"My Friend's a Rapper!"
In a new bonus episode, HTBA listeners tell their best work stories (+ pictures from the season one launch party)
When I started making How to Be Anything, I had no idea how I would bring it to fruition, or if I could. I enjoy a long, arduous, all-consuming challenge, but I also enjoy the safety of knowing I can chuck out the results without notice if they’re no good.
Before I had recorded a word, my friend Sam Taylor suggested we host a celebration for the show. HTBA was just an idea then, a good one, but nothing more than a little germ. I told Sam one day, just in passing, about this thing I wanted to make about people who have strange jobs, because I want everyone to hear about things they could be doing because I think we’d be happier if we had a longer menu to choose from. Sam said that was worth celebrating.
Any writer will tell you that one of the best ways to get a project done is to sell it. Then you have no choice. So I agreed to throw a party. I didn’t know what the show’s format would be. I didn’t own a proper microphone. I sold the project to a date on the calendar and got to work.
And, reader, nearly didn’t happen in time. I severely underestimated how much time and energy a podcast requires and how steep my learning curve would be. I lost my first editor two weeks before the party, and so I had no shows at all to release.
Still, I sent invitations and prayed and cross fingers and did the rain dance that it wouldn't be crickets. Lo, my friends, it was not. I told myself I would be happy if 30 people came, but we bumped our heads on the capacity for our little venue, with about 60 of you showing up. Three of the show’s guests—Heidi, Erin, and Brie—were there too.
I was having so much fun seeing friends and meeting strangers that I neglected to take even a single photo, so all these photos were taken by the kind people who came. Thank you.
🎧 Listen to your work stories
At the party, I wanted to hear from you. So, I set up a telephone with an answering machine and asked for your best stories. Folks could pick from a few prompts, like tell me about your best/worst boss or what was your first job—that kind of thing. Then we cut those stories into a bonus episode.
The stories are funny, endearing, encouraging, infuriating, and puzzling. A panoramic view. You told me about winning your job back after being fired, shockingly disrespectful job candidates, and embarrassing yourself so badly you had to quit. There are stories of a woman trying to make a call on her shoe, being trapped in a junk truck with a SoundCloud rapper, and the world’s most committed Panera brownie fan.
I also asked for ideas for future shows, and you delivered.
You can find the episode in our normal feed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and anywhere else you listen.
Many thanks to Sam/Ours for their help and hospitality. And to my friend Brandon Shillingford (who is a great writer and hosts a film podcast called Exposure) and my husband Dominic for their help. :)
Bye!
Emily
