Trivia nerds and celebrities collide in a new podcast called FinerPoints Triviacast created by Tristan Curtis, a podcast producer and host from Guelph.
The podcast launches on Wednesday, June 8. To find out where it will be posted, check out their Twitter page for the link.
Curtis used to have a science fiction book club with a couple of his friends where they would meet up at a pub and discuss the book they were reading. The pandemic hit and they continued their club meetings online. For fun, Curtis recorded and edited some of their conversations.
The book club members enjoyed what he produced and the Tales From The Bridge podcast was born.
Curtis enjoyed making podcasts so much he decided to start another one, FinerPoints Triviacast. On the podcast celebrity guests and podcasters go head-to-head in a trivia match consisting of three rounds with five questions each.
The trivia questions and answers spark dialogue and a new way to get to know the guest, explained Curtis.
Curtis said he tries to tailor the questions to the guests on the show to test their knowledge, whether it is general knowledge or questions about the TV and movie industry. The first episode features Dominic Monaghan who played Merry in Lord of the Rings who goes head to head with podcaster Marty Kurylowicz.
“One thing that I’ve learned is how to speak better and how to be clear and concise and move a conversation along,” said Curtis.
“I’m always surprised with how generous the guests are. The guests want to be there. The guests have fun.”
When first producing the podcast, which is pre-recorded, Curtis said he wasn’t sure if people would want to be on the podcast.
To get celebrity guests on the show Curtis reached out to their public relations managers, who thought the podcast would be good exposure for their clients.
“It’s a new format where people don’t just want the long interview, they want something to kind of add and spice it up.”
“I’m not the greatest at trivia but I always love going to a trivia night at a pub.”
Curtis wants listeners to be entertained by the new podcast and listen to it on the road or while they are busy cleaning up the house.
“I personally have a philosophy, low expectations and good things will happen,” said Curtis about the future of the podcast.
Another celebrity guest on the podcast was Joseph Marcell, who played Geoffrey Butler on the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air series. Curtis said it was very rewarding having Marcell on the podcast.
“Was there a turning point where you all realized that you guys were doing something very special? That this was not just a sitcom,” Curtis asked Marcell on the podcast. “He talked a little bit about his experience and how they all kind of looked at Will (Smith) and thought he’s not just an actor, this guy can act. He knows how to bring out emotion.”
“What is the first TV show to ever air reruns?,” Curtis asked this trivia question for GuelphToday readers.