Speaker 0 00:00:00 <inaudible>
Speaker 1 00:00:11 Hello, fellow rewild ologist. Welcome back to rewild ology, where we explore conservation travel and rewilding the planet. I'm your host, Brooke Mitchell, Norman conservation, biologist and world traveler. Recently, I asked all of you on Instagram. If you preferred one long episode or two shorter episodes of the same interview split in half, about two thirds of you voted for two episodes released in the same week. And I am happy to deliver. Today is part one of a two-part series with John Rossi of the Rastafari podcast. If COVID turns your life upside down, like I know it has so many of us, then you'll definitely relate to John's story. John is professional drummer with a very successful career touring across the U S sharing his talents. But when COVID hit all of his work and his strongest passion were ripped away from him while on the road, John felt joy.
Speaker 1 00:01:04 Visiting zoos and aquariums do escape from negative influences that were all around him and doing so he met lots of amazing animals and zookeepers, which became a podcast idea shortly after he was locked down at home, he found a new passion and a new title conservation educator. If you've ever thought about doing something that was maybe in a different field or outside of your expertise, or you need some encouragement to finally tackle that one idea you've had for years, then you must listen to this show. If you would like me to keep this two part episode format, please let me know by sending me a DM on Instagram at <inaudible> or emailing
[email protected]. I love to hear from you, and if you're digging the new style, also, please like it, subscribe to the show, wherever you're listening, so that others can discovered how we can. Rewild the planet together. If you're an iTunes listener, please rate and review the show and let me know what you think of the podcast so far and now on to part one with John. Awesome. Well, if you got your water and your snake is all contained,
Speaker 2 00:02:12 I hope so. I hope so too. That was so scary. Like I literally, I walked in and, and I looked up and sometimes when our snake sheds Zoe, she likes to keep the skin and Shalimar like on top of the, the enclosure or whatever. And I was like, Oh, today, Dre shit, AAJ shed is moving. Oh shit. Luckily I'm very used to like, I handle emergency situations pretty well. So I just very calmly walked over, grabbed him, picked him up, put him back in his place and threw some heavy stuff on top of the lid and check to the corners. So I think we're okay, but who knows?
Speaker 1 00:02:53 Saga bottle of wild way to start a podcast and be like, well, okay, I'll thank God I needed a drink of water because my snake might be under a couch by this point. And
Speaker 2 00:03:04 Yeah, yeah. See that kids hydration really is important
Speaker 1 00:03:09 Where they sit down and do an interview. Make sure you have water and go up and get it because you never know what you might find.
Speaker 2 00:03:16 Yes. Yes.
Speaker 1 00:03:19 Awesome. Well, thank you so much, John, for coming on. I'm so stoked that you're with me because your story is very unique. And with that, I think a lot of people are going to connect with you. So I'm so stoked. So let's, before we get into all of that, let's paint a picture of who you are. So take me back in time, where are you from? What was your childhood like? Where did you grow up?
Speaker 2 00:03:44 Cool. So my name is John Rossi. Uh, Jonathan Rossi, since we're going back in time. Um, even though I go by John and Jonathan was born in Wilksberry, uh, Pennsylvania, it's, it's kind of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Um, the office is very popular and it's from Scranton and Scranton and Wilkes Barre are kind of like twin cities. They're, I don't know, 20, 30 miles apart from each other. And, um, yeah, so I was, I was born up there and my grandfather still lives up there, so I still do go visit him. And, uh, and, um, that reminds me, I should call him, but anyway, whoops. And, um, and then my family moved out of there pretty early on. They moved around a lot when I was like the first couple years of life, but then they settled in central Pennsylvania in a town called Mechanicsburg. And, uh, I grew up there and I lived there my whole life until maybe six years ago when, uh, when I moved to Philadelphia and yeah, childhood childhood was cool.
Speaker 2 00:04:43 I, uh, pretty early on, um, my dad had told me about being a drummer. He was not a professional, but he was a, an amateur, but a very good drummer and, uh, really intrigued me. And so I always thought that I should, should learn some drums. And so I started taking lessons and got his kit and some sticks and stuff pretty early on. And there was a time that a choir instructor showed us the Beatles on Sullivan. And, uh, despite the fact that it was very much not alive back when that happened in 1964, it, it was as though it was happening live, uh, to me and I watched Ringo banging away on the kit. And I just, I knew that was my, my, you know, my destiny. I knew I was going to be a touring musician. I knew drums were my thing. And over the years I've learned a lot about a lot of other instruments and I can goof around on some of them, but drumming was always my passion with, uh, like a laser focus.
Speaker 2 00:05:41 And my goal was to become a touring drummer. And, um, I would happily walk away from good jobs or, or screw up at school or whatever it took if it meant that I was going to be building my drumming even just a little bit more. And over that time, uh, for people who are wondering what that has to do with animals, it doesn't. Um, but over that time, one of my main passions was going to the, the Maryland zoo and the national aquarium, which were, were pretty close. Um, to me that was always a fun date for me, was to take a girl down there. Uh, I feel like you get to see your true self and their true self when you're around animals, garden with them easily. And like also, it's just, I think it's so much harder to not be real when you're, uh, you know, being inspired and, and, and all of that.
