Plenty of Mainers have stories to tell, either as a hobby, or with hopes of earning a living through podcasting. In this occasional series, Spectrum News Maine profiles local hosts who are expressing themselves through podcasts.
Many Maine-based podcasters start their respective ventures as a side project or hobby, but while the producers of STRIVECast are certainly having fun, there’s a very specific purpose built into the program.
A brainchild of PSL Services/STRIVE, a South Portland-based nonprofit that helps people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, the weekly podcast is hosted and produced — with a little help from the nonprofit’s staff — by people with disabilities. Each week, hosts take to the mics and also appear on video via Zoom. The show, which debuted in November of 2018, focuses mostly on people with developmental disabilities who are living robust lives, such as artists and entrepreneurs.
“There wasn’t a podcast like this at the time (of our debut),” said Pete Brown, the nonprofit’s associate director.
The show started in November of 2018 and is now in the midst of its fourth season. Whitney Wildes, program director at PSL Services/STRIVE, said the show began with an actual studio, but like many ventures, the organization took it online when the pandemic hit. Recording via Zoom, she said, actually helped the program, which is now available via Facebook and YouTube in addition to traditional podcast outlets.
“When COVID started, that added another layer where people could watch on another platform,” Wildes said.
The show is clearly popular. According to data from PSL Services/STRIVE, audio recordings of the podcast’s episodes have been downloaded just over 26,000 times, and that doesn’t include views on YouTube or likes on Facebook.
Noel Thompson, Jeff Goranites and Susie Cloutier, all of whom have Down syndrome, work on the podcast. Thompson and Goranites serve as hosts, while Cloutier is the producer.
The show features a wide variety of guests. They range from recognizable names such as Sen. Angus King to entrepreneurs, such as John Krone, who has Down syndrome and is the founder of the Farmingdale, N.Y.-based apparel company John’s Crazy Socks.
Thompson, who played basketball in the Special Olympics, said he particularly liked interviewing Dajuan Ewbanks, president of the Maine Celtics. Goranites liked talking with professional wrestler Allen “The Monsta” Berube.
“He was a great guy to interview,” Goranites said. “It was great fun.”
Susie said she particularly enjoyed talking with Doug Hitchcox, a naturalist with the Maine Audubon Society
“He’s the best!” she said.
Brown noted one episode featuring Olympic biathlete and Cape Elizabeth native Clare Egan. At the time of the interview, early in the show’s first season, she called in from Estonia for an interview, and Brown said it was a big moment for the podcast.
“That was one of the first episodes where it was great to see someone who had done interviews with various (larger) media spending a significant amount of time with us,” he said.
The show has been airing regularly every week for more than three years, and Brown said he expects it to continue giving a voice to people with disabilities, including Thompson, Goranites and Cloutier.
“This segment of our population has been unrepresented,” Brown said.
STRIVECast is available from Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and other podcast outlets. It is also available to stream on YouTube and Facebook.