← Next On Scene: The Human Behind The Brand
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- [00:02]
Jackie
Welcome back to Nexon Team, where we go beyond the highlights and discover the human behind the brand. Today's guest made my New York heart smile because before podcasts were even a thing, his voice was waking up millions on 95.5 PLJ's Scott and Todd in the morning. He's a storyteller, a creative, and author of the bestselling book called Good Listen, which teaches you how to have unforgettable conversations in business and life. Please welcome the one and only join, Joe Partavilla.
- [00:38]
Podcast Narrator
The ups, the downs, and all the in between, what it takes to become Next on scene. Are you next? Follow us at Next on scene.
- [00:57]
Jackie
Did I say that correctly, by the way?
- [00:59]
Joe Partavilla
Pretty good. Pretty good.
- [01:00]
Jackie
How do we actually say what's the correct way then if it's not Part.
- [01:02]
Joe Partavilla
Of Villa is fine. I try to make it fancier. So I say part of Villa, but part of Villa is fine.
- [01:07]
Jackie
Okay. No, we'll do part of Villa. Perfect. I love it. I love it. So first of all, before everyone comes on my show, I talk about fashion and what people wear because I believe that what we wear is how we show up. You know what I mean? Like how we feel, how we attract people. So Joe and I were talking briefly about what gray wearing gray means. So I want to define what it means. So it means conve, neutrality, wisdom, and conservatism. So what's your take on this, Joe? Can you repeat what you shared with me? I loved it.
- [01:35]
Joe Partavilla
Yes. So I like the first half of it. I don't know about the conservatism part, but to me, I think it's. Don't worry about the. You can't wear stripes with plaids. And all this other. All these other pattern rules, they go out the window when it comes to dealing with those basic black grays and white colors.
- [01:50]
Jackie
I love this. So, I mean, it's spot on because gray really does. It goes with everything. So I agree. And as New Yorkers originally, you and I both understand, and I think gray.
- [02:00]
Joe Partavilla
Is sort of the evolution of it, because I think a lot of people especially it was like that cliche New York, like, everyone's wearing black. And then I think eventually everyone got tired of it and, like, what else can we do instead of black? And like, oh, gray is. That's close enough. And I think that's why gray has become very popular. I think for like, 20, 30 years, like, gray vehicles were the most popular vehicle color. I think now it's white. And then also, if you ever. I know it's just from a few years ago. So when we built our house, we bought new furniture, and every time I went to a store, it was always a gray couch. And I would always ask is like, why do you only sell gray couches? Really annoying. And they said, basically, because a gray couch works with any kind of house, color matter, what kind of carpet.
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Jackie
I mean.
- [02:44]
Joe Partavilla
Speaking.
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Jackie
My.
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Joe Partavilla
My.
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Jackie
My couch is gray. Like, we are. You're spot on.
- [02:47]
Joe Partavilla
Is yours.
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Jackie
Is yours or no?
- [02:50]
Joe Partavilla
No, because we. We were patient, so we essentially said, no, we don't want any of that crap. So I think one couch we preordered, and it took, like, three months to get, and it's like a. It's like a greenish couch, and the other one is sort of like a whitish couch again that we had to wait for several weeks to get. So I think that's the thing. They prey on your patients. So most people don't want to wait three months for their couch because, like, hey, they need somewhere to sit. But if you have the patience and if you have all the furniture, that. That takes its place for a little while as a placeholder, great. But. But yes. No. So we. We went above and beyond. We were patient, and it sucked because you're like, you know, they tell you a certain date, and then all of a sudden it's like that date has passed. You're like, well, there's our couch. And they're like, it's coming. So, yeah, so it does require a lot of patience to go beyond the gray couch.
- [03:37]
Jackie
Fair. Fair. Fun nugget for the day. Valid points.
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Joe Partavilla
Yeah.
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Jackie
I love this.
- [03:41]
Joe Partavilla
Okay, thank you.
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Jackie
So everyone has. So we talk about color. So I call, like, the red carpet moment. But then we. I want to tie it into music because I feel like music really depicts, like, our season of lives that we're in. So if you could pick two songs right now that are in the season of life that you're in, what would they be? And I'm going to make a soundtrack with, like, all my podcast guests. I'm making a playlist.
- [04:01]
Joe Partavilla
Oh, wow. Yeah, there's a. There's a great Alex Warren song out now now called can't stop this. It's a. It's like. It's a great, like, gym vibe. And also it's a great sort of, like, anthem of, like, you can't stop. No one can stop what. What you want to do. So I think that's. That's one, and then two. I'm going to go super cheesy, and I'm going to say from the Soundtrack of K Pop Demon Hunters Golden. It's like this really cool pop anthem of like affirmation and like I will survive kind of thing. So I'm not showing my age because these songs are for younger than I am.
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Jackie
I love it.
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Joe Partavilla
Listen, you know, I came from a world of radio so I've always gravitated to younger sounding music. And I will tell you, I predominantly listen to music when I'm just working out or like if I'm driving around most times in that I'm not listening to a lot of music. So that's why a lot of my music choices are always going to tend to be a little more uptempo than, than your average song, you know.
- [05:04]
Jackie
I love it, I have to tell you. So I've been finding with the interviews I've been having there is totally overlaps in choices of music which I really love so much. That's amazing. One of my guys, same the K pop. I mean it's a really good song. Yeah, it's a great song.
