Angles with John Richmond

John Richmond

Angles is a podcast about learning from the paths of interesting and successful people. Hosted by John Richmond, Co-Founder and CEO of Richmond Vona, the show features conversations with entrepreneurs, professionals, and leaders from Buffalo and beyond. By exploring their stories from different angles, each episode uncovers the moments, mindset, and moves that helped them grow and offers insights you can use in your own life and career.

  1. 5h ago

    Ep59: Brian Higgins - Shea’s Performing Arts Center, Buffalo’s Vision, and Why Place Matters

    John sits down with Brian Higgins, former U.S. Congressman and current President and CEO of Shea’s Performing Arts Center. Brian is South Buffalo born and raised, the son of a bricklayer-turned-city-councilman, and a man whose grandfather helped lay the 520,000 bricks in the historic Shea’s theater itself. He spent 19 years in Congress on the Ways and Means Committee, secured the $300 million New York Power Authority settlement that still finances Buffalo’s waterfront redevelopment, and now runs the largest theater by seating capacity in New York State. This is a conversation about vision, execution, and what it actually takes to believe in a city.   Brian walks through the $34.5 million expansion currently underway at Shea’s, the Musical Fair partnership that has broken its own attendance record every single show, and the digital signage and lit art installations turning the theater district’s alleys into destinations. He talks about his father’s moment at the city council that made him fall in love with politics at age ten, the Harvard fellowship that came six months after he lost an election, and what learned helplessness does to a community. He also shares his unfiltered take on the current state of national politics, the US-Canada relationship, and what he hopes Buffalo looks like in ten years. Enjoying the episode? Subscribe, leave a review, and share Angles with John Richmond with a friend. 🎧 New episodes every week. Visit www.richmondvona.com/angles-podcast/ for more 📱 Follow us on Instagram: @anglesjohnrichmond @johnrichmondlaw @richmondvona 🎥 Follow us on TikTok: @richmondvona @johnrichmondesq 📺 Watch on YouTube: @angleswithjohnrichmond Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576886611238 Disclaimer: This episode is for informational and educational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by the guest and host are their own and do not constitute medical, legal, or professional advice. Angles Podcast does not endorse any specific health claims, products, services, or treatments mentioned in this episode. Listeners should consult qualified professionals for advice tailored to their individual circumstances.

  2. Jul 8

    Ep58: Matt Fairburn - The Athletic, Beat Reporting, and What He Sees Inside Buffalo’s Teams

    John sits down with Matt Fairburn, staff writer at The Athletic covering the Buffalo Sabres and one of the most trusted voices in Western New York sports media. Matt has covered both the Bills and the Sabres across his career, spending years at Syracuse.com before joining The Athletic at its Buffalo launch in 2018. He’s a Boston kid who came to Buffalo for a job, met his wife here, and stayed. This conversation is not really about the state of the teams. It’s about what it actually takes to do this job at a high level.   Matt talks about building source relationships as a long game, how the Kevin Adams accountability piece came together over eight months and what it was like to sit across from Adams before it published, and what he has observed about organizational culture and leadership from years of watching two major sports franchises succeed and fail. He also covers the Sabres’ playoff run, the GM change that shifted everything, Brandon Beane and the pressure on the Bills, and where journalism is going as the written word competes with video, AI, and a fragmented media landscape.  Enjoying the episode? Subscribe, leave a review, and share Angles with John Richmond with a friend. 🎧 New episodes every week. Visit www.richmondvona.com/angles-podcast/ for more 📱 Follow us on Instagram: @anglesjohnrichmond @johnrichmondlaw @richmondvona 🎥 Follow us on TikTok: @richmondvona @johnrichmondesq 📺 Watch on YouTube: @angleswithjohnrichmond Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576886611238 Disclaimer: This episode is for informational and educational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by the guest and host are their own and do not constitute medical, legal, or professional advice. Angles Podcast does not endorse any specific health claims, products, services, or treatments mentioned in this episode. Listeners should consult qualified professionals for advice tailored to their individual circumstances.

  3. Jul 1

    Ep57: Shane Stephenson - The Buffalo Naval Park, the USS Sullivans, and Why These Ships Must Be Preserved

