NICKY OUELLET
Episode 13: “A Visit to the Death Cafe”
Episode 13: “The New Wave Time Trippers: An ’80s Cover Band With Big-Time Dreams”

Nicky Ouellet is best known as Neko-dog’s mom. She covers life in the Flathead Valley for Montana Public Radio and her voice occasionally makes an appearance on NPR. She’s also the reporter and producer behind the podcast SubSurface: Resisting Montana’s Underwater Invaders. Like many Last Besters before her, Nicky was a student of the Jule Banville School of Audio during her masters studies at UM. That’s Nicky (left) with Jule (center) and the one and only Celia when the Time Trippers played an ’80s prom at the Wilma. If pressed, she could name the playlist from memory and isn’t ashamed. 

KATHERYN HOUGHTON
Episode 13: “A Visit to the Death Cafe“

Katheryn Houghton is a Kentucky native who landed in Montana. She didn’t know what to do with life so picked storytelling, most recently as the city government and health reporter for the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Her speciality is turning health policy stories into human interest features. She would leave it all to be an obit writer if the chance came up. 

 

 

ERIK PETERSEN
Episode 12: “Runners With a Drinking Problem“

Erik Petersen has been photographing life in Montana and around the world for nearly two decades. While his roots are in telling stories through still photography, he has found video to be an equally challenging and rewarding medium. Erik has garnered many state, regional and national awards for his work, including having his film, The Hard Way, selected as a finalist by the Banff Mountain Film Festival in 2016. He was also named the best newspaper Photographer of the Year two years in a row by the National Press Photographer’s Association in the western US and Canada. He was a newspaper photographer for over a decade before leaving to pursue a freelance business. His work now includes editorial, commercial and outdoor photography, as well as documentary filmmaking. He also teaches photography as an adjunct professor at the University of Montana. Erik lives in southwest Montana with his wife and two boys, a dozen chickens and a bird dog.

COLIN MAY
Episode 2: “Glacier Goats: Nature’s Pee-Lickers”
Episode 6: “A Most Spirited Voice”
Episode 12: “The Evolution of Open Mic Night“

Colin MayColin’s story in Episode 2 about what happens when the mountain goats of Glacier National Park seek out human pee was part of his portfolio when he earned his Master’s in environmental studies at the University of Montana. For a summer, he worked at Glacier, doing some writing and sometimes putting on outfits that made him look like a goat predator in the name of science. And also journalism. Check him out at Colin May Or May Not, where you can find other works by a full-hearted, semi-renaissance man. Colin’s also the founder and editor of the art and lit mag, Beyond Beer.

CHARLIE EBBERS
Episode 10: “Surviving Mom“

Charlie Ebbers is a guy who likes to be introspective and think about long term projects. He’s very curious, but not a professional yet. He’s still working on that. Charlie graduated with a master’s from the University of Montana School of Journalism. He went on to intern at Outside Magazine, but the call of the trail crew at Glacier National Park sent him north again. (He’s the strapping young chap in blue.)

 

CHRISTIAN GRANT
Episode 10: “Love Advice for the Young“

Christian Grant is a native of Los Angeles who quit acting and moved to Montana for the UM’s journalism school. He’s combined his theatrical training with journalism as a writer for the Montana Kaimin’s comedy/news show “Kaimincast” and as a reporter for his man-on-the-street interviews also at the Kaimin. Christian aspires to be an obnoxious radio host but will settle for being an obnoxious podcaster—no podcast yet so he’s halfway there.

 

SERGIO GONZALEZ
Episode 9: “Curling Outdoors: A Love Story“
Episode 7: “3-2-1 Polo!”
Episode 4: “Mike Warner’s Iraq”

sergio gonzalezWhether he’s writing for his nylon strung classical guitar or for his next radio piece, Sergio’s got an ear tuned in and a finger on a record button. He started producing stories as a student at the University of Montana School of Journalism. He graduated and now works part time while trying to figure it all out. He and Christopher Allen produced “Mike Warner’s Iraq” as part of the national Veterans History Project, an oral history archive of the experience of combat vets in their own words. Check out Sergio’s music and audio work at his SoundCloud page. Sergio’s also been busy making movies. Check out his creepy short, “Harold,” a Wiser Wolves Production.

ANNA COLE
Episode 9: “Canada v. America: A Hockey Story“

Anna Cole likes ’80s dance parties, cheese, taking awkward selfies in Europe and all types of candy. She’s also into sports and doesn’t care for mean people. She’s a graduate of the University of Montana School of Journalism and is most recently not doing any journalism, but attending nursing school and working for a Canadian airline that lets her see some more of the world. The Cloud scares her, but she’s working on it, so lay off.