Speaker 2 00:06:30 Or if you're not then get out because we're clearly not a match. So, yeah, so, uh, that was, but because I was always focused on the drum stuff, I never even really thought that I might have another passion or another thing that like, could be a goal for me as well. Um, but then once I started touring and, and started, uh, I had achieved that goal, then I started to look at what else was out there. And the animal stuff was really important to me. And it kept becoming more important to me and led to me starting Rastafari.
Speaker 1 00:07:01 Awesome. So let, let, let's get the timeline ironed out as well. So when was it that you really discovered that like drumming was your calling around, what age were you at that time?
Speaker 2 00:07:13 It was in middle school. Like sixth grade let's say is when I saw that video of Ringo and everything shifted up until that point. I was going to be a lawyer or a politician, or apparently at one point a farmer, my mother tells me, which does not really fit me at all, but Hey, whatever I was young. Um, and, and then when that happened in sixth grade, it also coincided with me kind of finding out that I was like the top drummer at our school. Like, as we got assigned different parts and stuff, things were happening. Yeah. And I was like, Oh, wait, I love this. And I'm good at it. Okay, cool. And, you know, back then being, being the top drummer at Mechanicsburg middle school, to me, meant like I was guaranteed a ticket to, to, uh, touring and stuff. And I did not realize how not true that is, uh, until much later, but it helped because I, I just stayed motivated and I was like, Oh yeah, this is what I do. I'm a drummer.
Speaker 1 00:08:08 That's awesome. I mean, and good for you, you know, it's not like the realization of like reality, especially I'm sure as you got older to realize how hard it is going to be to pursue that very particular path. So did you end up, um, so take me to after high school, did you end up going to like, like a musician school or did you immediately try to get into the industry and like, so what is the path that took you to becoming a touring drummer? Like that's a massive accomplishment.
Speaker 2 00:08:37 Sure. So basically it was, um, you know, people in my life were not super excited about the idea. And so, um, I got accepted to Berkeley, which is, uh, one of the, if not the top colleges, uh, for music, uh, it's an up in Boston. It is amazing. And especially for like modern music, uh, jazz and rock and stuff, it is it's the school. And I got accepted and it was super excited, but, um, no one was willing to pay for it. And I thought going into debt for that was probably a bad idea. And so I tried to balance it and go off to some colleges. I tried a couple of different times, um, a history major, a business major. Uh, but what I would do is I would go and I would take some classes and I would be doing well. And then I would get the chance to play at a couple of bars at two or three until till three o'clock in the morning.
Speaker 2 00:09:27 And, and I wouldn't be in my classes anymore. It turns out if you don't go to your classes, you don't do real well. So, um, it was, I ended up going back and finally getting a degree actually in a, kind of in a human resource area. But that was after I was a successful enough drummer to be able to start to like focus my attention on other things. Um, but yeah, I had, I had horse blinders on and I always love to tell the story that even, um, even like back in high school, like my high school sweetheart would come over and, uh, sit downstairs, doing her homework while I practice. And like we, yeah. Like we would hang out sometimes, but like also not. And she got to be really good friends with my parents because, you know, they'd be prepping dinner and she'd be doing homework and talking to them and I'd be banging away on the kit upstairs. And there were times when I was single that like girls would literally be like, yo, take me to a movie. And I'd be like, I've got to practice. And for a high school, boy, that's insane. Um, it's, it's really crazy. So yeah, I was always, I was always pretty driven towards that goal.
Speaker 1 00:10:30 So that's awesome. Especially to hear that you took an unconventional path, meaning like you didn't follow the status quo. Like you went directly into the real stuff essentially. And it wasn't theory at that point, you're like, I'm going to be a touring musician. So you made that happen. So what happened after high school? So you didn't go to Berkeley. Um, but you, you are, I mean right now COVID, but we'll get into that. Um, a successful touring musician. So how did you, how'd you get in that is a hard field to get into,
Speaker 2 00:11:03 You know, it's, it's kind of funny. Um, I took every gig that I could, I took every opportunity that was available to me. I, I wow. Some of the stuff that I did, I looked back on and I can't even believe it. Um, you know, there was a period of time that I would be playing for a theater and then walking out as soon as the, um, the music ended running to my car and running to a bar to play another four hour bar gig, you know, right after there was one night or one, couple of weeks when I was playing Leymah's Rob at a theater and then going and playing as a rock drummer until, you know, 2:00 AM. And that's just really confusing if you know, those stuff is sitting in an orchestra one minute and pounding the snot out of my drums, the next.
Speaker 2 00:11:51 And, um, uh, I just, you know, every gig that I could take. The funny thing about it though, is that you could really track my, my entire career to touring through like three or four of those gigs out of the literally thousands and thousands that I did. And, and hundreds of people that I met and begged and auditions that I sent that were never even looked at, you know, and all this stuff there was, there was a time that I was in a band and, uh, the guitar squid, and I took a volunteer gig, um, playing the musical ragtime just because I needed a gig, all of a sudden. And then I liked the music and the guitarist there really liked me and took me to my first paid theater gigs with him. And then he got hired at a theater that then was a professional theater called Alan Berry.
