Calgary podcast beats the odds to pass big milestone

There are literally millions of podcasts available – but The Calgary Sessions is in a very small group that has passed 100 episodes.

Started by host Jeff Humphreys in November 2020, the show does long-form interviews with Calgary athletes, artists and entrepreneurs.

Humphreys says the first 20 episodes or so were basically friends and colleagues, but as he kept going, something interesting started happening during taping sessions.

"You have a spectacular character sitting across from you and the first thing they say is 'You have to talk to my friend'," says Humphreys. "And I'm like, ‘yes. Yes I do!’"

The show has an additional six episodes taped and ready for post-production and plans to keep going through the next 100.

According to industry tracking, of the more than 4.4 million podcasts available, just eight per cent have more than 10 episodes, and the numbers drop off steeply from there.

Some big names have joined Humphreys, including former Flames defenceman Mike Commodore, Olympians Kyle Shewfelt and Catriona Lemay-Doan; Calgary's poet laureate Wakefield Brewster and adventurer Laval St. Germain.

The guest on Monday's taping was entrepreneur Graham Matheos, who owns a pair of physiotherapy businesses and a non-alcoholic craft beer brewery.

"He really wants to hear people’s stories," Matheos says. "Every episode that I watch of his you see how he does it and (by the end) you really feel like you know the people that he's interviewing."

The pod has longevity, something Humphreys attributes to his production partners and the studio space provided by 17th Avenue restaurant Model Milk, but it isn't a big money maker.

Humphreys says he's chosen not to monetize it, in part to protect the tone of the conversation and feel of the show, but also because it still helps drive people to his day business, Shortline Creative.