2nd Straight 100 Podcast Year!
I remember last year I wrote about how excited I was to just clear 100 podcasts for the year. 2019 was a very rewarding, rebuilding year for Hardway HQ and our team. I truly felt that so much more was on the horizon with 2020 heading our way. Like that Starship song, “Nothing’s gonna stop us now.”
Then, the pandemic happened.
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For a few months, I went into a depression. Seeing the entire world literally go through a lockdown made things incredibly tough on me mentally. Seeing our country truly become divided over politics made me angry and disappointed. Watching sports, entertainment, and our culture completely shut down due to the uncertainty of COVID-19 put me into a dismal state of mind.
But we persevered. Nick Reigota had been a tremendous asset to me and the team, helping maintain our podcast schedule and forcing me, at times, to not stop moving forward. His dedication to everything Hardway HQ has been nothing short of incredible.
By mid-October, we reached 100 podcasts for the year.
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Our content has never been more diverse. Nick and Jon: “Live” in New Jersey has taken some wild twists and turns this year, getting more in depth and personal with conversations that we’ve never tackled before. 2001: A Strange Wrestling Odyssey and No Closed Fists has covered the niche pro wrestling market. The Hardway Podcast has seemingly become the Ken Carrera show, with his phenomenal storytelling and quick wit.
Nick’s solo podcast “Sick Nick’s Music Picks” made its debut with Season 1 in the summer. I will say, with an unbiased attitude, that it is highly entertaining. Add in the fact that it is the first non-Jon Harder podcast on the network makes it that much more exciting for me personally. On a very small scale, this was the original vision of what the Hardway HQ Podcasting Network was supposed to be: my friends and acquaintances making their own show and running with it. Just getting a small sliver of what my initial ideas were with Hardway HQ coming to fruition with Nick’s podcast makes me so proud.
As it comes to me personally, UNFILTERED brought my true passion back to podcasting 100%. We tinkered with some one take rant editions of the Hardway, simply because - in full disclosure - I was too lazy to edit and cut audio at times. However, the more I enjoyed the uncut, raw, true nature of my feelings, UNFILTERED became my chance to truly develop the realness of my personality, combined with an unscripted element, in podcast form. Those commentaries have reshaped my mind on audio and I’ve never been prouder.
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With a few months left in the year, there is much more left in the tank. We have a small, but loyal audience. I want to thank you for tuning in to even one of our podcasts. It means more than you can imagine. This is our hobby. This is our passion. This is our fun. And we hope you continue onward with us as the Hardway HQ Podcasting Network rolls forward.
If you dream it, you can do it.
Jon Harder
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