Podcasting in A Sea of Podcasters

A dispatch from the On Air Festival in Brooklyn. Plus recs for Mandy Brown on uncertainty, Lisa DuBois hide and seek, and asylum seekers sent to Panama.

When I checked into the hotel in Williamsburg, Brooklyn this week, the guy at the front desk looked at me eagerly. “Are you here for the podcast festival?”

“I am,” I said.

He looked up from the computer, his eyes wide. “Are you… a podcaster?”

“I am,” I said.

“Wow!” He said, as he handed me my keycard.

I stood there for a few awkward seconds as I tried to figure out if he was messing with me or not. He seemed so genuinely excited. And yet, here we were in Williamsburg. Everyone for 20 square miles is a podcaster! It would frankly be more surprising if I wasn’t a podcaster!

I’m shocked the guy behind the front desk wasn’t already actively recording a limited-run audio series about the world of mid-evening hotel check-ins.

But as far as I could tell he was not hosting a podcast and he was not being sarcastic. Thus began my time at On Air Fest, an island of podcasters in the middle of the vast Brooklyn ocean of other podcasters. I was there to record a live episode of How to Be a Better Human where we interviewed Rachelle Hampton, the hilarious new host of Normal Gossip. It was a delight and I’m so excited for it to be released so you can hear the gossip audience members shared about a snow plow coup in rural Maine and a throuple in NYC. The stories were juicier than I could have imagined.

It’s funny to be at a podcast festival because you’re surrounded by people who, if you don’t already know them, you have no clue who they are until you hear their voice or they tell you their name. It’s like a real life version of that party game where you’re trying to guess what celebrity people are, but you can’t see what’s written on the cards.

I’ve had such a weird circuitous little career that I’ve ended up spending a lot of time performing at comedy festivals and science festivals. Comedy festivals, in my experience, are notable for the parties and backstage hangouts being either wildly hilarious or extremely silent and awkward. There’s almost nothing in between. Science festivals involve a lot of smart people drinking heavily and then debating the state of the universe.

This was, I’m pretty sure, my first podcast festival. At the dinner after my show, we all went around the table and talked about our favorite sounds. We started out with emotional hits like your baby’s laughter or someone’s dad’s voice and then got into the classics (rain on the roof, snow crunching under a boot) before hitting the niche and sublime (a spoon cracking the top of a creme brûlée, the thunk of a solid wood door closing slowly).

I loved it. Would absolutely rate hanging out with audio people five stars on Apple Podcasts and leave a positive review.

Also, now I’m very curious to hear more people’s favorite sounds! If you’re so inclined, describe your favorite sound in the comments below (they’re open to all).

This week’s list

GREAT:

I loved this essay by Mandy Brown about how uncertainty makes life possible. Especially right now, in 2025, I’ve felt like everything is constantly up in the air. There’s so little stability or predictability and it’s been causing me to spiral, to be honest. This was a very helpful and different way to think about uncertainty. Make Life Possible (h/t Austin Kleon)

Side note: I also appreciate how there are links to the books that are discussed in the piece at the bottom. That’s a cool design feature that I wish more websites did.

FUNNY:

This video of a realtor showing where she would hide in a game of hide and seek has had me laughing for hours. Truly the best home tour video I’ve ever seen. Lisa DuBois Realtor (h/t Erica)

INTERESTING:

I know it can be hard right now to pay attention to the full daily parade of horrors. I’m not sure it’s even possible or desirable to do that. But I do think that history (both long past and recent past) have proven that clearly voiced, loud outrage about egregious government actions can change those policies. The decision to imprison and fly asylum seekers from the U.S. border to a third country against their will is both illegal and immoral. It’s important to note that these are people who have done nothing wrong. They have broken no laws. You are legally allowed to claim asylum. They were simply trying to exercise their rights under international law. This piece of reporting, from a hotel in Panama where asylum seekers are being held without access to lawyers or even their phones, does an excellent job of talking about the big picture while also centering some very specific, human stories. The teacher from Iran who converted to Christianity and thought she’d find refuge in the U.S. puts a very human face on this heartless policy. I hope more people pay attention and the administration is forced to back down. As Trump ‘Exports’ Deportees, Hundreds Are Trapped in Panama Hotel (NYT gift article)

BONUS FOR PAYING SUBSCRIBERS:

Paying subscribers make Bright Spots possible! This newsletter will always be available for anyone to read for free, but paying subscribers let me make it happen! They also get access to special features as well the entire archive of past posts. Paying subscribers also get my undying gratitude (which never dies). It’s never too late to join them!

That's it for this week. Thanks for reading! Please share Bright Spots with anyone you think might enjoy it.

This was technically not a podcast,

Chris Duffy

This has been Bright Spots, a newsletter.

---

…wait, who are you?

I'm Chris Duffy, a comedian, TV writer, podcast host, and both a former fifth grade teacher and a former fifth grade student. I’m currently writing a nonfiction book about humor for Doubleday.