- [05:19]
Joe Partavilla
It's so good. Yeah. And it's also, it's, it's also one of those things where it doesn't matter what age you are. Like obviously kids love it because it's part of an animated movie. But like if you, like you said, if you just listen to it, it's like just a great pop song. Like who cares? It's from a cartoon movie about K pop singers who hunt demons. Who cares? It's just a good pop song.
- [05:35]
Jackie
So true. Okay, I want to talk about your era in New York radio because that's where it all began. Right. So I love that because as a fellow New Yorker brought me back even though I live in BO now. But what did that era teach you about people, storytelling and connection?
- [05:50]
Joe Partavilla
Everything. Like literally like, I mean I wrote a book about it because of the fact that I was very fortunate. I had a very much an outlier career for most people that are in the radio industry. I spent 24 years in the same job, in the same market, in the same radio station which is, I trust me, I was very self aware to know that I was very fortunate. As you know, media industry is very nomadic. You kind of have to hop around, you have to start, you know, do. It's like a Drake song. You got to start the bottom and work the way up. Luckily I was very fortunate where I started my internship at this radio station, New York called wplj. It's an iconic, what was a rock station then became a pop station. And so I was very Fortunate to start as an intern there, just work my way that to become an executive producer and co host of the morning show. But that's really where I learned everything. Like, I learned everything on the job. I had dropped out of college to pursue this career. I was, I was still interning, going to college. And they said, hey, listen, do you want to take a job here or you could stay in school. And I was not a school guy. I just went to school because that's what they told you to do. And so my education came on the job I do. The hosts that I work with are two legendary broadcasters. One is Scott Shan, the other is Todd Pettengill. And I said, I went to the college of Scott and Todd. Like, I learned about communicating. I learned about what not to do when it came to communicating, what it meant to be a leader, what it meant to show up for work every day. That Gen X mentality of, like grinding it out, you know, putting in your eight hours plus every day. So, yeah, no, literally, like everything I've learned came from my time working in radio.
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Jackie
So inspiring. So what did you originally go to school for?
- [07:23]
Joe Partavilla
So, so here's the thing. So I was a kid of immigrants. I always want to be in show business, but I didn't know how to do that. So growing up in Newt, North New Jersey, luckily in the shadow of New York City, I said, you know, that's, that'll be my, my venue, the fact that I'm so close. So I decided to stay, stay nearby. Went to a state school in New Jersey called William Patterson that at the time had this very much high tech, you know, the top of the line communication school without a TV studio and radio studio. And so my first day on campus, went down to the TV studio and I said, hey, I want to be on tv. And they said, well, we really don't get freshmen don't go on tv. They have to work behind the scenes before you could do that. So you have to wait. I'm like, all right, cool. So I walked down the hall to the radio station, I said, hey, I want to be on the air. And they said, what time you want to go on? So I essentially started working on the college radio station. And for whatever reason, Jackie, I don't like to say that I was incredibly, like, aware of the industry or like, aware of, like, what my career was going to be like, but I thought to myself, maybe I should get an internship sooner than later to see if this is what I want to do for the rest of my life again. This Was not like, well thought out. I didn't like hem and haw on this. I was just like, it could be a good idea. Because as you know, Jackie, most people who go for internships, they go their junior or senior year, they. They're kind of just checking the box, filling that requirement. And I thought, hey, this is a great opportunity for me to see if this could be a venue for me. So I did it during my sophomore year and I had a blast. I was working in the promotion department, I was driving the van, throwing out T shirts to crowds. But for whatever reason, what I was doing had impressed people at the radio station. And when my internship came to an end at that summer, they said, hey, listen, we had this opening and summer for top 40 radio stations is sort of like their peak. They're doing promotions every day, multiple on the weekends. So we need to fill this position fast. Would you be willing to take this job? But obviously you wouldn't be able to go to school full time. And I said, well, absolutely. Sign me up thinking that, hey, this would be a good opportunity. And then like most people who, when they drop out of college, say, I'll go back to it eventually. Well, that eventually kind of came and went. And then I just kept working my way up through the company to just having an amazing ride of just being able to work with, like, super talented people learning so much. And then eventually I got hired by the morning show. There started as like the phone operator, the person who took the calls from people with requests and questions. And this slowly but surely got more and more responsibilities to when I finally became the executive producer of the show.
- [09:57]
Jackie
So cool. Such a cool background. I love that. So fun. Never a day that was boring. That's for sure. Right?
