Bonus: Scranton Edition

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I haven't been back since really and exploring anything about the Office, I felt like it was important to come back here to It's not really where it all started, but it's somehow feels like it's where it all started. My name is Michelle Dempsey and I'm a co chair of the Office Convention in the Office Rap Party. My name is Tim Holmes. I'm a co chair of the Office Convention in the Office Rap Party. Hello everybody, and welcome to a brand new and very close to my

heart episode of the Office. Deep dive. I am your host, Brian baum Gartner. Now, I thought we could do something a little bit different today, all right, something very special. If you've been following me on Instagram, you know that I just got back from my book tour, and let me tell you it was freaking incredible, all right. I went all the way back to Scranton, Pennsylvania, the electric City, the hometown of the office. And I'm not even making

this up. I left Scranton with an honorary certificate in Scrantology from the University of Scranton. I'm a doctor as far as I'm concerned. Yes, I think I am the only person to have ever been bestowed with such an honor. So take that everybody else. Uh. Now, as an honorary Scrantonian, I thought I would take you back to Scranton with me and introduce you to some of the amazing people I have met in the town. I really have not felt more welcome from any town or any group of

people ever. Scranton has become my second home, and it is all because of the people. I am so excited to introduce you to. To such people, the incredible Tim Holmes and Michelle Dempsey. These two were responsible for the Office Convention in two thousand seven and the Rap Party in two thousand thirteen. If you read our book or listen to the podcast, you know how special those events were. Tim and Michelle's love for the show and for their town Scratton is so big that they volunteered to co

chair all of these spectacular office events. They have done an amazing job every single time I have come, and they have made those experiences extra special, not just for me, but for everyone else who was there along with the rest of the town. They keep the show's legacy going and I could not be more for so. On this very special edition of the podcast, please give a warm Scrantonian welcome to the true keepers of the Office. Tim Holmes,

Michelle Dempsey, and all of the people of Scranton. Bubble and Squeak. I love it, Bubble and Squeak, Bubble and Squeaker cooking at every month. Left over from the night before. I was driving down the highway here and we got off and there was the mural there. I started, no joke, I started getting emotional when I just like I just saw the sign, honest to God, when it heard you were coming. You felt the electricity searched through the city.

Come on, I'm not kidding. Every my phone hasn't stuffer inging. I'm sure tim has been the same way it has been. And everybody and anybody who thinks they might be you know they it has just been on fire since you're since your tweet. Yeah, we were trying to keep it under were like yeah, and then your tree went out. We're like, okay, it's on Well. John just kind of he was because I talked to him yesterday and then he was like, will you send me a photo? Will

you send me a photo? And I sent John the picture. And the true story is I like put my phone in my pocket and then it like buzzes what seems like fourteen seconds later, and it's I don't know if you guys remember Steve Sucks. I think he was here

at the rap party. He was like the long time stand in, like like he was like Steve stand In, anyone standing on the show, and and I look at my I'm like Steve socks and he goes, hey, if you're with Krasinski telling me it was a hundred dollars for the fantasy football buy in this year, because he's like the missioner and like, how does he know with And then suddenly my phone went like you're with John, tell him this you're blah blah blah, and I was like,

oh my god. He posted it like so quickly after he got his hands on. Yeah. And now, how did you first find out about the Office? Well? I was a huge fan of the British version of the Office. So when I heard that the Office was coming to America, yea. And then when I heard was Scranton, I actually panicked. I was I went, I didn't know the mayor well, but I like, like march to city Hall, Like this is not a good thing. This is not a good

because Slough. They're not kind to Slough in that show, and the mayor was trying to turn Scranton around and we were on this upswing and and so I thought, you know, slow was really the road to nowhere in that show. And um, and Chris Doherty, who's the mayor the time, he's like, well, I talked to Greg Daniels and who's the creator of the American version, and he said he's you know, it's it'll be different, like he's

going to be good to the city. And I took a deep breath like, Okay, that sounds good, and I hope this Greg Daniels is everything he told you he is, and like, could I think higher of Greg Daniels, I don't think so. Like he he meets Granton like another quirky level character on the show. Right, he captured the essence of who we are and that you know, to me is important because it's forever change the perception on

the outside. It finally let people like the perception wasn't what the reality was to us, and now they match, right, Like the perception is the reality. And the Office was the springboard for that. Like it really had an impact on Scranton, like huge, And I know we'll talk about that a little bit, but there's the before the Office and after the Office for Scranton and for when you

