10 Questions with ... Graham Bunn

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

After a diverse career in radio, television and pro sports, Graham Bunn launched his twice-weekly podcast, “Country Shine With Graham Bunn” in October 2020. The show was the first to debut under a new podcast development deal between Spotify and artist manager Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings, LLC. Braun is an Executive Producer of the show. Co-hosted by sports reporter Camryn Irwin, “Country Shine” debuts new episodes on Tuesdays and Fridays (Listen here).

In radio circles, Bunn is best knows as the morning host at KKGO (Go Country 105)/Los Angeles from 2014 to 2018. In the television world, he’s recognized for his stint as host of USA Network’s “Real Country” music showcase, as well as a season each on ABC-TV’s “The Bachelorette,” “Bachelor Pad” and “Bachelor On Paradise” franchise. Before all of that, he was a professional basketball player in Europe, after playing at the college level at Appalachian State University.

1. For anyone who might be reading this interview who hasn’t had the opportunity to catch an episode of “Country Shine” yet, describe the show and its content?

I have always felt very strongly about trying to make the people around me in my community, or people that I have contact with, to lift them up or [make them] feel better about what they’re doing, encourage them. “Country Shine” is really just an extension of the way that I try to live my life or conduct relationships within my life. If we have an artist on, I feel like it’s a wonderful opportunity to encourage and celebrate their artwork. And on the back end for the fans, just let them get an appreciation for the human beings behind the art that they already love.

You get to know these artists on a personal level and have real, authentic, genuine conversations about what they’re doing with their lives, the ups, the downs, how they arrived, where they are or what they still think they have to do to accomplish the things they want to. Because at the end of the day, everybody, no matter who’s listening to the show, we all have obstacles in our lives and we all have things that we love. And we all have things that we want to do and feel like, “I don't know if I can do that.” So, the point of the show is just real have to have real, human connection conversation and real relationships, no matter what the person does, whether it be an actor or a Country music artist, a producer, a writer, a journalist. Just to have real life conversations and peel back some of the layers on being human in this time period in history. I mean, it’s a crazy time right now.

2. How deep do you typically go? And does it help that you have personal relationships with some of these artists?

I’m very, very lucky. I don’t really feel that I’m talented at a lot of things [but] if I had to place my finger on any talent, I think building relationships and providing a safe space for people to share and not feel judged or critiqued in any way is what I do best in my life. So, I feel like I’ve been very fortunate that the guests that have come on the show have been very open and have shared some very intimate things that they might not necessarily share other places because it’s such a safe space. And I have been very fortunate to build relationships with a lot of artists that have done some amazing things with their careers already. They know me on a human level, and they feel safe sharing because they know that I’m not trying to get any kind of dirt or any kind of negative subject matter. I really just want to get to the root and the core of what motivates them in the morning to do what they do that affects so many people, myself included.

3. What did you learn from working those years in terrestrial radio at Go Country 105 that you’ve been able to apply to the podcast world?

I’m super lucky that I was fortunate enough to work in Country radio, and I have a reverence and love for Country radio that I’ll always have. One of the things that makes this podcast, and working for a platform like Spotify, so special is, in radio, you get to see the songs that don’t make rotation. So if you’re someone that wakes up in the morning and you get in your truck and you turn the radio on, you get to hear a very small window of someone’s artwork. And if you work at the radio station, which I did, I got to see a lot of [music] never make it to the airwaves. And I always felt, “What a shame. These are such beautiful songs.”

To radio’s credit, there’s only so many spots to play. [But] at Spotify, I’m able to draw attention and give light to some of the songs that might not make a radio slot, but are still impactful and beautiful, and you know that the artist has poured their life into. It’s very special to be able to give those songs and those perspectives and those stories the life that they deserve.

4. I asked you about what you learned on the radio side that you’ve been able to apply to the podcast world. The B-side of that question is, is there anything that works in morning radio that you’ve learned definitely does not work on the podcast side?

