About 14 years ago, local media personalities Kerry Jackson, Shannon Barnson, Jeff Vice, Leigh Kade and Scott Pierce began doing a feature program on the X96 morning show Radio From Hell roughly once a month, or when the boss was away. This show, which later became the Geek Show Podcast, featured Jackson as host, Barnson as “color-commentary man,” Vice as movie “smack talker,” Kade as illustration expert and Pierce as TV critic.
For about a year and a half, the guys talked about the idea of expanding. With the growth of a “TiVo society,” in which audiences across the country are now able to watch TV and get information on their own time, the gang realized they needed to step up. Jackson realized the radio needed to adapt as well—and a podcast was the way to go.
On the way to their first recording, Vice and Barnson were skeptical about the project, and while carpooling, kept wondering, “OK, is this gonna happen …” Everyone figured they would get about 500 downloads if they were lucky.
Turns out, the Geek Show Podcast hit 3,000 downloads on the very first recording. No one anticipated the success the show would receive from simply getting together in Jackson’s basement to drink and talk “geek stuff.”
In addition to the podcasts, the crew holds free movie screenings at Brewvies Cinema Pub (677 S. 200 West) on the last Sunday of each month. On Feb. 5, they’ll host “Trails Night” at Trails Men’s Club.
