Meet Tony Henderson | Podcaster and Moderator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tony Henderson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tony, we’d love to hear what makes you happy.
So I’ve recently been thinking A LOT about what makes me happy. I think it’s a question that a lot of people take for granted, and most probably don’t really understand what it truly means. When I first started thinking about it, a lot of what I would consider “topical responses” came to mind such as: spending time with family, a walk on the beach, or maybe a great meal. All of those things are certainly enjoyable, but is it really that *thing* that lights you up like nothing else. I certainly have my list of enjoyable things, but it wasn’t until perusing numerous hobbies that I found a very specific niche that lit me up like nothing else.

Come to find out, what really makes me happy is conducting live interviews with celebrities. Through a unique path of attempting stand-up comedy and also doing some podcasting, I’ve found myself in the world of comic book conventions interviewing celebrity guests. Although it differs a bit at each event, ultimately I often find myself on stage having a discussion with pop culture celebrities, coming up with the questions to ask, or moderating questions from the audience. This certainly wasn’t a childhood dream, and something I never really aspired to until recently.

A lot of people assume the highlight of interviewing celebrities is getting to meet “famous” people, but for me it couldn’t be any further from the truth. In fact, thanks to a few previous jobs and experiences, I seldom get star struck these days. However I find a ton of enjoyment in bridging the gap between fans and their fandoms. Many of the fans will wait in line for hours after traveling hundreds of miles, just to spend some time with their favorite celebrity. So I take a lot of pride in hopefully making that event the most comfortable and enjoyable it can be. If the members of the audience were able to have a blast and forget about the problems of the world if only for an hour, then I consider it a job well done.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Ironically my education has never been in anything creative. I receive my undergraduate degree in computer science, and also a masters in business administration. From there I worked my way up the corporate ladder and just recently found myself at a large consulting firm. Ironically, being at the consulting firm has provided me an opportunity to put some of my podcasting and moderating skills into practice as a trainer. The corporate ladder route is definitely not easy as I encountered a lot of rejection through the years. However it taught me the biggest lesson which is to brush it off and move on to the next thing. It’s so easy to get discouraged and focus on everything that’s wrong, that you can overlook what’s going right.

As I get older, I make a point to insert kindness and respect into whatever it is I’m doing. I find that’s generally a good starting point to take on most endeavors. And to be perfectly honest, people want to work with respectful people, so it opens up a lot of doors.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I enjoy live sports, so we would definitely have to take in as many games as we could. The Hawks are ALWAYS a fun time, the the Georgia Dome gets crazy for the Falcons. From what I’ve seen and heard, it’s no less hype for the United either. Of course Labor Day weekend, I would just drop my friend in the middle of Dragon Con and let them experience that. There’s literally nothing in the world like it. I’m sure at some point throughout the week we would end up at Waffle House.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Definitely the people of DragonCon. It’s such a supportive community and how I discovered my love for doing this.

Website: www.tonyphenderson.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tony_p_henderson/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyphenderson/

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/tonyphenderson

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/febtwentysixseventynine

Image Credits
Jessica Stewart Tyra Burton