I’m still so new to podcasting that I’m learning every day something new that works or does not work. I was incredibly lucky to do five plus years in Country radio, and I felt very strongly about the relationships I’ve built within that business. But most of the things that I really leaned on in Country radio, I’m just able to do them at a higher volume and be a little bit more authentically myself because, innately, I’m my own boss, as far as the content that goes into the podcast. Whereas in Country radio, there’s several things that go into making a show that have nothing to do with me. I’ve been very lucky that Spotify and [show producers] SB Projects and OBB Media, they’ve really allowed me to have a large thumbprint on the creative control of the podcast.

5. So are you picking all the music that gets highlighted on your show yourself?

Yes. I have a wonderful co-host named Camryn Irwin, and she and I discuss artists and songs that we’d like to highlight, and Spotify has been incredible about giving us the freedom to do so … It’s a wonderful freedom to be able to talk about an artist or about a song that genuinely and authentically is impacting either myself or Camryn, or just the world in general.

Camryn is unbelievably professional and trained in broadcast journalism, and has a very different background than myself. And I think she has a very different taste in Country music than myself. So we provide, together, a perspective that paints a very large, broad scope of Country music appreciation.

And then the way that we react to Country music and the stories that we have from our journey [as] Country music fans are very different … Camryn provides a unique perspective that I could not. So it’s been a blessing, and I can’t say enough nice things about what an amazing co-host she is.

6. How did you get paired up with that whole current production team you’re working with at Ithaca, Spotify, Scooter Braun’s SB Projects and OBB Sound. How did that deal all come about to where yours was the first launch in their new podcast development deal?

Crazy humbling to represent such accomplished and respected companies. I mean, they don’t get much better than Spotify and SB Projects and OBB Media. Talk about winning the lottery! And to be able to be their first is incredible.

The way it came about is, I’m a friend of Scooter Braun. He and I have been friends for 20 years. He and I were just having a discussion about relationships and what was important and valued in our lives. He’s a big Country music fan. We’d go to shows together all the time, and we’ve got some amazing stories … I feel like he just kind of garnered a respect for the way I was able to connect with artists and get them to share insight into the creative process.

And so, those talks just kind of started swirling around of, “Well, maybe we can figure out a podcast someday.” Then, several months later, Scooter came back to me and he posed the idea of, “Man, I think this would be really cool thing. What do you think about it?” I had finished up hosting a television show and the timing was right for me. God did his thing and put his hand on my shoulder, and here we are.

7. Does having that relationship with Scooter open up some avenues for you in terms of booking guests on your show with all the artists that he manages and is affiliated with?

Yeah. I think SB Projects more so than just Scooter himself. Scooter does a wonderful job of creating a company culture that artists across all genres respect. Obviously I’m biased because I work for Spotify, but they are such a well-respected platform that the pitches have not been very hard: “Hey, I’d love for you to come on the show and talk about what you’re passionate about, and it’s for Spotify.”

That’s very new to me, and I’m very blessed and fortunate to have that, because when I worked in radio, I didn’t do any of the booking. I showed up at work and I was given a schedule, and mostly that’s how we kind of operated. Here, I’ve been able to reach out to friends and reach out to people that I love and reach out to people I think are impactful in our communities and say, “Let’s do a show together. I think that would be dope. And you know, it’s for Spotify.” That’s a really cool thing to be able to say.

So it’s been a really cool opportunity to be a part of that family, and I’m really humbled to represent them. I’ve gotta be the luckiest guy on the planet. I started in radio in L.A. for KKGO and now I’m working for Spotify. I’ve got no room to complain. I feel like I’m living my life in the right way that these wonderful opportunities keep coming.

The ability or the responsibility to represent such well-respected brand is not lost on me. There’s so many people … behind the scenes [that] make the podcast happen. I just happened to have my name on it and it’s humbling, but there’s so many people to thank. So if it’s at all possible to include in the article how thankful I am to everyone that’s helped pull that this launch off in such a difficult time, that would be great.

8. You mentioned earlier that you’re still kind of new to the podcasting world, but have you figured out yet what the secret is to creating a successful podcast? Any tips you can offer for getting great interviews out of your guests?

