Jacob Paul Herring, more commonly known by his stage name BabyJake, is a music artist, writer, and producer based in Nashville, Tennessee. BabyJake's first big break came when his song Cigarettes on Patios released in the winter of 2019. Shortly after, he was signed to Republic Records was expected to be the next mainstream star. Just before he was supposed to go on his first major international tour, the pandemic hit and everything fell apart. His support from the record label fell away, he blew most of his money, he partied way too much, and got severely ill for almost 2 years. BabyJake has since left Republic Records, and Los Angeles, to become an independent artist living and making music in Nashville. Over the last few years he has been steadily putting out new music and developing as both an artist and a person. His sound has went from indie rap, to pop, to 70's rock, to alternative rock and more. His latest album titled Beautiful Blue Collar Boy is available to stream on all platforms. It showcases his diverse music styles and brings a raw emotion that stands out in today's music. We recorded this interview backstage before his recent performance on Friday, October 25th at 7th St. Entry in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In this episode we discuss how his music developed, healthy addictions, learning from past mistakes, how to grow a core fanbase, performing live, finding yourself, life goals, music industry misconceptions, new music, touring on a budget, and much more.

Dalton Hessel is a 2nd grade teacher, content creator, writer, podcaster, and "Up North" enthusiast based in the small town of Hayward, Wisconsin. Dalton grew up in Hayward before earning his teaching degree at UWEC. While he enjoyed his time in Eau Claire, he always knew he wanted to end up back in his hometown. Inspired by the popular sitcom Boy Meets World, Dalton wanted to become a real life Mr. Feeny. He secured his first teaching job in the fall of 2019 and got to teach for about 5 months before the pandemic shut down everything. Dalton had to adapt, and with his computer skills became a leader among his teaching team as they adjusted to virtual learning. Since then he has published 4 books, started his Northern Nerd brand, built an audience of over 100,000 followers across his social media platforms, got married, became a father, and more. In this episode we discuss small town life, having boundaries, best places to camp, writing poetry, going viral, the responsibilities of teachers, organizing events, building community, juggling passions, and much more.

Khary is an independent music artist whose sound is a unique blend of alternative hip-hop and rock. After spending 5 years living and building his music career in Los Angeles he has recently moved back to his home state of Rhode Island. Khary and his good friend Abhi the Nomad recently released a 6 song EP together titled Icarus. Abhi announced his farewell tour and Khary took to the road with him to travel the country and spread their music. We recorded this interview backstage before his performance at the Fine Line in Minneapolis on October 6th, 2024. In this episode we discuss musical inspirations, getting back into skateboarding, his friendship with Abhi, performing for himself first, favorite anime shows, living in a recording studio, an upcoming full length album, his new EP with Abhi the Nomad, and much more.

Zane Statz is a multi talented artist based in Green Bay, WI. Most people have seen his work at, or around, the Packers stadium Lambeau Field. Many refer to him as the unofficial artist of the Green Bay Packers due to how much of his work so far has been dedicated to the Packers in one shape or another. His first big project was a one day mural job when he painted the Packers Fence, a 70 feet wide by 6 feet tall fence located just across the street from Lambeau Field. Every year since he has repainted the fence with a new Packers design, but that's not all. So far he has painted custom cleats for a dozen of the Packers players that have been worn in nationally televised games, created a whole clothing line, painted dozens of other murals throughout the midwest, and more. We recorded this episode outside in Zane's backyard, but unfortunately the sun chose to get right in our faces during parts of this interview. Still, we had a great time discussing how he came to Green Bay, his love of street art, other favorite artists of his, how to get hired for mural work, painting custom cleats, his experience on the Cripescast with Charlie Berens, using AI to schedule his time, painting a mural with 500 other people, and much more.

