GENERAL INTERVIEW

Talking podcasts with Out Of Home and Acast

Published on December 21, 2021

This is Let There Be Pod in Association with Acast. In each issue of the magazine, our partner Acast – home of the UK’s BEST podcasters – sits down for a chat with one of its creators to hear what they love about making podcasts. In this interview, from issue #018, Acast speaks to Kieran, Kwame, Steven and Yaf from the Out Of Home podcast about speaking their truth through podcasting!

How did you come up with the concept of the podcast?

Kieran: The concept of the podcast came around quite organically. Even before the mics were turned on for Episode 001, we were already having the types of conversations that are on record now. The idea was to give ourselves a platform and a space to come together and share our perspectives on different experiences we’ve had in our lives. We’re also four individuals who care a lot about community and seeing people flourish. Coming from the UK and relocating to The Netherlands there was an opportunity to bridge the gap between the cultures and so Out of Home was born -giving a little flavour for people in Amsterdam what it was like being a Londoner but on the flip-side also giving Londoners an insight to what life was like living abroad. Through sharing stories of our own but also of people who inspired us.

What are some of your favourite podcast moments so far?

Group: There’s a few moments that stick out in the period that we’ve been a collective but if we were to name a few:

Pivoting during lockdown to deliver In House Sessions: Covid put a stop to in-person link-ups but instead of letting that hinder our consistency, we were able to use it to our advantage. We understood that people were going to be staying in their houses, and in need of entertainment. It also meant that the people who we wanted to speak with were also going to have more time on their hands, so in this period we interviewed individuals who were crushing it in their field such as Premier League players, Olympians, fashion stylists, and DJs.
Winning a British Podcast Award- winning in the Bullseye category which honours excellent podcasts for under-represented audiences. This was amazing because we had no idea of what we could achieve when we started this, but to be recognised by experts in our field and to win something by us just getting together and shooting the breeze totally floored us!
Being flown to Barcelona back in June and playing at the world-famous Camp-Nou stadium for a football tournament. This is the stuff dreams are made of, also our football teams (Man United & Arsenal supporters here) aren’t doing the best to be honest, so to play at FC Barca before some of our beloved club players have was quite a touch!

How has Out Of Home helped you connect with your audience?

Yaf: Quite simply, stories, everyone connects with stories! We see ourselves as a community platform rather than a podcast. We don’t want people to just consume our content, we love to have two-way discussions and listen to other stories and perspectives on things that we talk about. Everything begins with a conversation, so what I find is that the discussions we have on the podcast are starting points to wider interactions with people, whether that’s doing physical events and partying with them, or having a chat in our DM’s, we see our podcast as a gateway to all of these things.

What do you love about making a podcast?

Steven: Love linking up with the mandem, connecting on a weekly basis, and the support we are able to provide each other. Also, we bring the vibes so there’s always laughter, they say laughter is the best medicine and I’ve been in great health. One other thing I love is the people that listen and give their feedback. It’s mad that we have become a staple of people’s lives. Out of Home to the world!

What have you learned from the guests who have appeared on the podcast?

Kwame: That a lot of our guests learn best when figuring it out, making mistakes, or just being inexperienced. I think a lot of times in life we are expected to have these super detailed plans and objectives, which is fine but there’s also a beauty in the process, learning by doing and sometimes learning more whilst losing.