The only thing that I would offer up -- and I definitely learned this from my time on radio -- is that being authentically who you are within the framework of the conversation goes over better than anything else. Pretending to be somebody else is way harder than just being yourself. And I think you get more of the person that you’re talking to, you get their authentic self when you are being your authentic self.

9. How have you been doing your show during the pandemic? Do you record it at home or go into a Spotify studio?

I’m very fortunate. I built this album wall and a bar in my home. So I was like, “Oh, we'll just turn this into a studio.” It’s been nice. I hope one day to get out of this studio and get to travel places. But for now, it’s been a wonderful blessing to be able to, one, have a job during a pandemic, and two, be able to do that safely from the comfort of my home.

10. I couldn’t let this interview go by without asking you at least one “Bachelor/Bachelorette” franchise question, so here it is: I’m intrigued by how many people from that world have successfully leveraged their time on that show into a career in the spotlight, including yourself. Was a media career always the plan for you going on that show, or was that just sort of a happy accident because of the exposure that you got?

That was definitely a happy accident. When I got my job in radio, I was mowing lawns, and swinging a hammer and painting fences, doing all types of landscaping jobs out here in L.A., because I was chasing a girl, which sounds like a Country song in itself. I did those shows and went right back to my life and landscaping. I didn’t try to prolong that [fame]. I didn’t try to drag it out. Much credit to anyone that did, that just wasn’t my path. I got the radio gig after that. And, I’m very proud of the work that I’ve done within the Country music community that kind of stands alone outside of [“The Bachelorette”].

Podcasts are obviously exploding in popularity, but there’s been a lot of discussion about cracking the code on monetizing them. Are you involved in that at all in sales with your own podcast? Or do you leave that in other hands?

No, they would never let me do anything like that. I would ruin the process. I think that Spotify’s successful because they know better than to allow somebody like myself have anything to do with money. [Laughs]

Did your love of Country music start while you were growing up in Raleigh?

It did. I was very blessed that I didn’t have any choice but to like Country music growing up. You always hear about people that their parents -- when they are forced to learn an instrument and then it becomes like a lifelong passion later on -- they look back and they appreciate it so much. I feel that way about Country music. I was in the garage building old cars and trucks with my dad, and we were always listening to Waylon and Merle and Johnny. At the time, when you’re turning a wrench at nine, 10 years old, you don’t really fully appreciate Country music for what it is. And now I look back on those times and there’s no amount of money that I would [trade for] those memories back with my father. Country music has definitely played a very pivotal role in my life, and I’m so thankful for it.

I’m sure you never imagined back then working on cars with your dad in the garage that you’d be immersed in the Country music business one day.

No, I did not. But I think that one of the wonderful, beautiful things about my life -- and I’ve encountered so many blessings -- is that I would have never dreamed that I’d have gotten to do any of the things that I’ve been able to do, let alone working in an industry that is so close to my heart on a personal level like Country music.

Any plans for you to do more TV at some point? Or would you ever get back into radio for the right opportunity?

Yeah, I love radio. It was such an amazing experience for me working with Go Country out here in Los Angeles. The family that is that station was something that I’ll always remember, [as was leaving for] the opportunity to host a TV show with Travis Tritt. That was something that I don’t regret, but I definitely look back fondly on my days working at KKGO. And if the right opportunity came, I would 1,000% consider it. But I also want to stay with Spotify for as long as possible because it’s just been really cool for me. My personal likes in my life have really aligned with the direction that Spotify is taking the Country platform.

You definitely had a fast tracked radio career starting in Los Angeles instead of working your way up from small markets.

Yeah, I don’t blame anyone, but … the look on people’s faces when I tell them that I got my start as the morning drive radio host in Los Angeles, they’re like, “Wait, no.” They immediately hate me, and I understand that. They’re like “You didn’t start in Chattanooga?”

I like to think in the radio industry people root for each other’s successes, so I’m sure more people were happy for you than not.

I like to think so. I’ve got to be honest, everybody [was] having a nice joke about it all the time, but everyone that I met working there could not have been nicer and more kind and supportive. I’ve built some wonderful friendships in Country radio, and maybe that’ll be part of my story [again] down the road. But it’s definitely a part of my origin story, and I’m very thankful.