Dustin Nickerson is a stand up comedian, podcaster, and family man originally from Washington that now resides in San Diego, California. Dustin has steadily built a name for himself in the comedy world over the last handful of years and now travels the world performing nearly every weekend all year long. He was kind enough to let me record this episode with him in his hotel room during his recent trip to Appleton, Wisconsin. In this interview we discuss juggling family life and travel, building a career "brick by brick", his favorite Nate Bargatze story, late night appearances, viral social media moments, his lifelong memory at Red Rocks, genres of stand up comedy, personal branding and more.

Wayne Hoffman is one of the most successful mind readers and illusionists in the world and also a good friend and past guest of the Passion Pod (Episode 42). I first met Wayne when we recorded an interview in his home back in the winter of 2021. We immediately hit it off and still to this day his episode is one of my all time favorites. We since have kept in touch and remained friends. He recently was on a tour and performing in Wisconsin. He reached out to me to see how far away I was and if I wanted to get together and catch up. It was a little over a 3 hour drive to go see him, but we were able to make it work and decided it would be a good excuse to record a follow up episode while we were at it. I highly recommend listening to our first interview as we reference quite a bit during this one. In this interview we discuss his new tv show he's pitching, his newfound love of motivational speaking, the benefits of traveling the world, collecting no's, impactful mindset shifts, finding mentors, getting out of your own way, and much more. When I say on this show that I end up becoming friends with a lot of the guests I really do mean it and you can see it in this interview. Thanks for watching!

Nur-D and DJ Hayes performed on Friday August 16th at Reverb Music Festival 2024 in Eau Claire, WI. Nur-D and DJ Hayes were the first performers to arrive at the venue and were kind enough to sit down backstage for this interview before they took the stage to get the whole weekend started. In this interview we discuss how they first met, the difference between a producer and beat maker, why having a good DJ matters, walking with integrity, performing at Sound Set, working at call centers, opening a recording studio, influencers vs. performers, and much more.

DJ Strizzo grew up and started his career in Tampa, Florida and is now touring the world with platinum selling artist Bubba Sparxxx. Strizzo spent a decade working in radio building his fanbase and catalogue of official remixes he produced. As he got booked to perform in bigger and bigger clubs, he also went on tour as a DJ for bigger and bigger artists around the country. In this interview we discuss making the Olympic trials as a hurdler in college, playing around with turntables for the first time, how he met Bubba Sparxxx, his musical influences, missing the old Kanye West, club hits vs. radio hits, getting official remixes with rock legends like Def Leppard, and much more.

Bekah Worley is an illustration artist based in Minneapolis, Minnesota best know for her bright and colorful folk art paintings. Bekah was a late bloomer in the art world, but over the last few years she has found her own voice and grown an audience to over 100,000 followers on Instagram. What started with printing on tote bags that she sold at markets has grown into her full time career. Bekah was kind enough to let us record this inside her new art studio in Uptown. In this interview we discuss how she got her start, getting her first big commission, how she blew up on social media, why affordable art is so important, which other artists inspire her, how to make a living as an artist, and much more.

Jared Schutz aka Wisco Dive Bar Reviews is a dive bar enthusiast from Spring Valley, WI. It all started with a simple question. How many bars are there in Wisconsin? After a quick google search Jared found the answer to be in the thousands and so the journey began. He recorded his first review video in January of 2022 and since has amassed an audience of over 50,000 followers on Instagram, over 60,000 on Facebook, and over 90,000 followers on TikTok. His mission is to bring more eyes, ears, and business to locally owned bars around the state. In this episode we discuss what makes diver bars so great, entrepreneurship, juggling multiple jobs, getting his own vodka brand, the community of Wisconsin influencers, spreading positivity, designing his own clothing, and much more.

