So You’ve Agreed to Be a Guest!

Hooray!

I’m excited to have you on the show! Let me give you a quick run-down of how the whole thing works, and what I’ll be asking of you, besides being your usual, charming self.

A Quick Overview

The podcast episodes mostly happen via Zoom, which means that you get to chat with me from wherever you like – your home, your office, anywhere with a decent internet connection! Of course, if you happen to live in NYC, or we happen to be in the same city at the same time, I’m always happy to record in person.

Shows tend to run around an hour, though some definitely run a little longer if the conversation is going particularly well, and the guest is willing to stick around. I keep my eye on the clock throughout for the sake of pacing, and making sure that we don’t blather on for hours and hours and hours.

After the show, the audio gets sent to iTunes and all the major podcasting apps like Overcast, Stitcher, Player FM, Google Music, etc.

What You’ll Need

I’m not going to ask you to go out and buy equipment to be on one episode of the show. But there are a few things that I hope you already have, like:

A Webcam (Optional)

Most laptops and tablets have webcams and cameras built in nowadays, so I’m making the assumption that you have one. Although I no longer release the video of our conversations, I find that it’s easier for everyone involved if we can see one another as we’re speaking. Seeing facial expressions and body language are nice parts of communication!

Headphones or Earbuds

If my voice is coming out of your computer speakers, it’s also going to get picked up by your microphone, which means that everyone who listens to the show is going to hear my voice twice – once as I speak, and again a half second later from your computer, which is distracting (especially to me, in the moment!). So make sure that you’ve got a way to get my voice into your head without it bouncing around the room first.

A Good Internet Connection

The better your internet connection, the more clearly we’ll be able to see and hear one another, and the more clearly listeners will be able to hear you. Also, with a slower connection, it’s possible that your audio and video will freeze, or that you’ll get booted from the conversation and have to rejoin. If you know you have a slow connection, let me know – we can just as easily do the interview over the phone.

What to Expect on the Day of the Conversation

Around 15 to 20 minutes before we’re scheduled to start, I’ll set up the meeting, make sure the proper settings are all in place, and send you the private link that you’ll use to join.

When you join the call, we’re not yet recording – everything is just us until we’re ready. I like to spend 5-10 minutes with pleasantries, easing into the conversation, and going over the main points that we’d like to touch on during the course of the hour. When we’re ready, I start the recording, and we talk until we stop, then we’re done! All that remains is for me to do some minor editing, tack on the music, and send it out into the ether.

If you’d like, I can send a copy of the unedited audio for you to listen through.

The Vibe / What If…?

I like to keep the show very relaxed and informal. This isn’t really an interview – it’s a dialogue between two artists. We may get off-topic, but that’s only to be expected in an organic conversation.

In terms of “language”, I’ll follow your lead. In day-to-day life I swear like a tinker, and I have no problem swearing in front of an audience. But I’ll follow you, and try to match my language to yours. If you have a strong preference that the episode be “clean”, don’t hesitate to say so – I respect that.

And if our chat is at a certain hour of the day, I never say no to having an adult beverage while we chat (though just one – don’t wanna get sloppy!).

Now, what if one of us says something that we realize later that we shouldn’t have? For example, you’re negotiating a commission, and accidentally let slip something that isn’t yet public knowledge. Simple: let me know, and I’ll edit out whatever needs to be removed.

I prefer to do as little editing as possible, however – it’s time-consuming, and I’d rather spend that time composing. I don’t edit out “ums” and uhs”, though I do tighten up lengthy pauses. Don’t worry about how you sound – you’re gonna be great!

After We Record

After we finish with the episode, I’ll let you know when it’s scheduled to come out on the audio feed (sometimes that’s the following week, and sometimes it’s a few weeks away, depending on how many episodes I currently have banked and ready to be released).

When the episode is released on iTunes, etc, I’ll post to Facebook and Twitter about it, and I’d appreciate if you shared the episode link with your followers. That way your people get to hear more from you, and I get a little more awareness for the work that I’m doing with the show. It’s a win for everybody!

Thank You!

I’m so glad that you’re going to be joining me on the show! Please let me know if you have any questions – you can always reach me at dtobenski@gmail.com.