As one steps out, another steps in | The Triangle

As one steps out, another steps in

Handing the “Last Call” keys from Armon Owlia to Brandon Martinez

Photo courtesy of Zoom

Listen to the season finale of “Last Call” online!

From Armon Owlia:

After beginning a section, after completing ten episodes, after everything: it’s time for me to hang it up for “Last Call.”

When I first came to the paper, I had no journalism experience. Seriously, I had none. My middle and high school didn’t have any publications, and journalism wasn’t a teaching option — more like a one- or two-month unit in English class. I didn’t even know I wanted to be a member of the media. All I knew was one thing: I wanted to write and open myself up to new experiences.

After the first few weeks at The Triangle, I knew that I had found my calling. More importantly, I had found my home. I went from being undeclared to a communication major halfway through my first quarter, and I haven’t looked back since.

The more I learned in my studies from all my professors, the more I succeeded, the more I failed — I was able to put it all into practice at The Triangle. There were lessons that became highly valuable to me. I learned how to better myself and better the relationships I make, knowing that we are all on the same team.

I’m proud to say I’ve become a stronger leader by not only learning to follow, but also teaching myself to create my own path, even if it conflicted with the one everyone else wanted to take.

Even when I knew that The Triangle wasn’t as popular as it should be, it was the other staff members who taught me not to take it personally. They made me realize the point was not to give people what they wanted, but rather, tell them the truth, no matter how ugly it was.

I am proud and confident that those who I have brought in will carry both Tri-Pod and “Last Call” forward, and to those who have tuned in for my shows, I hope you tune in when my successor, Brandon Martinez, takes over. I wouldn’t expect anything less.

From Brandon Martinez:

Joe Rogan has “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Dan Harmon of Rick and Morty fame has “Harmonville” and famed director of stoner comedy Kevin Smith has “SModcast.” Three huge names who spend their downtime rambling into a microphone about everything from the inner workings of artificial intelligence to whether or not Silent Bob of “Jay and Silent Bob” is actually a secret genius plotting to save mankind from itself (yes, that is actually an episode of SModcast, and it is surprisingly interesting.)

The thing is, everyone has their own niche. There are podcasts about literally everything. Do you think I am kidding? After a quick Google search for “podcasts about lamps,” I counted 13 podcasts that fit the bill. Yes, you got that right. 13 podcasts…about lamps. To be fair, they weren’t all about lamps, but they all had “lamp” in their title. Okay, I’m getting beside myself. No more lamp talk, I promise. My point is, there are podcasts for everyone. If you disagree, then you probably aren’t searching hard enough.

The great thing about podcasts is that nobody saw them coming. Think about it. It’s 2004. You just bought your brick of an iPod, and now you’re walking around center Philly listening to the sweet sounds of Chingy and Chamillionaire. You look around and see others are doing the exact same thing. Who would have thought that within 13 years, the sweet sounds of Chingy would be replaced with chill-inducing words of a true-crime podcast? Not even kidding. I REFUSE TO LISTEN TO TRUE CRIME PODCASTS. Seriously. I got nightmares from the movie “Casper Meets Wendy” when I was seven years old.

The better and more enticing a podcast is, the more work that you know that the host and producers put into it. I can only imagine the sweet gratification a host gets when they finish a podcast and see the view counter go up on YouTube or other streaming services.

Someone who knows this hard work personally is Armon Owlia. Armon is a newly graduated former writer for The Triangle, as well as the former host and creator of “Last Call.” Armon put in work for four years to get his podcast up and running in his senior year. After many setbacks, he finally succeeded. Completing two seasons before he graduated, he had guests like Ariel Kamen, journalism student Roy Aguilar, singer-songwriter Hannah Krupa and many more. Over their favorite drink, they talk about life, future aspirations and everything in between. The thing is, everything must come to an end. Although Armon has graduated, he wanted to make sure that his passion project continued to grow…in the right hands. I guess that’s why I’m writing this.

Armon has officially made me the new host of “Last Call.” And although I cannot promise that it will be the same without him, and I can’t say I’m not nervous, I will do my very best to keep the guests talking and the drinks full. My name is Brandon Martinez, and I need you to grab a drink and stay tuned because a new era of “Last Call” is on its way.