The Occasional Show
The Occasional Show (formerly Winter is Podcasting) is a podcast about passions for the nerd and nerd adjacent. Each episode Daniel Strauss, a longtime political journalist, alongside Andrew Thorne or another guest co-host talks about what's driving them. Come for that discussion, stay for the rotating guest usually from the scifi/fantasy or political space.
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Episodes

Apr 27, 2026
Apr 27, 2026
1 hr 13 min
From an early age Will Ritter had an interest in politics. As a kid he used to watch political debates and found political ads fascinating. That's what propelled Ritter to get into the political arena. He ended up serving as an advance man for Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a body man for Romney during the governor's 2008 presidential campaign, and then Director of Advance for the 2012 presidential campaign. Ritter would then go on to co-found and become CEO of Poolhouse, a top advertising and strategy firm.
Daniel sat down with Ritter during his visit to the John F. Kennedy School of Government. Ritter talked about his experiences as a political aide and strategist, how he did a stint in college as a comedian for beer money, and his more unusual adventures as an advance man.

Apr 19, 2026
Apr 19, 2026
39 min
Daniel nerds out with Dr. Hugh Doherty, the historical adviser for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Hugh explains why regular folks in the 14th Century would have loved A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Then, Doherty gives a behind the scenes look at what conversations with showrunner Ira Parker and the team were like. Daniel and Doherty also talk about how realistic being a Hedge Knight was in the medieval era.
Doherty's bio can be found here.

Apr 12, 2026
Apr 12, 2026
1 hr 12 min
In the inaugural episode of Winter is Podcasting, Daniel talks with Ty Frank and Daniel Abraham, the two halves that make up the super successful science fiction author James S.A. Corey. They talk about how a character in The Expanse was partially based on Rahm Emanuel, their writing process, and their new upcoming book, The Faith of Beasts.
This interview was taped well in advance of publishing the episode -even before the podcast had a name.


