The podcast I listened to was, “Dog Save The People”. The episode name was “Shifiting Focus w/ Mike Ruiz”.
In this episode, the host, John Bartlett, speaks to a man named Mike Ruiz. They focus on the man’s story about being a dog photographer and how his own dogs changed his life. At first, Ruiz did not like dogs, or have any intention of adopting one. However, we learned that after he adopted a rescue pit bull named Oliver, his views changed dramatically. Ruiz photographs dogs to spread more awareness on rescue and shelter dogs. Ruiz talks about how taking care of Oliver opened a new door in his life. However, later in the podcast we learn that Oliver had passed away, and the main story is about Ruiz grieving and healing about his past loved one. He adopts a new pit bull named Julia. He is able to learn how to grieve and love at the same time and that they do not have to happen separately.
This podcast focused more on the two men having a personal conversation, instead of only just narration. Also, Mike Ruiz and John Bartlett are on the same set while recording the podcast. Ruiz is mainly doing all of the talking and explaining his story, while Bartlett asks questions to guide the story in a certain direction. I believe this brings out more emotion to both the interviewee and listener. It felt like Ruiz was telling his story directly to us, since he was being interviewed live and in person. The story was not scripted, and was very heartfelt.
There is only music at the start and the end of the podcast. I believe this creates a more serious tone to the story, making the readers focus on Ruiz’s tone of voice and the emotion it releases.
The way this podcast was structured hooks people into wanting to know more. This podcast was very emotion driven. Dogs are seen as man’s best friend, something to love unconditionally. At the start, it was unknown to the listener that Ruiz’s dog, Oliver, had passed away. The interviewer says “I just want to say, first and foremost, I am talking about him in the past”. This creates a shock in the listeners, as we assumed Oliver was still alive. The sudden change in tone makes listeners want to know more about this suddenly sad dog story.
Later in the podcast, we learn that Ruiz adopted another pit bull named Julia. Ruiz describes how Julia helped him grieve over Oliver. He also talks about how much alike Julia is to Oliver. This affects the listeners’ emotions as it feels like we already know Julia.
At the end, Bartlett asks Ruiz “for people who want to get into dog activism themselves, what would you recommend?” This is important because it brings the listener into the conversation. It creates more interest in the story, as listeners can think about what they can do to help, how they can save a life.
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Hi Kayland, I thought your response was a great introduction to the podcast as a whole and it made me want to listen to it. In general, this topic for a podcast sounds like an interesting and fresh take on what someone might expect from an ordinary podcast. When I think of podcasts, I normally assume they have to fit within a specific category- whether that be comedy, mystery, news, etc. However, from what I can tell, “Dog Save The People” seems to fall within a category of its own. I can see how it would be both emotional and intriguing to the listener within the first episode alone. I personally love dogs, as well as hearing personal anecdotes, so as soon as I read the title for this particular podcast I found myself becoming very interested in learning more about it through your response.
Your explanation of the podcast as a whole made me think that I’d most likely become very emotional while listening, especially in this first episode when Ruiz is speaking about his dog who sadly passed away. You mentioned how the music in both the beginning and end creates a more serious tone in that there were minimal distractions to Ruiz’s voice as he tells his story. I can definitely see how this is the case because music is always crucial in creating a certain tone for any work of media that involves a listener. For me, I always find it fascinating to discover what types of music are being used in any form of media, and then analyze how the music affects the listener and the work as a whole. You also mentioned that the podcast is much more conversational and not scripted whatsoever. I think this is a great technique used by the creator in order to bring the listener into the conversation and create a very personal atmosphere.
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Hi Kayland! Wow this sounds like a podcast I would be interested in listening to. I’ve volunteered for an animal shelter and know how much rescue pets can only feel a great impact for being able to go to a loving home, but moreover have an impact on the people who adopt them. I think it is such a nice point how you noted that “it felt like Ruiz was telling his story directly to us, since he was being interviewed live and in person”. I think this a great setup for a podcast, as it seems very engaging to have such a raw feeling instead of traditional scripted storytelling. This feeling like you said is more amplified when there is a lack of music during the period where he is talking. In terms of style and setup, it reminds me a bit of the podcast I listened to. Although a different story, my chosen podcast was a bit of an interview with no music, and I felt myself very engaged while listening to the conversation between both the host and primarily the guest who had the most spotlight. Having the focus shifted more to the guest was very impactful from a listeners perspective. It makes me feel more inclined to listen to other episodes from the series since I know there is bound to be a lot of variety. think question asked at the ending of your podcast was a great technique, as it seems it makes the story have an impact have an effect on the thoughts of the listener and will stick with them for a while after the interview is over, and hopefully prompt them to become involved with activism.
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