Gareth Reynolds
I’m a podcaster (Next We Have, The Dollop, Here to Help) and comedian who loves improv and fun! I’ve been in entertainment for so long it hurts. Podcasting has given me the ability to have a direct outreach to an audience. I have a face for podcasting. —Gareth Reynolds
I am a huge fan of your work but your podcast Next We Have (a podcast that is all podcast segments!) REALLY tickles me. I have a recurring meeting with one of my colleagues called “Sup Fukkos! in our calendars. So I want to talk about that. Tell us about it in ten words or less.
Hahahaha that’s amazing. Next We Have is a show that is all about quick and funny.
How’d you come up with it?
After podcasting for so long and watching how YouTube and social media had impacted it, Kevin (my producer) and I thought how can we do a show that will never get stale. A show with no real rules other than it should be fast. We wanted to make sure the only format was almost no format at all.
If you had $1M to spend on Next We Have, how would you spend it?
I would burn 100k in front of my producer Byrnes to get a great clip and then would use 500k to get him the therapy to recover. The remaining 400k would go to a great set and to have puppies on hand for every record. I’m NOT GREAT WITH MONEY.
What has been your favorite segment so far?
There are so many. One we have coming up where an old friend of mine reads his Christmas wish list as a kid was an instant classic. Anything with a great guest is always an honor and a pleasure. But this Xmas one is really amazing.
How do you come up with the segments?
We just keep pitching them based of what we feel works when we listen back. Quickly we found that games made the guests have fun. It is way better than an interview for people. That clicked early. Then we started really bending the format more and more. But it’s truly what’s great about the hook. Anything goes. We just pitch on ideas and punch them up. It’s a freeing way to operate.
The Dollop, Here to Help, your comedy and videos…What is your work’s throughline? Is there one?
Haha. That’s a great question. I think comedy that aims to inform or help but if it falls short for being goofy, well, that’s fine too. Funny first feels like what I want mostly.
Let’s skip to The Dollop for a sec. It’s hugely popular, why do you think that is and how has it grown? I’m a podcast growth person so I’m always thinking about that.
I think because people actually have a real interest in how we got where we are today.
And while it can be quite depressing, it can also be pretty funny. So I think it brings history fans to comedy and comedy fans to history. And I also think the show has become more relevant the stranger our country gets over the years.
If someone has never listened to The Dollop before where should they begin?
That is a hard one for me to answer, but Ten Cent Beer Night or The Rube seem to be pretty good starting points. Any of those first 50 episodes of the stories are absolutely crazy.
What do you like about audio? Do comedians actually like it or for them is it just another way for them to get their work out there? Like do you ACTUALLY like it as a format?
At first, I think it was just an easy way to operate. You could go to your friend's garage and make a show. But I also think we’re very comfortable with microphones in our hands. And I think when you live and work in Los Angeles for as long as I have, the idea that you can make something and nobody can tell you anything about it or how they see it or give you notes is completely freeing. And that’s what stand up is usually. You say what you want. So I think it really is just a nice progression into a new format.
What advice would you give to podcasters just starting out with a podcast?
Don’t expect it to be perfect. Just start. If you’re having fun then who cares if it is popular at first.
What advice would you give to a comedian who is like “Oh I know I’ll start a podcast.”??
Haha. Please don’t do that unless you feel like there is a reason to do it. And it’ll save you time if you believe in what you’re doing too. Want to do it. Don’t just do it. That’s how I viewed actors when I first moved to Los Angeles a lot of the time. People were just like “well whatever I’ll be an actor.” You’ll save yourself a lot of pain if you have a plan.
Are you proud to be a podcaster? Or is it embarrassing?
It’s both. There are times when I’m proud and there are times when I am like “what in the name of God am I doing right now?” But in entertainment you get quite used to embarrassment. I mean, I used to dress up like superheroes for children’s birthday parties. That was far more humiliating. You could see my penis and a Spider-Man costume. I was making balloon animals. Spinning around shouting the word “bubbles!!” So this is kind of an easier pill to swallow.
What’s a podcast you love that not enough people know about?
Behind the bastards is a great one. So it means morning news.
Thanks, Gareth!