Podcast Idea: Name on Name

A podcast about shared names and differing paths.

Description: The very legit-looking website HowManyofMe.com estimates that there are currently 47,923 John Smith’s in the United States. What would happen if you got them all in one room together? How different are their lives? What would John Smith #2,938 say to John Smith #13,182? On Name on Name each season revisits five big moments in the host’s life, and asks people with the same name to react, advise, and ponder how their choices might have been different, and how those choices might have led them down different paths. From Eric Silver to Brandon Taylor to Emily Lee to Maria Lopez, we look at what’s really in a name.

Host: Rotating, based on season (see below)*

Executive Producer: Eric Silver **

Comps: Heavyweight meets Michael Johnson’s short lived podcast in which he interviewed other Michael Johnsons.

SEASON ONE: Eric Silver on Eric Silver— Host Eric Silver finds five different fellow Eric Silvers to get advice on five milestones in his life. (HowManyofMe estimates that there are 74 to choose from.) Should he have asked that girl out? Was it a bad idea to lick that pole? Was quitting that job the right thing to do? What should he do next? With the help of his trusty namesakes, Eric dives into how their lives and worldviews differ, and tries to implement their advice in his life.

SEASON TWO: Brandon Taylor on Brandon Taylor — Host Brandon Taylor tracks down five people also named Brandon Taylor to ask them how they might live his life differently. (HowManyofMe estimates that he’ll have 1,159 to pick from.) Are they proud that he wrote a very good book? What should Brandon write about next?

Audience: People who enjoy earnestness with a dash of absurdity. They probably also listen to My Brother, My Brother and Me and Judge John Hodgeman, and like to hear people confront their past and futures in a lighthearted way.

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If you have a podcast idea that you’d like to see me turn into a Podcast Idea, send it my way! rose.eveleth@protonmail.com, or just reply to this email.

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Bonus Podcast From Twitter

* Hosts and guests have not signed on in any way. I’m making stuff up here!

** This newsletter is for fun. Ideas belong to their initial creator, credited here as Executive Producer. Don’t be a dick and don’t steal these ideas. If you love a show, and really want to get it made, get in touch with the person who came up with it.

Long live independent podcasts. Long live bad ideas.