Podcaster Profiles: Steve Cooper -- CooperTalk & The Coop Tank

Podcaster Profiles has a simple goal: highlight, spotlight, focus on: the indie podcasters who are the heart and soul of podcasting.

Indie podcasters wear more hats than any network-supported podcaster. They are creator, writer, producer, sound engineer, I.T. troubleshooter, researcher, host, distribution pro, marketing guru, public relations professional, and, most important of all, financial backer for the podcast.

This issue of Podcaster Profiles focuses on podcast host, comedian, speaker, writer, networker, marketer, and former hand model, Steve Cooper.

 I met Steve Cooper, creator / host of CooperTalk and The CoopTank at a Panera Bread in Deptford, New Jersey, which is located about 15 miles west of Philadelphia. After ordering and picking up our lunches at the restaurant, we sat down to talk about Steve, his life and his podcasts.

I had heard about Steve from other South Jersey podcasters. Steve is a legend in the podcasting space in the southern part of the state.  

As Joe Gangemi, co-owner and sound engineer for Suite Recording studio in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, insists: "Steve is the go-to guy about podcasting around here." 

Joe is the sound engineer and second voice on The Coop Tank, which is recorded at Suite Recording. 

As we began to talk, Steve reminded me that he had to leave in two hours because he had to record his latest episode of CooperTalk. Trying to corral Steve Cooper's life story is an almost impossible task because he's done so much. He's met and knows so many people of note in the entertainment industry, specifically actors and musicians. 

Steve Cooper could "drop names" for hours without repeating himself.

Steve Cooper graduated from Stockton College (now University) in 1986. From that point until now, Steve Cooper is one of those rare people who can succeed at anything he attempts. And "Coop" has tried a lot of careers. After college, he sold fax machines, then was a successful stand-up comedian in New Jersey and in Los Angeles. 

Steve was also a hand model, worked in Corporate Restaurant Marketing, wrote screenplays, started a comedy corner, and created and sustained two successful podcasts. Steve was -- and is -- a large presence in Internet radio.

Now, how do these divergent career paths relate to Steve Copper's podcasting success? 

First, Steve's career as a successful stand-up comedian demonstrates his quick wit, sharp mind, and an eye for the absurd in life. These are essential traits for a successful podcast host. 

Second, Steve's career stints in sales and marketing makes him the ideal podcaster to create visibility and a brand for his podcasting efforts. Talking to Steve, I realized that he could sell wood to a forest, religion to The Pope, or a cage to a lion. 

Third, Steve is one of those people who can talk to anybody. And he's done that successfully with more than 1, 000 episodes of Cooper Talk and 100 episodes of The Coop Tank.

After living in L.A. for several decades, Steve returned to his South Jersey roots in 2017. He lives comfortably in the leafy suburb of Marlton, New Jersey with his wife. There, he records Cooper Talk in his home and The Coop Tank in Suite Recording in Mount Laurel, New Jersey.

Steve Cooper's life expertise has perfectly prepared him to host a podcast.

"Some podcasters worry more about the equipment than the content," Steve observes. "I concentrate on my guests."

When I asked Steve about his interviewing strategy on his podcasts, he tells me: "Preparation for a podcast interview is a delicate balance. If you over prepare, you become more focused on the questions you want to ask than responding to the answers of your guests. If you under prepare, then you seem like you don't care."

"I try to see my interviews as organic talks," Steve notes. "I listen intently to my guests and then react accordingly."

Of course, Steve's favorite topic is podcasting. CooperTalk has passed the 1,000th episode mark and is going strong.

On his show, Steve talks to actors and musicians.

"I've interviewed 60 members of the Rock N' Roll Hall Of Fame," Steve says with pride.

Recently, Steve had Thomas Dolby ("She Blinded Me with Science" 1982) as a guest on CooperTalk. On the episode, Dolby tells Steve about founding Beatnik, a software company that developed polyphonic ringtone software and the famous Nokia tune.

Steve has welcomed Mick Mars from Motley Crue, Greg Hawkes from The Cars, Rich Redmond, drummer for Jason Aldean, Greg Camp from Smash Mouth, and Ross Valory from Journey.

"My biggest get would be if I could have Springsteen on CooperTalk," Steve admits.

In over 1,000 episodes, Steve has also interviewed hundreds of well-known actors, from Penelope Ann Miller, who played Nancy Reagan in the recently released film, Reagan, Greg Grunberg from Felicity, Heroes, and Star Wars, Tom Arnold from True Lies, Anson Williams from Happy Days, Jill Whelan from The Love Boat, Tommy Chong from Cheech & Chong, and David Duchovny from The X Files. 

Steve's ability to attract well-known Hollywood talent to his show can be attributed to his years spent in L.A., in the entertainment scene and his superb networking talent.

Steve's opening line of every episode: "I'm only as hip as my guests" is the kind of signature line many podcasters would die for.

His other show, The Coop Tank, enables Steve to talk to local, South Jersey business owners instead of entertainers and find out why they do what they do and how they got there. It's a roundtable discussion that could tie up any podcast host into knots, but Steve handles this talkfest with expertise and care.

For example, a recent episode included insightful and lighthearted conversation with Heather Kay (Ready Aim Impact), Carrie Nelson (Carrie Nelson Photography), and Frankie Patterson (Cherry Hill Neighbors) about the business world, the networking world, and life.

Ear Worthy will publish a review of CooperTalk and The Coop Tank in the coming weeks.

After spending a few hours with Steve Cooper, I came away with the sense of a man who was comfortable in his own skin, genuinely curious about others (a necessary trait for an interview podcast host) and always willing to give back to his community.

I direct you to a Mark Twain quote: “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you figure out why.”

Indie Podcaster Steve Cooper is one of the few who has life figured out. Through his networking and podcasts, Steve is helping the rest of us to get there.