“The H” podcast bring Houston stories to life

Downtown Houston is covered in a shroud of haze in the afternoon, as seen from the north Friday, Aug. 4, 1995. Mayor Bob Lanier has approved the city's participation in a program to issue ozone smog alerts when air pollution reaches unhealthy levels. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Luke Brawner has found a way to bring the stories of Houstonians to a worldwide audience through his podcast, The H. Brawner has interviewed dozens of Houston’s most engaging entrepreneurs and creative talents, ranging from chefs and bakers to tattoo artists and stage magicians. Since January, The H has racked up more than 1,000 listeners a week.

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Brawner came to Houston in September 2009 from his native Fort Worth. His Metroplex friends against the move to the city they labeled as “The Armpit of Texas.”

In his first episode, he recorded his thoughts on the Bayou City while driving on the freeway. With the engine running and keys rattling, he told his early listeners, “I expected to be here maybe two years at most, and then get as far away (from Houston) as I could.”

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However, the longer he lived in Houston, and the more he got to know the people, he soon changed his mind. He also credited the “unseasonably amazing weather” and his prime location for swinging his opinion on his new hometown.

“All of the things people told me I would hate — the humidity and the traffic — weren’t factors for me when I moved (to Houston),” he told a local magazine.

His mission with The H is to bring more attention to Houston art, culture, and food scenes with interviews with both established and up-and-coming talents in their fields. His efforts are geared toward changing opinions about Houston, both inside the metro area and across the country.

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He also wants to build a podcasting culture in Houston, with two more series he plans to launch in the fall and his own podcasting production company.

“Houston is about to be the third-largest city in the country,” he said. There is no reason we shouldn’t have just as big of a podcast culture as New York or L.A..”

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