Go "Behind the Voice" with Sean Aronson

With nearly 40 episodes since beginning earlier this year, the hour-long chats feature broadcasters from all four major professional sports and some NCAA Division I programs. Past guests have included Buck Martinez of the Toronto Blue Jays and Bob Davis of the Kansas Jayhawks, as well as local guys such as Cory Provus and Mike Grimm.

Aronson says he got the idea from his friend Jamie Flam, a booker at the Hollywood Improv, after he created a podcast titled “The Gatekeeper,” in which Flam takes listeners behind the scenes of his industry. J.W. Cox, the Saints broadcast assistant, helps him with the technical side, and another co-worker designed the logo. He pays a small monthly fee to a podcast service, which distributes each episode to iTunes and other platforms.

He only does interviews in person so his guest list depends on who comes to town or where he may be visiting. “So far I’ve had about an 85% success rate for the interviews I’ve requested,” says the Southern California native who called his 1,000^th game for the Saints in September and was recently named Minor League Broadcaster of the Year by Ballpark Digest. “Most of the declines are due to time constraints or travel schedules. Yes, I have tried to get Joe Buck – haven’t heard back from Fox on that one. I would also love to get female announcers but there aren’t that many out there. I’m really focusing on play-by-play, not color commentators or sideline reporters.”

More than other sports, baseball’s leisurely pace dictates that announcers must have plenty of content to fill sometimes lengthy games. This seems to fit in with Aronson’s approach to his podcast – he estimates spending at least a couple of hours to research each guest and doesn’t shy away from controversial topics, such as his talk with Dave Sims about being one of the few African-American broadcasters in Major League Baseball.

“These podcasts are unedited and I’ve never had anyone place any kind of parameters on what I can ask them,” he says. “But I’m not TMZ and don’t have any ‘gotcha’ questions. Everyone has a story and I simply appreciate my guests letting me share theirs.” One of his more memorable moments came when he asked Vikings broadcaster Paul Allen if he ever thought about what he would say when announcing a Minnesota Super Bowl victory. “To my surprise, he said ‘Yes I have, and here it is.’” (You’ll have to listen to the podcast to hear Allen’s response – it’s episode #6.)

So who is Sean Aronson, the voice behind the quirky, beloved independent team across the river? “I’m a minor league guy who grew up listening to Vin Scully and have known this is what I’ve wanted to do since I was seven years old. Would I like to get to the major leagues? Of course I would. But I can honestly say I am living my dream.”

Be sure to listen to all of Sean's episodes of "The Voice Behind The Voice."