The Stories. Strecker: “I hadn’t had a partner who was socially savvy until I found Taylor.” "Taylor has a quiet, calming confidence that’s really important when you are working with people who are 'Talent'. It’s nerve wracking, to be in front of a camera.” “I spent so many years doing morning radio. I would just wake up, roll out of bed. I didn’t even have time to think about what went into getting energized for a show. I didn’t have time to get nervous.” “The entertainment industry is very dramatic, and for a really long time I was addicted to the drama.” Donohue: “You could tell by talking to her for two seconds that the things that come out of her mouth are insane. We became friendly and I learned that she had this amazing job at Sirius XM. I was this 26 year old kid, and I started working for her more and more. We’re total opposites of the spectrum, because I’m behind the camera.” “It’s being proactive versus reactive. And she’s talent, I can only push her so far as her wife and co-worker if she’s exhausted after two or three shows a day, and an event.” “Something I’ve learned about myself is that my body needs to recharge. I used to give, give, give, all the time.”  The Backstory. The Taylors met while filming a food video for a chef friend. Wisdom Rains. Donohue: “Celebrating the small wins with your partner is huge.” Who Inspires? Strecker: “Ironically, because they would all say I was their inspiration for getting into podcasting or some form of audio, Stassi Schroeder, @girlwithnojob, and Hannah Berner---all of my best friends.” On Working Together Every Day. Donohue: “It can be 24/7 so it’s hard to stop. Tay is usually making dinner while I’m wrapping up. And then we love to watch a show at the end of the day. The beautiful thing is we can work from anywhere. The terrible things is we can work from anywhere. But the thing too, is that a lot of our work is fun.” What’s It Like To Have Your Creative-Creator As A Partner, In One Word? Donohue: “Lucky.” Strecker: “Kismet.” What Else: Live shows, writing a book, and building The Taylors brand. Obsixed. A collection of Taylor Donohue and Taylor Strecker’s current lifestyle obsessions.

A WORD FROM THE HOST

With this episode, we finally kick off the Creative Together series within our Story + Rain Talks podcast, something I’ve been looking to launch for some time now. I find all sorts of creative duos fascinating, and often ask guests of the podcast who are part of one---what it’s all about? It’s hard to believe that Taste of Taylor on Dear Media’s host, Taylor Strecker, is going on twenty years of hosting conversations. I’ve been following her since the beginning, and we share a lot in common, having both worked for Cosmopolitan Magazine. Taylor of course was host of Sirius’ popular show, Wake Up! With Taylor! Strecker is known for, let’s drill it down here, her straight-up GREAT voice, along with her candid vibes and total authenticity. Listen for a lot of candid authenticity on this episode. Then we have Taylor Donohue: a really talented producer, videographer, and editor who was completely self-taught, and has worked on videos for brands like Burberry and has created the best in BTS and much more. These days, Taylor Donohue leads and manages all of production for the Taste of Taylor brand. You’ll hear the two of them tell the story of exactly how they met. Now the Taylors are married; the kick-off of their relationship and Strecker’s previous relationship have been much-publicized; you can read about it anywhere. But I…am interested in The Taylors and where they are now, so we jumped right in. It’s The Taylors on Talks, and what it’s like to do work and all of life together. Turns out my finger was on the pulse in recognizing their power as a duo; you’ll hear about how Taylor and Taylor have a vision for building their brand as a couple. And get ready for two great Obsixed lists.

                                        + tamara rappa