    John sits down with Shane Stephenson, Director of Museum Collections at the Buffalo Naval Park. Shane is an archivist by trade who came to the career at 35 after a trip to the National Archives in Washington changed everything, and has spent the years since cataloging, preserving, and telling the human stories behind the three vessels docked on Buffalo’s waterfront: the USS Sullivans, the USS Little Rock, and the USS Croaker. This conversation covers the full history of each ship, why Buffalo has the largest inland naval park in the country, and what it actually means to be the person responsible for keeping these stories alive.   The episode goes deep on the sinking of the USS Sullivans on April 14th, 2022 - a seiche event on Lake Erie that created a 15-foot gash in her hull, drove her six feet into the Buffalo River, and became national news overnight. Shane walks through the story of the five Sullivan brothers from Waterloo, Iowa, what happened on the USS Juneau in November 1942, and why the Croaker and the Sullivans sitting side by side in Buffalo is a more powerful historical connection than most visitors realize. He also lays out Operation Preservation and the $21 million dry-dock campaign now underway to save both vessels. Enjoying the episode? Subscribe, leave a review, and share Angles with John Richmond with a friend. 🎧 New episodes every week. Visit www.richmondvona.com/angles-podcast/ for more 📱 Follow us on Instagram: @anglesjohnrichmond @johnrichmondlaw @richmondvona 🎥 Follow us on TikTok: @richmondvona @johnrichmondesq 📺 Watch on YouTube: @angleswithjohnrichmond Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576886611238 Disclaimer: This episode is for informational and educational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by the guest and host are their own and do not constitute medical, legal, or professional advice. Angles Podcast does not endorse any specific health claims, products, services, or treatments mentioned in this episode. Listeners should consult qualified professionals for advice tailored to their individual circumstances.

  4. Jun 24

    Ep56: Julie Blackman - Six Generations, One Store

    John sits down with Julie Blackman, owner of Farmers and Artisans in Snyder and sixth-generation farmer of Blackman Farms in Niagara County. If you live anywhere near Snyder, you probably already know the store. If you don’t, this episode will make sure you go.   Julie’s story moves from milking cows before school to a 20-year career in physical therapy to a trip to San Francisco that changed everything. She talks about building the store from a fruit butter grant application, losing her founding partner right before the move to the current location, and deciding on a flight home to jump in anyway. She is also honest about everything people don’t see: HR with no HR department, the physical exhaustion of staying local when it would be easier not to, and why she would never open a second location no matter how many times people ask. Enjoying the episode? Subscribe, leave a review, and share Angles with John Richmond with a friend. 🎧 New episodes every week. Visit www.richmondvona.com/angles-podcast/ for more 📱 Follow us on Instagram: @anglesjohnrichmond @johnrichmondlaw @richmondvona 🎥 Follow us on TikTok: @richmondvona @johnrichmondesq 📺 Watch on YouTube: @angleswithjohnrichmond Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576886611238 Disclaimer: This episode is for informational and educational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by the guest and host are their own and do not constitute medical, legal, or professional advice. Angles Podcast does not endorse any specific health claims, products, services, or treatments mentioned in this episode. Listeners should consult qualified professionals for advice tailored to their individual circumstances.

  5. Jun 17

    Ep55: Howard Cadmus - Sweet Jenny’s, 1811 Comics, and Building a Life You Actually Love

    John sits down with Howard Cadmus, owner of Sweet Jenny’s chocolate and ice cream shop and 1811 Comics and Collectibles in the historic Williamsville Mill. Howard is one of the funniest, most self-aware people to sit across from John in 56 episodes. He runs two beloved businesses out of a 215-year-old building with a waterfall out the back, guides every decision by two questions he has asked himself since he was young, and genuinely believes the income is not the point - the outcome is.   The conversation covers all of it: growing up on public assistance in Brooklyn, the hustle instinct that never left, how he and his wife Tara went from a chocolate shop in Snyder to rescuing the Williamsville Mill from near demolition, what it really means to be in business with your spouse, and how Brutus the Barber Beefcake started a chain of wrestler appearances that now includes nine visits from Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Howard also makes a strong case for therapy, talks candidly about imposter syndrome, and explains why 70-hour weeks don’t feel like work when you love what you do. Enjoying the episode? Subscribe, leave a review, and share Angles with John Richmond with a friend. 🎧 New episodes every week. Visit www.richmondvona.com/angles-podcast/ for more 📱 Follow us on Instagram: @anglesjohnrichmond @johnrichmondlaw @richmondvona 🎥 Follow us on TikTok: @richmondvona @johnrichmondesq 📺 Watch on YouTube: @angleswithjohnrichmond Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576886611238 Disclaimer: This episode is for informational and educational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by the guest and host are their own and do not constitute medical, legal, or professional advice. Angles Podcast does not endorse any specific health claims, products, services, or treatments mentioned in this episode. Listeners should consult qualified professionals for advice tailored to their individual circumstances.

  6. Jun 10

    Ep54: Tim Herzog - The Godfather of Craft Beer in Buffalo

    John sits down with Tim Herzog, founder of Flying Bison Brewing Company and the man known as the Godfather of Craft Beer in Buffalo. Tim is one of the best storytellers you will ever hear, and this conversation covers all of it: a four-pack of Guinness in 1978, a gag gift from his wife that started a business, six years without a salary, and a 100-year-old brewery license nobody at City Hall knew how to process. This is as honest a business story as you will hear. Tim talks about losing his founding partner mid-process, putting his house up as collateral, driving with cash to pay the electric bill, lobbying Albany to change New York State taproom law, and eventually watching Hamburg Brewing Company carry the Flying Bison brand forward. He also shares his unfiltered take on where craft beer went wrong and why he thinks the industry committed suicide chasing trends instead of staying true to what it stood for. Enjoying the episode? Subscribe, leave a review, and share Angles with John Richmond with a friend. 🎧 New episodes every week. Visit www.richmondvona.com/angles-podcast/ for more 📱 Follow us on Instagram: @anglesjohnrichmond @johnrichmondlaw @richmondvona 🎥 Follow us on TikTok: @richmondvona @johnrichmondesq 📺 Watch on YouTube: @angleswithjohnrichmond Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576886611238 Disclaimer: This episode is for informational and educational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by the guest and host are their own and do not constitute medical, legal, or professional advice. Angles Podcast does not endorse any specific health claims, products, services, or treatments mentioned in this episode. Listeners should consult qualified professionals for advice tailored to their individual circumstances.

