Amanda Lund

Amanda Lund is an actor, comedy writer, podcaster, and producer, and a co-founder of Earios. Follow her on Twitter here. Follow Earios on Twitter here.

Kindly introduce yourself and tell us what you do!
My name is Amanda Lund and I am an actor/writer/podcaster. I am the co-founder of the Earios network. We launched last July and have a bunch of amazing podcasts that are hosted, produced and created by women.

I was first introduced you on your show, The Big Ones!!!!!, where you ask comedians the big questions of life. In the intro, one of the preview questions is, "Would I eat muffins for the rest of my life if it meant I didn't have to go to school?" I have never laughed so hard hearing this, and I ask myself this question every other day. Please tell me what this question means.
Oh, yes! That’s a classic. When we recorded the intro to The Big Ones several years ago, we just improvised a bunch of moral dilemmas and “Would I eat Muffins for the rest of my life if it meant I didn’t have to go to school” was something my co-host, Maria Blasucci, blurted out. It’s truly brilliant and meaningless at the same time...which is how I would describe our comedy style in general. 

At the beginning of The Big Ones, you and Maria kind of joke that female podcasters aren't aggressive enough in asking for ratings and reviews at the top of their episodes, so you always do that. What other advice would you give to female podcasters?
Maria and I used to modestly ask for ratings and reviews at the end of The Big Ones in a very apologetic manner. One of our listeners who worked in podcasting, reached out and brought to our attention an interesting statistic. By and large, women podcasters did their asks at the end of their episodes while men, much more successfully, put the asks up top. We thought this was so fascinating and made total sense! We started doing very demanding rate and review calls at the top of our episodes and it’s become a running gag. It’s also very effective! 

The best advice I have for women podcasters and creators in general, is to not wait around for a greenlight. If you have an idea, just find a way to make it yourself and put it out there. I jokingly say our Earios motto is, “We won’t stop until every woman in America has a podcast.” It’s important for women to trust that their ideas and perspectives are valuable. 

Why did you start Earios? How did that happen?
Maria Blasucci and I had been podcasting for a while and we started to notice that the industry was becoming more and more like TV and Film. There was money in podcasting suddenly, which meant that there would be gatekeepers. Maria came up with the idea of starting our own network. We wanted to carve out a space where we could greenlight our own shows and help our friends develop their ideas. We mostly hang out with women, so it made sense that it would be “GIRLS ONLY!” We enlisted the help of our friend/mentor, Priyanka Mattoo. She was excited by the idea and jumped right on board. We put together a kickstarter and used that money to start the company. We were also so lucky to have Acast as our ad sales partner. They have been amazing and really helped us get Earios off the ground. It’s been an insane two years but creating Earios has been my greatest accomplishment...so far! 

You are married to Matt Gourley, or he is married to you. When the two of you go out for a romantic candlelit dinner for two, are you able to talk about anything other than podcasts? Or is it like having a newborn baby, you cannot talk about anything else?
I call my husband, Matt Gourley, a “Podcast Hero.” He has been hugely supportive of Earios. There was one day leading up to our launch, Maria and I were so overwhelmed trying to edit, mix and master ten trailers and Matt was outside painting a fence. (He’s very handy). We ended up switching jobs for the afternoon. Matt mixed our trailers while Maria and I painted the fence. We definitely got the better end of the bargain. 

Matt and I collaborate a lot on our podcast projects so there’s quite a bit of podcast banter in our little Pasadena home. We are gearing up to do a new project together that I think you’ll be particularly interested in. I can’t say what it is, yet! We probably talk about podcasting a good thirty percent of our day. The rest of the time is filled with conversation about our big fat cat, what to eat for dinner and what to watch on netflix. Sometimes we have a fight and that shakes things up except for when the fight is about podcasting. 

I loved your episode on Podcast The Ride about being a Disney Princess. Does your love for, appreciation for, or experience with Disney carry into any of your work? (I also read your piece in the Wall Street Journal, I think it as, about Disney, so I believe you are a fan.)
Yes! I worked as a Disney princess from age 17 to 23 and even spent seven months working at Tokyo Disney. It was the weirdest first job ever. There are a few skills I picked up that I definitely integrate into my podcasting. Improv, for one. I learned the tenants of “yes and” during my princess training. Everyday on the job, you are interacting with hundreds of people and having to carry conversations. I also learned how to preserve my voice. You have to talk for 45 minutes straight before you get a break and I quickly realized to be deliberate with what I said. It was actually like a podcast bootcamp. There are some skills, however, that don’t translate. Wig pinning, princess waving, and covertly picking a wedgie are not particularly relevant to podcasting. 

If podcasts didn't exist, what would you be doing?
I think about this question all the time and honestly it frightens me! I feel so lucky to be working in podcasting right now. Especially during Covid 19, when other parts of media are shut down, podcasting is, if not thriving, at least surviving. I’m a writer and an actor as well, so I’m sure I would be sitting around waiting for Hollywood to call. That makes me sad, though. I love that with podcasting you can take your career into your own hands. It’s so freeing! 

Thanks, Amanda!