Some careers are carefully mapped out. Others start because you needed gas.

In this episode of Your Dark Companion, Mike Rhyner and Grubes sit down with Matt Hicks, the longtime radio voice of the Texas Rangers, to trace a broadcasting journey that took more than two decades, dozens of towns, and one perfectly timed phone call to finally reach the major leagues.

Hicks walks through his path from a childhood spent reenacting games on a cassette recorder, to college radio at Maryland, to grinding it out for 23½ years in the minor leagues — often for little pay, fewer guarantees, and no clear finish line. Along the way, he explains how a chance encounter at a gas station launched his career, why hockey was actually his first love, and how baseball slowly became the thing that stuck.

The conversation turns emotional when Hicks revisits the Rangers’ 2023 World Series run, the discipline required to keep your voice steady in the biggest moments, and what it meant to share that call alongside Eric Nadel after everything the franchise — and its fans — had endured. There are also detours into Hollywood (yes, Major League 2), unforgettable meetings with Bob Uecker, and the quiet realization that sometimes the longest route is the only one that actually works.

It’s a reminder that broadcasting careers aren’t built overnight — they’re built by showing up, saying yes, and being ready when luck finally decides to notice you.

Chapters

00:00:00 – Welcome in and meeting Matt Hicks 00:01:31 – Doing something 200 times (and counting) 00:03:09 – The voice you know from Rangers radio 00:07:32 – Becoming a grandfather in real time 00:08:48 – Growing up in Washington, D.C. and Maryland 00:11:27 – Falling in love with radio as a kid 00:12:09 – Calling the Super Bowl… on a cassette recorder 00:13:40 – College radio and choosing the long shot 00:16:16 – The gas station moment that changed everything 00:19:09 – First job, first newsroom, first leap 00:20:47 – Getting into play-by-play 00:22:12 – Hockey first, baseball later 00:24:19 – Choosing stability over passion 00:27:07 – Breaking into minor league baseball 00:30:57 – $50 a game and no turning back 00:31:36 – Sponsor break: CBD House of Healing 00:34:37 – 23½ years in the minors 00:36:28 – Major League 2 and Bob Uecker 00:43:59 – Almost getting the call — and missing it 00:46:27 – The phone rings at Legoland 00:49:22 – “Can you get to Arlington?” 00:51:30 – Finally reaching the majors 00:54:37 – Calling a World Series you never thought would come 00:58:30 – Why this job means more than baseball 01:03:06 – Final reflections and sign-off

For years, Tony Smith was exactly where you wanted him — behind the glass, keeping the lights on, the sound clean, and occasionally dropping a perfectly timed Dancing with the Stars reference that somehow became radio gold.

In this episode of Your Dark Companion, Mike Rhyner and Grubes welcome longtime Ticket engineer Tony “the Engineer” Smith for a candid, funny, and surprisingly emotional conversation about radio life, finding your voice in the margins, and knowing when it’s time to walk away.

Tony traces his path from promotions to engineering, explains how an unexpected obsession with Dancing with the Stars turned into a beloved on-air bit, and opens up about how leadership changes, shifting station culture, and a slow drip of punishments eventually drained the joy from a place he once loved. Along the way, Mike reflects on his own departure, the unspoken bonds inside radio stations, and how sometimes the thing you leave behind simply isn’t the thing you fell in love with anymore.

It’s part nostalgia, part therapy session, part inside baseball — and a reminder that sometimes the most interesting stories come from the people who were never supposed to be on mic at all.

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Chapters

00:00:00 – Welcome in and meeting Tony “the Engineer” 00:01:46 – Life at The Ticket and the people who made it special 00:03:20 – How Dancing with the Stars became “the bit” 00:05:23 – When the show — and the station — started to change 00:08:18 – Engineering, promotions, and finding your way inside radio 00:10:15 – Becoming unexpectedly famous for the wrong reasons 00:13:20 – The move that changed everything 00:15:27 – When leadership shifts alter the culture 00:18:13 – Why the bit worked (and why it mattered) 00:22:14 – Popularity vs. talent, radio and reality TV 00:27:19 – Campound, crossing a line, and unintended consequences 00:32:09 – Punishments, silence, and losing the joy 00:36:42 – “The station I left was not the station I loved” 00:43:52 – Sponsor break: CBD House of Healing 00:46:26 – Life after radio: travel, podcasts, and freedom 00:49:49 – Leaving without regret and keeping the memories 00:58:06 – Dallas radio legends, reunions, and closing thoughts

Watching one movie a night sounds relaxing. Watching eleven a day sounds like a cry for help.

This episode of Your Dark Companion finds Mike Rhyner and Grubes welcoming back James Faust, Artistic Director of the Dallas International Film Festival, as DIFF gears up for its 20th anniversary. From the brutal realities of screening thousands of submissions to the delicate art of choosing films that won’t make audiences flee the theater, James pulls back the curtain on how film festivals actually work.

Along the way, the conversation veers (as it should) into popcorn rituals, Russian romantic comedies no one saw coming, mob-adjacent piano tuners, celebrity memories, Netflix House skepticism, and why “effort does not equal quality” might be the hardest truth filmmakers ever hear.

It’s part insider masterclass, part hang-session, and fully committed to reminding you that festivals aren’t gatekeepers — they’re exhausted movie lovers with college degrees and very strong opinions.

Chapters

00:00:00 – Lightning Strikes, Sports Takes, and Why This Episode Exists 00:04:04 – Watching 11 Movies a Day Without Losing Your Mind 00:06:19 – Popcorn Rules, Butter Politics, and Theater Etiquette 00:08:11 – Inside the 20th Anniversary of Dallas International Film Festival 00:09:01 – The Hunt for Hidden Gems (And Why Tuner Rules) 00:12:30 – Wrongful Convictions, Tough Films, and Emotional Payoffs 00:12:46 – Lucky Grandma, AT&T Untold Stories, and Why Comedy Matters 00:15:23 – Remembering Rob Reiner and the Rights Nightmare After Legends Pass 00:19:27 – Landman, Texas Accents, and When Shows Just Don’t Grab You 00:23:09 – Netflix House: Theme Park or Expensive Store With Drinks? 00:25:44 – DIFF Dates, Venues, and What’s Coming in April 00:26:43 – How to Submit Your Film (And When You’re Too Late) 00:29:06 – Film Festivals vs. Streaming: The New Reality 00:30:32 – How Films Are Judged (And Why Your Mom Is Not the Final Authority) 00:33:13 – Acceptance Rates, Rejections, and Crushing Dreams Politely 00:38:16 – What Getting Into a Festival Really Means for Filmmakers 00:42:39 – When a Festival Film Actually Breaks Through 00:46:42 – Han Shot First (Because of Course He Did) 00:56:51 – Unexpected Oscar Buzz and Festival Surprises 01:08:27 – Film, Community, and Why Dallas Actually Matters 01:13:06 – Wrapping It Up With Stories, Laughs, and Mild Exhaustion

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