Pay It Forward

Pay it Forward with Daniel Curtis does just that by raising more than $60K

Pay It Forward

Pay it Forward with Daniel Curtis does just that by raising more than $60K

16-year-old Ben Waker spends over 40 hours a week at the Seton brain and spine recovery center. Pictured here with Doug and Claire English, Melissa Foles and Patty Waker.Photo Courtesy of Lone Star Paralysis Association
The team from Noble Sandwich Company getting ready to feed some people.Photo Courtesy of Lone Star Paralysis Association
Chef Rob Snow from Greenhouse Craft Foods and the scarlet rabbit.Photo Courtesy of Lone Star Paralysis Association
The Bonneville served up Prince Edward Island mussels in a spicy coconut broth.Photo Courtesy of Lone Star Paralysis Association
Stacey Bridges and the Austin Cake Ball team. The Salted Caramel was a crowd favorite.Photo Courtesy of Lone Star Paralysis Association
Swifts Attic heirloom tomato panzanella salad with griddled Dos Luna's queso seco.Photo Courtesy of Lone Star Paralysis Association
Lone Star Paralysis Foundation vice president Jack Rainey with Dr. Roger Parthasarathy and his wife.Photo Courtesy of Lone Star Paralysis Association
Philip Speer and the Uchi Family have been at the event all four years.Photo Courtesy of Lone Star Paralysis Association
Volunteers at registration table.Photo Courtesy of Lone Star Paralysis Association
Mack March of parking mobility mobile application and Victoria Peterson of askmisssA.comPhoto Courtesy of Lone Star Paralysis Association
Kyle Dealing, Crissy FloresPhoto Courtesy of Lone Star Paralysis Association
Host and event chair Daniel Curtis visiting with his uncle, David Hatcher, and second cousin Matteo Hatcher.Photo Courtesy of Lone Star Paralysis Association
Barbara Concannon, Doug DennyPhoto Courtesy of Lone Star Paralysis Association
Becca Shumaker, Carolyn Shumaker, Kelsey ShumakerPhoto Courtesy of Lone Star Paralysis Association
Mike Haynes, Executive Director of Lone Star Paralysis Foundation, Christina Haynes, local artist Jared Dunton, Kimberly Dunton.Photo Courtesy of Lone Star Paralysis Association
Host and event chair Daniel Curtis rocking the mic.Photo Courtesy of Lone Star Paralysis Association
Kyle Dealing was injured a year ago and his first time out of the hospital was to the 2013 pay it forward event. Last year he was in a wheelchair and cervical collar, this year he walked across the stage.Photo Courtesy of Lone Star Paralysis Association
Claire English and photographer Jim InnesPhoto Courtesy of Lone Star Paralysis Association
The Spazmatics performing.Photo Courtesy of Lone Star Paralysis Association
Daniel Curtis and his girlfriend Hannah Friesen along with Heather Rennerfeldt and Angela Mills trying out the slow-motion photo booth provided by On the Flip-side Photography.Photo Courtesy of Lone Star Paralysis Association
Guests dancing to the music of The Spazmatics.Photo Courtesy of Lone Star Paralysis Association

What: Pay it Forward with Daniel Curtis

Where: AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center

The lowdown: More than 450 people came out for the fourth annual Pay it Forward event held on August 7 at the AT&T Conference Center. The fundraiser raised more than $60,000 for the Lone Star Paralysis Foundation.

The celebration, held and emceed each year by Daniel Curtis, brought together Austin's culinary superstars such as Chef David Bull of Congress and Second Bar + Kitchen, Chef Bryce Gilmore of Barley Swine and Odd Duck, Chef Jack Gilmore of Jack Allen’s Kitchen, Chef Ben Nathan of Café Blue, Chef Philip Speer of Uchi and Uchiko, Chef Ned Elliott of Foreign & Domestic, Chef John Bates of The Noble Sandwich Co., Chef Mat Clouser of Swift’s Attic, Chef Shawn Cirkiel of Chavez, and Chefs Chris Hurley and Jennifer Costello of The Bonneville.

The Tipsy Texan was also on hand to craft eight specialty cocktails for the occasion while The Spazmatics played to an eager audience.

Who: Mack March, Victoria Peterson, Kyle Dealing, Crissy Flores, Barbara Concannon, Doug Denny, Mike Haynes, Christina Haynes, Jared Dunton, Kimberly Dunton, Claire English and Jim Innes.

