Bari Finkel

Bari Finkel is a producer at Pineapple Street Media, and you can hear her every week on one of my favorite shows of all time, Unhappy Hour with Matt Bellassai. Follow Bari on Twitter.

Describe Unhappy Hour in a tweet-length description.
Unhappy Hour is a weekly cathartic laugh of a podcast hosted by Matt Bellassai! We rant about our least favorite things, talk about the worst (ridiculous) news of the week and interview our favorite comedians/actors/generally talented people.

When did it start, and how?
Matt knew Jenna Weiss-Berman, the co-founder of Pineapple Street Media from their BuzzFeed days. So when Matt wanted to start a podcast, PSM was a natural fit. I got put on the project because I was one of the few producers at the time and we ended up working really well together :)

What is it like working with Matt?
Truly the best! It amazes me how talented of a writer and performer he is. He's kind, thoughtful, and obviously funny. I feel so lucky that I get to work with him.

Who and/or what is being underrepresented in podcasting?
People of color on the production side! Having a diverse production team (producers, managers, editors, etc) is necessary, invaluable, and often overlooked. There's a great new directory that I hope is going to make a big difference.

What does a recording session look like for you?
We record the intro, worst things first, deep dive and chasers for about an hour every week. We record guest complainer interviews on separate days, usually weeks in advance. We then edit it all together!

Which episode was the most fun to make?
Every episode is fun, but getting Matt high for the first time at Harry Potter World was by far the most fun I had making an episode (you can hear that in A Very POT-ter Special (with Evanna Lynch).

What are you most excited about re: the future of podcasting? What's coming up?
More fiction, more comedy fiction!

Dream guest for your show?
Harry Styles (I legally have to say that*). Also Lizzo and Kacey Musgraves!
*I don't legally have to say that

What’s the suckiest part about being a podcaster?
The fact that our current system of success depends on rating/reviewing. People say "don't read the comments," but those comments affect how well our show does. That sucks because sometimes people suck and rate poorly based on one episode, or because they, idk, hate my laugh :)

And what’s the best?
When I get texts from friends who say "omg, my friend just told me they love Unhappy Hour!" Or when Matt and I are at the airport and someone comes up to him and tells him they listen to Unhappy Hour on their road trips. When we make the show, it can feel insular. We're in a recording studio, we don't really do live shows. So it always floors me when I hear from listeners ~out in the wild~. I love that this show makes people laugh on a weekly basis, I'm glad it's people's chasers.

How has the show changed since it began?
I think the biggest change is how much better we've gotten over time. Matt's always been a good interviewer, but as a producer, it's noticeable how freaking great he's gotten. He has a talent for making any interview feel like a conversation between two close friends. Personally, I had only been on mic for reporting pieces before this, not so much for a chat show. And those are very very different skills! I've gotten much more comfortable and more conversational over the years. But I still have work to do!

Give us a podcast recommendation.
There's a five part mini-series on The Truth called The Body Genius. It's a fiction noir comedy about a Hollywood physical trainer who gets framed for the murder of one of his clients. It's hilarious and fun and I can't recommend it enough.

Who is the lucky person who gets to do the Twitter research for the "Elabor-hate" segment?
Melissa Slaughter, another producer on the show.