Twice a week, Long and Carlson discuss celebrity news, pop culture trends, new television shows and movies and anything else that pop culture fiends might find interesting. Occasionally, the pair will interview those within the entertainment industry, such as actors, producers, production designers and other entertainment journalists. Most recently, the pair spoke with Hannah Beachler, a Wright State University graduate who snagged an Academy Award for Best Production Design for her work on “Black Panther.”
Given Long and Carlson’s ties to the Miami Valley, many of their featured guests on the podcast have come about from connections that they have made in the Dayton area. Though Long currently resides in Orlando, Florida, she originally hails from the Dayton area and has worked for Dayton.com’s parent company, Cox Media Group, for over a decade. For the past few years, Long has also worked as a producer on the Cox Media Group podcast, “Colorblind: Race Across Generations.”
Long first met Carlson when they were both pursuing master’s degrees at Central Michigan University. Carlson, who currently resides in Mason, serves as the global demand manager for Mammotome, a company that creates breast biopsy instruments. The pair quickly bonded over their love of pop culture. For years, the pair would have regular conversations about what they were currently watching or dishing about the latest celebrity news. After a while, they had an epiphany — perhaps it was time to dissect the latest pop culture news with the masses.
“I really love this form of storytelling,” Long said of podcasting and making the move to launch their podcast. “It kind of allows longer form and allows for a lot of creative control. In 2020, with all the downtime that we had, Delora and I decided to go for it. I feel like I know what it takes now to at least launch a podcast, right? So let’s strike while the iron is hot. And we can make this happen.”
On the podcast, you’ll find deep dives into topics like Britney Spears’ upcoming tell-all memoir, “Encanto,” Rihanna’s pregnancy news and a hidden gems series that gives listeners a fresh batch of new shows, movies, music and more to consume. More than just a simple recitation of pop culture news, “reCappin’ with Delora & Ashley” provides a bit of levity and lighthearted laughter in equal parts. Long and Carlson seem to possess the sort of personalities that make listeners tune in to hear exactly what they think about Zoë Kravitz’s performance in “The Batman.”
Simply scrolling through the podcast episodes, you’ll likely notice Long and Carlson make a conscious effort to bring attention to projects headed and consisting of African Americans within the entertainment industry and beyond. As African American women and constant consumers of pop culture news, the pair felt that it was important to provide a much-needed spotlight on African American creatives within the entertainment industry.
“I think as Black women, we definitely make it up priority to feature Black talent both in front of and behind the camera,” Long said. “We really make that a focal point not only just for Black History Month, which we just did, but as Delora and I always say, we celebrate Black beauty, love, talent, friendship, and all of those things. We love to highlight their projects and to give them their props, obviously, when those things come up. We’ve covered ‘King Richard,’ and we think this is Will Smith’s year. We want the Black and Brown folks who look like us and relate to us to understand that these opportunities exist for them in the world.”
In 2021, Long and Carlson were rewarded for their hard work and received a nomination for the Best Black Film/TV podcast award from the national Black Podcasting Awards. The “reCappin’ with Delora & Ashley” podcast was one of three podcasts chosen as finalists in this category.
“It was validating,” Carlson said of earning the nomination. “What we’re doing, people are hearing, they’re listening — they are inspired. Having a podcast is not for the faint of heart. Consistency is super important. Organization is super important. It was surreal and super exciting because we have had the opportunity to reach so many people in the process.”
In the future, Long and Carlson hope to build a larger brand around their podcast, which will include a website with a blog where they craft more in-depth written content about the topics they discuss on the podcast, merchandise, and a nonprofit organization.
Given their wealth of knowledge on all things pop culture, Long and Carlson also have a few recommendations to pass along to those looking for a new television show to binge. Recently, Carlson has been especially enamored with “The Gilded Age,” a period piece on HBO starring Cynthia Nixon and Christine Baranski, “Euphoria,” a popular HBO television drama starring Zendaya, and animated films such as “Encanto” and “Vivo.” For her part, Long recommends diving into “Abbott Elementary,” an ABC sitcom, “Killing Eve,” a black comedy on AMC starring Sandra Oh, and “The Great,” a period dramedy streaming on Hulu about the life of Catherine the Great starring Elle Fanning.
Listeners can enjoy “reCappin’ with Delora & Ashley” on Apple Podcasts.
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
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