Help Me Launch The Media Barista Podcast
Donation protected
I’ve been called “The ‘60 Minutes’ of Facebook,” and if we know each other on social media, you probably know my passion for going beyond the day’s headlines. If you don’t know me, I’m launching a podcast channel this summer dedicated to essential and empowering stories missing from the mainstream media landscape. With more meat than MSNBC and richer than ‘The Skimm’, MEDIA BARISTA will be the place where people of all ages and stages can learn about each other, from each other, FOR each other.
I’m Anne Bobby, and I’ve spent my life acting in movies like Beautiful Girls and Clive Barker’s Nightbreed, television like Mad About You, and games like BioShock and Red Dead Redemption. I’m also an award-nominated screenwriter, playwright, editor, author, amateur historian... and very, very curious person.
Every morning, I wake up here in Brooklyn (usually around 3:30-4:00am) and start roaming the Wild Web in search of news that goes deeper than the mainstream prefers, beyond the talking points that permeate the airwaves. I research the background and sources of big stories. I excavate and vet the small stories. And by the time the sun’s up and people are headed out the door, I’ve usually posted a half dozen-or-so links on Facebook, where I’ve maintained a private page for (yikes) ten years.
But times have changed since I started sharing my ‘missing links’. I’ve decided it’s time for me to take this service beyond my comfort zone, out of Mark Zuckerberg’s pocket, and into this political, fiscal and ecological battleground we face every day - a world where information is power, and curiosity our greatest strength.
To that end, I’ve decided to launch a free, weekday, commuter-length podcast of curated ‘news from under the radar.’
What kind of news? ALL kinds of news. From innovations in plastic alternatives to unpublished statistics behind US interventionism, from the impact of global warming on the insurance industry to the rising trend of college students forgoing student loans via future earnings contracts - I‘m curious about it all, and can’t wait to talk about it all in a new home, on a new platform, in a bigger world.
I know what I’m getting into, or know as much as I can without getting terrified, throwing up my hands and walking away. I’m about to take my hobby and turn it into an occupation requiring (at least at the start) all of my time, most of my energy, and the means to keep both an audience growing and the lights on.
To that end, I’ve consulted with my local masterminds at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio to help devise a budget, schedule, and strategy to take the ‘Media Barista’ brand from a free podcast launch this summer and fall, to a fully subscription-optional and (hopefully) sponsored expanded series of podcasts and subscriber resources by year’s end.
And now, I’m reaching out to you - my community of friends, and those who believe as I do that a service like this is exciting, empowering and necessary if we’re to join each other in conversation, on common-ground.
Here’s the plan, and what’s required - in (sort of) the order of tasks needed and equipment to be purchased:
STEP ONE
I’ll be launching MEDIA BARISTA TO-GO: This is going to be a Monday-to-Friday, commuter-sized flagship podcast; fifteen minutes of stories relevant to the day and/or essential information plucked off the information Autobahn. While this will be available in an app, I’ll also be launching media-barista.com, a website where listeners can also find links to the podcast and the news items discussed, as well as news that didn’t make the day’s podcast but that’s nonetheless essential, and archived podcasts. To get me this far will cost, at base level, $3000:
$800 Fees to Brooklyn Podcasting Studio: For consulting and training while recording ten ‘backup’ podcasts, trailer record (a trailer is necessary to submit for approval - only then can I begin to post), recording and editing of intro/outdo/stingers, use of music library (one month+)
$740 Buzzsprout: Podcasts need a host, and this provides one year with one of the most effective hosts around
$150 One Blue Yeti USB mic
$50 One set headphones
$400 One Porta Booth
$150 Building of custom Podcast App
$400 Building of website and 6 months maintenance
TOTAL: $2690
STEP TWO
MEDIA BARISTA: DOUBLE-SHOT will be an hour-long weekend wrap-up of the biggest stories of the week, as well as an interview with a different guest each week who brings with them a unique story, surprising views and a lot to say. I’ve been so blessed to know so many interesting people, and Double-Shot is my way of getting all of you in the same ‘room’ for some good conversation. This will require an additional $850.00, for:
$550 Additional mic/Booth (booth doesn’t have to be of same quality)
$150 Zoom Pro (12 months phone patch service, for long-distance interviewing)
$150 Interface (ditto)
TOTAL: $850
STEP THREE
The MEDIA BARISTA: REFILL podcast. News happens constantly - as those of you have seen my FB page can attest, I publish links all day. As I gain skills - and funds - I’ll start posting a weeknight primetime podcast of the day’s developed stories. This is a big commitment, and will require a fiscal overhead, as (at least at the start) I’ll be spending every minute not doing my ‘day jobs’ (auditioning, recording voice-overs) working on building this brand - taking a break from writing/editing clients would be the best way to get the job done.
