Hey Amarillo

A conversation with Patrick Freeman, a professional voiceover artist who narrates audio books and voices video game characters from his home studio in Amarillo. He and host Jason Boyett talk about Patrick's career change—he used to work in financial services in Houston—and why he's chosen to live and work in Amarillo. We also discuss his upcoming work in China and the techniques he uses to perform different voices. This episode is sponsored by TalonLPE.

In another series of three shorter, "Eight Straight"-only conversations, host Jason Boyett asks the standard, Amarillo-focused questions of photographer/concert promoter Bahareh Ritter, marketing advisor Cale Hawley, and workforce specialist Sabrina Meck. This episode is sponsored by Bivins Pointe.

A conversation with Abhishek Sonkkar, general manager of the Amarillo Club, a prestigious dining club located at the top of the city's tallest building. "Abhi" is a native of northern India who arrived in Amarillo expecting it to be a temporary stop in his hospitality career. He and host Jason Boyett talk about Abhi's background, why he chose to stay here, and how the Amarillo Club is moving forward despite its financial struggles earlier this year. This episode is sponsored by Bivins Pointe.

A conversation with Beth Duke, executive director of Center City Amarillo, a nonprofit involved in the revitalization and historic preservation of downtown Amarillo. At its helm, Beth has been the driving force behind countless efforts to restore the vibrancy of this part of town, from the signage on Polk Street to the Amarillo Community Market. With host Jason Boyett, she explains why a strong core is so important to the city and how her journalism background prepared her for the job. This episode is sponsored by Bivins Pointe.

A conversation with Dr. Ryan Pennington, the founder and director of the Refugee Language Project (refugeelanguage.org). Pennington, a linguist by profession, moved to Amarillo after several years as a Bible translator in Papua New Guinea. Here he discovered an extraordinary refugee population—and set about trying to remove the barriers that kept these residents from success. He and host Jason Boyett talk about Pennington's culture shock, how West Texans and Somalis are alike, and why relationships are so essential to learning a new language. This episode is sponsored by Wieck Realty.

A conversation with Jon Mark Beilue, the recently retired columnist at the Amarillo Globe-News. Jon Mark's decades-long career in Amarillo has covered high school sports, unlikely championships, local heroes and the unique residents of the area. Just a few days after his official retirement, Jon Mark sits down with host Jason Boyett to discuss how he got into the business and why he loves telling Amarillo's stories. They also discuss the current state of journalism amid claims of "fake news."

In a series of three shorter, "Eight Straight"-only conversations, host Jason Boyett asks the usual questions of insurance agent (and food blogger) Jason Burr, artist and shop owner Stacy Lavon, and credit card manager Jennifer Callahan. This episode is sponsored by the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation.

A conversation with Michael Rowley, director of the upcoming documentary feature film Hurdle. With host Jason Boyett, Michael talks about growing up in Amarillo, his background in art and theology, and how he settled upon the idea for his new film. Central to his story is how the city's creative community 10 years ago helped launch Rowley into what he's doing now. This episode is sponsored by the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation.

A conversation with David Prescott, the President of Talon/LPE, a multi-state environmental services company headquartered in Amarillo. With multiple locations and Fortune 500 clients, why make Amarillo the center of Talon's operations? Host Jason Boyett asks David that question as they discuss the company's humble beginnings and the secret that makes the local workforce so valuable. This episode is sponsored by the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation.

In a series of three shorter, "Eight Straight"-only conversations, host Jason Boyett asks the usual questions of entrepreneur Andrew Brandt, photographer Angelina Medina, and author/investment advisor John Early. This episode is sponsored by the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation.