Talkin' Macon

Macon's Terminal Station, built in 1916, has transformed from a bustling railroad terminal that welcomed more than 100 trains each day to a beautifully-restored event venue that has been home to numerous film and television productions. Jami Gaudet, Public Information Officer for Macon-Bibb County Transit Authority, joins us on this episode to discuss the Terminal's history and to share stories ab...

Bragg Jam, Macon's annual concert crawl is Saturday, July 26. The event brings dozens of performers from across the country to seven venues in downtown Macon for a day of concerts and community. This year's headliners are American Aquarium and SUSTO. The schedule also features Muddy's Mystery Shows, which are secret shows in new and unique venues in downtown. This episode features a conversation w...

Stacy Harrell, better known as Stacy J, is a playwright, actress, choreographer and producer. She is bringing her stage play, "If You Loved Me" to Macon's Douglass Theatre on July 19. Shows are 2pm and 6pm, and tickets are available at www.douglasstheatre.org . On this episode, Stacy talks about the play and her own experiences both on and off stage.

"Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot" was filmed in Macon and Middle Georgia, and premiered on July 4, 2024. In recognition of the anniversary of its release, we are sharing the conversation with three local actresses - Rena Laster, Sandra Jarrett, and Della Golden - who were featured in the film. They spoke about the the film, its important mission, and their experiences on set. The film is a...

Dr. Shelton Land is the Executive Director of the Douglass Theatre in Macon. The Douglass Theatre has been an important part of Macon's history since it was opened in 1921. Dr. Land discusses the beginnings of the Douglass, highlights some of the performers who have graced the stage, and highlights what the future looks like for one of Macon's - and one of America's - great theatres. We talked abo...

Steven & Reia Collins, owners of Layers bakery in Macon have created a near cult following for their delicious cakes, cookies, and other desserts. They recently took a family trip to New York City to explore and to conduct research for items they can bring back to the community. Layers brings visitors from the surrounding area for their strawberry crunch cake, the pecan pie cheesecake, the blu...

Jay Markwalter is the Statewide Tourism Director for the Georgia Department of Economic Development. In this role, he leads the Department’s Tourism Division, working collaboratively with state leadership and industry partners statewide to drive the continued growth and economic impact of tourism in Georgia. He leads a Regional Tourism team dedicated to tourism industry relations, oversees the sta...

Liz Fabian is an award-winning multimedia journalist who has been on the front lines of the headlines in Macon and Central Georgia for 40 years. Liz has worked at every one of Macon's television stations, the Macon Telegraph, and now the Center for Collaborative Journalism. Liz worked for the fledgling Weather Channel, and was the first reporter sent out into a hurricane to cover the storm. She is...

What a fun crossover episode with the other Macon podcast, "Macon It." I had the chance to sit down with Olivia Walter and Edna Adams with Macon-Bibb County. Like Voltron, we brought individual powers together to form the ultimate Macon podcast. We talked about living in Macon, designed the perfect day in Macon, and talked about what we love about our community.

Joe Finkelstein has lived in Macon for 24 years and is an AI educator, columnist, and public speaker. He is also active in a variety of local organizations, causes and pickleball leagues. This wide-ranging conversations weaves from the Philadelphia Eagles to pickleball to use of AI for travel planning. For more information about Joe's work with AI, visit his website - askaijoe.com . Photo credit:...

Brad Williams is presently on his Growth Spurt Tour, and is coming to the Macon City Auditorium on May 31. We had the opportunity to talk about his comedy, being a dad, his extensive travels, and even taxidermy. This was a fun and funny conversation. Expect a high-energy show here or wherever you have the opportunity to see Brad on the road. Tickets for the show are available at maconcentreplex.or...

Mayor Lester Miller's dynamic leadership has brought a spotlight to Macon-Bibb County, and he's working each day to make the community a great place for residents and visitors alike. This episode features a fun and wide-ranging conversation, covering a variety of topics including his leadership and accomplishments, his vision for his second term in office, blowing up a building, the National Park,...

Macon will be attempting to set a new world record for the LARGEST KAZOO ENSEMBLE on March 28. Following the record-setting attempt, we will be featuring music from Diamond Dogs and stand-up comedy from Emmy Award winner Ian Karmel. Ian is the host of the "All Fantasy Everything" podcast. His memoir, "T-Shirt Swim Club" is a best seller. His brand new stand-up special, "Comfort Beyond God's Foresi...