leave Scranton and tell people where you're from. Right, what used to happen is like I'd say I'm from Scranton, people be like, oh, I'm sorry, right right, right, Like really, And I always I never knew what they were sorry about, because I always loved to hear and thought it was

a great place. But um, now it's I'm from scrant It's like I love the Office and it's your instant bond across the world with everybody, and you'll hear from all these people the connections in the love and the interesting moments that they've had outside of the area telling people that they're from Scranton, right, And I think there's a cool story about how Gregg picked Scranton too that folds into pain. Go ahead, Um so, actually Tim tells

us better than I do. So, so this is Gregg's words and not ours, and we're obviously paraphrasing, but it is our understanding that he chose, you know, basically, when he's looking where he's going to do a Philosophically speaking, it's a it's a satellite brand, so it's got to be a kind of a smaller city. Uh. He felt it had East Coast sensibility, so he was kind of

looking at the East coast. When he decided the home office would be in New York City, he began to look at cities with with our with with with our, which in might be a two hour driving distance. So he looks at scrant Pennsylvania, Stanford, Connecticut, Utica, New York, Nashua, New Hampshire. These may all sound familiar because they all wind up being the branches and so, and that's when he sends out these teams to go check out, and

Johnny Kay happens to be one of them coming into Scranton. So, you know, from what we understand, there was a lot of little happy circumstances because it wasn't only pinned paper.

There was another place here called paper Magic, which is also a place that John visited, and paper Magic is the one that had a like Greg remembers getting a greeting card that had paper paper Magic Scranton p A. So he kind of had that in mind, you know, and he's he he did say, you know, he might have just been being nice to us, but he felt Scranton was kind of the one to beat because he felt it was a big enough name just because of how big we were during the Industrial Revolution and a

bunch of things, you know, for a little town, we have a big name, um, you know. And ultimately everything fell into place and it worked out wonderfully for the show, for us, for everybody involved. Magic makes all those Valentine's that used to give out in grades, paper Magic scrant p A on the back of all of them, and he remembered that so it was a confluence of things, right, and that was one of them. Yes, And he also thought the name Scranton was a funny thing to say,

and it is. There's a lot of consonants all in a row, and it works around in your mouth a little bit. And so that's that was the one thing. And if you're from here, you don't pronounce the t right right, So you so you, um, you were born here. I was born here. Yeah, So that was how I heard about the office. And then probably a few years into the show. I have an architecture firm, and I was at work and I opened up my browser and there was just an article. You know, they all populate.

There was an article about President Idaho getting this little economic boom from people who were fans of the cult classical, the cult movie Napoleon Dynamite going there to see all the sites, like we're the fictional home of Donder Mifflin, right, Like that seems like cooler. Um, we should invite everybody to come here and like have like invite the actors to come here and see the city and show people what it's like here and they'd have a great time.

They'd meet with the fans, the city, you know, would be on displayed be a win win win, which is what we ultimately that's that's what we ultimately pitched, right like the win win win, But that's where the idea came from. And it literally went nowhere, and this is where Tim comes and went nowhere. I I met with like three groups of people until somebody was finally like, I have to introduce you to Tim Holmes. Right, I

didn't know you. I didn't know each other at all, which is crazy to think of a time I didn't know Tim and the homest family, right, uh. And so we were introduced, and Tim instantly saw the you know, he was got it. Yep, all right, here's what we're gonna do. And then he went into Tim mode right right right now? Did you know the show? Were you watching the show? So I was definitely familiar with it, but I wasn't as immersed in it as Michelle was.

So I certainly saw the value in it, but it was definitely something that we were all beginning to see license plates from Ontario and South Carolina and everything driving through town that doesn't happen in Scranton, but it began to happen, and we're all like, yeah, I guess what you're saying, Michelle is making an awful lot of sense. So, and like we were doing things. And just to be clear, Tim worked for the local newspaper and I was an architect.

We had no background and anything like okay, Like like Tim did planning events locally, right, so he knew how to put an event together. But this was going to be bigger than anything I think you'd ever done, right, And so here I am an architect and he's a marketing We come up with this big idea. We got all these partners on board, I remember at one point.

Then then we had to go through everybody's act like agents and managers, right, Like everybody I'm calling, I'm like, don't hello, Hi, I'm representing office convention, right, I'm I'm putting together contracts. I'm like, I'm like what am I doing? Staring at a white piece of paper and like negotiating like this was crez. We had to do it all right.

