Paul Parkinson has been around in the UK podcaster community for some time, and found his ideal niche subject when he created This Week in London, a subject about which he is very passionate. Today we find out all about Paul and his podcasting.

When & why did you begin podcasting?

I must confess (if that is truly the right word) that young Mr Curry and the even younger Mr Nicholls inspired me to start podcasting. I thought Adams style was very Radio and Paul’s was so totally not Radio that I could do something good in that space too. As I listened to more and more podcasts it dawned on me that I could do as well, if not better than some of them. I just wish I had started doing This Week In London sooner. It’s such a rich pool of material that I never struggle to find something to witter on about.

What is the most significant thing to happen to you personally as a direct result of producing your podcast?

Getting sponsorship from a hotel chain – getting paid to do something you love ROCKS!

What podcasts, if any, do you regularly listen to or watch?

I really like conversational podcasts so I still listen to many shows in that space. Specifically DSC is still an important part of my life as is Digital Flotsam (more pls) and PodcastPaul. I have been enjoying a number of great audiobooks available as podcasts –Mark Yoshimoto Nemkoff’s Number One With A Bullet, Shadowfalls and Shadowfalls Badlands. More recently Tablerappers by Neil Dixon has become a must listen. Tech podcasts such as TWIT, Windows Weekly and Security Now are on the play list too. I steer away from political discussion shows (mostly too American or overtly party biased) but do subscribe to the Downing Street Podcast, from where I get the Prime Minister Questions “show”. I listen to a lot of Radio4 derivative podcasts as well such as In Our Time. Long and short of it is that I like a personal feel, not “corporate”. I am a sucker for a well recorded podcast but of the 60 or shows (audio and video) I listen to I’d say the quality on some of them could be improved. Stop Press: Tartanpodcast is back – so that’s on the must listen list too.

As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

I initially wanted to be a Fleet Air Arm pilot (i still want my private pilots licence) but having passed the pilot/navigator course and test at Biggin Hill I didn’t pass the officer aptitude tests. I guess there is too much rebel in me.

What does the future hold for you and your show(s)?

Pretty much loving what I am doing, podcast-wise. I have found my niche and the downloads from Podshow and Libsyn pretty much prove that. For a (very) niche show like TWiL, I think ~2000+ downloads per show is pretty respectable. Would I like more listeners? Sure. Do I have time to actively go out and get them? I wish….

Episode 41 is up!!! - Shows reviewed in this edition are; The Truth by DJ Mr Jay
and Sherri G, bringing you the latest news and music on the R & B and soul scene. BUMP which is a must for all Apple Mac fans and users with its mixture of news, features and interviews. A History of Electronic Music, a unique show for the music geek into electronic music history. Imagine Animation Vodcast , a showcase of The University of the West of England’s up coming stars in animation and The Bitterest Pill an audio blog from stay at home dad Dan Klass

Amy McIntyre has created some of the world’s most recognisable fitness podcasts, including Fitness Attack, Assercize, and Fit Life. Here is Amy’s 5-Question MiniInterview…

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When & why did you begin podcasting?

I started “Fitness Attack” in July 2006 and Assercize and Fit Life followed. My husband created Podcast Alley in November of 2004. He was such a part of the podcasting community that the more I learned, the more I wanted to be a part of it. I was a personal trainer at the time and thought that podcasting would really allow me to teach and answer health and fitness questions on a bigger scale.

What is the most significant thing to happen to you personally as a direct result of producing your podcast?

Personally the whole experience has been rewarding for me. I love the feedback from my audience and also the questions and topic ideas that come from their interaction. Professionally, I’m grateful at how many people value the advice and the information given in each of the shows. I’m also excited that the first 100 shows of Fitness Attack are now in print! On February 29th, the book ‘Fitness Attack’ will be available at Amazon.com!

What podcasts, if any, do you regularly listen to or watch?

I think one of the great things about podcasting is the ‘on demand’ aspect. Depending on my mood, I can have the shows I want at the time that I want. I generally stick to news, health/fitness, fashion, music and food shows!

