Today we’d like to introduce you to Dino Tripodis
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Creatively, I started doing standup comedy in 1989. From there, it led to hosting a morning radio show in Columbus, Ohio at 94.7fm Sunny 95. I was there for 24 years. Left in 2018. Was asked to come back in 2021. Left again in April of 2024. Throughout my radio career, I stayed creative in other fields; writing and filmmaking with 3 feature films, various shorts, a book of humor, and our most current project, DOWN TO THE FELT, our latest feature film which which is currently on the festival circuit and will be screened at various venues in Ohio in April 2025
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Being creative isn’t a struggle. Being successful at it can be at times. You don’t stay in morning radio for 24 years at one station by accident. You don’t go from being an opening act to a headliner in a comedy club without discipline and a desire to constantly create. And you don’t write and produce fillms without the sane disciplines in place. A smooth road? No. A good road? Yes. I’m blessed to able to do what I love despite the creative obstacles that come with the process.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I still love radio even though I don’t do it anymore. I’ve moved to podcasting with our long running podcast, WHISKEY BUSINESS, a podcast not so much about whiskey as it is one with whiskey. Our guests run from astrophysicists to zoologists. I love to write: fiction, poetry, essays, and screenplays. I love the films we’ve made including feature films like MINUS ONE, THE STREET WHERE WE LIVE, and our most recent film, DOWN TO THE FELT, which has been our most ambitious project to date. Also short films, like SUPPER, SPITBALLING, and SOUTH 40. I’m proud of all of it. As far as what sets me apart from others…..I couldn’t say. Every creative person has a different and unique perspective on how to approach a project. Some people think it’s weird that I use a manual
typewriter to start before going to a computer, but again that’s a process that works for me. And now I creatively consult with organizations and help establish stronger footprints for their brand, be it a script, idea or coming up with an original concept. I’m currently working with OHIO SUICIDE PREVENTION FOUNDATION and a humorous website they’ve developed: mantherapy.org. And looking forward to a project with OHLQ (Ohio Liquor)
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
My whole creative life has been a risk. Leaving a good job to go on the road and do standup comedy. Getting out of a blooming career in standup to do radio. Leaving radio to make movies! It’s all a risk. With risk you don’t always get back what you put in, so you have to ready for how it pans out. It might pay off or it might fail miserably, but there is always success in the desire to do it.
Contact Info:
- Website: downtothefeltmovie.com | whiskeybusinesspod.com | dinotripodis.com
- Instagram: Tripodisd
- LinkedIn: Dino Tripodis
