One Year. 26 Episodes. A City Worth Celebrating.
A note of gratitude from your host
A year ago this week — May 14th — the first episode of The Schmidt Show dropped.
The premise was simple, maybe even a little defiant: take a political campaign designed to stoke fear in voters and fear in politicians, while denigrating the city we love and flip it. Build something that celebrated the good people and the real stories that make Portland a place worth being proud of. Worth fighting for.
Tomorrow, our 26th episode drops. And we have one more big one after that before we close out Season 2 and take a short break to retool and recharge.
I’ve been sitting with a lot of gratitude lately, and I wanted to share some of it with you.
Over this past year, we’ve covered sidewalks and taxes and city budgets. We’ve sat with a hairstylist cutting hair for humanity. We’ve talked religion and politics — sometimes in the same breath. We’ve gone deep on housing, on food, on workers in the fields. We’ve asked hard questions, and we’ve been met with honest answers.
Along the way, I’ve tried to introduce you to some of the best people I know — the unsung heroes, the glue people. The ones who show up every single day to make this city a place for everyone, not just some people. The ones who rarely get the spotlight but are quietly holding everything together.
One of the core beliefs that has guided this show from the beginning is this: when things feel out of control nationally, we turn to our community locally. We get involved. We find each other. We support each other. We take control of the things that are actually within our control.
That idea has only gotten more resonant as the months have passed.
We recently crossed 100 subscribers on Substack. About 20% of you have pitched in something to help me and my co-producer keep the lights on — and a few of you have been extraordinarily generous. Every subscription, whether it’s free or $5, genuinely means the world to us. This show runs on love and shoestrings, and your support makes it possible.
And the show is finding its audience. Our first episode to crack 1,000 downloads was a milestone I’m proud of. Even more exciting? Our listeners are now coming to us with ideas. The “For the Campesinos” episode — which may be my favorite interview to date — came straight from the community. That’s exactly what this was supposed to be.
So: thank you.
Thank you for listening. Thank you for showing love. Thank you for sharing it, recommending it, and helping us grow word by word and conversation by conversation.
We’re building community here. And if I’ve learned anything in my 45 years on this earth, it’s that community is the answer. People showing up for each other. Getting informed together. Looking out for neighbors. Sharing what they know. Volunteering. Caring.
That’s what makes Portland resilient, and the world a better place.
With gratitude, Mike The Schmidt Show PDX
