AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Maine Bradley is setting the tone for podcasting in the Augusta area, and now the creator and host of More Than The Masters Podcast sits down with WJBF about how he began in what has become one of the most popular new forms of media on the rise.

Thank you for joining us on Celebrating Black Excellence. How did you get into podcasting?

At the time, it is something I picked up. I listened to a few podcasts at the time that were doing it. It wasn’t a thing. I’d never heard of before, but I liked it. I liked that there was genuine conversation. They didn’t seem like they were professional speakers, and they interviewed. I like how they painted pictures through their interviews. The conversations that they were having were like barbershop talks, sort of kind of, but I was still learning from it. I was like, “I want to do this. I can do that. I want to talk people, and I want to have a genuine conversation about things that matter and kind of like learn at the same time.”

Now, you chose the name of your show to be More Than The Masters. Why did you pick that title for the podcast?

It was really hard because like, you know, me being from New York and then living down here for the time I lived down here, I wanted to kind of join the best of both worlds: the city me, but also the part of me that lived in the South for a while and have manners and things of that nature. The thing I could think of was my people back home. Every time I tell them that I live in Augusta they think about rattlesnakes and dirt roads, and that wasn’t a thing anymore. So, I said, “Well, what is Augusta known for?” Of course, you got James Brown, you know, but I was like the Masters. I wanted to show that Augusta was more than just that because a lot of people that I was catering to don’t know anything about the Masters at all. So, yeah, that’s how that came about.

Talk to me about your very first podcast.

My first one was with my brother, and I recorded three times. I recorded it in my grandmother’s house. I recorded it in California at Cal University when he was on his trip. Then, I recorded again at home over the phone… and I went with our phone interview. I just wanted it to be perfect, like, because I was listening to people who had all of this, like had a team, had the audio perfect, had these top tier microphones, and had the best stuff. So, I kept thinking I was doing bad, so I kept scrapping every interview I did until I finally said, “I’m putting this out.” From there, I took off.

What lessons have you learned through your journey of podcasting? Like, how have you changed from episode one just to where you are now?

Just like it’s not about numbers. I’m more about impact over everything else. I care about how I’m impacting somebody. So, the episode might not get a lot of views as somebody else, but if during that time that person can call me two months or a year or so later, and say, “That interview changed how I thought about the city; it changed how I moved going forward. This interview changed how I looked at the city.” I like impact over anything else. I like impact over popularity, impact over numbers, impact over statistics, impact over money… I want to be impactful as possible.

We definitely feel that impact. You were indeed one of the first people – if not the first person – that I know that actually was doing podcasts here in the area. Keeping in mind that we are not referring to online radio shows. We’re strictly talking about podcasts. How does it feel to know that you were one of the firsts?

I’ve heard that for years. I did this; I was doing that. You know, for me, to actually title something, podcast, not a radio show, it was new, and it feels good because it was foreign. Podcasts didn’t have a term at the time. It was just an audio recording by definition. So, to be one of the first ones or the first one in the area doing it and seeing how it’s taken off just for the world, I suppose, it’s amazing. I’m not going to lie. I wish I would have copyrighted it: how to start a podcast because that’s like the most Googled thing, you know? It’s amazing to me. I like that I did something, not just not to piggyback on somebody else, not because of the fad, but because I wanted to do. That’s why I’m so true to it because I didn’t do because it was going to be that was “poppin,’” or a thing that was going to get you lit, or whatever the case may be. No, it was just something I really wanted to do, and you see it in my work.

Now, how do you choose your guests for your podcast?

Oh, you just got to matter. I’m always about pushing the city forward. Things that I feel as though people don’t know about the city or people that I want to put on. I do take gamble every now and then. You may not be where you want to be yet at what you’re doing, but you so pure to what you’re doing, and to me, it’s pure to the city and what the city means to me and what I want to convey. You know, I look at myself as an artist, so you might say podcast, or you might say host, but I always say artist. I’m painting pictures with questions and people’s responses, whether it’s the follow up questions. It’s certain things. You’ll give me an answer one time, and I’m a follow up a certain way. I’m painting a picture of what I want the viewers to see of this and how they are going to view the city in addition to your story. I want your story to tell another story. I want your story to tell me, you know, Augusta in 1970 what was going on. How was Aquinas back then? How was downtown back then with the Black businesses? All that stuff matters. So, you got to matter, but I have to see a vision when I’m talking to you.

