About Us
About The Austin Otaku Podcast
“So everybody I know is a character on the show … and it’s about nothing.”
Well, it worked for Jerry Seinfeld. Let’s see if it works for a couple of otaku in Austin, Texas. Giddy up!
Our Goals and Vision
Our goal is, first and foremost, to get to know our industry friends much better than we already do, and we know the best way to do that is to see who they are and what they enjoy when they’re not speaking on stage or presenting on camera or writing in an official capacity. Secondly, we want to perhaps help our listeners find a tribe with which they can identify, a hobby that they can pursue or a life’s passion they can embrace by hearing about the activities that bring joy to other people.
Who We Are
To quote Jen Barber from “The IT Crowd,” a British sitcom from the early 2000’s, “Ich bin ein NERD!” We are dedicated professionals, who work intense day jobs and also have rich personal lives, made richer by the hobbies and interests we embrace. By our natures, we are curious and deeply interested in our fellow entrepreneurs, digital marketers, social influencers, writers, speakers and technical gurus. And, so, we will use this platform to explore the rich personal lives of our friends.
Our Story
Jesse and Keith have both been writers, instructors and conference speakers in the digital marketing industry for years. It’s a bit coincidental that they both have Liberal Arts degrees (Jesse with a degree in design; Keith with a degree in Literature) but work in the tech industry. However, the more they got to know each other, the more overlaps in their individual Venn diagrams they found: Japanese culture, anime, sci-fi/fantasy fiction, metal, J-rock, comic books, graphic novels, Star Wars, and much more.
Over the years, they discovered that many of their industry peers shared similar passions or had some fascinating interests of their own, one of the few redeeming qualities of social media. And that’s what brought them here to hosting their own “getting to know you” podcast.
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Meet The Hosts
Jesse McDonald
Co-Host
Jesse is a nerd-of-all-trades that lives with his wife and daughter in Austin, TX. His main hobbies away from work revolve around movies, video games, music, and art. He is a huge anime nerd and finds that spending his downtime learning Japanese is a great way to relax. During normal business hours, Jesse is a Global SEO Strategist at IBM. He has worked in the SEO industry since 2014 and has worked on a wide variety of client sites ranging from small local businesses to global enterprise sites. One of his absolute favorite parts of the SEO industry is the willingness to share knowledge with others. You will often find Jesse speaking at marketing conferences, like Pubcon and State of Search, as well as contributing to leading industry blogs like Search Engine Journal.
Keith Goode
Co-Host
Keith always felt different from his peers as a kid, so he kept to himself most of his childhood. Over time he kind of fancied himself a “Renaissance Man,” someone with many interests. He was a Star Wars kid from the start. The moment he saw that Star Destroyer attacking Princess Leia’s Corellian Corvette, he was hooked. The older he got, the more interests he acquired: reading, Japanese culture, martial arts. Even as an adult, his fascinations grew into full-blown hobbies. He started Austin Otaku back in 2009 to talk about all things nerdy in Austin, TX, a city that he had grown to love. He has recorded books (including a couple of Star Wars books) for Learning Ally, a volunteer organization that provides recordings for people with reading disabilities, from pre-school to graduate school and beyond. Now, well into middle-age, he’s an Senior SEO Strategist for IBM, a speaker on the conference circuit and a contributor to industry blogs and podcasts. You can find more about his career on KeithGoode.com.