Podcasting is the fastest growing media globally, creating fortunes and celebrity status for the likes of Joe Rogan, Bill Simmons, Karen Kilgraff and Georgia Hardstark (My favourite murder). There’s an oddity about sending questions to local podcasters for a written and published feature… Hawke’s Bay has some amazing podcast talent who enjoy sharing their experiences and knowledge in a particular interest area or interviewing influential people. Yvonne Lorkin is a well known wine writer, entrepreneur and for insuring her tastebuds for $1 million! She’s teamed up with wine maker Dan Brennan to interview interesting local identities on their Bays of Our Lives podcast.
What is its theme/focus areas?
A podcast that unrolls the vibrant tapestry of Hawke’s Bay through extraordinary people who call this region home. From creatives to community leaders, entrepreneurs and all-round excellent people, each episode is a conversation celebrating the spirit of Hawke’s Bay through the good folk who make this place shine.
When did you launch?
We started podcasting together in December 2022 under the name The YandDPodcast and then switched to our new name and format in September 2023. How often do you upload a podcast?Bays of our Lives is biodynamically produced, wild fermented, and recorded unfined and unfiltered by Daniel Brennan and Yvonne Lorkin at Decibel Wines in downtown Hastings. Episodes are usually uploaded every week (but sometimes it takes longer depending on how busy Dan is with the winery and travel).
What platforms are you on?
Apple, Spotify, everywhere you get good podcasts (and everywhere you get crap ones too). How do you promote it?
We have our own Bays of Our Lives Facebook and Instagram pages which I share across my own personal platforms as well. We’re also thinking of building a float for the Blossom Parade. Joking. Not joking.
How many followers?
No idea. But people we see out and about seem to comment very regularly ‘are you the podcast dudes?’ so that’s cool. Our followers are the BOOLers.
Why do you produce a podcast?
To put smiles on listeners’ faces and surprise people with the depth of talent and character we have here in Hawke’s Bay.
Are you aiming to create podcast revenue and/or drive new business for your business?
Absolutely. We are very focused on growing our audience and our listeners are highly engaged – so we are superkeen to bring in advertisers and sponsors from Hawke’s Bay and beyond.
What technology and software do you use?
We used to record in a studio with the amazing Aaron at Newsong Studio on Southampton Street in Hastings, but more recently Dan has gone back to working with Garageband (which is a free app you can download from Apple). He has a little mixer and a couple of mics. I bring along my Yeti mic as well. Dan likes that when you save a file in Garageband it automatically mixes it and he also highly rates Acast for their ability to polish the files really well before they’re published.
Who is the most interesting/inspiring person that you’ve had as a guest?
That’s a tough question because they all bring something really different to the conversation. Richard Brimer, was just so easy and loose. DJ, composer and artist Darryl Thomson (DLT) was
incredible, his life story, his outlook – that was a really cool and inspiring conversation. Getting the skinny on life inside the whirlwind of women’s magazine craziness with Fiona
Fraser was wild. World famous wine personality Oz Clark was ridiculously funny and outrageous, Gilly Lawrence’s life story about growing up as a BLERTA kid and being the son of NZ film royalty was eyepopping and the artist, cartoonist Andy Heyward (King Andy of Haumoana) was just absolute gold. Each guest just seems to accentuate the depth and richness our region has.
Who would be your ultimate interview talent?
We were desperate to get British comedian Bill Bailey on while he was here on tour last year, but that didn’t happen. He’s openly spoken about how much he LOVES coming to Hawke’s
Bay so one day it’d be super groovy to interview him.
Any tips for other budding podcasters?
We’re still very much budding, so our tips probably don’t hold much weight. Umm. Don’t forget to hit ‘record’. Don’t use squeaky chairs. If you have a co-host, bring them coffee regularly.
What does success as a podcaster look like to you?
Sex, cash and coke? Seriously though, success is when our guests message us saying they enjoyed their time with us and that they have ideas for other guests that they think would have fun with us too.
What podcasts do you regularly listen to?
Right now I can’t get enough of the New Zealand Today podcast by Guy Williams and Where There’s A Will, There’s A Wake by Kathy Burke. The fact that the My Dad Wrote A Porno team are releasing ‘best of’s’ episodes has me collapsing with laughter whilst on my dog walks. My mind is continually blown by the incredible Jon Ronson and his origins of the culture wars podcast Things Fell Apart. Plus I always listen to The Fold where Duncan Greive pulls apart the New Zealand mediascape, Girls that Invest, Pivot by tech journalist Kara Swisher and NYU Professor Scott Galloway for razor-sharp, unfiltered insights into the biggest stories in tech, business, and politics AND my week is not complete without my dose of Smartless and WTF with Marc Maron. Dan is a big fan of Fareed Zakaria’s GPS podcast for CNN, My Fugitive Dad, the Wall Street Journal, Tuesdays with Stories hosted by NYC comedians Joe List and Mark Normand, and What We’re Drinking with Dan Dunn. And we both regularly listen to Freakonomics, Your Mom’s House with Tom Segura & Christina P. and Bill Burr is always brilliant.
