Angles with John Richmond

John sits down with Matt Fairburn, staff writer at The Athletic covering the Buffalo Sabres and one of the most trusted voices in Western New York sports media. Matt has covered both the Bills and the Sabres across his career, spending years at Syracuse.com before joining The Athletic at its Buffalo launch in 2018. He’s a Boston kid who came to Buffalo for a job, met his wife here, and stayed. Thi...

John sits down with Shane Stephenson, Director of Museum Collections at the Buffalo Naval Park. Shane is an archivist by trade who came to the career at 35 after a trip to the National Archives in Washington changed everything, and has spent the years since cataloging, preserving, and telling the human stories behind the three vessels docked on Buffalo’s waterfront: the USS Sullivans, the USS Litt...

John sits down with Julie Blackman, owner of Farmers and Artisans in Snyder and sixth-generation farmer of Blackman Farms in Niagara County. If you live anywhere near Snyder, you probably already know the store. If you don’t, this episode will make sure you go.   Julie’s story moves from milking cows before school to a 20-year career in physical therapy to a trip to San Francisco that changed ever...

John sits down with Howard Cadmus, owner of Sweet Jenny’s chocolate and ice cream shop and 1811 Comics and Collectibles in the historic Williamsville Mill. Howard is one of the funniest, most self-aware people to sit across from John in 56 episodes. He runs two beloved businesses out of a 215-year-old building with a waterfall out the back, guides every decision by two questions he has asked himse...

John sits down with Tim Herzog, founder of Flying Bison Brewing Company and the man known as the Godfather of Craft Beer in Buffalo. Tim is one of the best storytellers you will ever hear, and this conversation covers all of it: a four-pack of Guinness in 1978, a gag gift from his wife that started a business, six years without a salary, and a 100-year-old brewery license nobody at City Hall knew...

John sits down with Dr. Kevin Williams, director of the Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium at Buffalo State University, for a conversation that covers black holes, Mars, dark matter, life on other planets, and why most of us have completely lost our connection to the night sky. Dr. Williams walks through his origin story, how the planetarium works, and what it actually takes to explain the scale of th...

In this episode of Angles with John Richmond, John sits down with Anthony Greco, Director of Exhibits at the Buffalo History Museum and host of the Buffalo History Museum podcast. Anthony has spent nearly 20 years going down rabbit holes in old newspapers, building exhibits, and telling the stories of a city that most of its own residents only think they know. From the chaos of mid-1800s Canalside...

In this special Mental Health Awareness Month episode of Angles with John Richmond, John sits down with two of Western New York’s most dedicated voices in mental health advocacy. Dan Lukasik is an attorney with over 35 years of experience, the founder of the website Lawyers with Depression, the creator of the Buffalo Depression Project, and a man who has lived openly with major depression for 25 y...

For episode 50 of Angles with John Richmond, the tables are turned. Producer Brett Tuttle steps out from behind the camera and into the host chair to interview the man who has been asking the questions all along. This is the episode John never fully planned for: a honest look at who he is, where he came from, what building Richmond Vona actually cost him, and what he has learned about himself alon...

In this episode of Angles with John Richmond, John sits down with Charlie Specht, one of Buffalo’s most recognized investigative journalists. Over a 15-year career at the Buffalo News, Channel 7, and Channel 2, Charlie built a reputation for breaking stories that matter: police corruption, government misconduct, and one of the most significant local scandals in decades - the Diocese of Buffalo sex...

In this episode of Angles with John Richmond, John sits down with Dawne Hoeg, founder and executive director of Stitch Buffalo, a nonprofit on Buffalo’s West Side that brings together refugee women through the craft of textiles. What started 12 years ago as a grassroots community workshop in a borrowed basement has grown into a full organization with a team, a board, a new facility, three distinct...

In this episode of Angles with John Richmond, John sits down with Lexi Varecka, founder of Flex Yoga, a Buffalo-area yoga and wellness studio with locations in Clarence and Orchard Park. Lexi’s story starts in Washington, D.C., where a yoga teacher training she signed up for just to deepen her own practice turned into the seed of something much bigger. She took that passion to the West Coast, spen...

