channel where he talks about physics and being a Theoretical Nuclear Physicist. This was another episode that was way out of my wheelhouse. I even caught some hate in the YouTube comments about how I should have done my research first (that guy must not have understood the point of the show). Andrew talked about things way over my head but I still was able to learn a lot from him including some history of physics, what a theoretical nuclear physicist is, and much more.
Eric Bodenstein
Eric Bodenstein, who I still feel weird calling by his first name, was one of my favorite guests this season. Mr. Bodenstein teaches English and Media Studies at Frank W. Cox High School. He was one of my favorite teachers from my time there when I had him as my Media Studies teacher. It was awesome to have the guy who kind of helped forge my way into the career field I’m currently in as a guest. It was funny hearing his stories of his time as a teacher at both public and private schools as well as how it was to teach during the COVID-19 pandemic. His job is most often a thankless one but has lasting impacts on the future of humanity, in a way.
Anthony Raspanti
Anthony Raspanti works harder in one day than most people do in a week. Hearing about how his job owning a landscaping business is extremely hard work makes me embarrassed about my job indoors. The amount of drive it takes to not only do the dangerous, hard work that he does day-to-day but also manage other employees doing the same work is incredible. There is so much more to landscaping than meets the eye. I never even considered that there was specialized schooling for this type of work and the different types of grass, but Anthony proves that not only was I wrong, but if you put in the work you can be very successful.
Shane Nickerson
My season finale episode focused on Shane Nickerson. Shane has had a hand in creating some of the shows that I watched as an adolescent and during my chemotherapy to help me get through. He is the President of Thrill One Media and the Executive Producer of shows such as Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory and Ridiculousness on MTV and Dude Perfect on Nickelodeon among countless others. This episode was one that I had been looking forward to since before my forced hiatus. Shane is someone I would love to work for one day because he makes the type of content I would love to be a part of creating.
Looking Ahead
I’m extremely excited for season 2 of Dumbest in the Room. I’m going to take some time off during the holidays and hopefully launch the next season in February 2022. For the next season I hope to have a more diverse set of guests. I recognize that season 1 was mostly men, so I look forward to having more women of varying professions on the show. I hope to upgrade my older GoPro to have better quality versions of the show on YouTube as well as make some studio upgrades to include more decor.
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Thank you all for a successful season 1 and I look forward to putting out more content in 2022!