Greg Lutzka is a professional skateboarder and entrepreneur from Milwaukee, WI. Greg's career has spanned decades and his list of accomplishments goes on and on. His new documentary titled "One Way Ticket" is now available on Amazon and gives a great summary of his career so far. Greg dropped out of high school and moved to California to chase his dreams of being a pro skateboarder. It didn't take long for that dream to become a reality. Throughout his career Greg had pro models on Illenium, Krooked, Almost, and Darkstar before creating his own line of skateboards that are now sold in Walmart locations worldwide. Greg has had numerous video parts and won nearly every major skateboard contest on the planet throughout his twenties. He was one of the first pro skateboarders to branch out of the skateboard industry and rode for major corporate brands including Toyota, Visa, Rockstar, K-Swiss, and more. Eventually his window as a top pro began to close he turned to entrepreneurship and became even more successful. He now stays busy with his dozens of properties, businesses, his tv show on Fuel TV, and more. We recorded this episode at Billy Duece's studio in Milwaukee on a recent trip back home for Greg. What was meant to be a one hour visit turned into 3 hours of conversation on and off the mic. In this episode we discuss his transition into entrepreneurship, investing at a young age, his plans to teach others, his new documentary, top skateboarding moments, the school of life, giving back, how to negotiate with brands, and why it's all worth it.

Amber Pacific is a Seattle based pop punk band that has been performing together since the early 2000's and is currently working on their first album in 10 years. Matt Young (Lead Vocals) sat down with Chris Johnson on the Passion Pod after their performance on Saturday August 17th at Reverb Music Festival in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. In this episode we discuss how their music has evolved over the years, parenting pre teens, writing new music, an upcoming album, the state of the music industry, and why it's all worth it.

Amber Pacific is a Seattle based pop punk band that has been performing together since the early 2000's and is currently working on their first album in 10 years. Will Nutter (Guitar) and Dango Cellan (Drums) sat down with Chris Johnson on the Passion Pod after their performance on Saturday August 17th at Reverb Music Festival in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. In this episode we discuss how their music has evolved over the years, writing new music, an upcoming album, the state of the music industry, and why it's all worth it.

Ginuwine recently performed on Friday August 16th in Eau Claire, Wisconsin at Reverb Music Festival 2024. He was kind enough to sit down backstage with Chris Johnson on the Passion Pod for a short interview about his experience on stage, his personal music preferences, saying "yes" to things, his journey towards sobriety, and more.

Warren Anderson Mathis, or better known as Bubba Sparxxx recently performed on Saturday August 17th at Reverb Music Festival in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Bubba was kind enough to sit down backstage after his performance with Chris Johnson for this episode of the Passion Pod. In this episode we discuss new music, how he coulda been Eminem, his relationship with Timbaland, flying first class, spending $100,000 last year on DoorDash, biggest regrets, collecting Jordans, spending $600,000 on a music video, and more.

John Vesely aka Secondhand Serenade and his good friend and supporting vocalist/guitarist Will Garrett performed on Saturday August 17th at Reverb Music Festival in Eau Claire, WI and were kind enough to sit down backstage after their performance with Passion Pod host Chris Johnson. In this interview we discuss technical difficulties on stage, how they became friends and bandmates, playing for massive crowds across Asia, most memorable experiences along the way, and more.

Dan Marsala is the lead singer for Story of the Year, and was kind enough to record this interview backstage on the Passion Pod with Chris Johnson before their performance at Reverb Music Festival 2024. In this interview we discuss which songs are his favorite to perform, juggling parenting and touring, the resurgence of emo music, longevity in the music industry, which rockstars he still fans out on, obscure tee shirts, and more.

Anberlin's own Christian McAlhaney (Guitar) and Deon Rexroat (Bass) sat down with Chris Johnson on the Passion Pod after their performance on Saturday, August 17th at Reverb Music Festival in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. In this episode we discuss the band's hiatus, switching up their singer to Matty Mullins, creating new music during the pandemic, the current state of the music industry, advice for young musicians, being fully committed to music, staying grounded, and more.

Richie Murphy is the most followed D3 college football player in the country and he plays for the UW Stout Blue Devils and this is his very first podcast interview he has ever done. Richie went viral for the first time when he was only in 5th grade and has been steadily making content and building an audience ever since. He is about to start his final season as a college athlete, but he's already built his various platforms to an obvious career after college. In this episode we share Richie's life story from posting his first YouTube video he shot in his driveway, to recently signing an NIL deal with Kwik Trip. Richie also offers us a ton of insight behind social media, content creation, strategy, tips, misconceptions, and more.

