Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ryan Luis Rodriguez. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Ryan Luis thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.
As a podcaster, it seems everyone in my industry is content to just do a show where three white guys sit around and discuss the latest Marvel/DC spoilers. I try to bring a different flavor to the profession by making a podcast that actually stands out in that it’s the only one of its kind. My audience isn’t huge and I’ve never gone viral, but I can safely say with the utmost humility that it’s genuinely original. Would I prefer to do less work and get greater rewards (or any rewards for that matter) absolutely. But I wouldn’t feel as creatively fulfilled.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
When I started out, I planned on doing a YouTube show celebrating the greatest in popular culture in compact seasons. After researching my topics for two years I realized that I was uncomfortable on camera and decided to transfer my energy to a podcast. That became “The Coolness Chronicles”, which, first mistake: it’s a terrible title. Second mistake: I planned of the first season (on the history and legacy of “Mystery Science Theater 3000”) and I ended getting so detailed that I spent two years on the subject. Third mistake: my second season was on the trio of Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker and the decades of comedy cinema that inspired them and the decades of comedy cinema that was inspired by them, and literally no one was asking for it. I decided to end the podcast (although you can find it in full on my Patreon) and pursue a different format, in which I analyze film through the prism of that film’s audio commentary, and although it’s stressful being on the spectrum and dealing with social anxiety and reaching out to guests that I’ve never met, I am incredibly creatively fulfilled. It’s the only commentary podcast that matters because it’s the only one I know exists.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
Unfortunately, despite my greatest hopes and dreams, my side hustle remains just that: on the side. It’s a challenge working a 40 hour job and publishing a biweekly podcast (not to mention trying to write articles for a physical media ‘zine), but I’ve managed to never give up. Key milestones include listening to early episodes of “You Must Remember This” or the Story Time segment on “The Dana Gould Hour” and thinking: “I can do this exact same thing, only for a cowtown puppet show”, and re-listening to the audio commentary on the Criterion DVD for “Armageddon” as a reference for my first podcast and realizing “this is something no one else is talking about in a comprehensive manner” and the rest, they say, is obscure history.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
I want people to pay attention to the industry’s eroding support of physical media. If my show can make one person head down to their local record shop and pick up a DVD of a movie I discussed or just a DVD in general, I consider that a victory. That’s why I focus on commentaries, features that not only birthed the very concept of the podcast but also ignited my ascent into proper cinephilia. Even when I feature my weekly recommendations, I only choose items in my personal collection.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @1trackmindpodcast
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onetrackmindpodcast
- Twitter: @onetrackmindpod
- Other: Bluesky: @onetrackmind.bsky.social
Image Credits
Ryan Luis Rodriguez