This is an archived page from 2019. Find out more
We heard Paul Kondo, the author of the Podcast Gumbo newsletter, was launching a new podcast. We listened to his trailer, which was very amusing, and Paul-Harvey-ish. Sort of.
So, after a little detective work to track Paul down on the World Wide Web, we decided to interrogate him on why he decided to jump into the pool with over 800,000 of his closest friends.
PBJ: Who is Paul Kondo? Paul Kondo: Honestly, just an imposter that loves podcasts.
PBJ: What is Podcast Gumbo? Paul Kondo: Podcast Gumbo has been a weekly newsletter since April 2018 and now, a podcast.
PBJ: Does anyone even eat Gumbo? Paul Kondo: The hard hitting questions begin! Let’s just say that I feel sorry for anyone that hasn’t ever had a good bowl of gumbo. Now, the best reason to read this interview is this tip - when you are in Nola, track down a bowl of Death by Gumbo.
PBJ: How long have you been writing the newsletter and what is it about? Paul Kondo: The first edition of the newsletter came out on 4/18/18 and I’m proud to say I’ve never missed a week. 88 straight. And now you’ve probably just made me jinx myself. In the main section of the newsletter, I recommend 3 podcast episodes. I never repeat a show (except for one brainfart). However, I have the Extra Hot Sauce section to bail me out when I find great episodes from shows I previously recommended.
PBJ: You’ve written a free e-book. What’s that all about? Paul Kondo: The Earwax Companion aggregates all the main episodes I recommended in the first year of the newsletter. It’s daunting but apparently for some people, it’s better than getting spammed every Wednesday morning.
PBJ: Why are you launching a podcast? Paul Kondo: I wanted to be number 801,235 at something! In truth, before my newsletter became a thing, I went to the Podcast Garage to learn about creating a podcast. But I wasn’t ready at that time. I guess I am now.
PBJ: You’re keeping them short. Is short the new thing for podcasts? Paul Kondo: It’s the only way this is going to be sustainable for me. There are articles that have come out recently that podcasts are getting shorter. I have no issues with that as I feel like shows need to respect their audience’s time. If my audience clamors for more, I’d question their sanity.
PBJ: Took you long enough! Paul Kondo: As I say on my website, you would think it would be better with 19 months of thought put into it.
PBJ: Have you made any money in the podcasting space yet? Paul Kondo: I have. And I can’t wait to see how much my agent gets me for this interview.
PBJ: How come you don’t have your e-mail address on your website. Paul Kondo: Why do I feel like the money I get for this interview is going towards paying you to not release my email address publicly?
Here’s Paul’s e-mail address, just in case you want to wish him Happy Holidays or send him your podcast link so he’ll write about you - paul@podcastgumbo.com. He’s also on Twitter, which is where we found him, because, well, see above.