Two Novocastrians have teamed up to help parents and professionals stay in touch with the internet, technology and everything your kids already know. Unzip is the new podcast produced by two very different parents, Andy Gallagher who is the Senior Cinematographer and Director at Headjam, and Katherine Seddon who is the Communications Manager at the Soil CRC (Cooperative Research Centre).
Andy is a self-confessed nerd who has been building computers since he was a teenager and who has a natural ability to know vast amounts of detail in all things tech. In contrast, Katherine is happiest when she is in the garden or pickling vegetables grown in her backyard and is the first to admit that she doesn’t exactly have her finger on the pulse.
When the two went on a road trip together for work after having only met briefly before, both came prepared to avoid awkward silences and small talk. Andy had a long list of niche podcasts to listen to, while Katherine was ready to sleep.
Turns out there was no need for the back-up plan as they soon discovered a common love of podcasts and shared plenty of entertaining banter and laughs.
It was when Katherine started asking Andy if Fortnite was the evil game she’d heard it was, and how could she back up her phone so that she was able take photos again, that he realised how little she actually knew and that maybe she wasn’t alone in her blissful ignorance.
Katherine soon realised Andy was her ticket to becoming a “tech-savvy, super-cool mum” and so, Unzip was born.
Andy is a plain-speaking tech guy who can articulate how things work and understands the concerns and issues facing parents, particularly those who are balancing a job, family, chores and hobbies. The podcast is designed to help parents become more aware in a way that incorporates into their busy lives.
“For me it’s about educating yourself, so you’re not just taking a stance against something or throwing your hands up in the air. With that understanding, you can then make choices that are right for you and your family,” Andy said.
“Unzip is for everyone, but I think it is especially interesting to parents because there is so much stuff out there, that any minute now, our kids will come home talking about, asking us about and getting involved in. I think we at least need to know the basics.”
Due to work and home expectations, Katherine said most parents don’t have the time or inclination to trawl through the internet to work out the latest tech trend.
“Unzip is your shortcut to all the answers that you didn’t know you needed to ask,” Katherine said.
Unzip the podcast is available on Apple and Android devices. With five episodes ready to download covering the Momo Challenge, TikTok, mystery boxes, social media and the word on every parents’ lips – Fortnite.
IMAGE | Katherine Seddon and Andy Gallagher.
