Talk That Pod

·E17

017 - Kurt Sasso - Two Geeks Talking

July 8
1h 4m

View Transcript

Episode Description

Kurt Sasso of Two Geeks Talking

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SUMMARY

Sebastian sits down with Kurt Sasso, host of Two Geeks Talking, a pop-culture interview show that has racked up over 1,200 conversations across comics, TV, film, music, and video games over the past 18 years. The two swap stories about an unexpected overlap from Sebastian's old merchandise business before digging into Kurt's interviewing philosophy, his research process, and how the show evolved from a two-hour live call-in on TalkShoe into a full video production. Kurt walks through the growth strategies that actually moved the needle for his show, how he built a paid interview service after 15 years of doing it for free, and what he'd do differently if he launched from zero in 2026. The conversation closes with a wider-lens discussion on why long-form podcasts keep thriving in a short-attention-span world, podcasting's growing political influence, and Kurt's firm stance on AI — both in his own research process and in creative work more broadly.

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IN THIS EPISODE

00:20 — Introduction to Kurt Sasso and Two Geeks Talking

01:27 — How Kurt stumbled into podcasting through a friend's webcomics database

02:51 — An unexpected overlap: Sebastian's old merch business and Kurt's webcomic guests

04:30 — Kurt's technique for drawing stories out of shy or reluctant guests

06:58 — Kurt's research process: socials, past interviews, and avoiding repeat questions

10:20 — Looking back at early cringe-worthy interviews and lessons learned

14:21 — Has interviewing led to business or networking opportunities?

17:14 — Common traits among successful creative guests

19:55 — The moment Two Geeks Talking started to take off

23:11 — Pitching and structuring the paid interview service

25:38 — The two or three growth strategies that produced the best results (the 2010 shift to video)

33:43 — Hypothetical: launching Two Geeks Talking from scratch in 2026

39:22 — Which metrics actually matter to Kurt (and why downloads aren't one of them)

42:40 — Outdated podcasting advice Kurt and Sebastian still hear too often

49:35 — Why long-form podcasts thrive despite short-attention-span platforms

52:56 — Podcasting's growing influence on politics and culture

56:16 — AI, creativity, and why Kurt doesn't use AI in his research process

1:00:44 — Staying a fan while still asking challenging questions

1:02:54 — Kurt's podcast recommendations

1:04:22 — Where to find Kurt and Two Geeks Talking

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