Marist Alum Hosts “The Art of Kindness” Podcast
Source: Broadway Podcast Network
A positive aspect coming out of the pandemic is almost unheard of. For Robert Peterpaul, the pandemic brought his career to new heights and allowed him to make a difference in the world.
After graduating from Marist College in 2013 with a Bachelor's Degree in Communications with a Concentration in Radio/Television/Film and a minor in English Theater, Peterpaul knew he needed to land a job in the entertainment industry as either an actor or a writer. Peterpaul was determined to achieve his goals, and to do this he joined the Marist Theater, Marist Circle and MCTV.
Like most, the acting industry can be a tough business to break into. While there was uncertainty knowing whether he had the chance to write or act in this tough trade, he knew he had to take a leap of faith. He knew that right away, he would need a day job to help him afford to stay in the city and support his acting career.
Peterpaul worked for the next six years at Hola, an entertainment magazine. When it reached the United States, Peterpaul was fortunate enough to hold an editorial position on weekends. During this time, he also worked on various shows such as “America’s Got Talent” and “AOL’s Build Series.” Still, it was not exactly what he was hoping for career-wise.
Despite working for Hola, an entertainment magazine, for six years and later earning an editorial position on the weekends, PeterPaul continued to feel unconnected to his work and craving for something more interactive.
In the middle of a pandemic filled night in 2021, the idea came to him; bringing kindness back into the world. While it felt as though the pandemic brought a lot of negative energy into the world, Peterpaul wanted to use his media expertise to bring some kindness back into it. From there, “The Art of Kindness” podcast was born.
“I immediately hit the ground running and left my weekend editor job.”
Peterpaul googled “how to start a podcast” and everything following this was trial and error.
Podcasts: “Armchair Expert,” “Unqualified” and “Little Known Facts” inspired Peterpaul how to build his own. Just like the name, “The Art of Kindness” podcast was created to spread more positive news and ask guests certain questions regarding their experiences with kindness.
Every guest is asked individual questions about kindness such as how they are regarding receiving compliments. Then, after complimenting them in some fashion he asks them what kindness means to them.
“Even though it is such a simple question, kindness means something different to everyone,” he said.
Peterpaul then likes to play what he calls “the compliment game” where he reaches out to someone in the guest’s life, has them give a compliment about the guest, and the guest then must guess who said that compliment.
Each episode ends with the guest leaving a kindness tip for the world, along with a different tip from Peterpaul to close.
The podcast has hosted guests from all sorts of backgrounds and job titles. His first episode featured Tik-Tok star and actress Deanna Giulietti. Throughout season two, guests such as singer Megan Trainor, actress JoAnna Garcia Swisher, and actress Kiernan Shipka have all appeared to give their thoughts on kindness. However, more than just singers and actors have attended the show, for directors, writers, and even professional wrestlers have met with Peterpaul.
“I have been enjoying it so much, I love interviewing people and getting new perspectives,” Peterpaul said. “However, hearing about how the show resonates with listeners has been the best part.”
For Peterpaul, it was strange to put himself out there in this form of media and then have people give their feedback. While almost every comment has been positive, it still was odd for Peterpaul to hear other people’s responses and reactions. Luckily, there have not been many roadblocks, considering he does all of the work himself and there are few people that would oppose a podcast about kindness. The show, in fact, was recently picked up by the Broadway Podcast Network since Peterpaul is both a former and future actor on Broadway. The entire network sponsors podcasts that center around theater and the performing arts. “The Art of Kindness” has extensively grown both in listeners and in general support since the BPN began to promote it.
All Peterpaul wants to accomplish through “The Art of Kindness” is to focus on growing his “kindness community.” While he did not disclose any upcoming guests, Peterpaul did share that in the future he plans to get into live podcasting. From where Peterpaul started to where he has grown today, he is overjoyed. He never would have thought he would be streaming on BroadwayCon and be interviewing Dolly Parton.
Peterpaul plans to bring his work back to the Marist community and is currently in touch with the Marist Alumni Department. He would love to get current students involved and listen to his content.
“On so many levels Marist has helped me, and I hope that one day I will be able to give back, ” Peterpaul said.