Let me introduce you to Emma’s Pete

Pete Cooper is one half of the very British Emma and Pete Show - a ‘couple-cast’ straight from the Home Counties, it’s cute, clever, with a splatter of geekiness. He also produces the daily electronic music show Bleepshow.

When & why did you begin podcasting?
I discovered podcasting when I heard a clip of Adam Curry’s Daily Source Code on someone’s blog. He’d been recording a show in the car when one of his buddies drove by and was listening to a previous show - it was all a bit surreal, and I thought how ace it would be to do that. I started badgering my dear wife and she resolutely ignored me, explaining that it was just another of my ideas that wouldn’t amount to anything, and I let it drop. In April ‘06, she said she wanted to do a podcast. The irony wasn’t lost on me, and I poked fun at her for a bit, then we started the Emma and Pete Show.

What is the most significant thing to happen to you personally as a direct result of producing your podcast?
All the people I stay in touch with are podcasters or new media. They are, generally, a nice bunch. Some of them are wonderful people - my best friends were all found in podcasting and new media - and a lot of them share the same creative mindset as me, and that makes collaboration and idea sharing both natural and practical. At the same time, I’ve also been introduced to some of the most self-absorbed, odious, insignificant cretins I’ve ever had the misfortune to meet. Which is good, on the one hand, ‘cos it reminds that I need to stay fairly level-headed.

What podcasts, if any, do you regularly listen to or watch?
Very few. This sometimes surprises people, especially when I bang on about getting people to listen to my stuff. It’s a bit like working in a chocolate factory - I do have periods where podcasting is just a routine and I need to get them done and out of the door, and as they’re time-consuming I like to do other stuff when I get some spare time. On the same tack, it’s nice to be able to unplug now and again (as scary as it sounds), and I really need to get away from the wibbly wobbly web more often.

As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?
“Something to do with computers”. Back when I was a kid the whole computery thing was still very new, so it was systems analyst or nothing. I suppose on that score I’ve done pretty well and stayed true to form. Had computers not been invented, I’d probably be a plumber or sparky - a proper job.

What does the future hold for you and your show(s)?
I want to do more Emma and Pete Show - cos we love doing it, and it’s fun, and people seem to like it. Bleepshow continues to play a big part in my life and it’s gathering momentum very nicely - eating through bandwidth like it’s a yummy block of cheese - so that will continue. New shows for 2008 are planned, but they’re secret at the moment, so don’t tell anyone.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 29th, 2008 at 1:31 am and is filed under MiniInterviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.