My name is Paul Saurini and I produce a program called Marijuana Radio. Four years ago I began producing something called ‘The MP3 Show’ as an experiment with ‘talk radio’ for the internet. This program was never put out to the masses, and after it fizzled out, I found myself yearning to do a much more developed project.
Later on came a new talk radio show I started called Barefoot Radio. In between ‘The MP3 Show’ recordings and starting Barefoot Radio, I was consuming tons of media like Howard Stern, Loveline with Adam Corolla, and Bill Maher. In the fall of 2004, I was in Italy with my ipod which I to this day only use to playback the Howard Stern Radio show. When there, I ran out of archived Howard Stern, and began to listen to an online program produced out of Chicago called Red Bar Radio. Red Bar stood out as an edgy and well produced program, and served as the inspirational impetus to begin something more seriously on my own. I had spent many hours searching the internet for good indie radio, and found the quality of Red Bar Radio’s production and creativity to be first class. This was before the heydey of podcasting. The world we lived in 6 months after I was in Italy on this trip evolved quickly, and my radio goals had become intimately intertwined with a new media phenomenon called podcasting.
Coincidentally at the same time I was in Italy, my friend Gianfranco encouraged me to record an episode of ‘The MP3 Show’ with him. I was very inspired by getting in front of the mic. I have brought back a recording rig to Italy to record music for many years, and this was something unique I did while there on this trip. This particular period was a critical one in which my mind shifted from writing music to producing talk radio media. I was resolved to ‘do something’ when I returned to the United States after my trip.
I was already in the mode of producing Barefoot Radio before podcasting. The intent was to put an mp3 version of our program up on the site and market it in any way possible. Barefoot Radio became a podcast by definition in its second week. The timing of what I was already doing and the invention of podcasting was purely coincidental. I was lucky to be in an initial round of people trying out podcasting. I’ve grown weary of every ‘Tom, Dick, and Joe’ saying ‘My show, my show, my show.’ Everyone having shows sure makes standing out a taller order.
The popularity of Barefoot Radio grew to a point where there was a definite audience tuning in and my motivation to do it was stoked. Many people tuned in too sample a program produced out of my house’s basement studio. The growth of listenership for the program was slow, but things changed when the Itunes introduced us into their podcast directory. We were for a long time in a set of their featured podcasts which boosted our following. I sent a bouquet of roses to the Itunes department at Apple. Whether it made any difference, I don’t know.
All of these miniscule successes added up and made me start dreaming about doing the show in my own commercial space, so in the Spring of 2006, a year after doing Barefoot Radio in my basement studio, I rented a space in Downtown Denver and finished an environment to produce more media. At this same time I officially started my Company, Kuzz Media, LLC, which also does business as ‘Barefoot Radio.’
The process of building the studio was a long and difficult one. I started doing shows out of ‘Barefoot Radio’ the studio in July of 2006. One unique change was starting to do shows on the First Friday of every month, a night in which thousands of people flock to the street where we’re located for a popular art walk. It has been a fascinating experience doing radio shows with a public strolling through. It added a sense of unpredictability and variety that’s hard to find in other podcasts.
Business was initially very difficult, and still is, but the advantage of a commercial space to operate out of is clear. We put a professional image out there with our content. We put out an image that conveys we have resource, and we are intent on succeeding. We have systems for transacting and fulfilling business agreements. We have created a media program that has an established commercial value, one that helps build and promote other smaller ‘indie’ type businesses.
In the Fall of 2006 I became involved in a new project with a local publisher. We crafted an idea to create a podcast that is all about marijuana entertainment and activism. It was a mutual stroke of genius to start this idea. My original partner in the project left, and I replaced him with host Holly G, who was later let go. The hosting position is now filled by a young singular woman named Mckenna Stevens. I have dubbed McKenna, Dan-K and myself as ‘the breakthrough crew.’
The radio show ‘Barefoot Radio’ dwindled in popularity for many reasons. First and foremost, I’ve become far more involved with Marijuana Radio because it is a prolific juggernaut. New listeners learn about us everyday, and this fact keeps me motivated to push the idea further down the road. It was a good move to start this podcast. It is the niche I was looking for because it has an enormous industry behind it. It was not all a business decision. It appealed to me creatively as a pot smoker, a philosopher of freedom, and overall generally obsessed artist.
I still work out of the commercial studio I built here in Denver and call the place Barefoot Radio. My wife has taken on a great deal of responsibility for me. She is handling bookkeeping, marketing and some sales. We recently joined up with a woman who is working to sell advertising for us. So including myself, McKenna and DanK, there are a total of 5 people devoted here. We also have a handful of others who regularly help us out as a part of the program. There’s an actual company here that is like a toddler standing on its own two feet. I want it to be self sufficient someday whether I’m in the puzzle or not.
I’m definitely not solely responsible for the successful growth pattern we’re experiencing. The others are devoted in a profound way to helping make this whole thing work. The right men and women can make any business in the world work, and I think the women I’m working with are all filling an important role in a bigger picture. It actually feels like a ‘company’ now. I don’t think companies start on paper, they start when they actually begin to take on a real sustaining life of their own.
