This podcast started as a way to bring a small group of people access to conversations with friends and colleagues of mine who could draw the curtain back on what goes into making a life in creativity, business or other fields that impact our culture. The conversations that became our initial episodes were conducted live, in front of a private audience, but we soon realized the material was worth sharing far and wide. A podcast was born.
As we have closed in on the end of our fourth year, listenership has been growing at an accelerated pace, and while we are not entirely sure what is driving this new surge of interest, we are certainly excited and grateful.
You see, every time you listen to one of our episodes, leave a review, open our emails, tell a friend about us, engage with our social posts or pay us any attention at all, you are providing the energy and encouragement to keep creating Spotlight On.
Over the course of our first 185 episodes we have spoken with music artists, music businesspeople, tech innovators, authors, Olympians, even a mayoral candidate from New York City. Shortly after we launched (our first episode aired on this date in 2020, with Ben Lovett of the band Mumford & Sons), the pandemic hit. This podcast became a way for me to stay connected with interesting people on the outside world, and to share that connection with everyone else stuck at home. For those first months, our conversations were very COVID-heavy, as they had to be, with people sharing their anxieties and prognostications about how the world was changing. Soon, our conversations were shaped by the fallout from the George Floyd murder, the 2020 election and other current events. As this project has progressed, we have aimed for somewhat more universal themes in our discussions, not to be an antidote to or to avoid the news of the day, but to use this project to contribute to something bigger and less reactionary. I firmly believe that music, art and ideas are foundational to a culture of democracy and therefore conversations about those topics can be seen as (and I feel, are) necessary.
All of us - you, our guests, their representatives, and all who work to get these episodes out into the world - have built something just a little bit unique in a media landscape crowded with voices and choices. Thank you for choosing us for an hour or so once every week. Thank you so much for playing your part in this endeavour.
I would like to specifically thank our Producer, Michael Donaldson, who ensures the sonic excellence of our show and works so hard to bring new ears to what we do. I would also like to thank our original Producer, Craig Snyder, who helped get us off the ground - and kept us there - throughout the pandemic and back into our first live episodes in public once the world opened back up. Thank you both.
And now it's party time. I will leave you with a final 'thanks', THANK YOU! and, once again, these humble asks:
- Subscribe to us on your podcast platform of choice
- Consider a donation or making a purchase in our online store and remember, I will make you a custom-curated playlist of music in return - one song for each dollar you spend or donate
- Tell a friend about us or leave a review wherever you listen.
As always, thanks for reading and listening, be safe, and stay in touch,
Lawrence Peryer
Host, Spotlight On