Speaker 2 00:12:42 And he brought me along with him there when they needed a drummer. And the first music director I worked for there really liked me. And, uh, three years later booked a national tour and was like, Hey, I've got a drummer. So it's hilarious because I could tell you thousands of stories and tens, if not hundreds of thousands of hours and blood, sweat, tears, eviction notices eating at McDonald's. Cause it was all I could afford all the things, but those four steps went from amateur drummer to touring drummer like that, that quickly, but it took years and you never know what's going to be the thing. So you have to, you know, it's, it's you throw everything at the wall and see what sticks
Speaker 1 00:13:23 Well, that's, I mean, that alone, I think should, you know, hope, anybody listening really internalizes that it's like, if you have a path it's going to be hard, but that's okay. You know, um, just keep going and persevere because you don't know what, what that corner is going to be.
Speaker 2 00:13:39 And I had no clue when I got into the, the conservation and zookeeping side. That it's the same way. I always say it's amazing to me that most people like most, even when you go and see a tour, if you see a theater tour or even if you go out and see like a famous artist who has a backing band that, you know, you're not going and seeing Aerosmith you're going and seeing Johnny Lang, and then he's got a backing band. A lot of those people are not making a lot of money, not what you're expecting for a touring musician. Um, I do very well for myself. I've, I've found some good niches to be in, but, um, there are people that you will see on a tour that you think, wow, they are living the life that are making $400 a week. And the same is true in the zoo and conservation fields. You, you see, you know, zookeepers that have been at zoos for 10 years and they're making 15 bucks an hour and you're like, excuse me, I'm sorry, what, you know, but you do it because you love it. And because you can't think of anything else that you want to do so badly and you know, all of the travel and all of the, getting to do what you love and setting your own hours and being your own boss to a point and all of that, um, make it worthwhile, you know? Yeah. Was it when
Speaker 1 00:14:52 You landed this, um, this theater jobs, so it sounds like that just happened organically, like being a drummer in a theatrical setting, is that when you started to tour or were you already touring? So like, let's get to enter the path that started to take you around the U S and we started to really explore stuff. So what was it like, was that really when you started to see, well, even the world because you've been international? Um, was it that,
Speaker 2 00:15:18 Um, so I've had, I had a couple of cool opportunities. I feel like almost everyone who does this has these random moments of glory, even if you end up not having a successful career. And so like, yeah, when I was, when I was 18, I got to go tour, um, with this like band that went through Europe and I did a bunch of, of European touring, but, um, it wasn't anything other than a really cool experience. Like I love it and I'm grateful for it. And I remember it. Um, but yeah, it was just meant nothing. And almost everyone that, that was there is not in the industry at all anymore. You know? So like that was a cool fluke thing that happened, but yeah, no, most of it was just, you know, I would try to do little tours with, um, with the bands I was in or whatever, but it wasn't until I hit professional theatrical playing and then started to build my resume. And then I booked my first national tour and, and once that happened, it just, it blew up and I I've been on the road, you know, again, not counting COVID for seven years more on it than office. So
Speaker 1 00:16:21 That's awesome. That was a good way to see the U S on someone else's dime that's for sure. So from what I remember and our call, this is when you really started to see a lot of zoos and aquariums and other sanctuaries around. So tell me about that experience and why you decided, or why you felt compelled when you were in these areas to go visit those specific type of institutions. Cause you could go to like art museums or different types of things, but it was something particular about zoos. So what was that?
Speaker 2 00:16:55 I have always found that I have a special connection to animals, whether they know it or not. And to me, it's, it started off with turtles and especially sea turtles. Um, they can bring me a peace and calm that nothing else to this day can, uh, there is no better feeling in the world for me when I am stressed than standing in front of the ocean Voyager tank at adventure aquarium and, uh, saying hi to the four, four turtles there and just kind of hanging out, you know, it, it just, it has a really cool effect on my, my brain. It it's very calming and, um, all animals have different effects, but they're all positive. I love, you know, I love all animals. And when I started touring, um, I definitely liked zoos and they were on the list. And as the schedule allowed, I went to a few, but my second national tour was 11 months long.
Speaker 2 00:17:54 And that is a hellaciously long time to be on the road. And it was 11 months of one nighters for the most part. Um, a lot of places when you do bigger tours, if you're on Hamilton or wicked or somewhere, you're gonna be out, you're going to do two weeks a month in a city. So you get a house, you, you, you know, you can, I was on the bus every day. Um, and I loved it. I loved touring, but, uh, one of the main things that you learn when you're touring is that there are, there are people who aren't built for the road and they booked to the tour anyway, and they're finding out that they're not built for the road. And so, um, there was a lot of stuff that people were doing that I just didn't appreciate. There's also, I am not a heavy drinker, um, at all. And there a lot of real heavy, you know, every night after the show, let's go get smashed again.
Speaker 1 00:18:43 Maybe the other things too extracurriculars on top of that.
Speaker 2 00:18:49 And you know, there are times that I will, we'll have some fun, but, um, that's just not who I've ever been really. And so, um, I, you know, I didn't want to spend my money doing that in my time doing that. And I wanted to have the calm and the peace that I was because I was loving tour and I would, I would, we'd have these conversations on the bus and people would be like, Oh, this sucks. And that sucks. And I'm so mad about this. And I'm like, guys, we were just in this place and we saw these things and then 2000 people saw us do
Speaker 1 00:19:16 Our show. And like, I'm so happy.