- [10:03]
Joe Partavilla
No, and it's so funny too, because I look back at it because there were times where, you know, even though it's not a job, it still felt like a job because I was waking up at 3 o' clock every morning. So there was a grind factor to it of like, Jesus, like, I'm not going to be able to go out at night. You know, essentially the weekend. I'm recovering for the week, so. And not that I was like a party animal per se, so this actually kind of fit my lifestyle very easily. But it was one of those things where I kind of had to sometimes stop and look up and be like, this is freaking awesome. Like, I remember one time, like years later while I was working there, because our offices were located at 2 Pennsylvania Plaza, which is the building above Madison Square Garden. And I used to have to park across the street on 31st Street. And then just. I used to make it as easy as possible because it was middle of the night, New York City, not the. Not the best neighborhood to be in. So we would park right across street, go into the office. And I remember, like, just stopping in the middle of 31st street at like 4 o' clock in the morning. Street just barren and, like, looking up and seeing, like, Madison Square Garden over there, the building over there, like, Empire State Building, three blocks away. And I just looked up and said, this is so cool. Like, this is so cool. I'm so fortunate to have this opportunity. And I think that's. Sometimes we all get caught up in the rat race of, like, get the job done. Get the job done and not, like, sitting and enjoying it. And I'll be honest, there were some days where I was not sitting there enjoying it. I was just. I was just trying to survive. I think we all had this sort of mentality, Jackie, of like, many of us aren't thriving, we're mostly surviving. But I will say most of the time, there I was thriving. But there were those survival days. Like, man, there's nothing in the news. My host woke up cranky. Things aren't, you know, of our timing is way off and you just kind of get. Kind of get through it. And then hopefully the next day you kind of got your shit together and you're able to pull. Pull up off a good show. But, yeah, that's all part of it just being. Showing the appreciation of my good fortune. And I know a lot of it, the good fortune I made for myself, like, it's like, you know, what do they say? Luck doesn't happen. You work to get luck or whatever it is that cliche is. I mean, that's how I view my career. Like, I was very fortunate, but I also worked my ass off.
- [12:10]
Jackie
I love that. I love the real talk behind that, too, of, like, not every day was perfect. Like, that's so human, like, behind that. I love that. Thank you for sharing that. Because that's so real. Like, people love hearing those things.
- [12:21]
Joe Partavilla
So, I mean, if you watch any show. Yeah, Jackie. Any show you're watching right now, whether, you know, if you're still watching linear television, like a Tonight show or a morning show, like, just imagine it all looks great. Like, it's this whole idea of camera ready, like, everything in the shot looks great, but it's just chaos all around. That's genuinely how it is on a daily basis for all shows. That are working live or even, like, narrative recorded shows. Like, there's a lot of crap that's going on, a lot of personalities. You just don't know what the day is going to bring. So it's really just thinking about that. And that's why, like, my wife still listens to morning radio. I can't, because I know how the sausage is made, like, too well. So every time, like, I hear a break start of a morning radio show, I'm like, I know this is going. I got to switch it off. Because it's just like, I'm. I'm way too. It's literally like me working, knowing how, like, how a crappy restaurant is behind the scenes, like the roaches and the rats. Like, I know all of that when it comes to putting together a morning show. So I can't enjoy it like a normal person.
- [13:20]
Jackie
Fair. Fair. Because you've lived it. So you just know too much. I love that. So do you ever miss that rush of the New York City radio or as podcasting become the new creative playground?
- [13:30]
Joe Partavilla
Nothing will replace the rush of live. Nothing. I mean, the creativity space is, I think, equal. It's, It's. It's obviously not as time sensitive. Like, you don't have to. You don't have, like, these hard and fast deadlines that you did in radio. But yet of anything, you know, you asked the perfect question. Like, if anything I miss is not. It's not even being in New York City or being on the air. It's like literally that rush of like, doing a show without a net. Like, you can't. We were every. Everything was live. Live. We, you know, dead air was our. Was not our friend. You know, there was no dead spaces. There was no dead moments. So, yeah, just that idea of, like, at 6am we were on. No matter what was going on in the world, whether there was a hurricane, whether it was a blizzard, whether it was 9, 11. I mean, literally, we went through the show, went on. And this is one of the things I teach my. My clients today when, you know, as a, you know, consulting people for podcasts is like, the show must go on. Like, when you're doing any kind of media, you have to think about it as, like, it's a show and you have to do whatever it takes for that show to go on.
- [14:35]
Jackie
That's so real, Joe. I'm loving this. So real. I love it. Okay, so now I want to talk about your book. So you wrote good listen, which so needed right now. What inspired it and what's one Thing most people get wrong about being, Having good conversations.
- [14:49]
Joe Partavilla
Yeah. So I think in terms of the inspiration book, I like to say, Jackie, that there's two types of people in the world. People who think they have a life that's worthy a book and people don't. I was in that don't camp. I never really thought I was like a book person. But when I went to make the transition from working terrestrial radio to then working with podcasts and producing content and podcasts with entrepreneurs, I realized that, you know, going back to my self awareness point earlier, like I wasn't self aware of the fact that like most people don't know what I know. Like most people don't know what it, what it means to prepare for a show or be prepared for a conversation or to be on. So I took that for granted. And so when I made the transition, I was like, oh wow. And I thought I was like, I'll just do the same thing. It's going to be the same thing. And then I realized, no it's not. It's completely different because I went from working with people that are in like a rock roll hall of fame to people that are entrepreneurs of like million dollar companies. And they're like, they have no idea what it is to even to hit the record button. So that's really how the book came along. It was, it was one of those things where I was, I don't like to, I don't want to be one of these people that like coaches or consults or teaches people by saying, you know, don't do as I do. Do as I say, you know, that whole thing. Good, Good for the, not for me. I was using stories from my career to help people understand the right and wrong things to do when it came to doing a podcast or holding a conversation. That's why, you know, when I, when I wrote the book originally, the last thing I want to do is like, I don't want this to be a how to podcast book. There's a million books out there, I'm sure there's a million YouTube shows and TikToks and all that stuff. I want it to be more from the, the mentality and sort of the, the goals you want to embrace when it comes to creating a podcast are the same as when you're having a conversation in your, in your normal life, whether it's a business conversation, whether it's a personal conversation. A lot of that holds true with podcasting. And that's why you see some of the best podcasters are just Great conversationalists. And I think if you strive to be a better human being, you become a great conversationalist. And so the skills of a great podcaster can be transferred into the skills of being just a better human being when it comes to connecting with other people. And on the subject of, like, what people get wrong about communication, I think a lot of it, too, is just the listening aspect of it. And, you know, there's so much to be said about this, so I won't go into too much detail, but literally, I think what people, they. They don't know the difference between listening and hearing. They're. They're hearing someone speak, and then they think, okay, when that person's done speaking, it's time for me to speak. And so I, you know, I talk about in the book, like, I did a bunch of improv training in New York, performed at UCB in the city. And so learning from that, merging those skills with my radio skills was like, yes, the importance of listening is not only just because it's respectful of the other person, but also helps conversations because you're not just speaking for the sake of speaking. You're. You're speaking to add to what the other person said, whether it's to disagree or whether it's to confirm that. That. I think that's the part most people get wrong. They think they're listening, but they're really not. They're just hearing what's happening, and then they're just waiting for their turn to speak.
