Little Local Conversations
Discover the people, places, stories, and ideas of Watertown, MA. Join Matt Hanna as he has conversations with various businesses owners, community leaders, creatives, and other interesting folks in Watertown to learn about what they do and get to know a bit about the people behind the work.
Sign up for the email newsletter to know when new episodes are out: https://mailchi.mp/1ffcb9f6801e/newsletter-signup
Like the podcast? You can support it here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2322540/supporters/new
The podcast is in partnership with the Watertown Business Coalition (find out more about them at https://watertownbusinesscoalition.com/).
Follow on Instagram (@littlelocalconversations)
Episodes
43 episodes
Episode 40: Bevin Croft (Policy Researcher / World in Watertown)
Meet Bevin Croft! She's a policy researcher and board member of World in Watertown. We chat about her early experiences working at group homes for people with mental health disabilities, what policy research is and some new alternatives it's ex...
•
Episode 40
•
31:43
Little Local Weekly (January 15th - 21st, 2025)
Listen to hear updates from past podcast guests about things going on with them and Watertown this week.My first in-person podcast event Creative Chats is th...
•
17:24
Episode 39: Alyssa Cecchetelli (Addgene)
Meet Alyssa Cecchetelli! She's the Associate Director of Plasmid Services at Addgene, a nonprofit life science organization here in Watertown. We chat about her origins in science including spending 6 years studying a transparent worm (and maki...
•
Episode 39
•
35:36
Little Local Weekly (January 8th-14th, 2025)
Hi there! This is my first attempt at a Little Local Weekly episode where I give headlines, updates, and other insights from previous guests for the week ahead. Let me know what you think!Links:
•
15:48
Episode 38: Cameron Labrecque (Boston Gold Kings)
Meet Cameron Labrecque! He's the GM and Director of Hockey Operations for the Boston Gold Kings, a semi-professional hockey team here in Watertown. We talk about his personal hockey journey, the challenges of the semi-professional hockey world,...
•
Episode 38
•
21:51
Episode 37: Sophia Suarez-Friedman (Watertown Social Services Resource Specialist / Wayside Youth & Family Support Network)
Meet Sophia Suarez-Friedman! She's a clinical social worker and coordinator of the Watertown Social Services Resource Specialist Program at the Wayside Youth and Family Support Network. We talk about her early experiences with social work in DC...
•
Episode 37
•
33:20
Episode 36: Matthew Stephens (Mount Auburn Cemetery)
Meet Matthew Stephens! He's the President and CEO of the Mount Auburn Cemetery here in Watertown (yes, it's mostly in Watertown!). We chat about his background in horticulture including planting 1 million trees in NYC, how Mt Auburn was the fir...
•
Episode 36
•
34:02
Episode 35: Nicole Gardner (Watertown District A City Councilor)
Meet Nicole Gardner! She's the City Councilor for District A (East End) here in Watertown. We chat about her years of work in the management consulting world, how shifting into HR opened her eyes to the importance of diversity and inclusion and...
•
Episode 35
•
45:38
Episode 34: Elan Rohde (Campolongo Cookie Company)
Meet Elan Rohde! She's the owner of Campolongo Cookie Company right here in Watertown. We dig into how she used her anthropology and archaeology background to learn the science of baking and hone her cookie recipe over the years, the importance...
•
Episode 34
•
41:34
Episode 33: Arto Vaun (Project Save Photograph Archive / Musician/Poet)
Meet Arto Vaun! He's Executive Director of Project Save Photograph Archive and a musician and poet here in Watertown. We talk about his own journey as a self-described late bloomer in owning his artistic identity to now getting public acclaim f...
•
Episode 33
•
49:58
Episode 32: George Proakis (Watertown City Manager)
Meet George Proakis! He's the city manager for the City of Watertown. There's a lot to talk about in Watertown! We scratch the surface with:His background and early experiences with civil engineering, public administration, and city...
•
Episode 32
•
52:14
Episode 31: Ernie Thebado (Watertown Director of Recreation)
Meet Ernie Thebado! He's the new Director of Recreation for the City of Watertown (though he's no stranger to rec in Watertown!). We chat about the people and moments that shaped him (as a kid and an adult) at Boys and Girls Clubs in Marlboroug...