Speaker 2 00:19:19 And yeah, we know John, we know you like we get it. And so, um, I was just looking for something to keep me happy and positive, you know, and not let myself fall into that, uh, thing I saw other people doing. And as I thought about myself and things that made me happy, I was like, well, I like zoos. And it turns out that most cities that you play will have some form of animal thing. And so, uh, you know, it started off wanting to go to a zoo or an aquarium every time I got to a town. And then literally like the first time I did that, I was just like, Oh, Oh, this is good. Oh yeah, no, I need to be here right now. And once that had happened, once I was like, well, gotta keep that going. And so every opportunity I got, as soon as our bus pulled into town, I already knew how to get to the zoo and where it was and what the hours were and when soundcheck was. And, and I made it my priority, you know,
Speaker 1 00:20:11 Did you tell me about that one story where like you had already had like an Uber waiting and to pick you up and you wrote it,
Speaker 2 00:20:23 We get to Toledo, Ohio. And I had heard that the Toledo zoo was incredible and I wanted to go and we got to town late. And so what I did was I actually called the Uber a little early. I was using maps on my phone to just track where our bus was and when the Uber was waiting for me charging that extra dollar or whatever it is a minute. And I was the first one off the bus and grabbed my stuff and I grabbed my key and I threw my stuff into the room. And literally like, just on the floor, didn't even go in, had a piece so bad figured I would do that at the zoo, whatever ran back downstairs, people were still getting off the bus. And I hopped in that Uber and I took off and since we were late and, uh, it was a bit of a haul to the zoo.
Speaker 2 00:21:05 Um, I didn't have a ton of time and it's a decent sized zoo. So I jogged the zoo and I stopped at enclosures and I made sure to give some time, more time to the animals that I wanted to see. And, and less time to the ones that I cared about less. But I, I ran through that zoo and I left that zoo, a sweaty mess and hopped into the Uber that I had again, waiting for me and went right to soundcheck. And I walked into soundtrack and I was like, Hey guys, I'm here. Um, blue suede. Okay. Cool. All right. All right. All right. All right. Let's go. I didn't even run into my dressing room to put my stuff down. I ran onstage with my backpack and my sweating and the, the Toledo zoo sweatshirt and, and stuffed slaw that I had bought.
Speaker 2 00:21:48 And I plopped down on the drums and I did soundcheck. And then I took everything to the, the dressing room and was like, I should probably figure out food. Like it was, it was insane, but it was so worth it. And I was in such a good mood. And I didn't know that the Toledo zoo had not only cool zoo animals, but an aquarium with a sea turtle. So I got bonus sea turtle time, which was like the best I was so happy. It was so worth it. But yeah, it was, it was a journey. Um, and there have been times that was one of them. Uh, when I was on a night with Janice Joplin, we had our first dress rehearsal and we were in Providence, Rhode Island. And so I, I took an Uber to Roger Williams park zoo. And when I was trying to leave, the Uber could not find the zoo and I was losing my mind.
Speaker 2 00:22:34 Um, I am the, I was the music director of that tour. I needed to be on time. I was, you know, trying to be a leader and with new people and it was, I was losing my mind. And, and finally the Uber found me, but like I had started talking to people and being like, Hey, is there any way that I could get like a ride to, uh, like just out of this park or something. And then like, when people were not being cooperative, I just jogged and started running out of the park. And I met the Uber like halfway, and I was like, Oh, thank God. Okay. We're good. We're good. But, um, yeah, I have, I have definitely, uh, never been late because of the zoo, but I have had some challenging times because of a zoo,
Speaker 1 00:23:12 Little, little close for comfort and always worth it, always worth it. Oh, that's awesome. So how many total have you been to
Speaker 2 00:23:22 138 zoos aquariums rescues and rehab facilities.
Speaker 1 00:23:25 That's amazing. Were they all in the U S yes,
Speaker 2 00:23:29 Yes. Yeah. When I was in, I'm trying to think back when I was in Europe and stuff, I hadn't really started the quest yet, so, yeah. Awesome. So know, that's what I, Canada, I knew I was lying Canada. I've been to the Toronto zoo and a couple up in like, um, Niagara falls, but mostly, maybe 135 in the U S and then three in Canada so far.
Speaker 1 00:23:48 That's incredible. That's like a crazy number, which that's awesome. That's awesome. And this is, um, so at this point, so you have been to so many of these places. So when did your deeper connection with the zoos start to evolve when you started to actually meet people and everything?
Speaker 2 00:24:06 Well, like I said, I always felt this, this deep connection to the animals. Um, and then during that, that second tour that I did when I was the 11 month tour, when I really ramped it up and was like hitting any zoo that I could find, I, I also, uh, went through a divorce and some other major changes in my life and, uh, moved to down to Philadelphia area, uh, which was, you know, a lot of change going through that on a tour was, um, uh, a lot of people are like, Oh my gosh, how did you survive that? I actually think it helped. I was drumming every night. I was not there. I was, you know, there, it worked out pretty well for, for how I work. And, um, but when I moved to Philly, um, I didn't really have many people or places or things.
