Hey Amarillo

A conversation with Daniel Davis, the proprietor of Sad Monkey Media and half of the country/americana band Fine & Dandy . Daniel is a designer, web developer, songwriter and musician who started both his business and the band over the past couple years. (He's been busy.) With host Jason Boyett, Daniel digs into the local music scene and why he's so invested in the growth of downtown Amarillo. Thi...

A conversation with Savannah Gates, the entrepreneur behind Reinventing the Weal , a hydroponic farm and consulting business west of Amarillo. Savannah is hard to describe. She's a former engineer. She's a mixologist. She grew up on a Bushland farm and studied sustainability in Hungary.  With host Jason Boyett, she shares her passion for cultivating the connection between local farmers and chefs a...

A conversation with Jason Boyett , host and creator of this podcast. Jason is a longtime designer, copywriter and author who has been working in Amarillo's marketing and advertising industry for nearly two decades.  Interviewed by Dusty Green, Jason explains his longtime interest in theology, how he found his way into celebrity ghostwriting, and why two years at Amarillo College played such a huge...

A conversation with Valerie Gooch, executive director of The PARC —the Panhandle Adult Rebuilding Center, which serves members of Amarillo's homeless population by offering classes and activities that help them rediscover their identity and purpose . With host Jason Boyett, Valerie explains why Amarillo is such a generous city and why it's so important that homeless people have a safe place where...

A conversation with Dr. Guy Loneragan, a former WTAMU faculty member and now a Texas Tech  Animal & Food Sciences professor  working to bring the Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine to Amarillo. With host Jason Boyett, Guy explains why Amarillo is a perfect fit for this high-impact vet school and details the huge economic benefit it will bring. A native of Australia, he also compares West Tex...

A conversation with Kristin Babbitt, a local entrepreneur and the owner of Dotsy's Boutique in Wolflin Square. Women's fashion is big business in Amarillo, and Dotsy's has carved out a loyal following despite tons of competition. With host Jason Boyett, Kristin shares how she started her boutique and why social media is so central to Dotsy's success. This episode is sponsored by Street Toyota . He...

Jason talks! In this 52nd episode of the podcast, host Jason Boyett gives up control of the mic and lets Wes Reeves ask him questions about the first year of the show. Together they discuss the current moment in Amarillo and what part Hey Amarillo may be playing among those who want to see the city meet its potential. Jason also introduces a new way for listeners to connect with him and help fund...

A conversation with Jodi Thomas , a best-selling novelist and member of the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. Jodi lives in Amarillo and has written more than 50 books, from historical romances to contemporary women's fiction—including Mistletoe Miracles , her latest. With host Jason Boyett, Jodi shares about how her career began, her writing process, and why this area plays such a signific...

A conversation with Patrick Freeman , a professional voiceover artist who narrates audio books and voices video game characters from his home studio in Amarillo. He and host Jason Boyett talk about Patrick's career change—he used to work in financial services in Houston—and why he's chosen to live and work in Amarillo. We also discuss his upcoming work in China and the techniques he uses to perfor...

In another series of three shorter, "Eight Straight"-only conversations, host Jason Boyett asks the standard, Amarillo-focused questions of photographer/concert promoter Bahareh Ritter, marketing advisor Cale Hawley, and workforce specialist Sabrina Meck. This episode is sponsored by  Bivins Pointe .

A conversation with Abhishek Sonkkar, general manager of the Amarillo Club,  a prestigious dining club located at the top of the city's tallest building. "Abhi" is a native of northern India who arrived in Amarillo expecting it to be a temporary stop in his hospitality career. He and host Jason Boyett talk about Abhi's background, why he chose to stay here, and how the Amarillo Club is moving forw...

A conversation with Beth Duke, executive director of Center City Amarillo,  a nonprofit involved in the revitalization and historic preservation of downtown Amarillo. At its helm, Beth has been the driving force behind countless efforts to restore the vibrancy of this part of town, from the signage on Polk Street to the Amarillo Community Market. With host Jason Boyett, she explains why a strong c...

