Why He’s Interesting: Facing one of the biggest mayor’s races in Cleveland history, Castele produced an 18-episode podcast for Ideastream called After Jackson that followed the race from July of last year to Justin Bibb’s election.
Staying Out of It: “I didn’t really want to allow myself to become a cheerleader for any candidate. What I’m really here to do is bear witness to these events.”
Election Summary: “This message of change was the thing that was catching hold with people.”
Ideal Interview: Dennis Kucinich. “He can be feisty at times and he’s not afraid to push back on reporters.”
Talent: Castele says his on-air voice has developed over time, and his past experiences have helped him, including participating in theater and choir while at Saint Ignatius High School and an a cappella group at Northwestern University. “Singing has always been a part of what I do.”
The Hard Part: “One of the challenges is just trying to stay on top of the news. There’s just so much happening. I’m kind of shining the light in a few different places, but you can never see everything all at once.”
The Best: “I have the freedom to go anywhere and talk to anybody. At the end of the day, it’s still just a real blessing to be able to ask the questions that I think are the best questions and to allow my curiosity to drive the things that I do.”