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Best In Podcasting

Ed Helms, Payne Lindsey, and more at the iHeartPodcast Awards in Austin

Ed Helms presents at the iHeartPodcast Awards. Photo by Mat Hayward/Getty Images for iHeartRadio

South by Southwest (SXSW) may be known by its many familiar celebrity faces — we've already seen the likes of Elijah Wood, Nicole Kidman, Pedro Pascal, Jenna Ortega, and many, many more who've graced our screens — but the iHeartPodcast Awards on March 10 celebrated some of the world's most famous voices.

iHeartRadio's event at ACL Live at the Moody Theater is the "biggest podcast award show in the world," at least according to the show's hosts, Jack O'Brien and Miles Gray. These two are the hosts of their own podcast, The Daily Zeitgeist, and they played emcees for the roughly one-hour award show, guiding the audience and viewers at home through various award's categories with a mix of earnest appreciation and cheesy jokes.

The red-lit room was completely full, with many mellow badge holders taking standing room after a long fourth day at the conference and festivals. Only when certain presenters and award-winners took the stage did the audience truly come to life, wolf-whistling and applauding to show their appreciation.

iHeartPodcast Awards Austin Nominees and presenters mingle after the iHeartPodcast Awards at ACL Live Moody Theater.Photo by Natalie Grigson

The first award of the evening, for Best Ensemble podcast, went to My Favorite Murder. The show's beloved hosts, Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark took the stage and, uncharacteristically for these two big talkers, gave a succinct thanks. The night moved on through categories like Best Crime Podcast (Betrayal), Best Science Podcast (Ologies with Alie Ward), Best in Business and Finance (Planet Money), Best Travel (Jump with Traveling Jackie), and many, many more.

Early in the evening actor and podcaster Ed Helms bestowed the Social Impact Award on sports journalist Sarah Spain, saying "badass women like Sarah Spain are what the world needs right now." Her podcast Good Game explores ways sports can be a catalyst for social change, especially for women.

Next, Helms awarded the Best Overall Host award to Mel Robbins of The Mel Robbins Podcast, who wasn't there to accept but popped in via video, joking, "Wait, what is this award again?"

Other big name presenters included Jamie Lynn Sigler and Robert Iler; Dennis Quaid, Sophia Bush, Payne Lindsey, and Powell MacLachlan from Twin Peaks — who came out munching on a to-go container of ribs.

"Austin keeps it weird," MacLachlan said through a mouthful of ribs, "I, too, keep it weird. And well, this is weird." He pulled an ear out of the to-go box, delighting the crowd's die-hard David Lynch fans.

To end the evening, none other than Chelsea Handler, comedy legend and host of Dear Chelsea, took the stage. She asked the audience to raise their hands if they've ever been a host; to raise them again if they've ever had to interview a drunk person; and to keep them raised if they've ever been the drunk person in the interview. She ended with, "All that to say, anyone in this category can handle anything."

Chelsea Handler at the iHeartPodcast Awards Chelsea Handler presents at the iHeartPodcast Awards.Photo by Astrida Valigorsky/Getty Images

Handler presents the award for Podcast of the Year, and the competition was stiff:

Normal Gossip
Three
Giggly Squad
Call Her Daddy
Las Culturistas
Hysterical
The Telepathy Tapes
Who Killed JFK?
Empire City
The Good Whale

Ultimately, Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang took home the award. The two hosts appeared via video to accept, with Handler joking, "These guys are too busy being too awesome to be here tonight so they sent us this video.”

After the event wound down and presenters and nominees milled about beneath the now bright lights, we were able to catch up with some of the podcast hosts. For many including this CultureMap writer and podcast enthusiast, this was the real highlight of the evening.

One host who stuck around was acclaimed podcaster, director, and journalist Payne Lindsey. He's the man behind too many podcasts to name, but some of his best known joints include Up and Vanished, Radio Rental, High Strange, and many more under his production company Tenderfoot TV. He's been in the podcast game since about 2016 and is a boots-on-the-ground type of journalist.

"I go knock on doors and dig up the story," Lindsey said. "So we really have to treat that delicately."

For those following along in this season's Up and Vanished, Lindsey did let us know that he has been to Alaska recently and looped us into a truly jaw-dropping development in the story of Joseph Balderas. We'll just say it has something to do with a truck.

As far as how Payne is liking Austin?

"Austin is the only place in Texas I like," he laughs. "Is that cool to say?"

Yes. Yes, it is.

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