It was like Tim and I had to do all that was completely homegrown, which is exactly why I think Greg liked it because he could see it wasn't like some outside group that was coming in and trying to monetize this thing. It was not set up to be a you know, a for profit thing, which is why you guys gave us a breakown talent fees and you know, and they helped with travel and all this other kind of stuff. They could see right from the get go

that it was it was a partnership. The partnership was with the city of granted, it was with the county, it was with the visitors Bureau. We weren't selling, you know, sponsorships where you had to put a shirt on that said somebody Sunoco. We were gonna you know, we knew enough not to do any of that stuff. And I think, you know, we would have conversations with Vann Park and the NBC Universal folks, and truly they were kind of

put they were put on the scant. Yeah, they didn't open the door to the producers of the show and to Greg and tell what they realized we really had something that they're like, Okay, I think these guys have their stuff together, right, so we're going to now make this connection. Because we had to dream up the entire like all the the office Olympic Games. The writer's blocked like that just came out of our heads, right. That was like it was maybe about seven or eight of

us that did it. Tucker Has, Matt Smith, you know, Eric Dovi and all these guys were building our websites and everything. Uh, all of that stuff was critical because they all played a certain role in it. And then all the partners, the University of scrant and all these guys tapping into all that. Once we had it all

one of these conference calls. We had already had a number of them, but I later found out that at one of the big ones when they were deciding whether we're in or out, kincibor Neck had told me when he came to Scranton that he was listening in on the one and he just looking to here, if we're just a bunch of fan girls we're gonna lose our minds when you guys get to town, or if we're actually going to hold this together and keep you guys safe and have it lined up with the University of

s Grand Police and you know in the s Grand Police and the State police and the Marshall's office, like Michelle's brother in laws, A he's a worked here down. We had all of that, but it's such a small town, you can do something. And our whole pitch to Greg was, you know, office fans are are unique. They need to come together like Allah's Star Trek convention. But it can't be done in l A. It cannot be done in

New York. It has to be done in Scranton. Because it was such a part of the show interesting afterwards became a more part of the show, which I thought was interesting because Greg had the foresight to bring the writers here too. But but I think, but not to get ahead. I think, so here we have we've like sort of put this this agenda together. We have this thing. The only thing we didn't have were the actors. It's a hard time for hiring, so you need a hiring

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of the veins of this sleepy town. This New y a mystery from writer director Lauren Chipping, is an audio drama with heart and wit that involves the audience in a way no fiction podcast ever has. Listen to Max and Miles and the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your favorite shows. You and Angela had come in like that may to to say, hey, we're gonna there's gonna be the office convention, like you sort of generously because at all this could have backfired, right,

kind of put yourselves out in front. But come like a month before still there was nobody officially signed up to come to the day that we got our first actual country. We were panicking. They're like We're gonna have a party no matter what. And I remember you called me. You did, right, Brian, and you called me whe night. You're like, how's it going, And I was like, well, you know, it's going pretty well. I'm trying to keep up the front, like it's come pretty well. You know,

all the plannings seems to be happening. You know, we got this, that got that, and um, yeah, we just you wouldn't have any of the actors yet. And you said something that made my stomach drop first. He said, I just want to start by apologizing. I'm just so sorry. And I was like, I'm like, okay, it's cool. Um trying to keep up, you know, with the front again. And You're like, I've talked to my people, and um, I can I can only convince thirteen of them. I

think I'm pretty sure. I started crying on the phone, right, I was like so emotional and all I don't even know what I said. After that, I just lost it and I was just like, is that was that? I knew it was gonna happen. It was gonna be this thing, and it was going to be unprecedented, you know. That was everything that moment to me. With with you on the phone. It was just too much. It was awesome. So just to put a timeline on this, so this is two thousand six, so you're already in season three

at this point. We hosted it in October, late October, but that was we all remember that day when you're like, we got twelve now, the beauty of that. So you may remember that none of the Fab four could make it that year, right, So Steve, John, Jenna and uh and Rain could not make it, you know, just conflicts and all that other kind of stuff. What we felt from the very beginning is the actually convention was so

special because it celebrated the ensemble cast. Everybody else was there, all the writers were there, so it really you know, we you know, we're glad that we didn't want to distracted. Jenny Tan was there, like Danster was there, but we you know, we were able to build it and get our around it, you know. And the people who were they were truly office fans, you know, they weren't four year old virgin fans. They were office fans. And that was why that was the first one was so special,

and it was packed. It was packed. I was actually there, yes, and I thought like it was one of the moments to me because I was up in the balcony kind of looking down and just enjoying it so much. And each writer told episode that they wrote and and people were like cheering for the episodes, like I, you know, I did the baconator with the George Foreming girl that was Ben failing. And but the cool moment too, was

at the end. First everybody was so into it, but then at the end they did a little clip of a piece of a show that hadn't been seen yet, and the crowd got to watch it live, and the actor or the writers later told us they'd never like they'd never gotten to see the fans watched the show and get the reaction in real time, and that that was like a really cool moment for them to hear them laughing or they hope they get a laugh and like just so appreciating the beauty and the joy of it.

