Amid the racial tensions, violence and a major natural disaster in Baton Rouge in August 2016, Abe Felix and Jacob Jolibois decided to start their own podcast.
The pair had two main goals: counter the sometimes negative narrative about the city and shed light on residents making a difference.
And thus, as 225 details in its current issue, the altBR podcast was born.
Felix and Jolibois seem like lifelong friends, but the two have known each other for little more than a year. They met in the spring of 2016 at a video shoot and decided to partner on the podcast months later.
They’ve interviewed local figures like 17-year-old Chance Wilson, CEO of Wilson Global Initiative, Walls Project Executive Director Casey Phillips and Mayor Sharon Weston Broome.
Their guests have discussed everything from making Baton Rouge a more bike-friendly city to the power of hip-hop and spoken word. Jolibois says he initially started the podcast with the intention of not only launching a creative project but to also inspire the city with positive stories and optimistic leaders during such a tumultuous time.
“My entire perception of Baton Rouge has changed,” Jolibois says. “I realized how strong the community is when it keeps getting portrayed as being weak, and it’s really not. We have people that love other people so much that they’re willing to help at the drop of a hat.”
So far, the Baton Rouge natives roughly 55 weekly podcast under the belts, uploading their weekly podcast every Monday to the altBR website, iTunes, Stitcher and Overcast.
