BY: COURTNEY WOOD

Have you ever watched the Downtown Stockton Alliance podcast, Talk to Downtown?

This series is intended to connect our business owners, property owners, visitors, and residents with the organizations, people, and resources which impact our community!

Read on to learn more about Talk to Downtown in this article by the podcast host and DSA staffer, Courtney Wood.

How Did The Idea for the Talk to Downtown Series Come About?

As a public-facing entity, the Downtown Stockton Alliance has fielded many questions over the years. We receive daily calls from people wanting all kinds of information. They want to know things like:

These are just a taste of the types of questions DSA staff typically fields. Some questions are related to things the DSA has purview over/has the ability to address, while other issues are completely outside our scope of work/must be directed to another organization/entity.

Given the frequent inquiries received by our office, in 2019, the DSA Executive Director and staff decided that it would be great to have a podcast series which would help clarify who exactly is responsible for what in our community; help people stay in the know about events or organizations that impact our Downtown; and help connect the community directly with the people who can answer their questions in a LIVE format. In a world of misinformation and misunderstanding, our podcast series could be a straightforward channel of transparency, fact, and clarity.

The Launch

We settled on a podcast name, chose a logo (thank you, Alex Arango!), arranged our first few guests, and launched Talk to Downtown in January of 2020 with an episode on the topic we were most often asked about – Parking. Our very first guest was Tina McCarty – at the time the Parking and Venue Manager at the City of Stockton; she is now the Economic Development Director at the City of Stockton. Although the first few episodes were in-person interviews at the DSA offices, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March led staff to shift to an online interview format which is still used today.

Since 2020, we have aired 74 episodes to date, with our most recent episode featuring Tony Mannor, Public Information Officer for the City of Stockton City Manager’s Office! As the host of Talk to Downtown, I have been lucky to interview so many interesting and informative guests. The podcast has evolved to include not only representatives of public agencies, but also non-profit representatives and independent individuals whose work has impacted Downtown Stockton.

Some of our guests are located within the Downtown Stockton PBID, while others may not be physically located in Downtown, but their work impacts the Downtown Stockton community – business owners, property owners, visitors, or residents – in some way. We aim for at least 12 episodes each year; our December episode always features the DSA Executive Director, Michael Huber, and an update on DSA’s services and yearly accomplishments. A full list of guests can be found below.  

The Interview

Each and every interview is its own, original experience.

Before the interview, I draft a list of questions for the guest touching upon the guest’s organization or projects, but also touching upon things I am curious about or that I think viewers may be interested to know. Guests receive my questions ahead of time so they are given a heads-up of the direction of the interview.

After my intro speech at the top of each episode, I give guests an opportunity to introduce themselves and explain their roles, ensuring listeners understand the context behind titles like ‘Senior Planner’ or ‘VP of Special Programs. My goal is to make the interview easy for someone from any background to understand.

Throughout the interview, it’s my goal to actively listen to the guest and build upon what they are saying if possible, which sometimes leads to additional questions that I hadn’t initially planned to ask. Each guest is unique in the energy they bring to the interview and their approach to being interviewed; some prepare their answers very thoroughly and type them up in advance, while others take a more “off the cuff” approach, creating their answers right there on the spot. I especially love when a guest has anecdotes or stories sprinkled throughout their answers, as it makes for a very fun, informative interview.  

Going Live

Going live is an adventure each time! We’ve made changes to the streaming platform, camera, intro speech, lighting, and more over the years. We’ve also handled many tech issues and other difficulties; it’s all a part of the experience. We want viewers to have the chance to type in their questions for the guest directly, and maintaining a live format – no matter the challenges – is essential for providing that opportunity.

Tune In, Learn, & Ask Your Questions Live

I hope that everyone who has seen a Talk to Downtown episode has learned at least one new thing. I know I learn something from each guest, and am grateful to each and every one of them for taking the time to be on the podcast. There are so many resources, tools, and organizations in our community; I really enjoy being a part of getting that knowledge and information out to everyone – from how to access business resources, to how to contact your public officials, to understanding who is responsible for event permitting, to learning how zoning decisions are made, and beyond. Informed people are powerful people.

Talk to Downtown typically airs the 2^nd Wednesday of the month at 10:00 AM on the DSA Youtube, Facebook, and LinkedIn platforms. The next one will take place March 11^th.

I encourage anyone who is interested in local news or learning about local resources to tune in and ask your questions live!

Have a great day, Downtown!