The Goulet Pencast · Case study
Building a niche video show that brought a community together.
I developed the idea for the Goulet Pencast, a video-first podcast for fountain pen enthusiasts. Working with hosts Brian Goulet and Drew Brown, I helped shape and refine the format into a show that built a deeply engaged community, with hundreds of comments on every episode, recurring jokes, and viewers returning each week. I produced and edited nearly 150 episodes and helped build a studio the hosts could operate themselves.
From remote recordings to a show with a life of its own.
I first joined Goulet shortly after college as a product photographer and expanded that role into photography, design, and YouTube production. When two in-house video roles opened during COVID, CEO Brian Goulet brought me back because I already understood the company, its products, and its unusually specialized audience.
I proposed combining audience questions, product discussion, company updates, games, and recurring segments into one flexible weekly program. Brian Goulet and Drew Brown selected the products and topics and brought the on-camera expertise and personality. We shaped the format collaboratively as viewers responded.
Across nearly 150 episodes, the Goulet Pencast developed its own visual language, running jokes, recurring segments, and remarkably active comment sections. Some audience jokes eventually became stickers and merchandise. The real success was not one viral episode. It was building something the right audience chose to return to every week.
My role
- Collaborative format and recurring segment development
- Producing and editing nearly 150 episodes
- Show graphics, photography and nearly every thumbnail
- Remote workflow and permanent studio development
When the show moved into a dedicated room, I helped design and install the lighting, cameras, audio, acoustic treatment, and product or hand-camera workflow. The goal was a repeatable setup the hosts could operate themselves, not a set that required rebuilding every week.
Alongside the Goulet Pencast, I continue working closely with Brian on weekly main-channel videos. That includes script refinement, teleprompter workflows, filming, editing, titles, thumbnails, macro product photography, and overhead demonstrations. Years of fountain pen knowledge allow me to present highly specific details clearly and accurately.
A show people made part of their week.
Viewers who reached the end would comment “Turkey Hammock.” It became a recurring part of the final five minutes, an inside joke shared in the comments, and a reference that appeared on stickers. That sense of belonging was one of the show’s biggest successes.
“I currently have a turkey hammock sticker on the rear window of my car. I would definitely wear a pencast shirt!”
@braelynntrail8253 · YouTube comment
“I sure wish I could attend the DC pen show, if only for the chance to randomly yell, ‘Turkey Hammock!’ in a crowd of people.”
@debcarroll8192 · YouTube comment
The format evolved collaboratively with Brian Goulet and Drew Brown. A dedicated designer created the final show logo; I handled the editing, show graphics, photography, and nearly every thumbnail.