- [18:04]
Jackie
So true.
- [18:05]
Joe Partavilla
And I think we're all guilty of this. I can be guilty of it sometimes, but I'm. I'm. I've trained myself enough to be, like, when that does happen to me, I share a moonstruck moment, like, snap out of it. But I think a lot of people just aren't aware enough to know that, hey, listen. That there's a huge distinction between the.
- [18:20]
Jackie
Two sound advice, which is why they need to buy your book, Joe. Right? I love this.
- [18:25]
Joe Partavilla
Thank you. Thank you.
- [18:26]
Jackie
So good. Okay, I want to play game time. So we're going to do this or that so we get to know you better. So would you rather have a New York bagel or Charleston shrimp and grits?
- [18:39]
Joe Partavilla
New York bagel if it is made in New York?
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Jackie
I love that. Fair. Good answer. Morning radio alarm or podcast binge at night?
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Joe Partavilla
Ooh. See, I. I have to say neither of those, because I do not. I try to. I'm one of these people that tries to turn down the information pipeline at night. So I try. I try to just kind of like deadly watch television or stuff like that. So I would say neither this or that.
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Jackie
What are we watching on TV then? To shut off?
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Joe Partavilla
Yes. So I've watched some really great shows recently. We're recording this right after the season of Task on hbo. Max just ended the great Mark Ruffalo show. Like, if you loved Mayor of East Town, it's phenomenal. And talking about New York, the. There's the new Jason Bateman, Jude Law show, Black Rabbit on Netflix. If you are from New York and know like the New York restaurant scene and that whole seedy nightlife world, it's such a great encapsulation of it. It's very Breaking Bad, ish. Ozarkish, kind of like drama about two brothers. But those are two shows my wife and I just watch and we absolutely love. So Black Rabbit on Netflix and Task on hbo. Max.
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Jackie
Awesome. I mean, I. Ozark was so addicting. Like, I definitely have to check that out.
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Joe Partavilla
Like, it's not as good as Ozark. And I know. I think that's like the review most people are saying. I was like, it's not as good as it's our good. I think an all time great show. But this is just especially like, if you love that New York, like, seedy restaurant scene. It's so, so much fun.
- [20:13]
Jackie
So cool. Okay, thank you. Thank you for that. I love that. Okay. Coffee or cold brew?
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Joe Partavilla
I'm drinking it right now. Coffee.
- [20:21]
Jackie
I love it. Okay.
- [20:22]
Joe Partavilla
And it's so funny too, because when I started in radio, I was never a big coffee drinker and my two hosts never drank coffee. And it was like this weird thing that I sort of got into it later in life, I think just because of the Starbucks of it all. Like, ooh, caramel in my coffee. That. I like that. That. That tastes good. Like that crappy senka that your parents used to drink. No, but this is really good. So. Yeah, so definitely coffee. Cold brew. Yeah. You know, I honestly don't see the difference in it. I know it's brewed differently. I never taste any. I'm one of those people. Like, I use coffee as a vehicle. Like, it's just really to give me a nice little jolt of caffeine. I'm not one of these, like, that's some good coffee. So I wouldn't know the difference. If you gave me two cups of coffee, one was cold brew, one was regular brewed. I would not have any idea what they're.
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Jackie
They're fair. I have to. I don't know. I personally, I think Cold brew does have a distinct flavor from what I've.
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Joe Partavilla
Seen, but I'll take your word for it. I think most people are throwing so much crap creamer and stuff in anyway, we don't even know.
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Jackie
Right, right. So true. Okay, so you talked about this briefly, but comedy stage or film set?
