Rare for me to write a second blog of the week but when something so momentous occurs…
This week, almost on a whim, Sam and I sat down and finally knocked off our first podcast. Just us two, rambling on about our year past – typically interrupted by Nikki (twice) crashing in to the room she has every right to crash in to, and so my reaction was probably misplaced and then another interruption but this time very welcome when Tom happened to FaceTime from the States – not to speak with me but because he wanted to see Tessa. Charming.
Podcasts have long been on my wish list. (It’s a long list I won’t bore you with)
Much more popular than blogs (I am constantly told) and so it seems, judging by yesterday’s efforts – which as a venture completely off the cuff and with no preparation, it bodes well.
But to get our recording out there, both Sam and I were a little hazy.
I was aware of something called – Buzzsprout – that I had installed on to my machine for which Nikki had hastily mocked up some art work while I plucked a name out of my dusty head –
DOMINIC HOLLAND BUCKS YOU UP
Anyway, with some help from some people (all much younger than me) – and our little chat made its way on to the world wide web and is suddenly live via my site.
And that’s it. Job done. Right, what’s next? Ah, yes, of course, Christmas shopping…
But then I start to receive emails from Buzzsprout which divert my attention…
“Congratulations. Your first podcast has been listened to 50 times…” and then inviting me to share this seismic news and number on Twitter.
Which, naturally, I do. Using the hash tag #emotionalrightnow
Right… now, who haven’t I yet bought a Christmas present for?
Then I receive a further email from buzzsprout announcing 100 plays and I repeat my tweet with #whoknew
The more astute amongst you can probably see a pattern that is emerging here?
Right, back to Christmas and what to buy for my eldest son, Tom. Blimey, what to buy, indeed? What does a dad of limited means buy for his son of…
Another email drops…
250 listens! I share again on twitter with #idliketothankmyparents
I wake up this morning to loads of Buzzsprout emails. Don’t these people ever sleep? The last email of which is 2000 listens, no less…
Which I can’t share on twitter – and so I must confine my carping to this extra-ordinary blog post – because the only hash tag that can accompany this mighty number is #therearenowords and no more words is a disaster if I want to do more podcasts.
And finally, to report that I still have no inspiration about Tom’s Christmas present – until this very moment, that is. Yes, I’ve got it. What a piece of ingenuity and serendipity.
Granted, not a present I can very easily wrap but what a gift nonetheless –
An invitation to appear on my podcast.
Happy Christmas everyone and especially Tom.
*
To the millions of people who have to hear this inaugural pod – it can be heard here – but let’s please be orderly about it – the internet is for us all and crashing it is not responsible behaviour.
BUY ONE OF MY BOOKS
BOOK ME FOR A LOCAL GIG
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Hello Mr Holland,
I listen your first podcast like more 2000 people. It’s difficult to understand all for me because i’m french and my English level is average. But it’s really interesting and rewarding for my understanding.
I write this comment just to say you that i think an invitation for Tom to appear in one of your podcast, is a good gift 😉
Goodbye and merry Christmas for you and all your family !!
Hey Dom! I listened to your first podcast yesterday and you and Sam did great! I enjoyed it very much! You should have Nikki do one with you . I was never really a podcast listener but I guess now that could change. I will be waiting for the next one. I too appreciated the surprise “appearance “ of Tom at the end. Thanks Tom. Hope he gets to come home for Christmas. Ooooh, a family podcast on Christmas?
Don’t get me wrong, I love podcasts. But I also thoroughly enjoy starting off my mornings with one of your cheeky (did I use that correctly?-American here) blogs. A nice chuckle is a wonderful way to start the day. Please don’t stop blogging! Good luck with the Christmas shopping! Thankfully I’m all done!
I listened to your podcast last night and loved it! You both were very engaging! I definitely related to your talk on university, I’m in my first year of studying Film Production and Screenwriting and so far I haven’t had anything that justify’s the £9000 tuition fee, I’m loving the course and have learnt a lot, I’m just hoping for more industry standard practice and to meet more people who work in the industry. I hope everything goes well for Sam with the Christmas dinner and I look forward to the podcast with Tom! Have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Also, I’d love to get I, Gabriel after the podcast it sounds amazing and I saw on your store that you can get them signed. If I order it now do I put a request in there or how does it work to get the book signed?
Love, Ellen xxxx
I will keep an eye out Ellen and sign it, for sure. Thanks and H Xmas.
just to let you know that I, Gabriel is on its way – and duly signed. Thank you
While I will be listening to your podcast and hearing Tom would be a treat, I’m going to bring back one last time the framing of the less than stellar royalties check. Pardon my persistence but I find hilarious as well as a great gift for someone who likely has one of everything.
nice idea. thanks
I just listened to your podcast and loved it! One piece of constructive criticism; it was very hard to hear. I had to turn the volume a lot higher than I usually have it. Not sure if it was because of the platform (I listened on Spotify) or the recording itself. But other than that absolutely great! Can’t wait for the next episode.
Thoroughly enjoyed listening to the podcast Dominic,hope to hear more of the same
thanks Del Boy – I hope you’re well and thriving.
