Aspire, Higher Ground & The Athletic Podcasts

Hi there!

If you’re in PR or talent booking, today’s “booked solid” interview is going to be a good one 💌 

Angela Peluso Chillemi is the powerhouse booker behind podcasts for Higher Ground, The Athletic, and our personal fave, Emma Grede’s Aspire—she dishes on how she built her career from Conan to Masterclass to the Obamas. But beyond the impressive résumé, what you’ll take away from this interview is how she thinks about pitches, tracks everything and wants MORE PITCHES!

Angela keeps it real—and reminds us that kindness, hustle, and staying in touch always wins.

Enjoy!
Tracey Raftery
Interview Hub

The Talent Booker Behind Your Favorite New Podcasts — Dishes on Pitches, Booking Wins, and Building DayMoon Talent

Can you tell us about your background and the talent booking company that you started? 

Angela: I’ve been working with talent in some capacity for about 25 years—since before I even graduated college. I started in PR, did wardrobe for the Torino Olympics, and then got asked to fill in as the talent coordinator at Late Night with Conan O’Brien. I had never done anything like that before, but I fell in love with it immediately. From there, I booked for The Morning Show on Fox, freelanced for the Jonas Brothers (who are truly the nicest family ever), and officially became a booker on The Pete Holmes Show on TBS. Then I spent about three years at Last Call with Carson Daly. I became a better booker because of the producers on that show. I met the most incredible people that I’m still friends with today. After that, I got recruited by MasterClass—back when no one had heard of it—and became their first talent director. People now, looking back, are like, “How did you land that job?” And I’m like, I seriously don’t know. The only thing I know is that my boss saw something in me that he knew would be a good fit. And he was right- I think it’s the grit and hustle that I bring.

What an amazing career!  So what projects are you working on now with DayMoon Talent? 

Angela: I’m working for Higher Ground, which is the company the Obamas created in 2018, and it is fantastic. I can’t believe I can say I work for the Obamas. The shows that I work on are Your Mama’s Kitchen with Michele Norris—award-winning journalist, NPR alum, The Race Card Project—I mean, she is the most incredible human. And then I helped launch the show In My Opinion with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson. It is co-hosted by the former First Lady Michelle Obama and her brother, Craig Robinson.

I have to pinch myself. Working in this industry, I’ve met everybody—but what I appreciate more at this point in my life is working with kind human beings. We’re all in this together. It’s a hard enough business as it is, and I really, truthfully feel like I’ve found that. Every person I work with on these podcasts is incredibly kind and amazing.

Now, you’re working on our favorite podcast – Aspire with Emma Grede, tell us about it!  

Angela: Yes! I’m working on Aspire with Emma Grede, which is my kids’ favorite podcast that’s coming out. They love Emma—she’s the co-founder and CEO of Skims, Good American, and Off Season. She is a British badass. I look at her as goals for life. Not that I want to run a fashion company—but I aspire to be like her. She is kind, fair, hardworking, and smart.

What I love about these leaders is that they hire people and listen to them. One of the most important things a leader can do is, if you’re hiring people for their expertise, is listen to what they have to say. You don’t have to DO what they say it all the time—but it’s so rewarding to be asked what your opinion and expertise is when you’re hired to do something.

And it’s not an accident that you’ve landed projects with these women who you really love and who sound just like you—hardworking, smart, kind.

Angela: Thank you for saying that. I do feel like our values and goals align. I think for a long time I would say “Oh, I don’t know how this happened,” but I think we find our people. There are similarities, and that’s probably why they hired me and wanted me on their shows.

What else are you working on?

Angela: I’m booking for The Athletic, which is under The New York Times. The podcast is called, No Free Lunch with Ndamukong Suh. The pod interviews sports figures, business owners and experts who want to talk about more than just sports. Suh finds the story in how these people got to where they are now- how they built their businesses and why the athlete’s mindset is a huge part of their success. I’m also going to be consulting on The Jennifer Hudson Show, which is exciting!! Back to TV where it all began- my true love!

So what’s your process when it comes to pitches? How do you track all of this?

Angela: I keep a database, and I track all of it. I have a Google Doc with tabs for every single show and every single pitch. I note the name, who pitched it, and why. Was it a book? A movie? Are they just amazing?

Then I categorize it—expert, food, financial, sports, etc.—and every few weeks I pull all those new pitches onto one main pitch document. So if I’m looking for someone, I check that document first. Sometimes I go back to someone six months later and say, “Hey, you pitched this person a while ago, and they’d actually be great for this other show now.”

That’s brilliant—and helpful for people to know. I think publicists assume that if they don’t hear back, the door is closed. But you’re actually tracking and might return later.

Angela: Exactly. Same thing with celebrity asks. Every booker knows—you’re asked to get Beyoncé, Zendaya, Brad Pitt... People think the answer is always no. But it might just be “not right now.” And yes, I do the same thing.  Sometimes I will come back to people a year later about a client or idea.

Never be afraid to pitch. If I don’t get back to you, it’s probably because I am buried in emails. I try to respond to everyone, and I’m honest. If it’s not a fit, I’ll just say so. It helps the publicist, and it builds trust.

What do you want to see in a pitch?

Angela: Short and specific. Tell me why this person belongs on that podcast or project. And don’t forget the most important thing—include a link to a recent interview. Even if they’re a known name, I need to know how they are in an interview, and how they carry a conversation. Are they interesting? Or are they just reciting talking points?

It matters even more with podcasts—it’s long-form. If someone has a monotone voice or low energy, it’s not good for the listener or for them. I’ll know in ten seconds. You don’t even need a photo if you include a link—I’ll check it out.

What about the creator world—are you booking high-profile YouTubers and influencers?

Angela: I can know everybody at every movie studio, but—I just met the people from Night. They’re the future. They’re who younger people are watching. I am learning as we go. Gotta keep learning and meeting new people or else you won’t grow and eventually will lose relevancy. 

How do you stay current on pop culture and talent to know who’s “popping”?

Angela: Social media- it is the only reason I have it- for business. Instagram is phenomenal. It knows I like this stuff, so it serves it up to me. Within seconds, I know Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell went to his sister’s wedding together. I don’t even have to go to Us Weekly. It just pops up in my feed.

Do you get a lot of pitches every day?

Angela: I would say a good amount, but I want more. I love ideas even if they don’t work for one project they might for another. It has been hard for people to find me as I am now out on my own, but hopefully the word will keep spreading and more and more people will reach out. I want hundreds a day! LOL

Last question—anything else people should know about pitching you?

Angela: Just pitch. Don’t overthink it. And if I don’t respond, it’s probably because I am busy. I try to respond to everyone, and I’m honest. I try to be as transparent as possible. I don’t want to waste people’s time. 

Watch a few recent interviews of the show’s Angela works on!