Kevin Bolger is an Olympic cross country skier for the United States. Kevin grew up skiing in Minocqua, WI where his family is originally from. However for the last decade he has spent the majority of his time living and competing in Norway and the rest of Scandinavia where the sport really thrives. Kevin started skiing in 3rd grade, but didn't start taking it seriously until he was in high school. After graduating he moved to Utah to train full time before making the US national team. Kevin's skills grew more and more until he earned his spot on the United States Olympic team and competed in the Beijing winter Olympics in 2022 where he placed in the world overall. Kevin's career hasn't been as glorious as some might assume however. Cross country skiing certainly has it's place in the midwest culture, but the sport is still very niche in the United States. That translates to not only a more difficult road to become internationally competitive, but it also makes it much harder for a professional skier like himself to make a sustainable living. In this episode we discuss growing up in the midwest, moving to Norway to ski with his heroes, fundraising to make his career possible, vlogging with his gold medalist girlfriend Maja Dahlqvist, competing in the Olympics during the pandemic, and much more.

Beth Stelling is a stand up comedian and tv writer based in Los Angeles, CA. Beth grew up in Dayton, Ohio before attending college and pursuing comedy and theatre in Chicago. After spending 4 years establishing herself in Chicago she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dream of a career in comedy. Since then she has built an incredible career for herself as a touring stand up comedian numerous appearances on major networks including full comedy specials on both HBO and Netflix. She also has an extensive list of acting roles under her belt as well as writing credits for numerous tv shows including Crashing, Strange Planet, and even Rick & Morty. Beth performed for the first time in Eau Claire, WI at The Plus on June 9th for Clear Water Comedy and was gracious enough to let me interview her backstage before her performance. In this episode we discuss California living, how her life changed after her comedy special on Netflix came out, learning from past mistakes, what it really looks like to write for tv shows, how she creates her comedy specials, what to expect when you see her perform live, and much more.

Kathy Wright is the Director of Reverb Music Festival in Eau Claire, WI. Kathy has worked in the music festival industry with Country Jam and others for decades and has endless stories to share. The owners of Country Jam bought a beautiful new property a few years ago and had the idea to create a whole new music festival to share the space in the summer and so Reverb Music Festival was born with 2023 being it's first year. It's 2024 and Reverb is back and better than ever. While the festival was only a one day event last year, this year it has been expanded to two days and includes a whole new genre. Friday August 16th will features the best in throwback hip hop including Pelly, Ka Lia Universe, Bubba Sparxxx, Mike Jones, Trick Daddy, Yung Joc, Twista, Ginuwine, and T.I.. Saturday August 17th will feature another great year of emo/pop punk bands including Amber Pacific, Emery, Secondhand Serenade, Anberlin, Hawthorne Heights, Story of the Year, and Yellowcard. In this episode we discuss what goes on behind the scenes to make music festivals possible, stories for Reverb 2023, why 2024 will be even better, what music festivals bring to a community, why live music is so important, and much more.

Emily Carriveau is a content creator based in her hometown of Delano, MN. Emily is a stay at home mother of 3 boys who has had a lifelong obsession with crafting, garage sales, and fashion. When her sons wanted to get on social media she made her own accounts to "spy" on them, but quickly found that sharing her life online was not only fun, but also a career. Over the last several years Emily has become the Midwest Mom of the internet (@smalltownme) and has gained over a million followers across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. Emily and her mom drove all the way out to Eau Claire, WI to record her first ever podcast interview on the Passion Pod. In this episode we discuss small town living, being a stay at home mom, her online origin story, finding ways to give back, going viral online, where she gets all her ideas, hiding gift cards around town, her tv show dreams, and so much more.

