WORCESTER – Of all places, it was in the back of Table Talk Pies in Worcester that Ricky Nelson and Travis Duda came together in the fall of 2018 to create the emerging local podcast, SeltzerTime.
The two recorded their first episode just a week after meeting with each other to consider the idea “…with the full intention of just trying something out,” Duda said. “It was really fun and it went so freaking well that we just put it out.”
The phrase “seltzer time” started as a joke, Nelson said. A former bartender at the now-closed The Dive Bar in Worcester, Nelson became known by friends and colleagues for regularly cracking open a can of Polar seltzer water, dubbing the routine as “seltzer time.”
Nelson, 32, and Duda, 34, are both self-proclaimed “fans” of Worcester since becoming residents five to six years ago. Nelson, originally from West Boylston, and Duda, a Watertown, Connecticut native, moved to the city to get more “bang for their buck.”
In just a little over the year, a podcast has taken off resulting in Nelson and Duda having had opportunities to attend a variety of exciting events around the city including a Four Years Strong show at the Palladium, guest starring on the “508” Podcast, and being on stage during the groundbreaking of Polar Park.
“Our whole goal for the podcast is to put a spotlight on some of the things that we think are rad in the city that don’t get enough attention,” Nelson said.
The weekly, 1.5 hour-long podcast airs every Tuesday around noon.
Here’s their latest episode with Mandy Sherman, owner of Pig Out bakery:
“We want people to go support the local spots,” Nelson said, describing himself and Duda as “hype-men of Worcester” whose goal is to “…bring the cultures of Worcester to light.”
For anyone in the community interested in starting their own podcast, Nelson and Duda’s advice is inspired by Nike: “Just do it!”
“The hardest part is getting comfy talking, and the rest you figure out along the way,” Nelson added.
For the next podcasts, Nelson and Duda plan to host local breweries.
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