The joke that everyone is now a content creator or news reporter cuts through. Anyone who can talk and knows how to upload or post on social media may end up being the next famous podcaster.
Strictly speaking, however, not everyone deserves to be one.
Let Paco Arespacochaga, a recognized face in the band scene who earned a spot among leading Filipino celebrity podcast hosts thanks to his oft-visited, pun-intended Paco’s Place, answer why.
He shared, “A podcast becomes effective when it caters to its niche audience. Anyone who has the courage, energy, and commitment to show up consistently deserves to have a podcast. It’s very humbling work.”
There’s that keyword: humbling. You don’t do podcasting so you can show off (deep enough to conduct interviews), because your diction is cute, or as a sure way to gain relevance in the digital realm. You should have the reputation to command an audience, the appropriate content that is worth showcasing, and the diligence to keep it going.
Paco himself exercises his passion for music and life coaching through constant live gigging and recording, and by coming up with Paco’s Place episodes one after the other.
“Being a celebrity doesn’t assure success, but it does help generate initial reach,” he stressed. “Sustaining that reach still depends on authenticity.”
In the fame game, Paco was for years the hottest drummer in the Philippines, especially at the time when “Line to Heaven,” a song he wrote for his parents and sang upon the urging of his bandmates, came out. He was the guy at the back who could write and front a hit song, as his Introvoys lorded the OPM charts even before Eraserheads and Rivermaya entered the picture.
Paco’s Place, a podcast literally taped inside his house in Los Angeles County, California, began airing in 2019. As of this writing, it has garnered around 5.5 million views across 329 videos and counting. He mentioned a few guests he thinks are most remarkable so far, including rapper Andrew E., whose story he feels resonates with global Pinoys, and Geneva Cruz, who, given their shared history, was obviously an interesting subject.
He did say that nearly all his interviewees provided “something honest and meaningful to the conversation,” except for a “bunch of kids who were acting obnoxious.”
As for his personal motivation, he said, “I’m an artist, and I have something to say. I’m also a fan of artists, athletes, politicians, and people of influence. Growing up, I always wanted to hear them speak openly, but there wasn’t a platform like a podcast back then.”
As an example of who should be doing a podcast over random souls forcing classless content to go viral, Paco helped one successful Fil-Am executive—Amabel Nugpo-De Leon—set up her own podcast, The Whole Story. He met her and her husband-business partner, Alan De Leon, when Introvoys performed for the latter’s birthday.
The De Leons run multiple companies in the field of home health services and related ventures, most notably Vanura Homehealth Services, which is arguably the top of its kind in California’s Inland Empire region.
Paco related, “Amabel De Leon is a very inspiring figure with a true success story. I encouraged her to amplify her voice through her podcast. Their success comes from hard work, intention, and their genuine care for people.”
Our star drummer is now a premier podcaster. But music will always be part of his routine. In fact, he’s focusing energy on his up-and-coming band, PlayBack Jukebox, which started releasing records in 2023, including the songs “Lungkot, Malabo,” and their best to date, “Won’t You Come Home (I’m Sorry).” They’re quite a sensation on the live gig circuit. He is joined in the band by vocalist Benjie Collantes and keyboardist JJ Buencamino.
“We’ve been performing all over North America and the Philippines, and soon heading to the Middle East next year,” he said.
He directly addressed what people would ask: “As for INTRoVOYS, if the rest of the boys still have the energy to do live shows and initiate music, I’m going to give it space and time.”
Paco had taken risks and saw his moves pay off. A few years after the Introvoys peaked, he flew to the US; teared up on his first day on an odd job, then years later convinced the others to join him in North America.
For his parting shot to podcast wannabes and, yeah, life in general, Paco-ach insisted, “You either go all in or just stay home. The people who succeed are the ones who commit fully, stay consistent, and remain clear about why they do what they do.”
