Meet Jack Kennedy | MMA Island Podcaster

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

Hi Jack, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
For me, I have been into creative things my whole life. From a very young age, I would make stupid movies on iMovie or film short videos just for fun. When I lived in California, my best friend and I loved all things sports. So, when I had to move, we created a podcast and called it JT Media. I kept up with that podcast for a while even though it didn’t go anywhere. Eventually, the MMA Island opportunity came around and I was able to use my skills gained from doing the JT Media podcast in order to create The MMA Island Podcast. Along with my great co-hosts Hunter Bos and Keelin McNamara, we breakdown MMA on a weekly basis. I love it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I grew up as a true military brat. I’ve lived in eight different states and have switched schools more times than I can remember. This really made keeping friends that you would make difficult. Once you get comfortable, it’s time to move again. I was living in Camp Pendelton, California, where I met my best friend, Thomas Tait. We connected instantly and is still my closest friend to this day. Before I had to move, we wanted to come up with a fun, interactive way to keep in touch. We both, being massive sports fans, created a podcast. We kept up the podcast for a couple of years and I gained a lot of experience in podcasting and journalism. Eventually, I saw an ad for the MMA media company called MMA Island about how they were looking for writers. I applied and they took me in as a writer. As I began writing for them, I began wondering if I could create a podcast and use it on their platform. Sure enough, not too long after, The MMA Island Podcast was born. Now there are 170 episodes, and I have met so many people. It definitely isn’t easy with all of the production, planning, and promotion I have to do, but I am so grateful for it. The thing that keeps me going is that I truly love the sport of MMA and I have got to meet so many of my idols through this experience. I also want to add a massive shoutout to the brilliant Hunter Bos and Keelin McNamara who make the podcast what it is.

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?
Well, this depends for all of us. The great thing about this podcast is that I live in Virginia, but my two co-hosts live in Boise Idaho and Ireland. So, I have nothing super specific for myself, but I recommend visiting the world and meeting new people. Learning about different cultures is fun and fascinating. You can also meet some really good friends just by reaching out.

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?
First and foremost, the people who enable to podcast to be what it is each week are my co-hosts and great friends Hunter and Keelin. We’ve all been doing it with each other for over a year and a half now and I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else. My family obviously deserves a lot of credit. They have supported me and the podcast through everything. MMA Island deserves a massive shoutout for allowing me to create the podcast and providing a platform for it. Lastly, my friend Thomas Tait for starting up the OG podcast JT Media which allowed me to learn what I needed to make this one.

Website: mmaisland.net

Instagram: @mma.island.pod

Youtube: MMA ISLAND TV

Other: iTunes and Spotify: The MMA Island Podcast

Image Credits
The MMA Island Podcast