Episode 77 – David Gertler (The Australian Podcast Awards)

David Gertler is the Founder and brains behind The Australian Podcast awards. The awards held it’s inaugural event in Sydney, 1 April 2017. David has spent the last 1 to 2 years creating the concept and building a model that not only celebrates the amazing work that Australian Podcaster’s do, but also to help push the platform long term in this country.

I caught up with David at his home in Sydney to reflect on the debut night of the podcast awards, how the concept came together, our mutual admiration for Australian Podcasts and his takeaways for 2018 and beyond.

Having attended the awards this year myself, it was great to get David’s thoughts on how it went and his hopes for the podcast platform and Cast Away long term.

If you’re an Aussie Podcaster, be sure to head to the Cast Away official website and register your show for the next awards.

I hope to see you all at the awards for some beers next year!

 

Show notes

Reach out to David on Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
The Cast Away Australian Podcast Awards – Official Website | Facebook | Twitter  | Linkedin
Check out the 2017 Australian Podcast Winners HERE.

 

Episode 76 – James Lopes (Arc Shot Media)

James Lopes has been running his own business Arc Shot Media for several years now after breaking free of his old 9 to 5 job. Since then James has been involved closely with LORD to shoot our music videos and has from there broken into the corporate world.

James is a self-made man and has learnt it all on the go. With years of experience in music and corporate video landing him as one of the more sort after video production businesses in Sydney.

We caught up recently for a chat about how the last few years have looked for Arc Shot Media with his immersion into real estate video and ongoing changes in the video production world. We also reflect on the ‘day after’ he left his old job and earlier memories shooting videos with some of our closest friends.

Whilst James’ technical skills have helped him find success, his drive and personality (in my opinion) are infectious and have been key to what he continues to achieve. Enjoy this awesome conversation and be sure to reach out to James to say hi.

Show notes

Arc Shot Media – Main Website, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube
Connect with James on Linkedin

Listen to Episode 3 of The Andy Social Podcast when I spoke with the late great Arnie Olbrich (Video for Lobo in Hell below which James assisted with filming under the former name Dusk Music Video Production)

 

Episode 75 – Marko Mustac (Actor, Comedy Performer, Writer…

An actor, comedy performer, writer and director, Marko Mustac is someone that I would class as a true ‘jack of all trades’.

For the past three decades, Marko has performed in, directed, devised and produced improvised comedy shows around Australia , and toured internationally. In addition to this, he was Artistic Director of Theatresports Australia for 4 years and until recently, the Artistic Director of Impro Australia.

New to Impro Comedy? Some of Marko’s shows include Impro Bzerko, Royal Rumble, Three Radicals, Pulp, Scenes From Communal Living, Oddfellows, as well as a series of Shakespearian-style comedies: Hamlet Improvised, The Unspeakable Mockbeth, Bard to the Bone & the Post-Haste Histories.

Marko has also had many years experience in television as a performer, writer & warm-up comedian. He is also a published writer and corporate video writer and director.

Got all that? Good!

Marko and I sat down over coffee at Bar Italia in Leichhardt, Sydney to talk about his freelance lifestyle, jack of all trade mentality, his more introvert beginnings (surprising to me!) and his willingness to get out his comfort zone and take on unexpected opportunities.

Show notes

Find Marko on Linkedin here.
Grab tickets to see Marko star in a comedy version of Romeo and Juliet at the Sydney Comedy Festival here.

 

Episode 74 – Danny Estrin (Voyager)

Let’s set the scene – 7:30am on a fresh Sunday morning in the heart of Perth. Coffee included and some weary eyes wondering why on earth we are out and about at this time.

Normally being up this early to meet up for a podcast (or really anything else for that matter) would be a stretch, however luckily for me Danny Estrin and Voyager were about to kick off a day-long video shoot for their upcoming album ‘Ghost Mile‘. Perfect timing!

Before kicking off, Danny and I fuelled up with some strong coffee and spoke about the upcoming album, the evolution of the band over the years, his background as a migrant to Australia in the early 90s (not knowing any English!), his work as an Immigration Lawyer and there’s even a hint of kvlt black metal added in to keep things exciting.

Please use the links below to reach out to Danny and also support Voyager by grabbing their new album ‘Ghost Mile‘ here.

Show notes

Purchase the new Voyager album ‘Ghost Mile’ HERE.
Check out Voyager on Main Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

 

 

 

Episode 73 – Brendon Capriotti and Ashley Large (Claim…

When someone offers you a pint of Hop Hog, you do NOT refuse. This ended up setting the tone for this week’s podcast with Brendon Capriotti and Ashley Large (aka Cabba & Ash) from the Perth metal band Claim the Throne and hosts of the Blodgecast.

We caught up at Fibber McGee’s in Leederville, Perth for several pints of Hop Hogs to talk all things metal, DIY band promo and management as well as all sorts of other dribble (mainly from me of course) on a sunny afternoon in the beer garden. It really can’t get much better than this.

Be sure to support Cabba and Ash by checking out their band Claim the Throne, their podcast The Blodgecast and Cabba’s podcast BandTools.