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Joe Partavilla
Oh, I think the comedy stage is one of those where it's sort of like very ephemeral and very like, it's a feeling you can't capture anywhere else. Not that say that it is like eternal or something that's long lasting, but in the moment. It's pretty awesome. Like just to be in a room with a lot of people that are laughing and enjoying themselves. And I know improv gets knocked a lot. You know, most improv is crap and like that. Sure. It's just like anything. Like there's going to be crap of everything. There's going to be crappy music, there's going to be crappy movies, but just that, that the idea of being surrounded by people is a lot of fun. I mean, I made a short film and making a film is like the coolest thing you could ever do because of just like, it's just like. It's. It's hard to. It's hard to kind of describe, but it's one of those things where it's like there's a ton of people involved in making sure everything looks good in a square. And I found so much like joy in that. Like, this is so cool that like everything that's going to end up in that frame is the result of like the dozens of people that are standing behind the camera. So I think that the creative side of it is to me is like almost like crack when it comes to that. But the idea of like, which I would prefer, I think that comedy on stage, it's one of those things where it's such a feeling thing. Like you're like, oh, you can't replicate.
- [22:37]
Jackie
This 90s music mix or modern podcast playlist.
- [22:43]
Joe Partavilla
Yeah, I see. This is depending on what I want to do. So if I am working out or driving around, it's that 90s 90s music. If I'm walking my dog, it's probably going to be that podcast mix.
- [22:52]
Jackie
Yeah, fair. I love that. Write solo or collab brainstorm.
- [22:58]
Joe Partavilla
Hmm. So this is where I think this differentiates on what you want to do. So when I wrote my film, I wrote it with someone else and that was fun because it's great to, to bounce ideas back and forth when it comes to like my blog or My book or any like the content it, I prefer the solo because I think it's got to be super personal. Especially if you're using your own voice and like speaking about truths that you believe in. I mean, unless your partner's like your duplicate is your clone. I think that, I think it's so I think it just comes down to what you're writing. Like if you're writing a writing project that has to do with a lot of research, information and stories, then having that collaborative partner I think is awesome. But if you're writing from a personal perspective, I think that's definitely something that's done in solitude.
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Jackie
No solid, solid advice. Okay, good listen. Sequel or a new show idea?
- [23:49]
Joe Partavilla
I think probably a new show idea because I think one of the things that I've even, I've, I've been thinking about a lot of content I've been doing. I think Good Listen fits in it. But to me it's all about like, what else can we do to become better humans. So I think like it started with the listening part being better conversationalist, but now a lot of the stuff I'm writing about and producing is just really more about like how can we become better people. And I think I started like, I started that path with Good Listen. But the more and more that I've created content spoke to people, it's like the more I feel like I have more to talk about and share about when it comes to what we can do to improve ourselves from all facets, not just from the conversational or the listening piece of life.
- [24:33]
Jackie
I love that. So that kind of answers my follow up question because it was how is your approach to listening and interviewing evolve now that you've sat on both sides of the mic?
- [24:40]
Joe Partavilla
Yeah, so I hate being the guest. I will be honest with you. I don't just because I think it's probably the control freak in me of like when you're the host, like you could steer the conversation and manipulate it. So you know, as you know. So I think that part of that that I do miss, I, I mean I like just, I just like having conversations with people. My wife jokes that I could talk to anyone from 8 to 80. So. But that's only because I take that host part of me with me in real life and I ask people questions about themselves and their life. And so yeah, no, no, I, I, I, I, I do love both sides of it and nothing's really changed of it. It's just one of those things. I think we all can, we all Just try to improve on and become better the next time around.
- [25:20]
Jackie
Mm. I mean, great. I'm loving your answers. Just have to tell you as a, as a guest, like, you're rocking it. Just. Okay. I want to also do a rapid fire question. So what's a skill you think everyone should learn in 2025?
- [25:36]
Joe Partavilla
Okay, so if you are a person who wants to be. I'm sorry, I know it's supposed to be rapid fire, but if you're a person that is. Wants to seek authority, wants to become an influencer. I know that word sometimes gets a little cloudy these days, but if you're a person that wants to be a person of influence, I think the ability to create and edit video is very important. I think right now we're seeing it. Google recently started indexing Instagram reels. If you Google someone's name, the first thing that pops up, a short form video. So I think, I mean, unless you want to pay someone to do this. Again, if money is no objective, but if you, if you want to be a person of influence and you're just starting what, you know, my company calls being in a. Being an authority, that video component is incredibly important. And I'm not saying you have to go out and spend X amount of dollars on a camera and have the right lighting or make it look professional, but the ability to, to learn how to create and edit video content is incredibly important going forward if you want to become a person of influence.
- [26:40]
Jackie
I love that especially because it shows the raw material to like very.
- [26:45]
Joe Partavilla
That's the way we're consuming stuff now, Jackie. I mean, we're all. Everything short form. Like, even if you're just on Instagram, what's the video? It's going to be reels. So, you know, if you're on TikTok, obviously it's short form. So. And even YouTube, which, you know, has been the mother of long form video, has really pushed YouTube shorts. Like if you go to a YouTube page of someone, the thing that shows up on the top, there's not by, by the choice of the creator. It's the choice of YouTube. It's, it's YouTube shorts. So I'm one of those people that like, you know, I had a mentor many years ago who said, you know, I don't want to be the dinosaur. Like, I don't want to be the one left behind. So I just, I just read the tea leaves. I see where things are going. And you know, coming from this world of podcasting and being able to retrofit and repurpose material from a podcast that could become short for, I think is incredibly important for anybody who's doing a podcast. So yes, I know I'm slowing down your rapid fire section here, but I'm.
- [27:38]
Jackie
Learning a lot, so I love it. Thank you. I thought that was a very good answer. Okay, one guess. You drop everything to interview.