JamesG aka @jamesmakesmusic is a semi professional Heelyer and music artist/producer based in Coon Rapids, Minnesota. James has been making music under the moniker of JamesG since 2012, but it wasn't until he started posted videos of himself doing tricks wearing his Heelys in 2020 that his career started to take off. As his videos started going viral online his music found more success as well. These days James is self employed and living the Heelyer dream filming new tricks and making new music all the time. In this episode we discuss the origin of his online persona, how he navigates the challenges of a life without consistent income, finding the right sponsors, the development of his music career, his music and life inspirations, and much more.

Lucas Beaufort is a French artist that travels and creates all over the world. Lucas started creating art at the age of 27 when he gave his brother a drawing for Christmas and his life has never been the same since. It's been 15 years since that first drawing and now Lucas has built an incredible career and life for himself. He paints murals, designs products, makes documentaries, and even published a book. Lucas grew up skateboarding and his love for the culture has been a huge inspiration in his work and opened the door for him to work and create with countless pro skateboarders, skate companies, and other legends in the industry. Although he doesn't limit his work to only the skate world, his passion for skateboarding shines through in everything he does. This episode is truly a special one and was years in the making. Tune in and get inspired to chase your dreams.

Emma Dalenberg is a Minneapolis, Minnesota based stand up comedian. Emma grew up in a trailer park in Winona, Minnesota before moving to Minneapolis to attend college. Emma got her start in stand up comedy while she was still a student and a server at an Applebees. One open mic night was all it took for her to find a new obsession. Since then Emma has been steadily performing and building a career for herself. We recorded this interview in her apartment in Minneapolis shortly after she got back from her European tour "American Cream". In this episode we discuss growing up in a trailer park, dealing with knee surgeries, experimenting with drugs, graduating from college, moving to Europe, making money illegally as a comedian, getting deported from Germany, going viral on social media, why we aren't so different after all, and what makes it all worth it.

Ed Bieber aka Ed The Diver is a Wisconsin based scuba diver, environmentalist, and content creator based in Marinette, WI. Ed has been an angler all his life and one day got fed up with losing his fishing lures and decided to jump in after them. He quickly realized that when recovering his own lures that there were countless more lures to be found in the same spots. As his interest and mission became more serious he got scuba certified and began diving in lakes and rivers all over the midwest not only to recover lures, but to clean up our waterways from all the trash and lost treasures beneath the surface. Tune in and hear a story like none other.

Corey Kaiser is the owner of Wisconsin Clothing Co and based in the tiny town of Kieler, Wisconsin. Corey's family has owned a printing company for a long time so he grew up in the business of printing apparel. After graduating from college in 2018 he joined the family business full time and his career began to blossom. The family business helps clients from all over create their apparel lines, but Corey really wanted to create something himself so his brand the608 was born. They quickly outgrew the area code that the idea came from and the brand changed to the Wisconsin Clothing Co. that people know and love today. In this episode Corey shares his story for the first time in a long form interview. We discuss what makes Wisconsin so special, why Wisconsinites have such pride for their state, how he is able to make such high quality apparel for so cheap, how he juggles the different sides of his business, how he grew on social media so fast, why building relationships online is so important, and much more.

Ryan Ruebl is the man behind the Meanwhile in Wisconsin Facebook page that has over 340,000 followers. Ryan began creating Wisconsin themed content way back in 2012 and has been a big inspiration and catalyst for a ton of other content creators ever since. Ryan has endless stories from making viral videos with Charlie Berens to making Kwik Trip ads with Green Bay Packers stars like Rashan Gary and much more. Tune in a hear how he built his Wisconsin empire.

Riak Dut is a comedy content creator based in Rochester Minnesota. Riak has been a big fan of all types of comedy his whole life. Not much is known about this viral content creator, but on this episode of the Passion Pod we get a glimpse into his life. He opened for both the Ying Yang Twins and T.I.?!