Show notes

Claim the Throne – Main website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Reverbnation, Bandcamp
Check out Cabba & Ash’s podcast The Blodgecast which is also on iTunes
Check out Cabba’s new podcast BandTools Podcast and also on iTunes

 

Episode 72 – John Stallwood (Nail Brewing)

John Stallwood is the Director and Head Brewer for Nail Brewing in Perth, Western Australia. John’s background in the craft beer world has spanned over 20 years and has built himself a reputation in the industry as not only a high quality and award winning brewer, but also a big supporter and influence of independent craft brewing in Western Australia.

I recently caught up with John at their brewery in Bassendean, Perth for a chat as well as a brew or two. We touched on the origins of the business, his early beginnings in the craft beer world, challenges he’s faced personally and professionally, as well as the future for Nail Brewing. This also includes their recent expansion with Feral Brewing which I got to see first hand and was blown away by the operation they’re running. Certainly bigger than my old home brew kits!

It was only a matter of time that I tracked down a brewer to have on the podcast, and what a great one to start with!

Be sure to ask your local pub or bottle shop for Nail Brewing Beer and spread the word! As a bit of a beer nut myself, John’s brews are top notch and deserve to reach more taste buds across the country!

Show notes

Nail Brewing – Official Website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Episode 71 – Alex Canion (Voyager)

 

Often referred to as my doppelgänger (well, when he had longer hair), Alex Canion is the bass player and legend of a human for Australian progressive prog metal band, Voyager.

On a recent trip to Perth I caught up with Alex in a suspicious looking car park location, late on a Friday night. We spoke about all things band, career changes, freelance work, cover gigs and his own future creative endeavours.

For those who are looking to escape the cubicle and take a risk to find more fulfilment and enjoyment, this might be episode for you!

Show notes

Purchase the Voyager album ‘Ghost Mile’ HERE.
Check out the band out on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

Episode 70 – Denis Sudzuka, James Shelverton and Greg…

 

Brace yourself. If you’re expecting an episode full of deep and intelligent conversation, life lessons and well-articulated English, then this is not the episode for you!

Recorded after quite a few beers, late in the night, towards the end of the Churches of Steel metal festival in Adelaide. I sat down with Denis (Den Den) and James (Shelv0) of Melbourne band metal Espionage as well as front man of Adelaide thrash metal band Alkira, Greg Challis.

Great guys, great beers and plenty of great laughs.

Yes, you will hear slurring, you will hear some rapping and you will certainly hear some attempts at some deep conversation which fall far short of intention at times.

Strong recommendation – Grab yourself an alcoholic beverage, get comfortable and have a laugh at our expense! Once you’re done with us, support the guys buy buying their latest releases, ‘Wings of Thunder‘ (Espionage) and Klotho (Alkira) via the links in the show notes!

 

Show notes

Espionage – Facebook and Bandcamp
Alkira – Facebook and Bandcamp
Churches of Steel – Adelaide’s True Heavy Metal Festival

 

 

 

 

Episode 69 – Guy Hedderwick (Adelaide 36ers, Lightning and…

 

Growing up in the 90s, Basketball was a big part of my life. Of course, the NBA was always the holy grail when it came to the sport, however in Australia the NBL was dominating and the Adelaide 36ers were a team to be feared by many.

I remember growing up with a real fascination for the Adelaide 36ers. The legacy of the team, their vocal home crowd and amazing players such as Darryl Pearce, Brett Maher, Al Green, Mark Davis and many more. It was a team that was constantly feared. Even in 2017, the retains its dominance and is consistently one of the stronger teams in the National Basketball League.

When it came time to look at podcast guests on my recent trip to Adelaide, I knew I had to approach the 36ers and instead of the obvious choice of speaking with one of the current players, I decided to instead speak to current CEO, Guy Hedderwick.

Guy has been CEO of the Adelaide 36ers, Adelaide Lightning and Titanium Security Arena since 2013. Guy has a long history in sports and venue management, not only here in Australia but also South Africa.

We sat down for a very quick chat about his role in the organisation, his background and earlier beginnings as well as some of his driving motivators behind the business.

Show notes

Find Guy on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Check out Guy’s articles via the International Association of Venue Managers including Life Lessons on Leadership and Who Motivates the Motivator.

Adelaide 36ers – Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube
Adelaide Lightning – Website | Facebook | Twitter
Titanium Security Area – Website | Facebook | Twitter

 

 

 

Episode 68 – Christian Broome (ARMI Australian Rock &…

 

Christian and his wife Connie are the Directors and Owners of ARMI Australian Rock & Metal Institute. A music school dedicated to teaching people of all ages, the rock and metal perspective when it comes to music performance and education.

They have both successfully built a business that not only sees hundreds of students visit from all over South Australia but also attracts a number of national and international artists that perform and run masterclasses in their studios.

With the business now hitting capacity, ARMI are looking to expand. At the moment, the possibilities appear to be many and exciting.

Christian and I sat down for a beer at ARMI headquarters in Adelaide and spoke about the success of their business. In addition, their giving back and helping the next generation of young music fans as well as catering to people of all walks of life who have an underlying passion playing music.

Even if you’re not a fan of heavier music, this is a great conversation and an example of an amazing business that is continuously giving back to help others.

Show notes

ARMI Australian Rock & Metal Institute – Website, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.