Speaker 2 00:24:53 And so I became a member at the Philadelphia zoo. And, uh, that is where I, I fell madly in love with Malin, who is up here all, and, and, uh, she was there at the time, I think 15 and then 16 year old, red Panda. Um, and I had never felt such an intense connection to any animal other than some sea turtles. And it was my quest to find out more about her and the other pan is there and to learn about red pandas, um, that led me to start talking to keepers. And then once I started doing that, you know, it was like the dams burst open. And, um, it started off just wanting to know about animals. I did not want to know keeper names. I mean, I just, I didn't care. It was, it was my gateway to the animals, you know, they were just, um, signs that could talk instead of being, and that had, you know, deeper information.
Speaker 2 00:25:43 But as I started talking, I, you know, it started off as you know, Oh, who's this Panda, Oh, you know, this is Malin. Oh, cool. What's she like, Oh my God, I love her. Oh my God, she does this. Oh my God. And then once that passion was there, then I'm like, Ugh, now, now I'm noticing you. Okay. You know? And, um, I remember there was a giant pan to keep her in Memphis that, that I talked to for probably half an hour. And, um, just a couple other keepers that as I started finding out about their animals, I was like, Oh, these people are cool. And it made me want to talk to more. And the more I talked to the cooler they were and, you know, the cycle goes on and on. And, um, yeah, I just, there are a lot of really cool people, uh, in this field.
Speaker 1 00:26:27 I 100% agree with that statement. So I think the next natural question would be then, um, let's talk about your podcast. Let's talk about Ross Safari. Where did that come from? So like, tell me, like, that's the, I'm just going to assume that no one listening to this has any idea. So let's, let's take it back to square one. So what is your podcast? How did it come to be and what made you decide to do that particular topic?
Speaker 2 00:26:59 So, um, okay. So I, the Rastafari podcast is a zoo positive conservation focused podcast. Uh, that's my, that's my elevator pitch. And, um, the not that is that, uh, I like talking to people about animals and conservation and zoos and stuff. And it literally started where one day I was just like, you know, as I mentioned, I like to talking to keepers. And one day I was like, I should find the podcast where they interviewed zookeepers all the time and tell the stories behind the scenes at the zoo and stuff. And I found some where the podcasts are keepers talking about just animals. And I found somewhere it's one zoo specific, um, usually about specific topics, not actually about the keepers, but I never found anything. That was like what I was doing at zoos, where I was talking to people and finding out about them and connecting to their animals through them.
Speaker 2 00:27:51 And, um, I don't know if you've heard of this thing, there's this little thing called COVID that's happening right now. And so since I suddenly found myself with some time and with this idea had already been in my head, my original plan was that as I went on tour, as I went to the zoos, I would connect with the zoos beforehand and like interview their keepers while I was there. Um, instead what it has become for the most part is I do zoom interviews with people I wish I was hanging out with, although I have had some, some zoos that welcomed me and I, I do have some COVID, uh, you know, stuff in place where I disinfect my mic. So I have gotten to go to some zoos and travel for this and that those are, those are always very special moments. Um, but yeah, and the idea is to connect my people to animals through their people.
Speaker 2 00:28:37 Uh, as I like to say, and, um, the initial idea was just, I thought I would interview as zookeeper every week or whatever, but then the more I learned about how interconnected keeping and conservation is, and the more that my heart grew for conservation, as I learned about it as a kind of outsider, um, the more I, I also started including conservation organizations. And so, you know, now there are plenty of episodes from plenty of zoos all around the country, but also we've got a okapi conservation project and a red Panda network and penguins international and, um, all of that stuff. So that's the idea of what the podcast is, um, and kind of where it came from. But then the other part of this is that, uh, when I started going to the zoos, I started taking animal pictures. Uh, and for a long time, it was just on my, my iPhone.
Speaker 2 00:29:27 Um, it was just, for me, it was, it was what it was, but I started noticing that I was getting some really quality shots, even just on the phone. And there would be times that like five or six of us would go to the zoo. Cause I wasn't always alone. Sometimes people would want to come and, you know, there'd be five or six of us with our phones up at an exhibit, taking a picture of an animal and four of the pictures would be blurry or them looking the other way. And one of them would be a beautiful head-on shot, perfectly zoomed. And it was, I got that shot and I don't understand why I don't have a background in photography. Um, I feel like a lot of it has to do with me studying and learning about and understanding animals, but I was getting cool shots, especially just on an iPhone, you know, and then eventually, um, my girlfriend got me a nice camera, but it's not even like a DSLR, it's not professional level or anything.
Speaker 2 00:30:20 It's just a, a good camera with a good zoom. And, uh, I kept getting cool shots. And so I launched the Rastafari Instagram mainly as a way to share my animal photos with friends, whenever I would get a cool shot, I would show a couple of friends. They would freak out, they would share it with their friends. And I was like, Oh, I should, I should have an Instagram. That would be fun. Um, yeah, but I had, I had no idea that it would become anything like when I launched it, uh, Rastafari obviously upon my last name is Rossi and, uh, it's my, my zoo Safari. So, um, you know, I made a portmanteau and, and it made me happy and, and, uh, I liked dumb jokes and buttons. I like words. Um, and it was for a way for my friends to see my photos and then other people started finding it and then more people.