 

DANIELLE THOMSEN
Episode 6: “A Madman’s Freedom“

danielleDanielle lives in Bozeman, where she teaches communication skills using improv comedy with Snake Oil Workshop. She learned the basics of radio-making from the fine folks at Transom, and thinks listening + storytelling is just about the most fun and engrossing work imaginable. She lives with her husband Matthew and the tiny human they made, as well as with her not-forgotten Springer Spaniel, Lilly Brown Sparkles III.

 

CLAY SCOTT
Episode 6: “The Typewriter Poet“

Clay ScoottClay Scott is the creator and producer of Mountain West Voices, a series of more than 180 audio portraits of the people and places of the Rocky Mountain West. He has worked in print, radio and television in the U.S. and abroad. He’s covered wars and conflicts in the Middle East, the Balkans, and the Caucasus and has produced many stories about environmental and cultural issues in the U.S. Clay lives in Helena.

 

RUTH EDDY
Episode 5: “Garage Pop Forever?” / “The Five-Second Rule“

ruth bwRuth Eddy was born in Chicago, Illinois, on the first day of spring. After making homes other places, she moved to an island she now calls home: Ketchikan, Alaska. She lives with her dictionary and fish, Hololulu, in a small apartment with a bad view. She’s working as a public radio reporter, Coast Guard bartender and to become a better juggler. On the internet at www.therutheddy.com.

 

EMILY PROCTOR
Episode 4: “Roger Cox’s Vietnam“

ProctorEmily Proctor grew up on a ranch in central Montana where vastly more cows roam than people. She’s a recent graduate of the University of Montana School of Journalism and is currently finishing up an internship at Montana Public Radio. She plans to travel to Spain to teach English for a year before committing to adulthood, but also plans to produce radio stories in the meantime. Check her out at her website.

 

CHRISTOPHER ALLEN
Episode 4: “Mike Warner’s Iraq“

christopher-allen

Christopher B. Allen is living the dream in Seattle as a copy writer. He’s also logged time as a reporter and anchor for Montana Public Radio and as a contributing editor for gamesandlearning.org. He graduated from the University of Montana School of Journalism and won 1st place in the 2014 National Hearst Journalism Awards for radio broadcast. He’s also an Air Force veteran. And [editor’s note] is absolutely the guy to have on your team for trivia night.

CHERI TRUSLER
Episode 4: “Praying the Gay Away“

cheri truslerCheri grew up listening to a.m. radio in her tractor in Eastern Montana, practicing her own radio voice and pretending she had her own show. Radio is all she’s ever wanted to do. College led her to the world of podcasting and public radio. She’s been getting her hands dirty ever since. Music goes hand-in-hand with producing radio so if she’s not in the studio or prodding people behind her Zoom recorder, she’s probably at a concert or sitting at home with her records. She’s also been known to binge watch Mad Men. Scotch included.

NATE VERNON HEGYI
Episode 3: “Running Through Heartbreak“

nate hegyiNate Vernon Hegyi digs sound. People talking, wails of guitar feedback, the sound of a radiator hammering. When he’s not making music with his band, Wartime Blues, he’s making radio and finishing up a master’s degree in environmental journalism at the University of Montana. Wartime Blues’ “Nebraska” was featured at the end of his story about running through the heartbreak of losing a child.

CORIN CATES-CARNEY

Episode 3: “Critters, Blobs and Swan Dives“

CorinCorin regularly files stories for Montana Public Radio in his car or in a large foam-filled cardboard box. He is a graduate from the School of Journalism at University of Montana, where he spent a few years reporting for the college radio’s news magazine “Word of Mouth.” After graduating, Corin spent time in California as the Morning Edition intern for NPR West before coming back to Montana to cover news in the Flathead Valley. To help fund his journalism career he also works at a coffee shop. But not forever.

SEAN ROBB
Episode 1: “Where’s the Weirdest Place You’ve Put Your Hand?”

Sean RobbSean’s voxpop, “Where’s the Weirdest Place You’ve Put Your Hand,” shortened to “Grenades” for obvious reasons, was the first radio piece he produced in the Intermediate Audio class at the University of Montana School of Journalism. He worked during the 2014-15 school year at Montana Public Radio and says he does someday plan to up the stakes in Jule’s Advanced Audio class. Can’t wait to see what else he’ll do!

 

LACY ROBERTS
Episode 1: “How the West Was Won“

lacy-robertsLacy’s a journalist, radio producer and community organizer who’s spent a good chunk of time in both Western *and* Eastern Montana. She came back to Missoula in 2009 following a stint in California working for radio rock stars, the Kitchen Sisters. She’s headed back that way to get her Master’s at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. We’re not sure yet what her grandpa thinks about it. Check out what else she’s got going on at Lacy-Roberts.com.