By GREGORY ZELLER //
Podcast and documentary producer Chris Aiola, a Commack product transplanted to Ohio, is knee-deep in brutal crime, Alaskan aliens and deadly global pandemics.
So, what scares him most? Ordering a roll in West Cleveland.
Single-serving bread loaves – foundation of the bacon, egg and cheese on a roll, the breakfast-sandwich champion not invented on Long Island, but perfected here – do not exist in the Buckeye State, according to Aiola, a shock to his LI sensibilities.
“I went into a deli recently and asked for a bacon, egg and cheese on a roll, and the clerk looked at me like I was speaking another language,” he told Innovate Long Island. “She literally did not know what a ‘roll’ was … you can get it on toast or an English muffin, but not a roll.
“It chilled me.”
Since he moved there three years ago, Ohio has otherwise worked out for Aiola, a script doctor, post-production wizard and Emmy-nominated producer of documentaries, non-scripted television series (competition shows, for instance) and podcasts.
David Moss: Unmatched media innovation.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in television and film history from Boston University in 2007 and a degree from the mythical school of rock – as drummer for Long Island rock bands Code Anchor (Linkin Park-ish alternative) and The Bash (standard covers for bars and weddings) – in the early 2010s.
When major labels didn’t bite, the photography enthusiast and unshakable Mets fan put the bachelor’s to work, first commuting to New York City for production-assistant gigs, then settling into a Queens apartment, where he’d get a running start on the remote-work realities soon forced into the mainstream by COVID-19.
“Some production companies were doing it prior to COVID, and they were able to make the transition (to hybrid work environments) more or less seamlessly,” Aiola noted. “But it was really the pandemic that started everything.”
The industry-wide pivot to remote work freed the up-and-coming producer to do his thing from just about anywhere, and he chose Ohio, where his wife, Ashley, could return to her roots (and continue her work as an online matchmaker for the lovelorn).
Heading west also put Aiola within reach of Evergreen Podcasts, a Cleveland-based brand-master of six podcasting platforms, each with its own particular flavor. Aiola and Evergreen Chief Creative Officer David Moss had met before – “I’d seen what they were doing,” Aiola noted, “and he was kind enough to keep me in mind” – and when the Long Islander re-hung his shingle on Lake Erie’s shores, the universe smiled.
About a year ago, needing a seasoned producer for a new true-crime podcast, Evergreen reached out. “They were gracious enough to bring me into the fold,” Aiola said, “and they really gave me a creative runway to make the show what I thought it could be.”
Cold facts: “Aliens in Alaska” exposed Aiola to various frontiers.
Aiola was a good get for the production house. Among the impassioned storyteller’s career highlights: story production for “Critter Fixers: Country Vets,” a Critics’ Choice Real TV Award-winning National Geographic series, and post-production work on two Emmy-nominated Netflix series: “Connected: The Hidden Science of Everything” and “Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak.”
Other programs you know – “Aliens in Alaska” on Discovery+, “House Hunters International” on HGTV, “Pawn Stars” on the History Channel, “90 Day Fiancé” on TLC and more – headline Aiola’s deep résumé. And now add “Carol Costello Presents: Blind Rage,” a gritty, no-holds-barred podcast digging deep into a brutal sexual assault committed in Ohio four decades ago.
The podcast – featuring longtime CNN correspondent Costello, a rookie local reporter when she covered the central crime back in 1984 – is a great example of true crime’s raging popularity and a poor way to introduce Evergreen.
While each of its six streaming networks (including Pit Pass Motorsports, Five Minute News, Ars Longa Media and Big Whig Podcasts) has its own spin, Evergreen’s self-titled main channel is a positivity super-generator: a bouquet of entrepreneurs, musicians, philosophers and artists, uniting audiences to celebrate the diversity of modern makers.
“Blind Rage” appears on Killer Podcasts, a spinoff network lousy with serial killers and cold cases, all streaming in stark contrast to Evergreen’s rah-rah progressiveness and light tones. (Evergreen’s latest addition: “Too Much Effing Perspective,” a musical-comedy podcast inspired by the classic mockumentary “This Is Spinal Tap.”)
But that diversity is key, according to creativity chief Moss, who said Evergreen “is experiencing one of our greatest periods of expansion as an innovative media company.”
“Our partnering approach to adding shows, smaller networks and original content across six distinct streaming networks is unmatched in the industry,” Moss added. “We have an affinity for accelerating audiences and building branded networks for creators, where they find greater community and better monetization opportunities.”
Better monetization opportunities are all well and good with Aiola, but it’s the chance to tell great stories in the most creative ways that keeps him productive.
“It’s rare to be part of a creative community like this, where they really empower you to be your best creative self,” Aiola noted. “They give you creative freedom in a way I’m not always used to with other productions.
A story with legs: Costello’s passion project centers on a story she first covered 39 years ago.
“I feel confident in my choices,” he added. “I think it comes through in the work, and that really starts from the top down.”
Working with national-news veteran Costello is another bonus – a “really great partnership,” Aiola said, leveraging his A-list production experience and “a story that’s really personal to Carol.”
“She was moved and touched by this story,” he added. “She’s always wanted to … give it the justice she felt it deserved.”
It’s Costello’s story, but very much Aiola’s show: Recording, scoring, sound design, script polishing and social media outreach all factor in.
“I pretty much do everything except host the podcast,” he said. “It really is a great chance to take ownership of something.”
It’s also another measure of solace for the LI expatriate, who recalls gigs at Napper Tandy’s and visits to sublime North Fork vineyards in the same wistful breath.
“I can say I miss the pizza, I miss the beaches, but really, I miss the people and the places I used to go,” Aiola said. “I just miss being on the Island itself sometimes.
“And yeah … I miss rolls.”
