Today we’d like to introduce you to Shana Race.
Shana, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
It all started ten years ago, my boyfriend, now husband, packed up my 2000 purple Kia Sportage to move from our hometown of Santa Cruz, CA to Baltimore Md. All we had to bring with us was our dog, (Amby) our hamster (Robocop) one bag of clothes each, a tv/VCR combo, a PlayStation, a snowboard and nothing to lose. We moved into the attic of “the Race-Mekis Ranch” which was an extremely old mansion in the suburbs of Baltimore. We didn’t have jobs, but my husband had friends and colleagues in the area.
After a few weeks of going stir crazy not working and not knowing anybody, I decided I needed to make some new friends and find a job. Bartending had been calling to me for some time, but the right opportunity hadn’t presented itself. Until one night I was sitting at a local neighborhood bar and decided to go ask these two girls sitting on the other side of the bar if they wanted to be friends. I felt like a dingus being so blunt asking them but looking back, it changed my entire path in my life.
You see, these two ladies were bartenders at another neighborhood joint down the street that they informed to that a position was opening up the next day. So I jumped on it and went into the bar the very next morning and got myself a job as the daytime bartender at “The Caton Tavern.” I enjoyed every minute of it but about a year later moved into the city. At this point, I was realizing that bartending was more to me than just a job. I really loved it, I loved understanding and creating flavors, so I had to do more and learn more.
I continued my education by working at many different styles of bars.. dive bars, neighborhood bars, fine dining bars, cocktail bars, and wine bars. I ended up managing the cocktail program at an award-winning bar at the end of my stay in Baltimore. My husband and I moved back to California, to Los Angeles, after being in Baltimore for six years. Since being in Los Angeles, I continue to tend bar and continue to learn, listen, taste, create and educate.
Overall the years, I have had one thing in particular that really really fascinates me about bartending, and that is the stories. Have you ever had a chance to sit down and talk to a bartender about their stories? They are amazing people and are incredible storytellers. I have been listening to bartenders stories for years now. Ten years ago, I decided I wanted to start documenting bartenders stories.
Originally, I wanted to do this in book form but fast forward to December 2017 and the technological future, we have an app platform of sharing thoughts, and stories… welcome podcasts. I got the idea of drinking a margarita the size of my head at El Compadre on Sunset in Echo Park. It just all made so much sense, I knew exactly what path to take with it. I didn’t know how to use the equipment, mix audio, edit audio, promote, or create the online, complete package, but I knew I had to figure it all out. I knew if I got all the pieces together people would take interest.
I contacted my friend, Matt Hernandez about being my Co-host and he is just a gem, and without really any persuading he was in. As I continued talking about the project one of my best friends Adhel Martinez eagerly jumped on board with excitement to help. We got it all set up looked at each other and said “fuck it, let’s record.” and hot that record button. It wasn’t great at first, it sounded bad, I mean really bad. But I kept on learning, adjusting, and working hard to where now we sound bomb and have done some of the coolest things I have ever dreamed of.
From the launch of TalkTales January 21, 2018, our team have been brand sponsored by Young’s Market, we were approved as certified media at Tales of the Cocktail. We have been written about in Los Angeles Magazine, we’re were sponsored and flown out to do a live show and episode in Pittsburgh PA and we have 10,000 downloads of our show and growing. We hired our amazing producer Allison Bryant to the team to keep us moving in a solid direction.
The growth is unbelievable, from the very beginning of this project I told myself I would create TalkTales no matter if anyone listened or not. That it is something, I have to do for myself. The thing I didn’t foresee is how TalkTales is creating a network among some amazing people in our bartending community. For me, sharing stories is ultimately the most important human experience. Passing down stories are the only way to create immortality, your story will keep you alive.
I am really just wanting to let people like me have a place and a platform to tell their stories, I will continue to do the work to make sure they are passed on. Its such a rad job to have to be able to listen to other bartenders tell their experiences, it’s therapeutic as well. The entire process of learning how to create this podcast has been overwhelmingly amazing. I now am not only a bartender but am a podcast creator, host, audio editor, web designer, Photoshop flyer master, songwriter, producer, writer, and storyteller. It’s freakin’ awesome!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Just being on the road your stoked! If there is force moving you forward, you will handle the turns and bumps as they come, it’s just the nature of momentum. I think with the right preparation and tools the bumps and turns are taken more with ease. That being said, heck ya there have been struggles, podcasting is still the wild west. It is difficult to navigate the correct path. Luckily, there are a lot of forums and information online about how others have failed and how to learn from mistakes.
Getting our sound to sound professional was a huge hurdle, and required some failed equipment and failed episodes. The over-consumption of alcohol during recording was a boo as well, it led to some really blurry audio. Luckily for us, the failures have been very cut and dry, and the remedy have been pretty obvious. We just have to update our disclaimers every once in a while. One other struggle I do want to mention is open and honest communication.
I think when working with people communication can be stressful at times. I really had to learn a lot about myself and healthy communication when working on a creative project with my friends. It can be hard sometimes because feelings can get hurt, but our team works really hard together and have overcome some mental roadblocks for sure. I am really proud of our dynamic and tenacity.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with TalkTales the Podcast – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
TalkTales the Podcast is a bartender storytelling podcast. Every week we interview a different bartender or bar industry professional. Every episode we tell stories, Adhel Martinez, who plays the character of our “Mixtress” crafts a cocktail from the sponsored brand that we sip on a talk about on the podcast. Matt Hernandez and I talk about our lives behind the bar and conduct Q&A’s with the guests. Living in LA, we all know there is another industry that exists around us all, the entertainment industry.
As luck would have it, these two industries believe it or not co-exist together, being that many of these talented entertainers pay their bills through the medium of bartending or the service industry. So we certainly tap into that market, we have our talented friends come on the podcast and improve bar related crazy characters. TalkTales is different from other bar-related podcasts because we don’t focus on education or history. We want to appeal to an audience that is not strictly bartenders, my, for instance, is an avid listener.
Basically, to anyone who has ever sat in a bar stool and thought to themselves, “I wonder what its like to be a bartender?” That is who our target audience is. I’m proud to say we stay true to our mission and every week work hard to put on a fun, entertaining show. It cracks me up at least.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I can’t wait to see what happens in the future for TalkTales the Podcast. It’s only been a year, and we are killing it. I know we are in discussion about doing an episode in Tequila while drinking Tequila. So that is super exciting and can’t wait for that. We will be going back to New Orleans for Tales of the Cocktail this year and covering that.
I am planning a huge cocktail competition soon celebrating TalkTales one year anniversary, showcasing all the alumn TalkTales bartenders and characters. I plan just to keep working on promoting the show and getting the word out because its all about spreading the word and sharing. Instagram has been a major player and helped in this area of publicity.
I plan on creating and writing more live shows and doing more TalkTales bartender pop-ups. We are guest bartending The Mermaid in Little Toyko on January 9th, which is going to be a blast! We always have some tricks up our sleeves to make the guests experience more on the unique side. Ultimately I want TalkTales to be the best bartending podcast in the entire universe.
Pricing:
- $15 T-Shirt
- $10 Bartender Towel with belt clip
- $12 pins and a sticker
Contact Info:
- Website: talktalesthepodcast.com
- Phone: 831-295-0829
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talktalesthepodcast
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalkTales-the-Podcast-150123488979665/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/talktalesthepod
Image Credit:
The Educated Barfly
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