In honor of the 97th Academy Awards, we wanted to talk movies. Specifically, we wanted to talk about movies (and TV shows and commercials) that have filmed in Macon. Because there are too many to list, we decided to fantasy draft our favorites with some friends. For more information about all the productions that have filmed here in Macon, check out www.maconfilmcommission.com and www.visitmacon.o...

The Macon Christmas Light Extravaganza is an award-winning event and attraction entering its 8th year. We sat down with Bryan Nichols whose vision created the Extravaganza and whose work includes overseeing installation of more than one million lights in Downtown Macon. The Extravaganza begins Friday, November 29 with a live concert featuring Macon Pops and runs through January 5, 2025. There are...

Emmy Award-winning violinist Robert McDuffie was born in Macon and trained at Juilliard. He has performed worldwide as a soloist with some of the most premier orchestras in the world including the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics; the Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta, Toronto and Jerusalem Symphonies; and all of the major orchestras in Australia. This wide-ranging conversation covers McDuffie...

We've heard the name Newton (Newt) Collier several times over the first 19 episodes, and today we have the opportunity to hear from the musical icon and music historian himself. Collier grew up in Macon and began his musical journey on the piano. He picked up the trumpet at age 10, and after graduating high school, toured internationally with Sam and Dave. He also performed with Clarence Carter, P...

Content advisory: This episode contains discussion about anxiety, depression and suicide. Carrie Genzel has appeared in numerous television shows and movies, including Watchmen , The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus , The Walking Dead , Supernatural and All My Children . She is presently writing and developing unscripted shows for production as well as working with Visit Macon as host of the new " Mac...

Shane Buerster is founder and CEO of Z Beans Coffee. As a student at Mercer University, a trip to Ecuador led him to a friendship and now business partnership with Arturo Penarreta, the tour guide for that mission trip. Shane shares the journey from student to entrepreneur in this episode, and shares how Z Beans has created a way for Ecuadorian farmers to export coffee, create sustainability, and...

David Aiello is GM of the Macon Centreplex (Coliseum, Auditorium, and Atrium Health Amphitheater). He discusses venue management, opening up a brand new building, show routing, and how many steps he and his team take during the day Macon is hosting a show at one of the venues he manages. We also find out more about strange requests he's seen on artists' riders. More information, including ticketin...

Scott Mitchell is one of Downtown Macon's most ardent supporters since 2015. He owns two businesses - The Bohemian Den and Sweet Eleanor's Divine Desserts - and has served on the Main Street Board of Directors, helped create the downtown Hype Team, and has been a huge supporter of other businesses. He helped create Macon Pride and is the President of the Macon Pride Board. Scott was Macon-Bibb Cha...

This episode was originally posted June 3, 2024. We are reposing this episode to ensure it is available on all platforms. Dr. Ilyon Woo is the 2024 Pulitzer Prize Award-winning and New York Times best-selling author of Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom . The book chronicles the epic journey to freedom taken in 1848 by an enslaved, married couple, Ellen and William...

This episode was originally posted May 17, 2024. We are reposing this episode to ensure it is available on all platforms. Michael O'Leary is an Emmy-nominated actor who spent more than 20 years portraying Dr. Rick Bauer on Guiding Light . O'Leary was the Grand Marshal of the 2019 International Cherry Blossom Festival parade in Macon, Georgia. In October 2023, O'Leary brought his play Breathing Und...

Matt Chamberlin started in the film industry as Jerry Bruckheimer's personal assistant. He joined the locations world after that, and has worked on productions like A Man in Full, Will Trent, Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween, Sleepy Hollow, Sully, Collateral, Must Love Dogs, Spider-Man 3, and Modern Family. His work on Zombieland: Double Tap, Hillbilly Elegy, and The First Lady brought him to Macon...

Macon-native Grey Henson is an actor, dancer and singer. He originated the role of Damian Hubbard in the Broadway production of Mean Girls, a role that earned him a nomination for a 2018 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical. He has also played Elder McKinley in both the Broadway and U.S. National Touring productions of The Book of Mormon . Henson started acting and dancing as...