Give the Gift of Storytelling Through Podcasting

When I was in 5th grade, I had to do a report on a family member who immigrated to the United States.

My maternal grandfather, Louis (Luigi) “Pop” Addorissio, was the only family I knew who did that. He came to the US from Italy in 1949, at the age of 19.

I sadly don’t remember any of the questions I asked, or the answers he gave, and that report is lost to the annals of history.

I did manage to ask him one question when I was about 20 years old about what it was like growing up in Italy during WWII. He made a comment about how Mussolini actually did a lot for the country, but he, “got in with the wrong crowd.”

The wrong crowd indeed, Pop.

As an aside, something incredibly interesting about Italian immigrants in the 1940s-1950s was that they were very focused on “becoming American” (likely due to prejudice against them). Pop learned English ASAP, and didn’t teach his kids Italian because he felt it would be a hinderance to them.

He sadly passed away in 2009, and one of my biggest regrets is not capturing more of his stories. I can imagine myself, standing outside with him, both of us smoking cigars (something I got into thanks to him).

Then, I would probably just asked questions and wrote down the answers. But today, I’d bring my Zoom H5 recorder over, with a couple of microphones, and capture our conversation that way.

Storytelling is such an important part of the human experience?—?something that holds together the very fabric of society. It can motivate crowds to act, and it can keep familial traditions and legacies.

Podcasts offer the perfect vehicle for storytelling. You’re focused on the words and how they’re delivered, vs. relying on visuals.

That’s why I’m so excited about the new product we’ve launched at RSS.com HQ: gift cards.

RSS.com Offers Gift Cards for Podcasting

You likely have a friend who’s said, “I need to start a podcast.” And I know from experience that many folks don’t know where to start.

These gift card are prefect for them, as well as the aspiring marketer, content creator, and storyteller.

But beyond that, they’re also perfect for the family member, friend, or loved one whose stories you want to live on.

In a world where we’re so focused on the viral, short form, and ephemeral, we could use a more of this type of content. The stories that can’t and won’t always get told, unless we capture them and pass them on to future generations.

I would have loved for my kids?—?including his namesake, my son Louis?—?to hear Pop’s stories, in his own words. Now they have to settle for the very few I have, and a pretty poor impression.

If you’re looking for a unique gift for the person in your life whose stories need to be heard, I strongly recommend you check out RSS.com’s gift cards.

Disclosure: I am the Evangelist for RSS.com…but this is still a cool, one of a kind gift.

Give the Gift of Storytelling Through Podcasting was originally published in Thoughts from Joe Casabona on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.