Wave Chapelle is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin based rap artist known for his lyrical skill and wavy style. Wave grew up on the North side of Milwaukee and started rapping way back in the 8th grade. His skills and audience grew throughout high school and by the time he graduated he felt it was time for a change and moved to Memphis, TN to continue his rap career. Shortly after moving there he met Yo Gotti and his career blasted off. He was signed to a major record label and was touring all over the country. Ultimately, he decided to step away and pursue the independent artist route which was a major learning opportunity. Eventually he found himself back in Milwaukee and establishing himself on his own as well as putting out several successful albums. Now he chooses to help the Milwaukee music scene grow and continues to put out track after track of pure gold. Even the Milwaukee Bucks think so and have added him as an official ambassador who performs at their games. Wave has had a long career full of ups and downs, but the truth is that he's still just getting started.

Passion Pod Episode 140 @imjarons is a Wisconsin based viral content creator known for his character he portrays when he wears his insta360 camera. Not many people know the actual Jaron so he agreed to come do an exclusive interview on the Passion Pod. The only other interview that Jaron has done in the past was also on the Passion Pod, but he first time around we had just met that day and Jaron admitted to being super nervous and wanted to record another. Recently his following on Instagram more than doubled to over 950,000 followers. Since our last interview we added 2 more camera angles, started taking YouTube more seriously, and so it just felt right for Jaron to tell his story again to his new audience. In this interview he shares his internet origin story, why he still works a HVAC job full time, getting engaged, growing 100k+ followers per month, building a career on Instagram, learning from Wyatt Eiden, challenges of not having proof of income, why so many people fail, and we even do a rapid fire of questions. Tune in and help us blow up!

Bill Doucette aka "Billy Deuce" is a comedian, content creator, and musician based in Milwaukee, WI. A lot of people know Bill as the "Boston Guy" in a bunch of the Charlie Berens videos, but he does a whole lot more than that. Bill is a modest dude and hasn't done very many interviews over the years so we were stoked to be able to share his story. In this episode we discuss his relationship with Charlie Berens, being a career musician, stand up comedy, making viral youtube videos, his VHS tape obsession, imposter syndrome, and much more.

Sam Miller is a stand up comedian based in Olympia, Washington known for his large stature and incredible life story. Sam struggled with drug addiction and homelessness for many years until he hit rock bottom in 2008 and chose to make a change. 15+ years of sobriety later and Sam's life looks a whole lot different. He's found a loving wife, fathered 2 children, and built a name for himself in the world of stand up comedy. Sam now tours all over the country headlining shows and was gracious enough to come on the show during his first trip to Wisconsin. Tune in for a heavy dose of inspiration with plenty of laughter to go along with it.

K00bs is a content creator based in Eau Claire, WI who not only creates motorcycle and luxury car content for his own platforms, but also owns a creative agency that creates content and helps with social media strategy for massive companies like John Deere and dozens of others. K00bs is grew up in the Milwaukee, WI area with a car obsession and started shooting photos at the young age of 10 years old. By the time he was in high school he was attending car shows all over his area shooting pictures and honing his skills. During his junior year he got hired to shoot of photos a Lamborghini and never looked back. This episode of the Passion Pod is his first ever long form interview he's ever done. Tune in and hear his incredible story.

Tom Higgenson is the lead singer and songwriter for the iconic band the Plain White T's. Everyone knows him as the guy who wrote and sang the mega hit song "Hey There Delilah". Tom and the rest of the band put out a self titled album at the end of 2023 and hit the road on their first tour together since before the pandemic. Their show at the Fine Line in Minneapolis, Minnesota was near the end of tour and Tom was kind enough to sit down for this interview backstage before the show. In this interview we discuss the new album, his side project Million Miler, his most irrational fear, his experience with Cindi Lauper, his never ending search for the world's best coffee, and much more.

Tom Thakkar is a Los Angeles based stand up comedian that consistently performs all over the United States. Tom has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, CONAN, Comedy Central and more. We sat down with Tom before his recent performance for Clear Water Comedy in Eau Claire, WI and recorded this podcast interview. In this episode we discuss the benefit's of living in Los Angeles, never wanting to leave NYC, hosting a podcast for Comedy Central, his biggest pet peeves, why he's a cat person, and much more.

