Podcast Spotlight: Unmapped

Last updated on January 28th, 2018

Unmapped aims to stoke your wanderlust gene, triggering your travel bug. Travel blogger and host, Angelina Zeppieri, takes listeners on her trips with her around the world. Whether the location is somewhere far away like Greece, or Angelina’s actual hometown with a visit to Coney Island. Though podcasts are audio-only, and by definition you can’t actually see the places Unmapped is taking you, the podcast audio quality, storytelling, and overall narrative spark your inner visual imagination as if you’re right there with Angelina.

If you listen to podcasts during your mundane morning commute and wish you weren’t stuck in traffic, on a noisy train, a crowded bus, or some other less desirable situation, listen to Unmapped to briefly transport you to some better place.

I got a chance to interview both Angelina and executive producer Dave Keine about how the podcast came to be, taking on Anthony Bourdain, and where they want to go from here. See below for our Q&A.

Listen: Apple Podcasts

Discover Pods: How did Uncover Studios end up creating Unmapped? Did the host approach you with the idea or vice versa?

Dave: We’ve been fans of Angelina’s for a while now, so when the opportunity came to create original podcasts, we knew we wanted to work with her. We had an idea that her first-person, personal travel stories would work really well as a podcast.

Angelina: Uncover approached me with the idea on doing a travel-based podcast in a way that was different from the types of travel podcasts already out there. While I have experience in travel writing and blogging, this was a new medium for me and it was exciting to do something so different and slightly “ground-breaking” in this new space.

DP: Was the original idea for Unmapped to be something like a millennial version of Anthony Bourdain?

Dave: Ha! Sort of. We definitely wanted to take listeners to the destination with us. When we started, every travel podcast just had people sitting around talking about travel, but there was no actual traveling. We wanted to change that.

In her travel writing, Angelina has always had a real knack for picking out the little details and really illustrating what it’s like to not only visit but to explore. So, our goal was to combine that editorial with the experiential audio, and make you feel like you’re right beside her as she experiences these destinations. I think it really shows up in the tape.

Angelina: I love this compliment and am flattered that Unmapped is mentioned in the same sentence as Anthony Bourdain! I wouldn’t say I set out with that distinction in mind, but it’s welcomed. My intention was just to share genuine travel experiences – not just talking about travel, but actually traveling – and recreating those adventures in a fun, real way.

DP: Where do you think the show will go from here?

Dave: We’re having fun with it! We’ll be visiting new travel spots and going on more adventures. You’ll also see also see the show playing with different formats and covering travel-related stories in new ways, similar to our recent episode covering surprise travel company, Pack Up & Go.  We’re also looking at partnering with local tourism boards and travel brands to create some really interesting branded content that listeners will actually enjoy. There’s a lot of great stuff coming up for Unmapped.

Angelina: I hope that Unmapped evolves into a vehicle that takes us to new destinations (no pun intended) near and far. And while it’s obviously about geographic exploration, there’s a lot of personal growth that’s happening. I plan to keep that openness and transparency a consistent theme. I also see it becoming a two-way street with our listeners! I would love to tap into our audience and work them into episodes.

DP: As a relatively new podcast, how has the listener feedback been?

Dave: It’s been really great to here from fans about what they enjoy in Unmapped. A big part of the series is that Angelina is very transparent about who she is and why she’s making this podcast. She’s a travel guru but she’s not some Instagram star in a different country every day. We’ve heard feedback that listeners really enjoy that authenticity.

We’ve also gotten great comments on the high production value of the show. Our producer Adam Raymonda has really built a great audio aesthetic and every piece of the episode is well-made. We set out to make a high-quality travel podcast at the proof is in the audio.

Angelina: Listeners have enjoyed the “adventures” we take them on either through my direct experiences or through the stories of fellow travelers. I’ve heard that they appreciate the production quality that makes the stories really come to life, as well as the candidness of our experiences. We share the true ups and downs of travel and I think they admire that realness.

DP: What’s the biggest challenge you face as an indie podcaster?

Dave: One of the challenges is that we LOVE podcasts and our minds are moving a lot faster than we can create episodes. We have a long Google doc of episode ideas and research that we can’t wait to turn into episodes. Ultimately, as a podcaster you have to set your focus on one episode at a time. Make the best episode you can and that will allow you to make the next one. Right now, we’re building a solid foundation so that we’ll be able to ramp up production in the future.

Angelina: Time. In addition to Unmapped, I work a 9-5, I blog and write, and naturally, I travel a lot – usually once a month. There’s only so many hours in a week! But when you’re passionate about something, the way I’m passionate about sharing my experiences and (hopefully) inspiring other to travel via this podcast, you make it work.

DP: What are your five favorite podcasts?

Dave: It might sound silly but Unmapped is my favorite podcast right now. Even after countless edits and reviews, I still play the latest episode when I jump in the car or go for a walk. I love it. The list always changes, but these are my favorites right now: Undiscovered, Switched On Pop, WTK: Encore, How Sound, and Twenty Thousand Hertz.

Angelina: Millennial, My Favorite Murder, Reply All, Serial, WTK: Encore

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