Eye on Podcasts
Eye On The Public Eye Podcast One of Northern Ireland’s foremost business podcasts, featuring those in the public eye, is celebrating its 50th episode. Recorded at the state-of-the-art Granite Podcast Studio in Newry, The Public Eye, sponsored by Granite Legal Services, is hosted by presenter, Sarah Travers.
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usiness Eye speaks to host, Sarah Travers, from Bespoke Communications, and Granite Podcast Studio Manager, Colleen O’Hare, about the journey to date in creating a podcast with over six thousand downloads, their favourite moments and what’s in store for The Public Eye.
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BE: Colleen, what’s the story behind The Public Eye podcast? Our Founder, Jonathan McKeown, is a true entrepreneur, always progressing and innovating. With
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podcasting really growing in popularity, back in 2019, Jonathan set about building a high-spec podcast studio at our fully serviced office space in Granite Exchange. We opened the incredible Granite Podcast Studio in early 2020, full of vigour and big plans…. and then the world paused. Once we adjusted to a new world of restrictions, we decided that the time was right to create our very own, inspirational podcast featuring leading lights in business. We have amazing businesses right here on our doorstep…world-class companies and entrepreneurs. The Public Eye was born in October 2020, and our first episode was launched on 1st October 2020, featuring Caroline Willis, Financial Director of Shelbourne Motors. BE: How has The Public Eye podcast evolved over the past seven seasons? Initially our guests were leading lights from our locality, but
50 episodes later, we’re now attracting guests from a broad spectrum of businesses across Northern Ireland, and we have guests coming to us to be featured. To see the listenership figures grow and know that thousands of people have downloaded The Public Eye brings great pride to Jonathan, Sarah, the entire team and myself. The goal is to become known as Northern Ireland’s leading business podcast, and that our listeners are primed and ready for our next episode. BE: If you had to name your ‘must listen’ episodes, what would they be? This is a difficult one to answer. There is something special about every single episode as our guests are so different, coming from diverse backgrounds and sectors. However, some of my personal favourites are the episodes featuring Richard Buckley, Editor of Business Eye (of course!) Connaire McGreevy, Founder of CTS and Ann Morgan, Former CEO
of Murdock Builders Merchant. BE: Tell us in one sentence why people should download an episode of The Public Eye? For local entrepreneurs and those in business, The Public Eye is a platform that inspires others through the stories and learnings of local business people who honestly share their successes, risks, challenges and words of wisdom. BE: Sarah, you have had the pleasure of interviewing all of the inspirational guests. What are your most memorable moments to date? Oh goodness, there have been so many. I love the stories behind the businesses from Guiseppe Fallone who overcame a debilitating stammer he’d had from a child to become a successful restauranteur to Zara McLaughlin, a young woman from the North Coast who’s passionate about ceramics. Then the determined success of Greg Bradley from BLK Box Gym equipment who is now kitting out gyms for Manchester