You know. Well, I remember, yeah, I remember, I mean from my side, and I don't even think that I

was aware that it was like a tryout. I remember coming there was this brunch and I remember Tim saying, yeah, you know, this was like for v I p things and you know, I'm not sure how many people are going to be there, but you know, then we've got this, this, this, and Angela and I show up and I don't know if you remember this, but like something happened and we were walking into a room that was way over fire code capacity of people and us walking in and like

you just like you feel a wave of heat from bodies just walking into this room, and I like I remember like my breath like being taken away, like the where the fuck am I and I could say whatever we want. I could say whatever I want and I and I I mean, I will never I will never forget. I mean, I will tell you right now. There was a plan in place of the V I P. And they were gonna be able to have a picture with us. And then so many people came and you were like, okay,

so here's the plan. You're gonna go around to each table and they were like banquet tables of like ten or twelve people. You're gonna go around to each table and you're gonna say hi to each table, and then they'll take a picture with you, and then you'll move around to the next table. And what happened was there were so many people that you you begin, I mean, this is a percent what happened. People started thinking they're not going to get to us, like they're gonna leave

before it's our turn. And so then the plan went awry and everybody stood up and started just like descending into this corner. And I had Gen Garrity police officers police officer Jen Garrity four ft ten and I was told could take me over her back if she needed to body slam me. Um. And I remember I was taking napkins off the table because it was so hot and there were so many people, and I was like white base and she's like her eyes are big, like whoa.

And I turned around to her at one point and I said, and I, I mean, you have to understand, I'm just a theater guy from Atlanta, Georgia. Like this is I was like, what is going on? I turned her at one point, I looked, I looked in her eyes and I said, okay, I just I need I need to make sure you know you're watching my back because I feel like I'm going to die. I feel like I'm not going to make it out of here. If I know you got my back, we're good. Um. And just that whole trip the um, you know, the

roof already and everything. So when we came, you had this idea to do the convention, and then we came and was clearly I mean, I feel I feel like even then it was surpassing your expectation. Were you surprised by people's reaction or was that had you come to know that this was how it was going to be. I think from your visits we knew if everybody came it would be something epic. It was even more epic.

It was just beyond like you can't imagine those things, right, Like even when you try, it's like it's just because there are so many stories from that visit. So the Today Show came right and they filmed live at the University of Scranton. And then we're realizing that everybody things actors are like otherworldly and kind of whatever. And because we had this him and I had this sort of backstage access, we're realizing, my god, they're just people who and this is kind of new to them too, right.

So Phil was getting ready with Stanley to go out and be interviewed by by All Broker and and when she came out on the crowd, went insane, insane, insane, and she got very emotional because she never felt anything like that. Like she wasn't she one of the people who helped casting. Yeah, yeah, she she started out in casting, wasn't an actor, and Ken Kappas and Greg Daniels and everybody just thought, well, this is what we're looking for. We're looking for real people. And yeah, she got cast.

So she was here since she was feeling this reaction and right she was one of the first famous faces the kids saw. So like that was you guys had come on a Thursday night, Friday night, we're about to go live. It's a three day convention. And again this is October two thousand six, season three, so we have we all stay out way too late Thursday night, so you guys all come to town birthday. It was Craig Robinson. So we you know, we say at what was Whistles

Pub back in the day, and we're doing karaoke. It we just wound up in a wild night. So now it's we've got to be here at like six in the morning because we're going live with local TV stations. So the students at the University's Granton, about four thousand of them camped outside, so they are waiting all night long for this and they are losing their minds. And so it's when we're pulling, you know, out of the

out of the kind of the staging area. We're pulling phill Us out of there, she is like, if you remember, she had like a cane. She had hurt her ankle that we so she has like this cane and she has her purse on her arm like she's just like going to the store. And as we're walking out the door, it's like, go time. We're gonna be live in about fifteen seconds, she starts reaching in her purse to get

out of camera to take a picture for her mom. Again, that's that's the part that she's a regular person, you know, and so I like grab the camera and I'm like, I'll take pictures or your mom, you gotta get on national TV. So it's just those experiences. But everyone, you know, every one of the folks at Helms is a young guy. He's never been in the hangover, Like people don't know who he is. And we have them playing a banjo at the bog, which is legitimately about three square feet.

