(Photo courtesy of Ian Enright)
By DCist contributor Amanda Frankel
In the so-called “golden age of audio” storytellers, entrepreneurs, and audiophiles alike are clamoring to get their podcasts into the earbuds of every millennial. Enter The Goat Rodeo: the District’s very own podcast network.
Their first three podcasts Between the Liner Notes, Your Story Here, and Revivalism represent a new wave of locally focused podcasting that is standing up to giants like Radiotopia and Gimlet. And the network is set to expand its lineup with three additional podcasts, to be announced in September.
Goat Rodeo founders Carlisle Sargent and Ian Enright are hedging their bets on finding local producers and advertisers, while presenting narratives that reflect the District’s unique culture. Your Story Here, for example, highlights local voices; in episode six producer Lizzie Peabody talks to a retired D.C. police officer about gun violence. Episode three follows the experiences of a young woman, who after running the circuit of D.C. nonprofit internships, decided to pursue beauty school instead. It’s all a part of a larger philosophy for the network, which roots itself in authentic storytelling and local, independent media.
“With local content getting swallowed up left and right by the Scripps and iHeartMedias of the world, it’s extremely important that we don’t forget the importance and impact of nimble independent media organizations not only in creating content connected to a community, but also developing storytellers and producers larger organizations aren’t equipped to take chances on,” Enright says.
Still, some of the network’s most compelling content arises outside of the confines of D.C. Enright and Sargent’s own podcast Revivalism, whose Season 1 is entitled “Busk” and is set to return soon from a long hiatus, features the stories of local musicians they’ve encountered while travelling across three American cities.
The aesthetic of the show is raw, unedited, unapologetic, and above all else-intimate. You can hear the cracking open of a beer, the creaking of Sargent’s 1999 Honda along the highway, the assortment of sighs and sneezes that make up the tones of actual, real conversations that are often obscured or edited away in other podcasts.
“I think authenticity plays a big part in our creative process. For us that means letting the storytelling take center stage, stripping away a lot of the bells and whistles a lot of podcast listeners have come pretty accustomed to,” Enright tells DCist.
The podcast takes listeners to New Orleans, Louisiana; Oxford, Mississippi; and Asheville, North Carolina. After Enright and Carlisle finished producing the first three episodes of Revivalism, the project was put on the backburner so that they could focus on building their network. But with its growing listenership and popularity, demands for more content motivated the duo to produce another episode, which will air in September.
The Goat Rodeo Founders Ian Enright and Carlisle Sargent (Photo by Brian Hamelman, courtesy of Ian Enright)
Enright and Sargent met in high school, before teaming up nearly a decade later to launch a podcast network that promised to be the “anti-NPR.” Enright says he still “loves NPR” (which now has a podcast about podcasts) and deeply appreciates the storytelling model the media company piloted, and that so many others have attempted to replicate. But Enright and Sargent wanted to try something different.
“In a lot of ways, we’re out to prove that great audio storytelling doesn’t have to sound just like public radio,” Enright tells DCist.
From producing lightly edited, informal interviews with local politicians over a drink to recording what is, unarguably, the best kazoo solo of all time (starting at 25:58) their storytelling model is anything but traditional.
The Goat Rodeo—a term often used in reference to a chaotic situation—endeavors not only to create a sound that sets it apart, but capture a share of the market which, according to Enright, was largely ignored. As far as podcasting goes, “the New York and San Francisco markets seem to be covered” remarked Enright. With few local competitors (NPR’s headquarters in Eckington notwithstanding), Goat Rodeo is imbued with a distinct D.C. feel.
Their reach will grow even wider now that they’ve joined forces with other independent podcasting groups to launch the Bello Collective, a website that features podcast playlists, tutorials, interviews, and other features. This is good news for Washingtonians looking to discover new audio content and connect with other podcast enthusiasts. If you are interested in honing your podcast skills, the site is a great resource. Enright and Sargent also host the ongoing series “Audio Matters” that teaches technology and storytelling skills for those interested in breaking into podcasting.
Check out the Goat Rodeo and stay tuned for new podcasts.