As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

Growing up I wanted to be so many things! I have a short attention span (note that my shows are always short!) but I think I usually bounced back and forth from being a lawyer to being a musical theater star on Broadway. I held pretty true to these goals through college and I’m actually still up for either of those opportunities. After I graduated from Purdue University, I spent a year in banking and then moved to Chicago to pursue dance and choreography. I spent nearly 2 years there on a dance scholarship and then other opportunities moved my husband and I to Tennessee. It was then that I really had to choose whether to continue dancing or to give law school a try. I decided that I wasn’t ready for the dedication needed to sit in class all day everyday and I really enjoyed having an active lifestyle. I then realized that personal training would allow me to keep in dancer shape, provide a decent income and ultimately help others to find enjoyment in working out and staying fit. I’ve now been training for a few years and added the shows almost 2 years ago. I just couldn’t be happier with all the challenges that both present me.

What does the future hold for you and your show(s)?

I don’t think any of us know where our shows are going to end up. What would I like to see happen? I want to build an entire health and fitness empire! I want to have people take some of the information that I’ve given them and make a change in their lives. I want to have books and shows that are everywhere and make a difference in how people see health and fitness. It is already surreal to have Fit Life on so many mobile devices and also Tivo, so I’m looking forward to what the future holds. If nothing else, I have learned so much and have enjoyed being a part of ‘new media.’

PodfinderUK is 40! And just as you have become accustomed to Jo Laurence bringing you the latest and greatest podcast finds, here are five more delicious podcast treats. Discover top vegetarian cooking tips with Delicious TV, learn to play the guitar with Guitar Steps Pod, and give yourself the shivers with the stories from the Hall of Mirrors. There’s great music with no interruptions from Atlantic Wave Radio, and superb classic performances from Alex Routledge.

Use coupon code PODFINDERUK to grab yourself your very own Nokia N810 Internet Tablet cheaper than Amazon!

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Jo Laurence is back with another great selection of shows just for you.
It may be winter, but the surf’s up on The Panic Button, learn from the fascinating real world experiments of Doctor Krampf, and save those £s with Wallet Watcher. Let Marcus Couch guide you through the best in independent heavy metal on The Scene Zine, and finally understand your life and relationships with the psychology of InsytWorks.
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Let’s hear it for the girls!

Jo Laurence has assembled a great female only lineup in this week’s show. See the truth laid bare on the music business with Gill Mills and Flyposter, discover it only takes a minute to improve your health and fitness with Amy Mac’s FitnessAttack, and relax to the sultry tones of Anji Bee and The Chillcast. Grab the latest gadget and tech news from Cali Lewis’ GeeBrief TV, then catch up with the latest in the lives of the Rumor Girls.

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Josephine Laurence and PodfinderUK are back for 2008 with a whole new lineup of great shows from across the globe.

Get your business head on and understand the web2.0 world with CC Chapman’s Managing the Gray, Scare yourself silly with the latest audio novel from Scott Sigler, Nocturnal, and sample a slice of rural South East England with Forest Row Radio. There’s a taste of faraway, almost deserted beaches with Beackwalks, and finally learn to question everything with the help of Skepitcality.

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It’s the last PodfinderUK of 2007 and Josephine Laurence has a fantastic lineup of laughs for you in this comedy special.

Get the latest, up to the minute news from The Onion, smell the angst in Abigail’s X-Rated Teen Diary, and join the adventures of Ossett Flushdyke and the Traces of Nuts gang. Watch Oj Borg getting beaten up in 11th Commandment and discover just what it’s like to be God in Mr. Deity.

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Josephine Laurence scoops up a handful of the best of the podcasts just for you.

Taste the dedicated citizen journalism of Documentally, follow the exploits of TV show Lost with Jay and Jack, and prepare to be scared out in space with Crescent. There’s the quirky daily life essays from Short Cummings Audio, and learn a little magic with iTricks.

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Let Jo Laurence whisk you away to places far and near in this week’s PodfinderUK Travel special.

See the world on a limited budget with the Indie Travel Podcast, be well prepared for a visit to London with This Week in London, and travel all around the world with the Amateur Traveler. Discover more about Britain’s historical sites in Off the Beaten Track, and follow a couple who have dropped everything to spend A Year in Europe.

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