Portolan, who had been toying with the idea of a podcast about modern connection, had a lightbulb moment. "I knew I didn't want to do a solo show. Academia can be isolating, and dating discourse online is so often toxic. I needed a foil. I needed someone who wasn't afraid to disagree with me, but who also understood story structure."
"I was exhausted. I had just submitted a manuscript on digital intimacy and the last thing I wanted to do was stand around holding a plastic wine glass talking about cinematography," Portolan recalls with a laugh. "But a friend dragged me along, promising it would be 'good content.'" lisa portolan podcast co-host met at film event
Within a week, she sent J a voice memo. The pitch was simple: "Let’s watch a movie about dating, then record ourselves arguing about it for an hour." Their podcast, "Reel Intimacy" (or the working title "The Couple That Isn't a Couple" ), defies easy categorization. It isn't a dating advice show. It isn't a film review show. It is a cultural autopsy of how we connect, using the silver screen as a scalpel. Portolan, who had been toying with the idea