In this episode of Angles with John Richmond, John sits down with Del Reid, the man widely credited as the godfather of Bills Mafia. What started as a late-night tweet from a pizza pickup in Tonawanda in April 2011 has grown into one of the most recognized and beloved fan communities in all of professional sports. Del is as humble as they come, quick to spread the credit and even quicker to remind...

In this episode of Angles with John Richmond, John sits down with Aaron Mentkowski, chief meteorologist at WKBW Channel 7 in Buffalo. A Lockport native who has spent 26 years forecasting for Western New York, Aaron is one of the most recognizable and trusted faces in local media, and one of the few Certified Broadcast Meteorologists in the country. What started with watching cars disappear in the...

In this episode of Angles with John Richmond, John sits down with Matt Keeler, founder of Just Dishin, the Buffalo-based hockey culture brand that is redefining what creative expression looks like in the sport. What started as three shirts made in high school and a dorm room operation at Saint John Fisher College has grown into one of the most authentic and innovative brands in hockey, with collab...

In this episode of Angles with John Richmond, John sits down with Rebecca Witter, licensed audiologist and founder of Acoustic Designs by Rebecca, a Buffalo-based acoustic consulting firm helping businesses, restaurants, offices, and residential spaces finally address the sound problem everyone notices but no one talks about. What began as a career rooted in patient care and a lifelong friendship...

In this episode of Angles with John Richmond, John sits down with Buffalo’s own Conway The Machine - internationally known recording artist, founder of Drumwork Music Group, and co-founder of Griselda Records. From recording on karaoke machines in his grandmother’s basement to signing with Shady Records and working with Roc Nation, Conway shares the unfiltered story behind his rise. He opens up ab...

In this episode of Angles with John Richmond, John sits down with Jim and Tami Fitzhenry. They are former corporate executives turned leadership coaches who now dedicate their time to helping leaders across Buffalo and Western New York grow with clarity, accountability, and authenticity. After decades building their careers at a global company rising from sales and engineering roles to the C-suite...

In this episode of Angles with John Richmond, John sits down with legendary NHL goaltending coach Mitch Korn. Mitch’s career spans decades at the highest levels of hockey, including foundational years with the Buffalo Sabres, where he helped redefine the role of the modern goalie coach and played a pivotal role in the development of Dominik Hasek. The conversation is deeply personal, as Mitch was...

In this episode of Angles with John Richmond, John sits down with Alex Dispence better known as Sup Chef a Western New York native who turned a background in professional kitchens into a massive online food brand. Alex shares how he transitioned from working in high-end restaurants to becoming an early breakout creator on TikTok, building an audience of millions through authenticity, humor, and ob...

In this episode of Angles with John Richmond, John sits down with Jesse Ciffa, owner of Chief’s Barber Parlor. Jesse shares his journey from learning barbering on YouTube and cutting hair in his grandmother’s basement to building one of Buffalo’s most respected modern barbershops. The conversation explores entrepreneurship without a traditional business background, earning trust client by client,...

In this episode of Angles with John Richmond, John sits down with Christopher Puckett, founding partner of Northeast Crash Dynamics and former New York State Trooper. Christopher brings decades of experience investigating serious motor vehicle crashes, crime scenes, and high‑stakes forensic cases. The conversation explores how crash reconstruction works, what vehicle “black box” data can reveal, a...

In this episode of Angles with John Richmond, John sits down with Larry Quinn, former President and Managing Partner of the Buffalo Sabres and one of the most influential executives in Buffalo sports and civic life. Larry played a central role in leading the Sabres through multiple ownership eras, including the Knox family and Tom Golisano, helping guide the franchise through some of its most succ...

In this episode of Angles with John Richmond, John sits down with Colleen Heidinger, President of 43North, Buffalo’s nationally recognized startup accelerator. Colleen shares her personal journey from growing up in Buffalo’s First Ward to building a career in global media, film, and venture ecosystems and ultimately returning home to help shape Buffalo’s entrepreneurial future. This conversation e...

In this episode of Angles with John Richmond, John sits down with Tom Szulist, founder of Innocence Cannabis and Singer Farm Naturals. Tom shares a deep, thoughtful exploration of the human body, the endocannabinoid system, and how cannabis, food, and the microbiome work together to support balance and health. Drawing from decades of experience in finance, agriculture, and plant science, Tom chall...