That’s what the additional funds would accomplish. With them, I could also do a few things that would both make my job easier and expedite audience expansion: the replacing of my (dying) 2007 MacBook (I’m currently working off my trusty iPadMini and Bluetooth keyboard) with a computer that can operate Logic Pro X (a higher-end editing program than Garage Band, which I’ll be using to edit the podcasts to start), the purchase of a printer (longhand copy takes a LOT of time), and the hiring of a publicist for two months at year’s end, when the brand is established and it’s time to appeal to sponsors and gain subscribers.
*****
And now that I look at all this, I get nervous again, and would almost wonder if I can do it - until I read something like this op-ed by one of the founders of Facebook, calling out “the sloppy privacy practices that dropped tens of millions of users’ data into a political consulting firm’s lap; the slow response to Russian agents, violent rhetoric and fake news; and the unbounded drive to capture ever more of our time and attention.” Like Victor Frankenstein, Chris Hughes considers his co-creation “a leviathan that crowds out entrepreneurship and restricts consumer choice.” (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/09/opinion/sunday/chris-hughes-facebook-zuckerberg.html
And I realize that it needs to happen - it’s time to take my curated news, and as many friends as I can, flee the Facebook reservation, and create a place where untold and under-reported stories can live, be shared, and contribute to the conversations of as many people as possible.
I hope you’ll help me make that possible, and join me on the journey to the Media Barista news “pod-cafe”.
Thank you for anything you can spare - a donation, a spreading of the word to your curious-minded friends, even your good wishes are currency in my heart.
Peace.
And for getting to the bottom of this page, here’s a little video showing how Han Solo knew Wookie:
I’m Anne Bobby, and I’ve spent my life acting in movies like Beautiful Girls and Clive Barker’s Nightbreed, television like Mad About You, and games like BioShock and Red Dead Redemption. I’m also an award-nominated screenwriter, playwright, editor, author, amateur historian... and very, very curious person.
Every morning, I wake up here in Brooklyn (usually around 3:30-4:00am) and start roaming the Wild Web in search of news that goes deeper than the mainstream prefers, beyond the talking points that permeate the airwaves. I research the background and sources of big stories. I excavate and vet the small stories. And by the time the sun’s up and people are headed out the door, I’ve usually posted a half dozen-or-so links on Facebook, where I’ve maintained a private page for (yikes) ten years.
But times have changed since I started sharing my ‘missing links’. I’ve decided it’s time for me to take this service beyond my comfort zone, out of Mark Zuckerberg’s pocket, and into this political, fiscal and ecological battleground we face every day - a world where information is power, and curiosity our greatest strength.
To that end, I’ve decided to launch a free, weekday, commuter-length podcast of curated ‘news from under the radar.’
What kind of news? ALL kinds of news. From innovations in plastic alternatives to unpublished statistics behind US interventionism, from the impact of global warming on the insurance industry to the rising trend of college students forgoing student loans via future earnings contracts - I‘m curious about it all, and can’t wait to talk about it all in a new home, on a new platform, in a bigger world.
I know what I’m getting into, or know as much as I can without getting terrified, throwing up my hands and walking away. I’m about to take my hobby and turn it into an occupation requiring (at least at the start) all of my time, most of my energy, and the means to keep both an audience growing and the lights on.
To that end, I’ve consulted with my local masterminds at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio to help devise a budget, schedule, and strategy to take the ‘Media Barista’ brand from a free podcast launch this summer and fall, to a fully subscription-optional and (hopefully) sponsored expanded series of podcasts and subscriber resources by year’s end.