A conversation with Dr. Ryan Pennington, the founder and director of the Refugee Language Project (refugeelanguage.org). Pennington, a linguist by profession, moved to Amarillo after several years as a Bible translator in Papua New Guinea. Here he discovered an extraordinary refugee population—and set about trying to remove the barriers that kept these residents from success. He and host Jason Boy...

A conversation with Jon Mark Beilue, the recently retired columnist at the Amarillo Globe-News . Jon Mark's decades-long career in Amarillo has covered high school sports, unlikely championships, local heroes and the unique residents of the area. Just a few days after his official retirement, Jon Mark sits down with host Jason Boyett to discuss how he got into the business and why he loves telling...

In a series of three shorter, "Eight Straight"-only conversations, host Jason Boyett asks the usual questions of insurance agent (and food blogger) Jason Burr, artist and shop owner Stacy Lavon, and credit card manager Jennifer Callahan. This episode is sponsored by the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation .

A conversation with Michael Rowley, director of the upcoming documentary feature film Hurdle . With host Jason Boyett, Michael talks about growing up in Amarillo, his background in art and theology, and how he settled upon the idea for his new film. Central to his story is how the city's creative community 10 years ago helped launch Rowley into what he's doing now. This episode is sponsored by the...

A conversation with David Prescott, the President of Talon/LPE , a multi-state environmental services company headquartered in Amarillo. With multiple locations and Fortune 500 clients, why make Amarillo the center of Talon's operations? Host Jason Boyett asks David that question as they discuss the company's humble beginnings and the secret that makes the local workforce so valuable. This episode...

In a series of three shorter, "Eight Straight"-only conversations, host Jason Boyett asks the usual questions of entrepreneur Andrew Brandt, photographer Angelina Medina, and author/investment advisor John Early. This episode is sponsored by the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation .

A conversation with Manny De Los Santos, the pastor of Power Church and organizer of the Barrio Bash on July 14, an outdoor community event in the historic neighborhood east of downtown Amarillo. With host Jason Boyett, Manny discusses his path from entrepreneurship into pastoring, as well as his unexpected decision to stop trying to grow his church and focus instead on serving his neighborhood. T...

A conversation with John Hintz, an IT professional and prominent leader and activist in Amarillo's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. For years he represented the Panhandle on the board of Equality Texas . June is LGBT Pride Month, so John and host Jason Boyett discuss the local LGBT community and John's experiences—both positive and negative—living as an openly gay man in a conserv...

A conversation with Stacy Sanning, a senior project manager at Golden Spread Electric Cooperative . Stacy works in a field that's typically dominated by men. For that reason, she's passionate about getting young girls interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) careers. We discuss her arrival in Amarillo as an 8th grader, the differences between Golden Spread and Xcel Energy, an...

A conversation with Steve Kersh , the chief meteorologist at ABC7. It's a big understatement to say the weather is always on the mind of locals. Panhandle people are obsessed with it. So with this being severe weather season, host Jason Boyett sits down with Steve to discuss how he got into the business, what he does on a daily basis, and how much his job reporting the weather on TV has changed du...

A conversation with Tony Ensor, President and General Manager of Amarillo Professional Baseball. Last week, the team's management unveiled the five finalist names (Boot Scooters, Bronc Busters, Long Haulers, Jerky and Sod Poodles) to widespread public consternation. Thousands signed a petition demanding new finalists. In this episode, he and host Jason Boyett discuss minor league naming convention...

A conversation with Matthew Garner, PhD, a scientist and entrepreneur/CEO who manages New York businesses and microbiology labs from his home base of Amarillo. Matt is also trying to build, in his words, "a microbiology company of epic proportions" to serve the ag industry in Amarillo. He and host Jason Boyett discuss Matt's background and career, why he works remotely from Amarillo, and why he be...

A conversation with Eric Miller, the communications director for the Amarillo Convention & Visitor Council . Eric is as pro-Amarillo as anyone in the city—because promoting the city is literally his job. He spends his days working with writers, travelers and other groups to promote Amarillo as a tourism destination. In other words, he's a salesman, and the product he's selling is Amarillo. He and...