- [27:49]
Joe Partavilla
I mean, honestly, I drop anything to speak to anybody. To be honest with you. It's. I know it's kind of sounds weird, but like to me, nothing makes me feel better than to like talk to people and ask people questions. I mean, sure it'd be cool to talk to like you know, a George Clooney or Brad Pitt or Julia Roberts, like any of these old classic movie stars. But honestly, I mean, one of the things that I felt like I've always done really well is ask questions that people want asked so that like even now when I'm creating business content, my conversations about business with business leaders is not like, what's your ROI this year? What do you see your company in five years? It's more about like, you know, how you got here and you know, why do you do what you do? So that's the lens I've always, I've always had, as you can tell, not a very educated man, but I'm a curious man, so. So I just try to take that curiosity and think, oh, what would someone ask this person who would like to know, like to have an answer from them.
- [28:45]
Jackie
I always say I think social skills will take you the farthest in life. I mean, as somebody who is not a straight A student either, I can relate to stuff.
- [28:54]
Joe Partavilla
Yeah. Like kind of scare with this world of, of remote work which, you know, trust me, as a Generation Xer, I love it because I drag my ass to work for, for many, many years. But I do feel bad for, for younger kids. And you're even seeing like Gen Z wants to go to work, like Gen Z wants to go to the office, Gen Z wants to go to movie theaters. Like a lot of people say movie theaters are dead because Jen Z's want to, want to live life and be able to be part of trends and, and do that kind of stuff. So I think it's important that companies embrace sort of like the hybrid model of making sure you have some of your veteran workers there to help mentor these next generation people. Because again, like you mentioned, like the social skills, it's really hard to get social skills on a zoom call. It's just, it's just, I mean, obviously the basics are there of like talking back and forth and listening and all that jazz. But I think it's important that people get to know each other, try to, try to feel vibes of other human beings. It's really hard to do that with technology.
- [29:47]
Jackie
No, I think that that's very good points. So we kind of talked about this a little earlier about what makes the conversation unforgettable. Do you have, like, maybe one suggestion around that?
- [29:56]
Joe Partavilla
Yeah, I mean, I. One of the things I always tell people, you know, you know, I mentioned earlier about, like, bringing your podcast, kind of like podcast mindset to, to real life is you can treat your regular life and family gatherings like a podcast. And one of the things, you know, we're about to come up into the holiday season, and so for an example, like, if you're about to go to Thanksgiving dinner and your uncle, who you haven't seen in two years is going to show up, you're like, what am I going to, what am I going to talk to my uncle about? And the one thing I suggest people is like, do research. Imagine your uncle's going to be your guest on a podcast, find his social media feed, see what he's been up to over the last year, have a couple of those nuggets in your back pocket and be like, hey, Uncle Ron, I saw that you did, you went fishing. What was that like? Or, or Aunt Mabel, I saw you went to Venice. Why? Never been there. How great a place is that to visit? So I think that kind of, that kind of mindset to embrace is also very helpful when it comes to, now that we've become this very polarized and fractured society and the monoculture doesn't exist anymore, if you show a little effort and, and just do a little homework about people, it's a, it's, it's, it's a great way to bridge that divide of, like, it doesn't matter if they have a different political belief or religious belief or business belief. Just the just knowing, just knowing that you cared enough to find out about another person's background goes a long way. I mean, one of the things, you know, as, as I'm, I'm sure you know this when the, the greatest compliment an interviewer gets when they're talking to, to someone on a, on, on any kind of medium, they'll be like, that's a great question. You know, it's like, it's like, it's like, it's a, it's an endorphin shot. Oh, okay. That's a great question. So I think if you could bring that into real life. It's. It's an incredibly helpful tool. So, yeah, so my, my suggestion to people is like, when it comes to trying to bring the, the aspects of being a podcaster to real life, just like, just do a little homework. And I'm not saying do, do like a, you know, create spreadsheets and PowerPoints about it, but just like finding a couple nuggets about a person or whether it's like a relative, whether you're going in for a job interview and you, like, maybe because you know they're going to Google you. Why don't you go ahead and Google them and see if you can use some of that to your advantage?
- [32:12]
Jackie
So good. I was also going to say, like, I love that tip because I think it reduces anxiety for people, too, because families, things can bring up anxiety for people. So I love that. Like, I can see both sides of that, you know, I love that.
- [32:24]
Joe Partavilla
Yeah. And also when you, when you do that, the anxiety. Say you're an introvert all of a sudden. You don't have to do much talking. It's like, yeah, it's like an alley open in basketball. Just throw it up on the rim and let them slam it. You know what I mean? So just having those couple of things in your back pocket to throw out there, you'd be like. And as long as you're, like, respectful and you listen, that's. You're done. You're completely done.
- [32:45]
Jackie
So good. Okay. The biggest lesson the media industry taught you.
