Because I'm happy, clap along...🌞
Zendaya on Pharrell's new pod, Serial Productions to HBO, and geek out on tech history
This week I am going back to my original vision of the newsletter. Back to the reviews and recommendations, balanced with a little bit of news when available. My subscriber goal for the end of the year is 100. Right now we are at 70. Let’s grow together!
On to my picks this week…
OTHERtone with Pharrell, Scott, and Fam-Lay (2020)
Pharrell’s Beats One show is now turning into a fresh new podcast that just released their first two episodes. I listened to Oakland’s very own (and new face of Valentino), Zendaya, on the latest episode. I had to stop quite a few times to watch and listen to all the drops they had in the episode. Anyone remember when she was on Dancing with the Stars? I totally missed it, so I had to watch her performance here. So good. I agree with Fam-Lay, she was robbed. 😊 Then I had to pause to listen to all the Donny Hathaway music they were appreciating. What a treat!
Nice White Parents to HBO (2020)
Variety reports that Nice White Parents, the NY Times | Serial podcast, is in development with director Adam McKay (Big Short, Anchorman) and actor Issa Rae (Insecure).
Read the full story here.
Did you listen to Nice White Parents yet? It’s on a bunch of Podcast of the Year lists.
Nicholas Quah from Vulture.com wrote, “Nice White Parents is, without a doubt, one of the most excellently made and endlessly interesting podcasts you’ll hear this year. On a meta level, the show does exactly what you’d want it to do: It drives conversation, it sparks emotion, it makes you want to scream."
Listener LauraGallupNY wrote, “I was hesitant to listen to this. I thought it would make me anxious and sad. And while there was some of that, it also made me inspired. The sheer amount of research into the NYC educational system was astounding, and how many people were interviewed. I loved it.”
I ask that if you do listen to it, or have listened to it, write an episode review here:
Web Masters (2020)
We spend a ton of time on the internet and play with tech in our lives everyday. Search, navigation, building websites, and pirating software (not me!). Those are just some of the episodes Web Masters’ podcast host and Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Duke University, Aaron Dinin, discusses. I really like how Aaron is aware that the conversation may be going over the head of the everyday listener, stops the podcast for a minute, and gives simplified context to get us educated. Map Quest, Alta Vista search, and GeoCities are the three I listened to so far. GeoCities! You remember that?! A friend told me they made one for an N*Sync Fan page before there was MySpace.
Juliana Colant, from the Post Athens writes, "If origin stories, entrepreneurship and the internet fascinate you, listen to ‘Web Masters.’ ‘Web Masters’ weaves these themes together to form an entertaining podcast. Through interviews, listeners learn about people who paved the way for our internet today. Dinin(host) uses an engaging and conversational style to bring to life their stories. They are motivating and inspiring to not only entrepreneurs, but anyone."
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XOXO
Captain Ron