Tales from the Podcast Stage continues with Coffee With Kenobi.
Tell me a bit about your Celebration experience. How many have you been to? Have you ever been on the podcast stage before (or applied but didn’t make it before)? Why did you apply to be on the podcast stage?
This was my fourth Celebration experience, and it may have been my favorite one. There was a lot of wonderful energy and enthusiasm, which is infectious. This was Coffee With Kenobi’s third podcast stage appearance. In fact, we are the first ever show to appear on the Celebration podcast stage-we had the first slot at Celebration Anaheim in 2015, which is the first time Lucasfilm offered a podcast stage. We apply every year because it is wonderful to see our listeners in person while we are recording a show. We are fortunate to have listeners who love to interact with the show (and the feeling is mutual!), so this is a way to bring it to another level.
How did you prepare for the podcast stage? Did you have a set structure for the conversation? Did you invite guests? Give out SWAG? Do giveaways?
We (myself, Cory Clubb, and Tom Gross) did a live planning session (as far as what the topic would be) on one of our Patreon shows (CWK Pour-Over). Then, I invited James Arnold Taylor to join us; it seems only natural to literally have coffee with Kenobi, after all! As a wonderful bonus, JAT brought Catherine Taber, so we were treated to royalty as well! As far as the structure, as with all of our shows, I make an outline, and we use that as a kind of guide while allowing for the conversation to be as organic as possible. And, we had stickers, featuring our Celebration logo, to give out as well.
What were the highlights from your appearance on the podcast stage? Any big surprises (good or bad)?
The highlight was seeing our listeners lined up in an impressive queue. We were overwhelmed with the support and kindness shown by so many happy, smiling faces. Plus, as I mentioned above, having both James and Catherine there was an incredible delight and blessing.
Is there anything you wish you would have done differently?
I wish we brought more than fifty stickers! However, we were really happy with everything. In addition to our other podcast stage appearances, we do a number of live shows locally. I believe the more you practice, the more natural and authentic the experience, for both the listeners and us as hosts.
Will you be at Anaheim in 2020 and if so do you think you’ll apply to be on the podcast stage again?
Yes and yes!
How can people find your podcast online?
You can find Coffee With Kenobi on iTunes, Spreaker, Stitcher, YouTube, and our website, www.coffeewithkenobi.com. Plus, we are available on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Click this link or the image below to hear the Coffee With Kenobi SWCC podcast episode.