Loved the listen. (I enjoy the blog, but podcasts let me listen while driving.) Found the discussion about acting schools to be fascinating. Over here (Canada), I think we assume England is the home of All Things Serious Acting. But, I’ve had some insight to Canadian acting schools from a different perspective. I was raised by actors. (Your Dame Peggy Ashcroft once said my mom was “…the finest Canadian actress to walk the stage.”) My mother now teaches in the MFA acting/directing program at our local uni. She’s also spent time instructing at Canada’s National Theatre School. Everything I’ve seen has always been directed at stage performances as opposed to film, but the training has always been very deep – demanding research and insight into character, literature, culture, and so on. (There’s a whole other argument about whether institutions of higher learning must be an avenue to employment or a doorway to an open-minded view of the world, but that’s a different play entirely.) But…the question on whether one can be TRAINED to be an actor…from my strange, outside perspective…what I see in those talented, special people who give performances that are …transformational…is the ability to present raw emotional vulnerability and be ok with that. That applies to music and acting…does it apply to comedy, as well? Sorry for the long-winded comments, but it’s pretty rare a podcast gets me having conversations in my own head…so, really, it’s your own fault. 🙂 Can’t wait to hear the next one.
lots of food for thought here – much of it I agree with – and well done your mum – for her career and being your mum1
Dom, I enjoyed this podcast so much. I discovered your blog because I am an avid Spiderman fan (like many, I am sure) but I am now a regular reader because I thoroughly enjoy your outlook and sense of humor. It was lovely to listen to a dad and his son recap their year. You and Sam are great conversationalists and I hope you record another together sometime soon! Thanks for sharing.
Just to say that any technical issues are the fault of Sam and Sam alone.
I’m accountable for two listeners, once at work and again at home. Thoroughly entertaining. Hope the shopping is completed and you can relax the next few days while Sam starts cooking in kitchen – HIS domain. For me, i’m sitting in a deserted airport lounge waiting for my flight to Chicago, then a quick (8 hour) jump across the pond to Heathrow!
Happy Christmas to all The Hollands
Loved the podcast! Very entertaining! I was listening at work while my students were in gym! Since it was just a couple days until holiday break, I was able to just relax and enjoy hearing about the Hollands!! My daughter started uni thinking she was going to be a writer, fast forward a few years and she just got her masters degree in education! She wants to be a teacher like her mom! She has a degree in English and just got her teaching credentials. I hope she will start writing again someday! She actually wrote a poem about a soldier being killed in action and leaving his family behind and posted it on Facebook no less. Suddenly my phone is blowing up because everyone thought my son Lucas had been killed in Afghanistan! She had posted it for Veterans Day. Our kids might start out thinking they want a certain career, but find out a different path is a better fit! Wish Sam the best of luck on the upcoming holiday meal! I’m sure it will be amazing!
never managed to write a poem – your daughter will always write I am sure and the beauty being, it can sit alongside her teaching. Best of luck to her and for Lucas to remain safe.
Thank you for the kind words! Had a huge scare a couple of weeks ago when 3 soldiers in Lucas’ unit were killed when their Blackhawk helicopter crashed. Until I got ahold of Lucas’ wife, I didn’t know if my son was safe! When he’s not deployed, he does test flights with Blackhawk helicopters. He was going to be flying that day! I know Amber will start writing again soon!!
blimey and I get worried going to my place of work (gigs) – God speed and all that.
Surprisingly Tom appearing on your podcast definitely a Christmas gift for us…not just for Tom 😉 (the most valuable presents you can’t buy with money..) Thank you, Dom!
Hey, Dom!!
The podcast is amazing. Can’t wait for the next one!
My favourite part was the surprise to Tom. I understand the feeling, my family and I have reunited with my sister after a long time and it’s been the best of 2019.
Happy Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you
Love, Carolina
it was a timely phone-call for sure. thanks
MYour podcast was really nice it made my evening!!
I love how warm and caring you and sam sounded when you were talking about the family members. It was lovely. It was also very genuine and honest, therefore really easy to follow.
Thankyou!
I hope you all have a great Christmas 🙂
very wet in London and our kitchen roof has just decided to fail – so it might be a Xmas with a difference – we’ll see. thanks
Finally! I have been waiting and waiting for you to do a podcast. Can’t wait to give it a listen.
Just listened to it. I really enjoyed it! It was nice to listen to a year in review (I always love people looking back and summarizing events) and hear about a functioning happy normal family. It really puts things into perspective. Hope you keep doing this and you should definitely keep Sam on as a podcast partner. He tells stories (almost) as well as you. I had a good laugh over his story of reading to the kid. But I kind of related. I told some fellow teachers the other day that it’s weird how we speak in front of a certain group of people for a living but if you put us in front of a different group, we get really nervous. Anyway, Merry Christmas and hope the hear more podcasts in the new year!
Just listened to the podcast; so enjoyable to listen to you and your son going over your favorite memories of the year! The eldest of my three children is 20 and working through his second year of college here in upstate New York, so your and Sam’s thoughts on certain aspects of education were really interesting. Sometimes it takes trying something out to realize it’s just not what you’re meant to do. My son went in wanting to be a surgeon, but after one particularly difficult semester, he’s rethinking other careers in healthcare. Last year he went through Emergency Medical Technician training and volunteers one night a week with the on-campus first responders, and while he’s found that he loves the challenge of that, he’s not sure if he wants to slog through four years of medical school (which come with their own crazy-high loans that take half a lifetime to pay back).
The main thing my husband and I try to get through to all of our children is that they don’t need to ever worry that they’re going to disappoint us in any way by whatever career path they choose to follow. Their lives are their own to live as they please, and we’ll be here to cheer them on and help out if needed.
We’re well past Christmas now, so I’ll just end by saying I hope yours was wonderful, and that this new year brings as many joyful memories as the last one did.
well said Liz – I agree with you entirely on this