•
Episode 31
•
32:59
Episode 30: Steve "Nookie" Postal (Revival Cafe + Kitchen)
Meet Nookie Postal! He's a chef and co-owner of the new Revival Cafe and Kitchen here in Watertown. We get into a conversation about his culinary journey:From growing up where a nice night of food was going out to a chain restaurant...
•
Episode 30
•
34:27
Episode 29: Ruth Rappaport (Musician)
Meet Ruth Rappaport! She's a musician living here in Watertown. Listen to hear about:Being a self-taught guitarist and growing up surrounded by the folk revival and cowboy musicHow running a coffeehouse and working at recor...
•
Episode 29
•
35:33
Episode 28: Erin Rathe (Watertown Senior Planner for Economic Development)
Meet Erin Rathe! She's the Senior Planner for Economic Development for the City of Watertown, a brand new position for the city. We talk about her journey transitioning from pursuing a PhD in English literature to owning a handcrafted gift shop...
•
Episode 28
•
38:01
Episode 27: Ryan Nicholson (Watertown Fire Chief)
Meet Ryan Nicholson! He's the Fire Chief at the Watertown Fire Department. We chat about his Watertown roots, then his journey from early experiences on ambulances all the way up to fire chief with stops as training officer, fire inspector, dep...
•
Episode 27
•
37:45
Episode 26: Peter Pyne (Olespaña)
Meet Peter Pyne! He's the executive chef and owner of Olespaña, a Spanish bar and restaurant here in Watertown. We talk about growing up as a farmer in northern Spain (but also studying economics), the cultural differences between the US and Sp...
•
Episode 26
•
35:18
A Quick Update From Matt
Hi there! This is just a short message saying that I'll be taking a short break from releasing new episodes, but I'll be back at it in a few weeks. Until then, take care!
•
2:08
Episode 25: Sally Young (Artist-Activist / Edible Watertown)
Meet Sally Young! She's an artist and art activist here in Watertown and the mind behind Edible Watertown, an initiative of the Watertown Public Arts and Culture Committee. She's had a winding journey to get where she is now that includes being...
•
Episode 25
•
36:52
Episode 24: Joel Giacobozzi (Watertown High School & Middle School Principal)
Meet Joel Giacobozzi! He's the principal for the Watertown High School and (at least temporarily) for the Middle School as well. He has some surprising stories you might not expect for a principal such as stints living alone in the Yukon and st...
•
Episode 24
•
29:53
Episode 23: Tyler Cote (Watertown Community Engagement Specialist)
Meet Tyler Cote! He’s the Community Engagement Specialist for Watertown, a new role in the city. We get into a conversation about his days working in a nonprofit teaching kids about online safety and a particular day there that forever changed ...
•
Episode 23
•
37:30
Episode 22: Stephanie Venizelos (Watertown Community Wellness Program Manager)
Meet Stephanie Venizelos! She’s the Community Wellness Program Manager for the City of Watertown (which includes managing the farmers market!). We chat about her early years teaching health in schools and her transition into broader thinking ro...
•
Episode 22
•
30:23
Episode 21: Christian Dallas (Dallas Insurance Agency / Watertown Rotary Club)
Meet Christian Dallas! He's an insurance agent at Dallas Insurance Agency here in Watertown and is the president-elect of the Watertown Rotary Club. We chat about his experience working his way into the Watertown community and how the kindness ...
•
Episode 21
•
30:25
Episode 20: Gideon Schreiber (Watertown Director of Planning and Zoning)
Meet Gideon Schreiber! He's the Director of Planning and Zoning for the City of Watertown. We chat about his early experiences in the wilderness of Northern Idaho and the cold of Fairbanks, Alaska (where he once spent a month with temperatures ...
•
Episode 20
•
31:14
Episode 19: Steve Owens (Massachussets State Representative)
Meet Steve Owens! He's the State Representative for the 29th Middlesex District which includes most of Watertown and part of Cambridge. We chat about missing the boat on the Silicon Valley gold rush, his history in freight transportation manage...
•
Episode 19
•
29:13
