36 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • DECEMBER 10, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
buzz
Queens podcasting legends launch annual Kickstarter campaign
BY TAMMY SCILEPPI
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Like millions of other fed-up New
Yorkers, Queens’ badass podcasters Keith
Malley and Chemda – hosts of the wildly
popular Keith and Th e Girl (KATG) comedy
talk show – are itching to get back to
those good ol’ pre-pandemic days.
In the meantime, they’ve launched a
successful Kickstarter campaign for 2020,
thanks in large part to the duo’s rabid followers
who keep rooting for and supporting
their beloved heroes. Th e annual fundraising
eff orts help keep the mics on and the
fresh content coming, aft er 3,300-plus episodes.
Currently, almost $19,000 has been
pledged of KATG’s $25,000 goal.
“Our listeners have been the biggest driving
force to get us to 16 years of podcasting,”
Chemda recently told QNS. “We add
as much value to the Kickstarter as possible
to keep our supporters happy and our community
strong and fun.”
Th e podcast records live fi ve days a week
and off ers fast-paced conversation, as the
hosts schmooze with up-and coming and
veteran guest comics, about relationships,
comedy, current events, pop culture, the
pandemic and politics. Keith and Chemda
even share intimate details of their own
lives, while tackling any topic with hilarity
and candor. Fans appreciate their unique
talents and ability to view reality through
that special brand of unapologetically irreverent,
no-holds-barred humor.
For several months, KATG has been
recording remotely and dealing with the
added expense of keeping the show running
smoothly, in the midst of a global
pandemic. Backers of the campaign will
help ensure that they can continue to provide
a great experience for their listeners
and guests during an unprecedented era. If
the campaign is successfully funded, Keith
and Chemda will get to bring their annual
24-hour comedy marathon, featuring more
than 50 of their fans’ favorite guests, during
a live recording on Jan. 30, 2021 (this
time, completely virtual). And then there’s
KATG’s YouTube relaunch.
Th is year, that much-needed moolah will
also help the podcasters move … again.
“In January, we moved into a new studio
in Astoria that I only got to work from for
two months before the pandemic hit hard,”
Chemda recalled. “With the funding, we’re
moving out of the studio completely and
building more permanent studios in our
homes. I live in a studio apartment with my
boyfriend Xerxes in Long Island City, right
by the above-ground train, so the only quiet
place to record is in the closet.”
Back in February – before the world
knew what was heading our way – the podcast
pioneers felt like they were on top of the
world, having recorded one of the longestrunning
podcasts in history, since launching
back in 2005. QNS spoke with the former
lovers then, as they celebrated their
show’s 15th anniversary (in March) and
looked forward to an even brighter future.
But times have been tough for everyone,
and KATG was no exception. Despite
their challenges, the dynamic duo kept the
faith and plowed on, keeping their audience
engaged and entertained. And their guests,
who used to be invited to the studio, joined
in via Zoom.
“Th e pandemic has been a b*tch. I miss
going out to work, coff ee shops, live shows
and getting hugs,” Chemda shared. “I’m
lucky to be living with someone I love, but
we haven’t seen anyone else out in the real
world since March. It’s lonely and scary and
requires a lot of patience and a diff erent
energy than usual.”
KATG creates a new hourlong show
each weekday and posts on http://www.
keithandthegirl.com/ and on iTunes.
(Subscribe to the free podcast and episodes
will download automatically).
“While it’s a comedy show in the end,
it’s still a very personal show, and when
we’re not discussing the pandemic changes
in people’s lives, we may be discussing
the election, the country, everyone’s overall
anxiety, and how we all cope,” Malley
explained.
“Everything that I go through, someone
else has gone through. I realized it’s silly to
be embarrassed by normal, everyday situations.
Th e world is more tolerable when
people speak openly,” he added.“We love
our New Yorkers, and we love people with a
full worldview, that are constantly evolving.”
Every show is guaranteed to make you
laugh! And these days, laughing at serious
or scary situations can be very therapeutic.
“We’re shift ing as much as possible to
keep recording regular podcasts and create
live and interactive experiences for our listeners,”
Chemda noted. “One of the things
we started is a virtual monthly game show
called ‘Silent Trailers,’ where comedians
compete together against Keith to guess the
movie that I’m describing by watching its
trailer on silent.”
“Chemda is the worst at movie references
and actors’ names,” Malley quipped. “So,
part of the fun is knowing that if she says,
‘Tom Selleck is bla bla,’ she might really
mean Burt Reynolds. Or Elijah Wood for
that matter. Who knows?”
Firing back, Chemda replied, “Th at might
be a little exaggeration.” And Malley joked,
“Mmmm, is it?”
During the show, the chat is very active
with people’s responses, including guessing
the movie and chatting with each other.
KATG also started a weekly chat party on
Wednesday nights. Every week, they get
into their chatroom at 8 p.m. ET and are
joined by listeners from around the world.
Some folks join a virtual poker tournament
and others are just there to shoot the breeze.
And it’s a lot of fun!
In addition, Chemda has created OMAT
(One Minute Ata Time), a program that
helps turn negative patterns into positive
Photo by Anne Whiteman
habits with eight, one-minute exercises.
“We love being the place that people can
share real stories that are told with emotion,
openness and humor,” she said. “When we
talk about why we both have rocky relationships
with our families and that that’s OK,
people said it helped them see their family
for who they truly are, which helped them
know better how to interact with them.”
Th at advice probably came in handy during
many Th anksgiving dinners.
KATG will also be releasing “Th e Dad
Emails – Th e Book,” a collection of email
exchanges between Keith (posing as his
ex-wife), and Keith’s creepy, unsuspecting
father – a saga which has played out on the
podcast over the course of the past year.
Higher tier backers will get the opportunity
to have private hangout sessions with
Keith & Chemda, and sit in on a virtual
recording of the podcast. Backers who
are prospective podcasters themselves, also
have the opportunity to gain full access to
Th e Ultimate Podcast Guide, in addition
to 10 45-minute coaching sessions with
the duo; plus they’ll help launch, grow and
monetize their podcast.
“We miss the physical energy. Th ere’s so
many subtle cues in someone’s body language
that you can almost feel in person
that doesn’t translate over Zoom,” Malley
shared. “So, while we’re now used to this
new way of recording, having done it for
over eight months, there’s still nothing like
seeing Chemda across the table.”
And Chemda’s message to listeners: “Be
kind. We can’t rewind.”
Th e show has been featured in Th e
New York Times, Th e Wall Street Journal,
Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Mashable,
Playboy, Maxim, and the covers of Th e
Village Voice and Time Out NY, among
others.
Fans can visit the Kickstarter campaign to
pledge their support. Th is project will only
be funded if it reaches its goal by Monday,
Dec. 14, at 11:59 p.m.
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