James Hartigan Elaborates on the New EPT Not Live Podcast
Earlier this month, PokerStars launched a brand new podcast called 'EPT Not Live,' a weekly show will be hosted by EPTLive commentators, James Hartigan and Joe Stapleton. Since 2007 EPTLive has been an integral part of the European Poker Tour's success, and now that team aims to bring the same thoughtful, engaging and light-hearted poker content to the popular podcast platform.
"If the EPT were a movie, this would be the DVD commentary," said Stapleton. "Although most of our audience probably doesn’t know what a DVD is, so I think this is probably best explained by a series of emojis. If you like the EPT, this show will make you :-), (y), and XD."
The podcast, which will go behind the scenes at live events, interview celebrities, members of Team PokerStars Pro and online qualifiers, and give listeners the chance to win exclusive prizes, launched its first-ever episode with mixed martial arts legend and poker enthusiast, Tito Ortiz, which you can listen to here.
PokerNews recently chatted with Hartigan about EPT Not Live:
PokerNews: What inspired you guys to launch get into the podcast business?
Hartigan: We wanted to fill the void in between live streams. Judging by our respective Twitter timelines, there are a lot of people out there who enjoy watching EPTLive and get desperate and lonely when we’re not on their computers talking irreverent nonsense over pictures of poker players. So, we decided to give them what they want. Granted, we’ve taken away the pictures of people playing poker, but there’s plenty of irreverent chat.
It’s clear some people treat EPTLive like a radio show. They minimize the video window and just listen to the commentary. Also, numerous fans have asked over the years why we don’t do a podcast. When you consider that Joe has oodles of experience at presenting and producing podcasts and I come from a radio background, it kinda makes sense for us to go down this route.
Since it's not live, does the podcast afford you any opportunities you don't usually have on EPTLive? How about filthy language, will we be hearing any expletives?
Well, the audience may not be hearing it live, but we’re hoping to present it live. So, there will be mistakes, and there may be the occasional expletive.
The main opportunity the podcast affords us is to peel back the curtain a little bit on the EPT. We’ll talk about what we get up to when we’re on tour, and showcase material from the TV shows — including some of Joe’s more obscene jokes — that didn’t make the edit.
And we’ll invite listeners on air. In the ‘Superfan vs Stapes’ segment, EPT obsessives will compete against Joe, with an exclusive ‘Everyone Loves a Chop Pot’ T-shirt on the line.
The logo for the podcast is pretty epic. Where did it come from and what are your thoughts on it?
I love it! Everyone was worried I’d be offended by my caricature. But I think the artist captured my features perfectly. My colleague Ben Strivens came up with the original concept, so credit to him – and to the designers at PokerStars for crafting the finished logo.
Hopefully, the logo sends the message that this show is a bit of fun. It’s designed to be a lot more laid back than the EPT TV shows or live streams. It’s an entertainment show about poker. We’re not talking industry news, or listing results. But we will talk about Joe’s Tinder exploits at the PCA.
What was it like recording your first EPT Not Live podcast? Did you do it at the PCA?
No, we caught up with Tito via Skype. We’re trying to record the show as a continuous 60-75 minute chunk; like a radio show that’s not on the radio. There are no plans at the moment to record interviews and produce features on location. We like the comfort of our studio.
When, where and how will you be recording the podcast? Will it be recorded at all EPT events? What about when an EPT event isn't happening?
Did I mention that we have a very comfortable studio? It’s actually the same booth where we voice the EPT TV shows. The podcast will be published on a Friday. But we won’t be taking EPT Not Live on the road, because we’ll be too busy hosting EPTLive. The idea is that EPT Not Live only exists when EPTLive doesn’t. Does that make sense?
We’ll take a retrospective look at live events. During the weeks/months when there isn’t an EPT going on, we’ll focus on the TV shows (they’re on every week on major TV networks around the world and at YouTube.com/PokerStars) and hear about Joe’s adventures in online poker.
Have you recorded other episodes? If so, can you share what listeners can expect?
In the next couple of weeks, we’ll look back at the last EPT Deauville, and interview ElkY about his deep run in the Main Event there. Plus, we’ll catch up with Dominik Panka, who’s a big character in the EPT Barcelona TV shows.
If you could choose anyone in the world to interview on your podcast, who would it be and why?
Well, Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig are all on the wish list. I guess there SHOULD be a poker angle to the interview, so Daniel “Epic Slowroll” Craig takes priority. But, to be honest, I’d settle for anyone who’s appeared in a James Bond film who knows the ranking of hands.
Listen to the first three EPT Not Live Podcast by clicking here.