Riley Smithson aka Shrimpnose is a Los Angeles based artist and producer mainly known for his instrumental music on both his own albums alongside many other artists on their music. Shrimpnose grew up in a small Minnesota town in a musical family. He got his first drumset at 4 years old and music never left him. After high school he moved to the Minneapolis area and built a name for himself in the music scene before eventually pursuing bigger and better opportunities in Los Angeles. His latest album "As It Seems" marks a new chapter in his career and we sat down and recorded this interview before his show on December 30th at Abraxas Wax record shop in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. After releasing his album Shrimpnose went on a headlining tour around every corner of the country and thankfully Eau Claire was on his list. Fresh off his first ever sold out headlining show at First Ave's 7th St Entry just a couple days earlier this was the first ever podcast interview of his career. Tune in and finally hear the story of the man behind the beats.

Mandy Tietz is a Wisconsin based women's rights advocate and influencer. Over the last few years Mandy has grown a following of over 85K on Instagram and 435K on TikTok. After the passing of her father during the pandemic Mandy realized that her calling in life no longer aligned with her day job. She started speaking up about inequality and the ongoing problems within politics, particularly regarding abortion rights. As she got louder, her audience grew larger. She now takes it upon herself to share news regarding women's rights with her followers and break down what is happening to simple terms that everyone can understand. Laws can be confusing and so can having so many conflicting news stories from different angles. Knowledge is power and Mandy is doing what she can to empower women and allies around the country.

Sean Patton is a stand up comedian and actor based in Brooklyn, New York. Sean grew up in New Orleans, but didn't find his calling in life until his early twenties. Fast forward 20 years and his accolades are seemingly endless. Just this past year he released his long awaited debut comedy special "Number One" on the streaming service  @peacock  and spent 6 months touring the country performing with his childhood idol  @OfficialDavidCross  . He's appeared on  @ComedyCentral   @fallontonight   @conanobrien  and countless others. Sean performed at The Plus in Eau Claire, WI on January 4th 2024 and was kind enough to sit down as the featured guest for this episode of the Passion Pod. In this episode we discuss common mistakes comedians make early in their careers, phonies, why his comedy special took so long, skateboarding, touring with David Cross after meeting him 21 years earlier, how he built his career, and why it all matters.

xChris Kroeze is a country music star born and raised in Barron, Wisconsin. After being the runner up on the hit tv show The Voice his career has never been the same. He used to play 250 shows a year at bars and other small venues, now he headlines festivals and fills large theaters like The Pablo Center. Chris was first a guest on the show back in April of 2022, but we figured it would be fun to record a part 2. In this episode we talk about recent life, performing for the troops overseas, dad life, living in Wisconsin, his list of favorites, crushin cans, recording new music, social media struggles, and much more.

Dina Hashem is a New York based stand up comedian and tv writer for The Daily Show . Her debut comedy special "Dark Little Whispers" premiered in November on Amazon Prime and can be streamed right now. Dina grew up in a strict muslim home and didn't find her way to comedy until she was attending college. After winning the first stand up comedy competition she became addicted and knew that she wanted to do that for the rest of her life. It took a decade of performing before her career really took off, but now she has become one of the fastest growing names in the industry. In this episode we discuss early inspirations from watching cartoons, juggling day jobs, working for Nickelodeon, writing for tv shows, performing around the country, playing the drums with her music idols, and so much more.

Jacob Blaeser is a drone pilot, media relations specialist, podcast host, entrepreneur, and much more that chooses to call Brainerd, Minnesota his home. Jacob attended school for broadcasting and quickly found work in his field of choice, sports. His first interview was with Brett Favre! Talk about being thrown to the wolves. Jacob's career blossomed from interviewing professional athletes after games to owning one of the world's premier drone videography companies. His company Blaze Air MN has worked with massive clients including the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas, but they still work with smaller companies in the midwest as well. They make content for everything from real estate to sporting events to music festivals and more. Not to mention that he is also the host of the Listen Local podcast which covers all the happenings in his hometown. Jacob has an endless amount of stories to share, and in this episode he shares some of his favorites with us. In this episode we discuss living in the midwest, chasing your dreams, interviewing celebrities, negotiating contracts, overcoming mistakes, navigating an evolving industry, and so much more.

