Ep 8: Matt Groom - World Cup Commentary Behind the Scenes

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Thanks for tuning into the podcast! Matt Groom is a freelance commentator best known for being the lead commentator at IFSC world cups. You may also find him hosting EpicTV Climbing Daily, writing for UKC, or commentating at other climbing competitions. There's a lot of talk online about Matt, and in this EXCLUSIVE interview we go over his response to criticism as well as his explanation for some of the mistakes caught on audio.
Guest links:
Instagram (instagram.com/mattgroom1)
Youtube (lynx-triceratops-cjlh.squarespace.com/episodes…)
Reference links:
Commentary box behind the scenes video (youtu.be/05cJArjvS5I?si=pp2xKTeK71yAwx4y&t…)
Chaehyun Seo misclip commentary (youtube.com/live/ZNgbe8vi2OI?si=6p2kDTIRxtpKpB…)
European Championships speed finals Ukraine (youtube.com/live/NjIC7_sZqsA?si=LsiII9yZoNqHpY…)
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Timestamps of discussion topics
0:00 - Introduction
3:50 - Not an IFSC employee
7:20 - Journey to becoming the IFSC commentator
13:24 - What does the commentators box look like
18:08 - Behind the scenes of production/broadcast
21:47 - Finding a co-commentator
27:10 - The most difficult part of commentating
30:14 - Approaching comments and online hate
34:50 - Let's go through Matt Groom bingo!
42:25 - Trying to inform new viewers and still keep old viewers engaged
46:38 - What the IFSC does right
51:38 - The REDS hot mic incident
1:01:37 - Work outside of IFSC commentary
1:05:50 - Proudest career moment
1:10:39 - Commentating for non-IFSC broadcasts
1:13:08 - In defense of fanboying over British climbers
1:18:44 - Personal climbing goals
1:21:07 - Climbing with World Cup athletes?
1:22:17 - I just want to see Matt climb in a comp
1:24:57 - Discord: Do you get much feedback from athletes?
1:27:31 - Discord: Will Charlie Boscoe ever have a job that you won't steal?
1:29:31 - Discord: In a dream world, what kind of broadcast tech would you like to have
1:32:31 - Discord: We need to know the origin of sticky Sorato
1:37:23 - Where to find Matt + outro