  7. Jun 3

    Ep53: Dr. Kevin Williams - What’s Really Out There

    John sits down with Dr. Kevin Williams, director of the Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium at Buffalo State University, for a conversation that covers black holes, Mars, dark matter, life on other planets, and why most of us have completely lost our connection to the night sky. Dr. Williams walks through his origin story, how the planetarium works, and what it actually takes to explain the scale of the universe to someone who has never thought about it. He breaks down the science without making your head explode - spaghettification, time dilation, the James Webb Telescope, and why we only understand about 5-10% of the universe. If you have ever stared up at a clear sky and felt something you couldn’t name, this is the episode for you. Enjoying the episode? Subscribe, leave a review, and share Angles with John Richmond with a friend. 🎧 New episodes every week. Visit www.richmondvona.com/angles-podcast/ for more 📱 Follow us on Instagram: @anglesjohnrichmond @johnrichmondlaw @richmondvona 🎥 Follow us on TikTok: @richmondvona @johnrichmondesq 📺 Watch on YouTube: @angleswithjohnrichmond Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576886611238 Disclaimer: This episode is for informational and educational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by the guest and host are their own and do not constitute medical, legal, or professional advice. Angles Podcast does not endorse any specific health claims, products, services, or treatments mentioned in this episode. Listeners should consult qualified professionals for advice tailored to their individual circumstances.

  8. May 27

    Ep52: Anthony Greco - Buffalo History Museum, the Stories Buffalo Doesn’t Know About Itself, and Why the Past Keeps Rhyming

    In this episode of Angles with John Richmond, John sits down with Anthony Greco, Director of Exhibits at the Buffalo History Museum and host of the Buffalo History Museum podcast. Anthony has spent nearly 20 years going down rabbit holes in old newspapers, building exhibits, and telling the stories of a city that most of its own residents only think they know. From the chaos of mid-1800s Canalside to the assassination of a president, from the real story of the McKinley Curse to the first airplane factory in the United States sitting on Elmwood Avenue, Anthony is the kind of guide you didn’t know you needed.   The conversation covers the full sweep of Buffalo’s history: what the city was actually like at the height of its power as the 8th largest city in America, how Bethlehem Steel made and then hollowed out entire communities, why the city stagnated just long enough to preserve its architectural legacy instead of tearing it down, and what the Erie Canal story looks like when you include the indigenous people whose land it ran through. Anthony talks about how the museum approaches difficult history, why co-curation with community partners matters, and what it takes to put together an exhibit that costs $350 a square foot and tells a story that actually lands.   He also goes deep on the Buffalo History Museum podcast - started during Covid on a cheap Audio-Technica mic, now listened to in over 100 countries - covering everything from Houdini’s 13 visits to Buffalo to the unsolved 1903 murder of an envelope company owner whose wife and her lover drove into a quarry and died right when it happened. Plus Prohibition-era gangs, the Pan-American Exposition, Love Canal, the Goo Goo Dolls, and why the museum has mummies.   If you have ever driven past a building and wondered what happened there, or if you think you know Buffalo history but you’ve never heard of Glen Curtiss, Ned Christie, or the Christian Homestead Association map, this episode will change how you see your own city. Enjoying the episode? Subscribe, leave a review, and share Angles with John Richmond with a friend. 🎧 New episodes every week. Visit www.richmondvona.com/angles-podcast/ for more 📱 Follow us on Instagram: @anglesjohnrichmond @johnrichmondlaw @richmondvona 🎥 Follow us on TikTok: @richmondvona @johnrichmondesq 📺 Watch on YouTube: @angleswithjohnrichmond Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576886611238 Disclaimer: This episode is for informational and educational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by the guest and host are their own and do not constitute medical, legal, or professional advice. Angles Podcast does not endorse any specific health claims, products, services, or treatments mentioned in this episode. Listeners should consult qualified professionals for advice tailored to their individual circumstances.

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

Angles is a podcast about learning from the paths of interesting and successful people. Hosted by John Richmond, Co-Founder and CEO of Richmond Vona, the show features conversations with entrepreneurs, professionals, and leaders from Buffalo and beyond. By exploring their stories from different angles, each episode uncovers the moments, mindset, and moves that helped them grow and offers insights you can use in your own life and career.

Information

  • Creator
    John Richmond
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    59
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Angles with John Richmond
  • Show Website
    Angles with John Richmond