- [32:51]
Joe Partavilla
What I think change. I think change is the one thing the media industry has taught me because you have to go with the flow. Like, you have to adapt. And, you know, I, it's, it's very funny because I was just about to write something about this, how, you know, growing up in the heyday of radio of, like, the late 90s and 2000s, things were fine and dandy. And then two things eventually come into play, economics and technology. So the economics of radio didn't work as much anymore because less and less advertisers were spending money on radio and putting it in television and digital. And then came the technology piece where people all of a sudden didn't have to wait two hours for their favorite new song to play on the radio. They could just go on their phone and hit a button. So that's what affected radio. So then you saw a lot of people make the transition to either podcasts and YouTube or even television and deja vu. Like, it's happening now with television. And I remember the old the old television guy, like, oh, radio's a dying medium. Nobody cares about radio. And now all of a sudden the shoes on the other foot now television is that dying medium. Now you're seeing layoffs, mass layoffs at television companies. You're seeing television stations gutted where like if you watch a local newscast, like you're not going to see the footage of that car accident that held up traffic for five hours because they don't have a cameraman to send out there. So I think being, being aware of that change is going to be constant in media. Something else is going to come up and knock your ass off. It just how are you going to be prepared to deal with that change? And right now, you know, we dealt it with radio, the television people are dealing with now. I know the print media dealt with it long before we did. So I think it's part of that. Just like how are you going to adapt to the change that's constantly going to be happening? Because right now, sure, it's all about streaming, but like what is the next thing after streaming? Because there's always something else. It could be 20, 30, 40 years from now, but there is going to be something else that will, that will somehow be better. I don't know what it is because if I knew, I'd probably be a billionaire. But I'm sure there's going to be something else to either, you know, change the way we watch television, whether it's, and again the economics of it. I think this is where I takes plays a major part. And sadly, you know, film is going to be next. Like you saw radio, television, now film. Because if you, if you watch a movie nowadays, Jackie, you ever stay around for the opening credits. Now there's thousands and thousands of people that took part in making that movie. But now with AI, hundreds of those jobs will go away. And I will say that's horrific, that's bad. But if you look at the budgets of some of these movies, like the Tron movie that just was released, major bomb cost nearly $200 million. For it to make its money back, it had to make nearly a billion dollars.
- [35:50]
Jackie
So crazy.
- [35:52]
Joe Partavilla
Where's the, how does the math work there? So the film industry will have its come up and soon where they're like, we can't make these movies this expensive. Movie stars can't be paid 30, $40 million anymore. The people that had working class jobs behind the scenes won't be able to afford really nice houses in the Palisades. So I think it is just, you know, to Answer your question. It's just like being able to be aware that change is inevitable. It's just how you're going to handle that change.
- [36:20]
Jackie
Mm. I'm so inspired, truly. Thank you. If you could tell your younger radio self one thing, what would it be?
- [36:28]
Joe Partavilla
Do more. Do more. And what I mean by that is when I first got involved in radio, I was like, this is it. This is all I'm going to do. I'm not going to do anything about radio. I'm not going to. And then it came when I got older and wiser, I was like, I got to do more. Like, I need more. I need to learn more. You know, I need to. I need to learn something that could possibly help my radio career, but also help my soul. So one of the things that when you're in radio, you're basically, you have, like, maybe a million listeners, but you're performing to a room of, like, four or five people. So one of the things that I really missed was, oh, I really love the opportunity to perform in front of a crowd, in a stage. So I think I was in my 30s or late 30s, where I signed up for improv classes, and then I got involved in sketch comedy, and then I became part of a sketch comedy group. And then I. You know, I mentioned earlier that I made a movie, I took a screenwriting class, and I created a movie, and it won awards at film festivals. But I didn't do any of that till much later in my career. So I would tell my younger self, you know, my much younger self, I would be like, just do other things. Just don't. And this. I think this is advice for anybody if, like, if you feel like your career just takes over who you are. And I know this is a very much a generational thing where, you know, Gen Xers, boomers, their. Their identity was tied to their job. You know, like, I was always Joe from wplj. Like, it was like a literally extension of my last name. And then that went away when the company got blown up. So it's one of those things where being able to be open to learn new things can not only improve your everyday work life, but it also can improve your personal life and really enrich you in ways that that job is not going to do on its own.
- [38:16]
Jackie
Okay. So I want to. That will transition into my, like, final section before we close out, because I truly believe, especially with visibility, there are breakthrough moments that we have. So what was your breakthrough moment when everything finally clicked and you realized, like, that you're right where you're supposed to be now.