🎙️ Welcome to another episode of the Passion Pod! Join your host, Chris Johnson, as he sits down with the one and only comedy sensation, Sam Tallent! 🎭 Chris and Sam dive into the world of comedy, share hilarious anecdotes, and discuss the passion behind the punchlines. From Sam's early days in stand-up to the triumphs and challenges of a comedic career, this episode is a rollercoaster ride of humor and heart. Sam Tallent, known for his razor-sharp wit and unique comedic style, brings his A-game to the Passion Pod studio. Discover the inspirations behind his comedic genius, the ups and downs of life on the comedy circuit, and the moments that shaped him into the hilarious performer we know and love. Sam even opens up about his experience on @joerogan and a little known fact about @WillSmith that could only come from working with him directly... Whether you're a comedy enthusiast or just in need of a good laugh, this episode is a must-listen! So, grab your headphones, hit play, and get ready to LOL with Chris Johnson and the incomparable Sam Tallent on the latest edition of the Passion Pod. Don't forget to subscribe, like, and share the laughter with your friends – because everyone could use a little more comedy in their lives! 🤩🎉 #PassionPod #ComedyGold #SamTallent #ChrisJohnson #LaughOutLoud #PodcastFun #ComedyMagic ✨

Wyatt Eiden in a Wisconsin based content creator known for his short form interview style content. Wyatt grew up in Chippewa Falls, WI and still resides in the area today. However, he now spends a lot of his time traveling the world creating content for his own social media platforms as well as for various brands and organizations. He first began to build a name for himself on TikTok (@wyatteiden 3M followers) back in 2020 and has seen exponential growth not only on that platform, but also on Instagram (@wyatteiden 277K followers) and YouTube (@wyattei 788K subscribers). Wyatt is known for the videos that he creates of himself quizzing and giving challenges to people, primarily drunk college students, outside bars and venues in exchange for prizes. The results are hilarious and very addicting to watch. With seemingly countless videos across all of his platforms you could easily get lost for hours watching his content. In this interview we discuss how to make a career as a content creator, how to get leverage brand deals, staying true to your values, navigating a unique personal life, how to build an audience, and much more.

Danni (@lepus_tattoos) is a non binary tattoo artist based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They recently opened their own tattoo studio along with a few other tattooers called "Cozy Camp Collective" (@cozycampcollective). In this interview we discuss growing up as an artist in a tiny town, overcoming learning disabilities and health issues, earning a master's degree purely for yourself, finding your community in a male dominated industry, what goes on behind the scenes of the social media screen, and much more.

Adam DeJarlais is the sole owner of Twelve Vultures curiosities shop located in Minneapolis Minnesota. Adam grew up in northern Minnesota collecting rocks and now collects and sells some of the most unique items you're ever likely to see. Twelve Vultures has everything from taxidermy of peacocks, to human teeth, to vintage medical tools, and so much more. It really is the type of place that you need to experience for yourself. Tune in and hear where it all started for Adam, how he built his unique career, and what to expect from Twelve Vultures in the years to come.

Dessa is a multifaceted language artist who splits her time between Minneapolis and New York City. Dessa grew up with dreams of having her writings published, but found that to be a difficult task at the start. She instead began entering poetry slams in Minneapolis, which in turn introduced her to the twin cities rap scene. Not long after she became an official member of the hip hop collective Doomtree. Dessa and the rest of Doomtree put out a ton of records together over the years. All the while Dessa's solo career blossomed and she began putting out her own solo records through their record label. It's been more than 15 years since those early albums and her career has evolved beyond measure. She's had books published, was featured on the Hamilton mixtape, did a Ted Talk, hosted a podcast with the BBC, performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, and so much more. Tune in and find out...