Speaker 2 00:31:06 And then I followed animal photographers and zoos and they followed me back and now we're over 5,000 followers. And, uh, that was, that was kind of the platform that let me know if I launched the podcast that I'd be in good hands. Cause I started talking to people on there and I reached out to, you know, when I first thought of this, I reached out to a bunch of keepers that had started following me and competent on my pictures. And sometimes like keepers love to identify their own animals by name and pictures and stuff. And so I reached out to some of them and was like, Hey, would you be on my podcast if I made a podcast? And this is what I'm thinking of doing and what do you think? And they were all super into it and super supportive. So I launched it.
Speaker 1 00:31:46 That's a great story, like, and just talk about such a, just an organic one that it, all of the pieces happened to fall into place. Like all the dominoes fell on the right order for you to launch this. And so what, what has it been like for you? Cause I'm just putting myself in your shoes. Like, let's say that I did the exact opposite where I just happened to really, really love theater. And so I started a podcast on theater. Um, what has it been like for you to like enter a field that you were not previously in? Um, have you ran into any issues or anything, how has that been for navigating that for you?
Speaker 2 00:32:28 I haven't really run into any issues. People have been cool. And since I did come up in that world, even as a, you know, as a fan, um, I was, I was pretty lucky also my, my, uh, my girlfriend is a year vet student trying to become a zoo vet. So I do have some good guidance, um, you know, in that world. But the only issues that I've had is every once in awhile, I will ask a pretty dumb question or, um, or phrase something poorly in my interview with Lucas mirror's from, um, okapi conservation project. Uh, he was talking about the women's roles in the culture there and then how to work with that. And I think I said twice, I was like, yeah, it's cool that you're in there changing the culture. And that's a big, no, no, you, you don't change culture as a conservation organization.
Speaker 2 00:33:12 You, you show them things and you work within their culture and you oftentimes have many guides in the culture who can, can make sure you're not changing the culture. So I used the word change. It was wrong, but that's okay because since I'm an outsider, he just very nicely corrected me. And there are a lot of people who listen to this who are not in the conservation world, either who all just learned, because I learned that, you know, that fact and, um, I really love being able to bring the outsider because I don't think we ever get to inside baseball on the, uh, on the podcast because someone starts spouting off, you know, a Z,
Speaker 3 00:33:52 A Z K Zack,
Speaker 2 00:33:54 Blah, blah. And I'm like, Whoa, what, what letters did you just, I don't know. You know, I didn't know what an SSP was at the time, you know, when we started this. So if you, if you follow the podcast and especially if you listen from the beginning, you learn, as I learned, and that's a lot of fun. Um, there are definitely episodes where somebody tells me about a conservation project that I didn't know exists. And then a month later that project is on my podcast and now I'm an expert on it. And that's really cool, you know?
Speaker 3 00:34:21 Yeah. That sounds so satisfying just to see the whole story.
Speaker 2 00:34:26 Yeah. And the other cool thing about it that I have learned is that, um, so I've gotten to meet a ton of cool animals. Uh, so many, I think I'm up to having hung out with 28 red pandas in my life. They're, they're my favorite species now. And, um, and on top of that, I mean, I've hung out with a transla and I used to be interacting a phobe. And there's a whole episode about me coming, like overcoming that and actually handling a tranche Sheila and all races that was insane. And so many different primates and, you know, little new world monkeys and all the way up to playing through glass, but playing with a champ and, and learning some of it, sign language, and then having it teach me how to play with it. The experiences that I've had are in sane. And I was talking to my buddy Coleen, who's a zookeeper, who's been on a couple of times and, and is just, uh, just very encouraging and a very helpful person with the podcast.
Speaker 2 00:35:22 And she told me, you know, she's been a keeper for years and she has not had the experiences that I've had. Um, I mean, you know, the animals she's with she's with everyday and she gets to have like deeper experiences with them. And I'm super jealous of that fact, but, you know, whereas jealous of her getting to where Lucille, the binturong on her shoulder, I've also had binturongs on my shoulders, but I've also held a baby red Panda, which she is not allowed to do. She is occasionally allowed to see them, but not actually like hold one. And I have not only held like a little, little one in my hand, but have also had a couple other ones crawling on me. And, you know, um, the walrus thing, there are only a few facilities in the country that have, have walrus is most keepers will never get to interact with one.
Speaker 2 00:36:03 And I have played with and petted and, and stood right with a wall that was, that was insane, you know, and sea lions and seals. And, uh, one day, um, it wasn't even part of the interview, but just we, we did lunch, uh, with the dolphins and the dolphins were swimming over and playing with us. And like I was in this dolphin arena completely alone, except for the keepers that I was with. And I was like, what is this life? You know, it's, it's insane. Um, and feeding otters, I could, I could go on and on all day, but I've had all of these experiences in, in, you know, seven months of, of doing this that, um, just don't even make sense to me. And I have so many more offers on the table once COVID calms down because every facility is different. But the things that I know that are coming down the pike once that is a little more cleared up, it's even more insane, the amount of time with animals and cool people and stuff that are coming is just amazing.
