Founded by Eric Josefson and Justin Heisig, The Burn Down Podcast is a platform that aims to bring people from all walks of life together through the shared experience of enjoying a cigar. From athletes and artists to musicians, comedians, and industry experts, they invite guests to engage in meaningful dialogues that illuminate enriching conversations surrounding cigars.
Beyond tobacco culture, its creators seek to foster human connections and create a space where guests feel empowered to share their stories. Through their podcast, the idea is to inspire, uplift, and add value to the lives of their audience while celebrating the camaraderie that a good cigar encourages.
Read in the magazine (rotate your device for a better reading experience):
– How did Burn Down Podcast begin?
– Originally, in 2018, we were working to establish a subscription service. Living in New York, where there are many tobacco restrictions, we decided to start a low-advertisement cigar magazine to keep its focus on content. Despite our popular Instagram pages and offering many reviews, we soon realized that magazines are a thing of the past and without ads, it’s difficult to make money.
Then we noticed that some of our family members enjoyed watching and listening to podcasts before they really exploded, and we decided to combine our minds to start one that would bring people together around a cigar, which we often do in Cigar Lounges. Why not bring that atmosphere and those conversations to an online audience? we thought, and in July 2019, The Burn Down Podcast was born.
– What do you enjoy most about hosting a podcast about premium tobacco and interacting with the cigar community listeners?
– One of our greatest joys is the opportunity to connect with people from all walks of life. It’s truly inspiring to meet people with such varied backgrounds and experiences. Each person brings a perspective shaped by their own story, and we love hearing about their challenges overcome, triumphs celebrated, and unexpected twists in their lives.
These encounters not only broaden our own horizons but also showcase the incredible richness and diversity of the human experience. It’s a constant reminder that the world is much bigger than our own personal bubble, and there’s so much to learn from others’ experiences.
– How do you select guests and topics to keep the content fresh and appealing to your audience?
– Firstly, participants must enjoy cigars. We find our guests in various ways: we reach out to people whom we believe our audience will enjoy, such as professional athletes, entrepreneurs, comedians, actors, cigar makers, etc. Additionally, we expand possibilities through our previous guests, who recommend other interesting people that enrich the program, and finally, there are those who find us through social networks.
– What are the biggest challenges you face as hosts of a cigar podcast and how do you overcome them?
– Among the challenges we face is finding new, engaging, and relevant topics when we don’t have a guest; when we do have one, it’s all about that person’s story. Another challenge is marketing, as our podcast relates to cigars and social media platforms are not very receptive to tobacco-related content, limiting our reach by not allowing paid advertisements. Lastly, time management is a challenge, as we both work eight-hour days and live an hour apart, making it difficult to find the necessary time to record and produce the show.
– Do you remember a memorable or funny moment for both of you in one of your podcasts?
– One day we were recording an episode during an electrical storm and lightning struck the studio, cutting the power. Fortunately, we had a generator to finish the program, but it was very shocking when all the equipment shut down.
On another occasion, before we had video cameras, we used to record with our iPhones, and at the end of the episode, we were cleaning just outside the studio when Eric dropped his phone into the pool. He immediately jumped into the water fully dressed to retrieve it, but it was too late because the recording was lost.
The interview with Ed Reed, a member of the NFL Hall of Fame, was also memorable. He started off by saying, “Man, I’m a big fan, I watch you guys all the time.” A surreal moment since we both grew up watching his games on TV. And finally, when we secured an advertising deal for the show and used the revenue from these ads to fund our first cigar project: The Blueprint.
– What advice would you give to aspiring podcasters interested in starting a program, especially in the cigar niche?
– Just hit record… Your first episode will be bad, but the tenth might be a little better. Eventually, if you’re consistent and diligent, you’ll find your voice and things will fall into place.
– How do you interact with the audience and build a sense of community around your program, both on-air and through social media?
– We’ve built a social media community not just by posting for the past seven years, but more importantly, by interacting with every direct message and comment as if we were talking to them in person. This July marks the fifth year of The Burn Down Podcast and we continue to interact.
On our show, we simply be ourselves, and people can feel the authenticity, which is why we believe people keep watching and listening to our content.
– What qualities or skills are most important or necessary to be a successful host of a cigar podcast?
– Authenticity. People can smell deceit from miles away. So you need to be passionate about what you’re doing, persevere through the obstacles you’ll face, and not get discouraged when you receive minimal interaction in your early episodes. Lastly, provide value to your listeners and viewers. You need to stand out because there are now more than 5 million podcasts.
(Web) burndownpodcast.com
(IG) @burndownpodcast
(YouTube) The Burn Down Podcast
