Unique Podcast Series to Visit All 50 States as Presidential Election Reaches Climax

    NEW YORK, NY, August 10, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- An ambitious new podcast series documenting the national sentiment ahead of the presidential election aims to record 50 episodes in 50 states in just 50 days, finishing up in New York City on Nov. 3 as Americans cast their ballots to elect their 46th president.

Titled "Outside It's America", the series will follow broadcaster and writer Philip O'Connor as he hops from state to state to take the temperature of the nation and to talk to all kinds of Americans about how they are going to vote.

"This is going to be one of the most seismic elections in American history, and I want to ensure that no matter what the outcome, listeners to 'Outside It's America' will not be surprised - they will have heard from every single state by the time our series is done," O'Connor says.

"I expect things like the Covid-19 pandemic, China and Black Lives Matter to come up a lot, but domestic and local issues are never too far from voters' hearts when they're in the polling booth."

Negotiations with a number of platforms and sponsors are ongoing, and O'Connor has started a Kickstarter campaign to ensure that the series can go ahead, which can be found here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/philipoconnor/outside-its-america-50-podcasts-50-states-50-days

"These are crazy times, especially in the media business, but I believe that there is a strong desire out there from listeners in the U.S. and around the world for independent, on-the-ground content from the campaign trail. The most important supporters of this project are, and always will be, the listeners."

There are a wide range of rewards on offer for the Kickstarter campaign, from daily emails from the road and the chance to take part in an invitation-only post-election seminar to episode and series sponsorship packages.

The idea for "Outside It's America" dates back to the last election, when Donald J. Trump shocked many by beating Hillary Clinton to become the 45th president of the United States.

O'Connor found himself in the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan as the tide turned in Trump's favour, and he was struck by the shock felt by many in both media and politics, as well as many ordinary citizens in Times Square.

"If journalists and commentators do their jobs right, then nothing in elections should surprise us - the reason everyone was so surprised last time out was because nobody really talked to ordinary people or gave them a platform, and I aim to change that," O'Connor explains.

"We've seen recently that a lot of outlets no longer have their finger on the pulse - to me, you have to be out there, on the ground, talking to people every single day about their hopes and their dreams and their fears. I'll do that in every state, and in doing so I know that Americans will tell me who they are going to send to the White House.

"This will be a real-time research project with the results posted every day, staring in Los Angeles and hitting every state before arriving in New York. I can't wait to get started," he says.

The 30-day Kickstarter campaign begins on August 10, with O'Connor planning to head into quarantine for 14 days before travelling to California to begin his epic podcast roadtrip.

Philip O'Connor is a 49-year-old writer, broadcaster and documentary-maker from Dublin, Ireland, living in Stockholm, Sweden.

He has covered elections and referendums all over Scandinavia, as well as in Ireland and the U.S. for a wide variety of media outlets, and he also covers sports for one of the world's biggest news agencies.

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