Gumbands
WQED Multimedia
wqed.org/gumbands
Few local names generate as much excitement as Rick Sebak, and the Gumbands podcast seeks to leverage the documentary filmmaker's charm as a way to highlight all the city's most interesting people and places. “We know that people around here have special affection for words that are called Pittsburghese, and most local folks just know that a gumband is simply a rubber band, although the exact origins of our variation are not known. So I like to say that our podcast is ‘holding Pittsburgh together,’” Sebak said in a statement provided by WQED.
Launched in May, the podcast has set out to capture the city's people, history, products, and "seemingly endless supply of unusual charms" with interviews featuring guests like soupmaker Sarah McAlee of Brothmonger, Radical Trivia host Jared Evans, and music historian Tom Roberts, among others.
Screen Perspectives
Pittsburgh Film Office
pghfilm.org/screen-perspectives-podcast
The Pittsburgh Film Office provides insight into the city's film history and current scene with Screen Perspectives, described in a press release as providing a "behind-the-screen glimpse of how the film, television, streaming industry operates, and the pathways followed by industry professionals and leaders to successful careers."Hosted by Film Office director Dawn Keezer and Kevin Smith (no, not that Kevin Smith), Screen Perspectives debuted in June and now features several episodes with Russ Streiner of Night of the Living Dead fame, Vlad Wolynetz of FilmRIse, and producer/writer/director Melissa Martin.
Arcade Bookshop
instagram.com/arcade_bookshop
Bryce Johle and Caleb James are serious about gaming — so serious, in fact, that the two self-described writers launched Arcade Bookshop as a way to discuss video games past and present. The co-hosts, who share recording spaces in Dormont and Washington, take a literary approach to game analysis, giving the college lit class treatment to the supernatural mystery game Oxenfree or the Final Fantasy franchise. The show introduction states that Johle and James also talk about the books or stories that remind them of certain games, and have, so far, drawn comparisons to the works of Raymond Chandler and Ray Bradbury, as well as the Riverdale comics.
You can find Arcade Bookshop on most podhosting platforms and on YouTube.
Grit & Glitter
twitter.com/gritglitterpod
OK, this one isn't super new, but it's unique enough that we want to make sure you know about it. Grit & Glitter co-hosts Harley Vasquez and Em Fear, along with their team of correspondents known as "The Glitterati," have set out to produce a less bro-y take on pro wrestling by focusing on the women who make the sport great. The podcast has, since its 2019 debut, covered a number of female wrestlers, referees, and other figures from both the mainstream and independent scenes, as well as provided retrospectives on the women of wrestling past. The show also comments on major wrestling events, provides a platform for fans, and includes wrestling-adjacent content, such as an interview with author Gina Femia about their queer, coming-of-age wrestling novel Alondra.
The Voices at the Point
Providence Point
baptistseniorfamily.org/media
Elder voices are often absent from the ever-growing podcast sphere. Providence Point, a senior living community in Scott Township, seeks to remedy this with The Voices at the Point, a new show created in collaboration with John Chamberlin and Rachael Rennebeck of YaJagoff! Media. The podcast captures stories from Providence Point residents like Bob Tait and Maureen Kelly, an adventurous couple with lots of RV travel under their belts. While the series could be viewed as promotional material for Providence Point, it nevertheless provides insight into an overlooked demographic in an aging region.
For more suggestions, see Pittsburgh City Paper's previous roundup of locally produced podcasts.