Now, can your memorable guest that you’ve ever interviewed?

Man, this guy named Karlton Clay. (Laughs) Seriously, I always said, you were my first official guest. When I say official guest, I mean, you had motion. Not saying you don’t have it now, but at that time, you had motion because you were doing so much. I remember asking your sister first could I interview you. “Do you think he’ll do it because I’m nobody, you know what I’m saying?” Look what happened since then. So, you got people like you who are doing so many things in the city; I can go down the list of the things that you’re doing. Karen Gordon, she’s like a conduit to everything in the city and just having that relationship, podcast aside, is amazing. I did Janice Jackson a little while ago; ran the city for a little while. Ben Hassan is another. I like to do people that I don’t know, and I’m not in their demographic. We would never know each other; we wouldn’t have no conversations. Normally, when I talk to them, we stay in contact forever after that. So yes, that’s amazing.

Now, who inspires you?

Oh, my goodness… my family, my kids, my brother. You know, I watch them do great things. My sister… just family, really. My family… they really inspire me because that’s what I do it for. I do it for my daughters, my mother, my grandmother. So, yeah, I’m a real family-oriented person. Before anything, I want to make sure that I made them proud. So, you know, impact, numbers, anybody saying you to first, that’s cool and all, but when I see my family like what I’m doing or bigging me up, that means a lot to me. So, I’m inspired by it and just the thought of making them proud.

Who is Maine listening to? What are some of your favorite podcasts to listen to?

More Than The Masters. Sit Down with Slim. I like Slim; he’s from here. All the local podcasts. You have Conversations With Mo, Good Talk With Shay Good, Brotha Trav… I like local podcasts because I like to feel like I can relate to who’s speaking. I want to know their story; I want to meet those people that’s talking. I also like Joe Budden Podcast of course.  As far as on a bigger level, I don’t listen to any bigger level podcasts besides Joe Budden. It’s all local for me.

What words of advice can you give someone who wants to get into podcasting?

Be true to what you want to do. Be willing to work. Be okay with failing. Be okay with an episode not doing what you wanted to do because sometimes that happens like the episode you pick that you think is going to be “I got one,” sometimes it won’t be that one. It may feel like that in a moment, but it doesn’t translate to ads, sponsorships, moving ahead, or feeling like people know me more now. That’s advice I would give. I also say sometimes you have superheroes; these are people you look up to saying “I wanna interview this person.” That may not be the person you want interview because that can change your view of that person. I haven’t seen that a lot, but I’ve been there where it’s like, “Okay, this is how this person acts. This is not what I expected. I’d rather have not interviewed that person.” So, it’s no different than any other art form, whether it’s rapping, poetry, or comedy. You’re going to have trials and errors; you’re going to have times where you feel like you’re not doing enough. You’re going to have times where you feel like you’re not moving in the right direction, and you’re moving backwards maybe. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else. Just do what’s best for you. So, for me, I put episode out. I don’t look the numbers anymore. I don’t care about shares anymore. I’ll put it out, and I’m moving on to the next thing because I’m growing. So, that’s behind me. Now, it’s on to the next one. How can I get better next time?

If people want to listen to More Than The Master podcast, or they want to follow you in your journey, how can they do so?

You can watch More Than The Masters on YouTube. It’s More Than The Masters on Facebook, SoundCloud, Apple Music, etc. I’m on all the platforms. You’ll see me pop up looking like a cartoon looking just like I look now because I don’t age. (Laughs)

BONUS CLIP: For all the fans and listeners that have been asking me, I asked Maine the question that most want to know.