Reflecting on 1 year
I’ll never forget the first time. The first interview I gave in my college dorm room, the first time I gave my podcast’s intro, and especially not the day I first launched the UPcoming: June 3rd, 2022. That was a moment of triumph, because for months I didn’t know what I wanted to do with the show or how I would release my first episode. To this day, I’m grateful to my friend and episode 1 guest, Ezekiel “Zeke” Clare, for helping to kick this thing off.
Like I said, I started this in my college dorm room as a senior at Purchase College. I had nothing but a recording app on my phone, and a list of questions already prepared. My friend Zeke had just released his film, Sow A Little Tenderness, and I really wanted to ask him about it. So, I invited him in and he agreed to talk about it. One thing about me is I never want to ask simple, or stupid questions because I never want my guests to feel like I’m wasting their time. I always go deeper into them and their work, rather than just what they do or have done. I’m proud to say Zeke was impressed after the interview.
For some more background, the entire idea of the UPcoming came after chatting to a mentor and fellow podcaster. When I asked him a deep question on his life, he went into a tragic story and how he overcame his woes, ending it with, “no one’s ever asked me that question before. You’d make an excellent journalist or podcaster.”
The magic words. I’d make an excellent podcaster.
I never thought much about it, but I was made aware of my ability to ask questions. Back in my freshmen year, author and poet, Kevin Young did a reading then Q&A. I asked him about the influence of music in his writing, and afterwards I was told by my professor that Young really liked my question. So, it was there, I just never knew how I would use it.
Back to the UPcoming, for months I tried to figure out what I would do with my new content. I spoke to another mentor of mine (I have a lot of mentors), and he said to just make it a podcast. He supplied me with the logo and the mic, and eventually I took over from there. I’m grateful to him for that, because now people will see that logo and know what I provide.
I was a program counselor for the School of the New York Times when I first launched the UPcoming. I was out with a friend of mine and roommate at the time. I showed it to him, and he shook my hand, congratulating me. I was off, and now it was time to make history.
For a good long while, I used my mic, Zoom, and my phone’s recording app to get the content out. I was new to the whole thing, and really didn’t know what I was doing at first, but I adapted. I can’t say it was easy balancing my job and the podcast, but I made it work. Word spread of my show, and one of my coworkers, Misa Love Smith, joined as the 5th guest. I wanted to build the podcast more, but that meant a lot of hours of reading on how, and not a lot of doing, while also trying my best to get episodes out. This did improve my audio editing skills and my time management, but I was still under some stress.
Eventually, I caught a breather when I left the School of the New York Times. I continued on Zoom until episode 20, when I switched to Riverside.FM. Honestly, I’m glad I made that shift. The videos look way better. Since I left my job, I’ve also seen how much people enjoy my content. A good portion of my guests reached out and asked to be on my show. Seeing how much they enjoyed their interviews only strengthened the UPcoming’s reputation.
I always started with an introduction to my guests, listing who they are, what they’ve done, and the greatness they’re achieving. Then, I let them introduce themselves, not wanting to speak for my guests. This is about them, after all. Finally, I go into questions. For a long time, I used scripted questions, just so I could think of something good to ask. My favorite response is “That’s a good question.” That’s how I know I’ve asked something no one else has. Eventually, after episode 20, I stopped doing scripts. I let the conversations become more natural and less robotic. It’s really helped me in my communication, since it forces me to think of questions off the top.
I wanted to interview people working their way to fame or success. You see podcasts of people who are established, with millions of followers or mansions, but how many will you listen to about people with none of those things? That’s what I wanted the UPcoming to be. Everyone has a story to tell and I’m here to help them tell it. I’ve gotten a lot of great comments about my show. many of my guests and listeners have told me to keep doing what I’m doing because it’s important.
After a year of podcasting, I’m happy to say that I will. We’re not done here.