- [38:33]
Joe Partavilla
Yeah. So I share this story in the book about early in my radio career. I was doing the morning show, and we got a call into the studio that Jennifer Aniston was filming her newest movie right across street from our offices. And they said, hey, you should send someone down to go interview Jennifer Franson. This. And this is like the height of Friends mania. This is like when the cast of Friends were like the modern day Beatles. And they said, hey, why don't you go down there and interview him? Like, all right, sure. So. And I remember. It's so funny. I remember back in the day, we. We had, like, a cellular phone in a. In a backpack, and it almost looks like an E. I.E.D. like, it looked like it was like all this equipment, like wires, and, like, if someone looked at an airport, we would have definitely been, like, taken into a back room and, like, pat it down in question. It was that sketchy. So I take this backpack with me. It's got, like, headphones, like these big goofy headphones and a microphone, and I go down there. And this is, like, early in the morning, and it's. It's 30th Street. The street is closed and all. There's just a singular trailer just sitting there. Where her? Where her? Because they were shooting in one of the high rises. So she had a trailer outside the building. So I go over there, and I see there's no one around but one large security guard. And the security guard is kind of just like, wander around. Like I said, this is desolate. There's not a soul around but this trailer, this guard and me. So I will. I start to walk over towards the trailer, and the guard goes, where do you think you're going? I'm like, oh, I'm going to just go. I'm going to want to ask Jennifer, answer some questions. I'm from WPLJ radio upstairs. And they're like, no, you're not. I'm like, oh, okay. So I turn around and I. And I have this, like, radio pack. And I'm talking to my bosses, and I'm like, yeah, I'm sorry. The guard won't. Won't let me. Let me talk to Jeffrey or getting the closest. And they're like, egging me out. No, no, no, that's fine. He's not gonna do anything. Not gonna do anything. So I'm like, all right. I go down there and then he goes. The guard says, what the heck are you doing? What are you doing? I'm like, I just. You Know, and then when I get nervous, my, my. I go up like 10 octaves. So. Oh, you know, I'm just, you know, I want to talk to Jennifer fans. I'm a wp. No, you're not. No, you're not. So I go back, I get, I'm back on the headset. I said, hey, listen, guys, this is not look good. I think I'm gonna get my ass kicked by the security guard. They go, no, no, give it one more time. Give me one more time. He goes, so I go back over to the trailer and the guy goes, are you. And starts using some exclus like, like, like he thinks I'm mentally ill. Like, what are you doing? You're, you're like five foot nothing. I'm like this six foot, 300 pound bodyguard. Where do you think you're going? And then as we're having this confrontation, the door opens to the trailer and Jennifer Aniston pops her head out. She goes like, hey, is everything okay out there? And I'm. And I'm like, hi, I'm Joe from wplj. I'm just going to say. And she goes, oh, I'm sorry, I have to go on set, but I can't talk right now. Closes the door. And then I go up to this, to back up to the radio station, tail between my legs and like, you know, good effort, blah, blah, blah. And then all of a sudden, our receptionist rings up our studio and she says, we have a. There's a Jennifer Aniston on the, on the main line. She wants to call in because she wants to apologize for her bodyguard, like, scaring off your guy. And she's like, should we patch her through? I'm like, yeah, you should patch her through. So Jennifer Aniston pops on the air and we have like this 20, 30 minute conversation live on the air, talking about, you know, Friends Mania, talking about her dad who was a soap opera star and all this stuff. And from that morning, I learned that like, you got to take big risks. You know, I took bodily risks there, but sometimes, you know, a risk is, is what takes you forward. And if you don't take any risk, and I'm just. And obviously learning from business people now, doing business podcasts is like the people that succeed, the people that are successful take risks. So sometimes you got to take a couple of risks. They got to be calculated. You can't be, you know, you can't be gambling your mortgage on, you know, on a dice table or anything like that, but just being able to be open to taking risks, taking big swings. That's how you go forward and that's how you succeed.
- [42:31]
Jackie
And I also want to follow up. Like, you went upstairs and you disconnected from the thought that it was going to work out. And then she showed up and it worked out.
- [42:40]
Joe Partavilla
Yeah, now it's great story and it's funny. I included that in the book. And I remember when the book came out, Page Six picked up on it and they put in page six and it became this global story. And I remember I was talking to one of the writers from Page Six in New York. Post reached out to me and they go, do you have any of the stories? And I'm like, yeah, I have some other stories in the book. And it goes, oh, no, no, we want positive stories. Like a lot of them were kind of like not negative, but they were in like this. So, so positive. And like, no, we want, people want more positive stories nowadays, which I thought was like, through my whole year of years of working in radio is always about negativity, negativity. So I love the fact that all of a sudden there's a journalist like, hey, what positive stories do you have of working with like a celebrity or, you know, in your radio job? So it was really cool that like people really open to like hearing uplifting and positive stories.
- [43:27]
Jackie
So inspired. Like, I'm really glad you shared that because, like, yes, there is rejection, but what's the I heard that phrase. It's like rejection means redirection and that's like exactly what happened. So cool.
- [43:38]
Joe Partavilla
Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, no, it's like I said, my book is packed with a lot of those stories where like, I don't want it to be like, it's a name dropping book. Like, ooh, I had this running with Russell Crowe. It was like, no, this is what I learned from my, with my running with Russell Crowe kind of thing. So it's like, yeah, so I think I had a lot of like some really, really cool experiences that I felt like I learned from and I hope people can learn from as well.
- [44:00]
Jackie
Amazing. So where can they get your book? How can they follow you? Get in touch all the things.
- [44:05]
Joe Partavilla
Awesome. Well, My website is joepartovilla.com if you have trouble spelling that. If you just try to spell Joe part of you in Google, I will most likely come up. My website has links to everywhere, but it's a good listen. Is also available on Amazon. You get the audiobook if you, if you're not too annoyed by my Voice these last 20, 30 minutes. But also you can get the softcover or the ebook from Amazon.com so fun.
- [44:31]
Jackie
I'm so inspired. Joe, thank you so much for today. You are a rock star.
- [44:35]
Joe Partavilla
Thank you very much. I appreciate the invite.
- [44:37]
Jackie
Yeah, of course. And thank you so much everyone for tuning in to Next on Scene. And stay tuned for who's next on Scene.
- [44:51]
Podcast Narrator
The ups, the downs, and all the in between. What it takes to become Next on Scene. Are you next? Follow us at Next on Scene.