The Coop Tank: A Business Roundtable Podcast That Is An Industry Model

 Podcasting is well-known for its low barrier to entry. In essence, that attribute has been a hallmark of this industry since its inception about 20 years ago. 

Therefore, podcasting can accomplish what other media formats cannot -- narrowcast to a small, local audience with a shared passion.

Indie podcasters are the catalysts of this narrowcasting. One of the many societal benefits of indie podcasting is its unique ability to narrowcast to a small geographic area. 

That's the case with this local South Jersey business podcast called The Coop Tank. This show facilitates a discussion among local South Jersey business owners instead of entertainers and finds 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 the host, Steve Cooper, 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.

The Coop Tank just released its 66th episode and has been a key resource for local business people.  

The podcast is the brainchild of Steve Cooper , who began life as a local South Jersey guy. He graduated from South Jersey's 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.

Steve transforms The Coop Tank from a stiff, buttoned-down business podcast into a lively, entertaining show with guests sharing business stories but personal stories of success, failure, and challenges.

How does Steve do that?

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 The Coop Tank. 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, his highly successful interview podcast.

Interviewing three local business people has a high degree of difficulty for any podcast host, however, Steve can turn the mundane into the meaningful. In the October 24, episode, Steve asked Rob Wells of Burlington County Bridge Commission if he grew up wanting to be a county bridge commissioner. Wells chuckled, answered no and proceeded to map his life from college to the present with wit and humor.

Steve Cooper records The Coop Tank in Suite Recording in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. Suite Recording hosts numerous local podcasts, from insurance services to Remember When?, a superb podcast hosted by Jose Colon-Cruz where he and his two co-hosts add their flare to your favorite memories of nostalgia, such as Nintendo DS, SpongeBob, Veggie Tales, and Goosebumps. 

On The Coop Tank, Joe Gangemi is the sound engineer and second voice on The Coop Tank. Before Steve introduces his three guests, he chats with Joe about topics as diverse as disco fries to dancing skills.

Joe Gangemi observes: "Steve is the go-to guy about podcasting around here."

"Steve has been a mentor for other podcasters in the South Jersey area," Joe says. "Steve Cooper's life expertise has perfectly prepared him to host a podcast."

When asked about his podcast hosting skills on The Coop Tank, Steve answers modestly, "Some podcasters worry more about the equipment than the content. I concentrate on my guests." 

That concentration is evident on a local business roundtable podcast like The Coop Tank, where Steve Cooper sparks dynamic discussion of lives, careers, and aspirations with three business people he just met. 

If you're an indie podcaster and can benefit from improved interviewing skills, listen to The Coop Tank. If you're a business person and want to understand how to present yourself so that people don't fall asleep mid-sentence, listen to The Coop Tank. If you're a podcast fan, and want to hear a master interviewer transform three local business people into superb storytellers, listen to The Coop Tank.