And now, I’m reaching out to you - my community of friends, and those who believe as I do that a service like this is exciting, empowering and necessary if we’re to join each other in conversation, on common-ground.
Here’s the plan, and what’s required - in (sort of) the order of tasks needed and equipment to be purchased:
STEP ONE
I’ll be launching MEDIA BARISTA TO-GO: This is going to be a Monday-to-Friday, commuter-sized flagship podcast; fifteen minutes of stories relevant to the day and/or essential information plucked off the information Autobahn. While this will be available in an app, I’ll also be launching media-barista.com, a website where listeners can also find links to the podcast and the news items discussed, as well as news that didn’t make the day’s podcast but that’s nonetheless essential, and archived podcasts. To get me this far will cost, at base level, $3000:
$800 Fees to Brooklyn Podcasting Studio: For consulting and training while recording ten ‘backup’ podcasts, trailer record (a trailer is necessary to submit for approval - only then can I begin to post), recording and editing of intro/outdo/stingers, use of music library (one month+)
$740 Buzzsprout: Podcasts need a host, and this provides one year with one of the most effective hosts around
$150 One Blue Yeti USB mic
$50 One set headphones
$400 One Porta Booth
$150 Building of custom Podcast App
$400 Building of website and 6 months maintenance
TOTAL: $2690
STEP TWO
MEDIA BARISTA: DOUBLE-SHOT will be an hour-long weekend wrap-up of the biggest stories of the week, as well as an interview with a different guest each week who brings with them a unique story, surprising views and a lot to say. I’ve been so blessed to know so many interesting people, and Double-Shot is my way of getting all of you in the same ‘room’ for some good conversation. This will require an additional $850.00, for:
$550 Additional mic/Booth (booth doesn’t have to be of same quality)
$150 Zoom Pro (12 months phone patch service, for long-distance interviewing)
$150 Interface (ditto)
TOTAL: $850
STEP THREE
The MEDIA BARISTA: REFILL podcast. News happens constantly - as those of you have seen my FB page can attest, I publish links all day. As I gain skills - and funds - I’ll start posting a weeknight primetime podcast of the day’s developed stories. This is a big commitment, and will require a fiscal overhead, as (at least at the start) I’ll be spending every minute not doing my ‘day jobs’ (auditioning, recording voice-overs) working on building this brand - taking a break from writing/editing clients would be the best way to get the job done.
That’s what the additional funds would accomplish. With them, I could also do a few things that would both make my job easier and expedite audience expansion: the replacing of my (dying) 2007 MacBook (I’m currently working off my trusty iPadMini and Bluetooth keyboard) with a computer that can operate Logic Pro X (a higher-end editing program than Garage Band, which I’ll be using to edit the podcasts to start), the purchase of a printer (longhand copy takes a LOT of time), and the hiring of a publicist for two months at year’s end, when the brand is established and it’s time to appeal to sponsors and gain subscribers.
*****
And now that I look at all this, I get nervous again, and would almost wonder if I can do it - until I read something like this op-ed by one of the founders of Facebook, calling out “the sloppy privacy practices that dropped tens of millions of users’ data into a political consulting firm’s lap; the slow response to Russian agents, violent rhetoric and fake news; and the unbounded drive to capture ever more of our time and attention.” Like Victor Frankenstein, Chris Hughes considers his co-creation “a leviathan that crowds out entrepreneurship and restricts consumer choice.” (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/09/opinion/sunday/chris-hughes-facebook-zuckerberg.html
And I realize that it needs to happen - it’s time to take my curated news, and as many friends as I can, flee the Facebook reservation, and create a place where untold and under-reported stories can live, be shared, and contribute to the conversations of as many people as possible.
I hope you’ll help me make that possible, and join me on the journey to the Media Barista news “pod-cafe”.
Thank you for anything you can spare - a donation, a spreading of the word to your curious-minded friends, even your good wishes are currency in my heart.
Peace.
And for getting to the bottom of this page, here’s a little video showing how Han Solo knew Wookie:
Organizer
Anne Bobby
Organizer
Brooklyn, NY