So many things that happened but I remember, um, we were actually in this room, I think I know it was another building at the and uh we had fireworks going off and it was another really nice event. But a gentleman came over to me and he said, are you Michelle Dempsey? And I said yes, and he's like, I'm like, who are you? And it was Greg Daniel's dad.

And I was like, and he told me that he knows like catching my breath right, and he's like, he's like, I just want to let you know that I've been to an oscars and I've been to an Emmy's and you know, I've been a super Bowl. He's like, he's like, and this is the best party I've ever been to. This this weekends. Now it was in his son's honor and like a little right, but but like for us, I think that moment was like wow, like this did happen and it came together and people are enjoying it.

And then the letters we got afterwards from the fans who came that would just melt your heart about how is the best weekend in the lives or you know people who came here who you know, we're special needs, who got to meet their their heroes right like it. It really was. For some people, they had the best day, weekend of their lives and script because of the office. The press was also a great thing. So you talked about the letters we received and everything, you know, we got.

We were in the China Times like the we got on the ap wire. It was a sweetheart of a story. So it was in every newspaper in the nation, you know, back when people read newspapers. It was in I forget what paper. But one of them said that it was like a Star Trek convention with girls. But it just it was just great group of people. Everybody was happy. Now fast forward to two thousand thirteen with the Rat Party.

The how was Bananas? That was everybody came for that. Hi, I'm Hillary Clinton and I'm excited to be back with a new season of you and Me both. You know, when we started this podcast, we were going through some tough times, and let's face it, we still are. But I am a firm believer we're stronger together. So please join me for more conversations with people who will make you think, make you laugh, and help us find a

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not what I expected. Listen to Trapped and Treatment on the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcasts. M How did you feel when you found out? The show was? Of course bittersweet? Right, it felt like it had this amazing like if you go

on too long, as like knowing when to end. I guess it's as important as anything else, right, Um, So it was like sad, but oh my god, the way the show ended was so there's not a show in anywhere in TV history that ended more beautifully in my personal opinion, than the big endings that you can talk about, but this was this was fantastic, awesome. So so we just I think a texted um it's time and you were like let's go or something. It was like a real nice little we were both almost like kid met

like the same moment saying we've got it. Take a deep breath, we're going to do it again. So just so you know, it didn't that didn't just come out of thin air. So as we were wrapping up the Sunday, Greg Daniels, you know, everybody had already gotten off. Greg was on one of the last flights out of Scranton. You know, we got to have a moment with him where we just said, you know, hey, this was awesome. You're welcome to do this anytime you want to come

on back. If we can't do something like this every year every year, just at least consider doing a rap party here, you know, and just instead of going wherever you would normally go, just get on an airplane party at thirty thousand feet and let's just do it here. And instead of this crazy three day thing, let's cram it into one super awesome day. Because we already knew once it had started that was way too big and unwieldy.

You know. Just when I went out and it was Steve Corral he was He's like, I'd love to be in a parade and screened now here. You have a big parade, right and you wanted to be in a coffee cup world best boss. I like, you want a parade and screen You've got a parade, say the word. And we did. We had a parade. We had it all mapped out. It was a perfect, like four block parade to this awesome thing we had set up right

at Courthouse Square. And everybody is off on the streets easily twenty people on the streets and just a very small area and us everything is looking good. I take a nice little picture of the parade route. We've got everybody in the beautiful open cars and everything. The first guy we have going down as Craig Robinson, and he is on, you know, on the back of his pickup truck, and he just starts dancing. He's got his arms and he starts waving the crowd to come in. You're too

far away, come on. That's how it happened. And the whole the entire length of the parade route all collapsed on the parade, So we were literally elbowing eighteen year old girls away from but Steve Carell, we could have never protected him. It was just again the whole thing that that evening, and just the the genuine smiles on the faces of everybody. Yes, the fans could not. I mean I think they lost their mond, like they couldn't have if you that is what happiness looks like. That's

what joy looks like. That stadium is like what joy looks like if you get to see it right, And and everybody's faces were just lit up like and including Steve's. He came out and he just you could tell, even at that level of fame, he genuinely appreciates that those people were there, you know, to to to to appreciate the body of work that was created, you know, and and and you guys as individual actors and you're extreme

