Podcast of the Month with Doug Palladini of Vans

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Listen up 2021! This month we’re talking to Doug Palladini, Global Brand President at Vans.

This is our third year of asking friends and colleagues to tell us about their favourite podcasts. And it seems even more relevant during a time of lockdowns and tiers. We’re starting 2021 with the choices of Doug Palladini, Global Brand President at Vans.

Vans has been supplying the footwear of choice for skateboarders almost since its founding in California in 1966. Today, it’s a huge global apparel brand that sponsors surf, snowboarding and BMX, and in the past has sponsored the Vans Warped Tour rock festival. Doug Palladini is as close to a perfect fit for Vans as you could imagine, being a keen surfer, snowboarder and skateboarder for much of his life.

At the start of his career he helped to launch Snowboarder Magazine in 1989, soon following it up with Surfer Magazine and a revived Skateboarder Magazine. He’s been part of Vans since 2004 and has played a major part in turning it into an iconic brand, including the launch of House of Vans, offering spaces for creative expression the world over. That’s the top line, which is all we have space for if we’re going to let Doug tell us about his three favourite podcasts:

Revisionist History with Malcolm Gladwell 

What it’s about

Malcolm Gladwell re-examines something from the past – an event, a person, an idea, even a song – and asks whether we got it right the first time.

Why I listen

I’ve read all his books, so listening to all of his podcasts is a logical next step, no? Truly one of the finest thinkers alive today, “the overlooked and the misunderstood” proves the perfect fodder for Gladwellian insights

Recipe Club with David Chang

What it’s about

Chef David Chang and the members of the Recipe Club sift through millions of search results to find the very best way to make the food you want to eat. Each week, they cook three recipes for the same dish, debate them, and ultimately declare the winning recipe.

Why I listen

Similar situation as ‘Revisionist History’. I love Dave’s food and his book ‘Eat a Peach’ was excellent. I enjoy listening to The Dave Chang Show podcast. So, when he and a couple friends launched Recipe Club, with a really entertaining format that challenges them to cook with random ingredients from gyoza to brownie mix, I was an easy mark.

Future of StoryTelling with Charlie Melcher

What it’s about

Series of conversations between Future of Storytelling founder and director Charlie Melcher and some of the world’s brightest storytellers, focused on discussing how stories can help provoke positive and lasting change in the world.

Why I listen

A choice loaded with caveats. Charlie Melcher is a friend, FoST is a tremendous organization of which I am fortunate to be a part, and I am featured, along with the inimitable Amber Cabral, on a recent episode. All that said, Charlie is a great host and FoST truly understands the role stories play in what makes us human and holds this messy world together.

Image credit

Image of Anderson .Paak from Vans’ recent collaboration with him and announcement as a global brand ambassador for the brand

Towards the end of last year we asked Holly Fraser, Editor-in-Chief at WeTransfer and WePresent, to recommend her favourite podcasts. You can find her answers here.