Speaker 1 00:37:04 That's, that's exciting. That is so exciting. I'm just curious, since you have talked to so many zookeepers and that just conservationists, have you found like a certain theme across, you know, your interviews with them or like any, like connecting the dots, um, just being an outsider and connecting and talking with so many different people, is there, are you finding a common commonality between a lot of your interviews?
Speaker 2 00:37:33 This will not shock you at all, but the number one thing is that whether they are the most people person ever, or the least people, person ever, and you might wonder why would somebody who's not a people person do a podcast? Well, I don't know, but if you start talking about the animals that they love, they open up completely. Um, it's, uh, mazing, anytime that I'm trying. Cause I like to start my interviews talking about the person and it usually goes very well, but every once in a while, it's, you know, so who are you? I'm Bob? What do you do? Why I like keeping animals at the zoo? And at that point I just completely abandoned it and I go, cool. So tell me about your favorite animal and suddenly they're off on a 20 minute rant and I'm learning all about Bob's favorite bird and the fact that it eats this kind of food and poops this kind of way and has a keeper that it doesn't like.
Speaker 2 00:38:28 And you know, the, where it's, it's, uh, chicks have gone off into breeding programs and, and how it's an ambassador for its and how there's a conservation organization helping them. And then once that's happened, then I'm like, so Bob, tell me more about why you got into this and now that the, the door, you know, the door is open, then it, boom. So my trick is to always, I keep that in, you know, it's the arrow in my quiver that I wait on using until I either need to work until I just get to the point where it's time to talk animals. Um, but yeah, if you talk to anyone and you know, one thing, um, that's interesting is, is that a lot of zookeepers are a young female and many are attractive. And I am a guy who's hopping in their DMS to try to convince them to do a podcast because, you know, that's, that's what we do here.
Speaker 2 00:39:16 And Instagram is a truly great way to connect with people, um, all throughout the conservation community. Um, and so I have also learned there that if I hop in and I'm like, Oh my God, this is the cutest tree kangaroo I've ever seen. Then no one ever seems too concerned. But if I hop in and I'm like, hi, my name's John, I'd love to chat with you. Then you hit a little resistance. And it's really funny to me to see how much animals is. The common ground really makes everything okay. You know, um, beyond that, I would just say that pretty much everyone, uh, that I've talked to is insanely driven, uh, very, very in love with what they do, willing to sacrifice, um, you know, personal life things and definitely financially, uh, to do what they they love. Um, and almost everyone is a big fan of the industry as a whole and of other keepers.
Speaker 2 00:40:16 One of the things that shocked me, I figured I would have the hardest time getting keepers to listen to my podcast, because if this is what you do for 40 or more hours a week, the last thing you want to do is go listen to someone else, talk about your job. Instead, I would say more than half of my audience are zookeepers and some of the most rabid fans are keepers and they reach out to me and they reach out to each other. There's this whole little community that's formed up of, of guests that have reached out to each other and other keepers that have reached out to my guests and become friends just through the podcast. Um, and I would have never predicted that, you know, why would you want to spend an extra two hours a week, um, doing, you know, learning about your job, basically, like that's weird to me, but, uh, they, they tend to love it and, and keepers. So many times I reached out to people and I'm like, Hey, you know, I love your content. I'd be interested in you having you on the podcast. And they're like, Oh yeah, love the podcast. This was my favorite episode, this idea, you know, and I know this person who was a guest in this person who was a guest and yet let's wait, when, when can we do this? And I'm like, Oh cool.
Speaker 1 00:41:22 That's great. It is. And I know that when, when we chatted the first time, just how interconnected it all is and how so supportive this field is. Cause it's, it's all ran on passion and if your passion isn't there, then you're just not going to thrive. But when it is there and you all have that common ground, it doesn't matter your gender, your age, your, your color of your skin doesn't matter when you all are there because you want to save wildlife and whatever form that is. And you already know that you have that thing that connects you. It's so powerful. Like even when the person that might just only speak five words, but you connect immediately because you both love the same thing. And so then just, I mean, that's gorgeous that you're able to just make people open up like that because having been in the zoo world for years, I saw that as well. You know, there's a super, you know, extroverted people that, you know, love to doing the zookeeper chats. And then there's the other people that are like, I'm only doing this talk because my boss is making me.
Speaker 2 00:42:24 Yep.
Speaker 1 00:42:28 No, but everybody together though, you're all work together and you find a way to work together because you just want the best experience possible for the guests because that's how conservation happens. And then also because you want your animals to have the best life possible as well.
Speaker 2 00:42:43 Absolutely. And I think one thing that I really love, um, one role that I serve in this community that I didn't realize until someone pointed it out to me is that I am living proof that you, by talking to your guests and by reaching out to people and, um, sharing your animal stories and sharing your passion can have a actual, you know, able to be seen and heard impact on, on somebody. Because I have gone from a zoo fan to a conservation educator and, uh, the, the, with the podcast we've, we've, um, you know, I constantly hear stories of people that learn about zoos or conservation organizations and raise money for them or donate money to them because they heard them on the podcast. Um, I know I, you know, Russ fiery has raised over a thousand dollars, uh, for red and network alone. Um, and, and there are plenty of others.
