In the Daily Show office, Josh and Dulcé were known for regularly going back and forth about topics they passionately disagree on. This would draw the attention of the larger team, leading to them feeling just as invested and entertained by their arguments. This dynamic birthed the premise of Hold Up: a very spirited and hilarious debate podcast about non-important issues. The two choose topics where they are diametrically opposed and they bring their best defenses to each argument. These arguments have included “Conscious Rap vs. Club Hits”, “Chocolate vs. Vanilla”, and “Sweet Potato Pie vs. Pumpkin Pie”. They pull from personal experiences, factual (and non-factual) evidence that help make their case. Our goals are to provide a change of pace from the often heavy and emotionally draining news cycle, to increase listener engagement and get the fans involved with the debate as well. We do this by creating clips for our social pages that highlight the funniest moments of the episodes. Josh and Dulcé also encourage listeners to leave topic ideas in the comments of our Youtube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages, which has yielded some really funny debate topics for the show.
Our strategy was always to showcase the immense talent between real-life friends and colleagues Josh and Dulce. The two engaged in hilarious debates at the office, and we wanted to bring their authentic, and genuine conversations to the masses. We picked episode topics that they both felt strongly about and that they could passionately defend and argue. These conversations are the ones you would have with your own friend or sibling - topics big and small, but mostly small. These two hilarious people can engage over a war of words while still loving each other immensely, proving we can respectfully disagree. It also helps serve as an escape from some of the hard-hitting news of the day. Choosing the topic is the most crucial part, in ensuring it is something they both genuinely connect with.
They have also engaged with the audience and used topics that the fans recommend, showing how common these disagreements can be. Our strategy was also for our viewers and fans to engage with them and choose a winner of the debate. And as proven by the comments- everyone has a different take on who reigned supreme. After recording a thoughtful debate between the two of them, we work our magic in post by adding any additional pictures, videos, music, and gfx. We do our best to showcase our talent- whether that's adding inspirational music to a very passionate Josh monologue, or creating fake book cover graphics of the two hosts. We try to hone in on repeat segments or running jokes they make, as a nod to the listeners. Because Josh and Dulce are real life friends, the only challenge we had was keeping them to a time constraint, because they both love to talk and could debate for hours on end if time was no limit. We have utilized this to our advantage, in creating part two episodes of topics they just couldn't cover in one sitting.
As we near the end of the season, we’ve seen an increase in fan interactions in the comments of our Youtube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter pages. We regularly receive comments from fans suggesting episode topics for Josh and Dulcé to argue over. In the beginning, we had a few topic recommendations per episode. As Josh and Dulcé began encouraging listeners to leave topic ideas in the comments of our Youtube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages, there was a large increase in fan suggestions. The two have also been receiving topic suggestions from their fans in their DMs or in person. In addition to this, Josh and Dulcé’s excitement has grown with the season, allowing them to open up and allow listeners to get a taste of their personality. This also helps consistent listeners guess which side of the debates Dulcé or Josh decide to take before they get into the conversation. Along with topic suggestions and personal host insight, listeners rave about how the show has been a nice relief from reality. With a lot of darkness in the world right now, the show serves as a light to our listeners. Our efforts towards increasing fan interaction, their genuine feelings for the show, and Josh and Dulcé taking the time to interact with them has shown success to us.