Speaker 2 00:43:39 And like, I remember I did an episode on Elmwood park zoo, and, uh, then when they had a flood there, I just, and it wasn't even an episode about Elmwood park zoo, but in the intro to another episode, I mentioned, I had gone and I helped them clean up the flood and everything and how amazing they were. And I know three people that reached out to me and were like, Hey, just made a donation to Elmwood park because of, you know, what you said, and that blows my mind. And I've been able to help in, in small little ways like that with, with different sues, um, just upping their, um, follower count or, or, you know, sharing about fundraising or, uh, finding out that a conservation organization is having a speaker. And they're worried that they're not going to have good questions. So can I come in as a ringer and ask some questions?
Speaker 2 00:44:22 And, um, I love it. I love doing it. I love being a part of it. And I'm only here because of the direct connection that keepers made with me and inspired me and, and taught me and took the time to educate me. And, you know, when all of this started, I didn't know what an ACA was. I didn't know what the SSP was. I didn't, I knew that conservation was a thing and I knew about WWF and stuff, but, you know, like I said, I didn't know what a red Panda was. And now they're literally my favorite animal. And I have pictures of them behind me and a stuffed one sitting over there. And I'm a volunteer I'm on the communications and writing team of the red Panda network. And like so much has come of just people taking the time to be cool and talk to me about stuff well before the podcast.
Speaker 1 00:45:12 Wow. I mean, if that isn't inspiration for anybody, if you're thinking about doing anything, it doesn't have to be a podcast by any means, but something like that, where you know, that you're so passionate and there's just this burning idea that just won't leave you and, and look what can happen. I mean, it was just an idea that happened to sprout out of something pretty terrible. It COVID and what it did to your job, what it did to your role, what does your whole industry, which I can definitely relate, but you were able to find something good in the bad you, you made the lemonade with a whole bunch of lemons and went into a completely different field and connect to these amazing people. And then you've been able to do so much good because of that. It's just something that was just a hobby, just to get away from people that were drunk and down and doing other extracurriculars that I don't even want. I don't even know. I mean, I know enough about the music industry to know that like some shit goes down.
Speaker 2 00:46:10 Yes. And you know, the funny thing about it is too, it kind of saved me. Um, I have been since middle school, I had one goal was to be a touring drummer. And then I became a touring drummer and yay. And then it was taken away from me. And I got home from, from my last tour dates on March 8th. And, um, within a week, every gig that I had booked for the next year was gone and I had worked so hard to book those gigs. And that's the thing when you're in this industry, when you do it, like I do it, you know, even when you're on tour, even when you have a nice long tour, like I have, it's still is only goes out for a couple of weeks or a couple of months and then is off and then it, so you still fill that space.
Speaker 2 00:46:53 I, I put in for dozens of jobs every year. It's like, if you're listening to this and you're not in that world, imagine applying for 12, 15, 20 jobs a year minimum, sometimes much more. I'm lucky that I'm successful enough where I don't have to do as much. I know actors who audition a hundred, 200 times a year and then dealing with all of the rejection and all of the prep for each one and, and all of that. Um, and since I'm music direct, I not only have to, you know, audition or submit videos or whatever, but I also usually interview and I talk to people and I, um, yeah, it's like, yeah, if you, if you, if you're a person who has had a job for multiple years, it's, it's hard to even picture what it is like to not know what your next gig is going to be and not know, you know, sometimes.
Speaker 2 00:47:45 Um, so, so I worked really hard and I built an entire year's calendar, which most people in my industry cannot even do. And then within the course of a week, it was gone. And, um, at the time my, my girlfriend was on an externship, so she was not home. And because she had been on an externship and I had been on tour, all of our animals were with her parents. Um, so I was in a completely alone house and everything I'd worked for was taken away from me and, uh, all the zoos were closed. Um, so I couldn't even go see sea animal buddies because of COVID. Um, and it was, it was, it was a pretty tough time, but that, that I was able to turn that into, uh, eating way too much unhealthy food and also building a podcast. So, you know, there's the light at the end that I was so desperate for animal time there, this is going to make you laugh at me.
Speaker 2 00:48:32 I am embarrassed by this fact, but there is a zoo that is near where I live. It is in Delaware, it's called Brandywine zoo. And it is a small zoo that is in a park, but it is a great zoo. It is an AZA zoo. It is, it is lovely there. And, um, I was really sad about not being able to, to go to zoos. And I remembered that Brandywine zoo is in this park. And you can kind of see a couple of the exhibits through the fence, kind of including the red Panda exhibit. And so one day I drove the 30 minutes to get there, walked over to the fence and just stood at the fence, staring through, trying to catch glimpses of their red pandas and a couple of other animals. And it worked, I got to see them. So then that became a thing that Zoe and I did a couple of times where we went to, to just stand outside a zoo, to catch glimpses of animals, because that's how much we love them. We also went down with parks once or twice because you can see their, uh, their drafts from the, uh, the parking lot. And, and that's how badly I needed animals in my life at that time.
Speaker 1 00:49:41 Thanks again, for listening to this episode of rewild ology, if you'd like that you heard hit that subscribe button, so you never miss a future episode. Do you have an environmental organization travel story or research that you'd like to share? Let me know <inaudible> dot com until next time friends together, we will. Rewild the planet.