and massive talent that brings. I was thinking about the other night because I went home and I was you know, it doesn't matter how your day is, you put the office on and you're gonna smile and you're gonna laugh, you know. For me, I adopted two boys three years ago from Kyrgyzstan. So they came over. They spoke Russian in order of English and um, we were still using translators. Um. And my older son started watching The Office, probably because it was in my saved programs, right, and he just

started binging it. And I'm like, well, maybe there's a little inappropriate here and there, but what's he gonna know? Right, let him watch it, right, and one I'm sort of sitting there watching it with him, and he's laughing at the jokes. He's laughing at all, right, not just the slapstick,

He's laughing at all the right spots. And I'm like, he can't talk to me yet, but he knows what's happening here, right, And I'm like, so he probably knows when I say clean your room too, but like you, But it was the the appeal was so unique, Like what is that? I don't know. I can't see it ever ending because it's just it's timeless. It is timeless. Well, Ken, today I was talking about I said, what is the Office done for Scranton? Why is the Office so special?

Or why is that bond there? And he just very plain spoken, said, well, what is your life and your career since the office and I said, well, it's completely and totally changed me and and people's pers option on me. And he said, yeah, that's that's the town too. And I can't explain it is it makes no sense to me. I'm a guy from Georgia that now lives in California, but the the bond that I feel to this place,

it doesn't make any sense. I am telling you. I said this when you got here, like you are, your love is so it's so real, it's so felt by us. And I think maybe you're you're feeling that genuine love that people have for you here because it is it's as real as it as it gets for someone that you didn't grow up with, who wasn't your family, do

you know what I mean? But they feel your your love, We feel your love for us a town that wasn't loved for a long time, right, And you came here and you're like, I this is this is part of me now you know, and we get it and we love it. Yeah. But the two of you and the initiative you showed, and how respectful you were of the show as we tried to be of Scranton, your love of the place, and how hard. I know you were. The show was a little engine that could terrible ratings.

We were trying to do something new and different. And you know, my my last impression or memory from the office convention was, you know, they said yes, but did they think it was going to be a success. And all I remember is we had a three day convention, an NBC sent only one semi truck of merchandise down and by halfway through the first day everything was gone. And I think we were under underestimated. You guys were underestimated,

and our fans were underestimated in a way. And you guys will always have huge love in my heart and appreciation for the two of you and what what you did for us. I just want to thank you. That is wonderful, but we certainly appreciate it. And as we said, without your connection, it never happens. And uh, we all pass this way but once and at the you know, my parents are in a nursing home right now and they look back and look at the fun times in

their lives. We'll all be doing that soon enough. And those real connections that you create is all that matters, you know, And this has been wonderful. I said to Um to Greg after after I think after the originally commention, I said, thank you for the rocking chair stories. You know, these are experienced is and memories. When I'm an old lady on the rocking chair and the old folks home, I'll be still be telling people about until they don't

want to hear it anymore. But Mike, it's still good though. And uh, and so we have these rocking chair stories now, thanks to the Office, thanks to Greg's risk taking belief in us. And we always tell people who ask us, like these characters you love, they deserve your love because as people through the exact same it's like you are just salt to the earth. Amazing wonderful people too. And and so where maybe I'll end it is sort of what I heard um Steve Carl say to a little

group of people at the rap party. Um, he said, don't be sad it's over. Be happy it happened. I don't know. I'm a rocking chair. So I'm gonna feel about my life too, write And this is something I always these these events and even these conversations like the Office gave us this and you just that's priceless. Well, thank you, guys. So much No, and thank you for coming and talking to me and being so open and letting me, letting me come back again. I sopate always welcome.

All right. Wow, that got a little emotional there at the end. Thank you Tim and Michelle, I love you. Thank you for being so open with us, and and thank you Scranton for always welcoming me home. But before I wrap this episode up, I just want to give a shout out to a few of the other folks who made my last trip to Scranton so special. First, I want to thank Ken, the limo guy who that's he's my go to driver in Scranton and always make sure I get to all of the planned destinations on

time or at least fashionably late. Two Mayor Paige GEPHARDT. Cognetti. And to the Scranton Police Department, especially my dear old friend Jen Garrity for keeping us safe. The University of Scranton, who not only bestowed my new certificate in Scrantology, but also helped us organize the Q and A and the book signing for hundreds of students who might I add,

waited for hours in the rain. Thank you to the President, Reverend Joseph Marina, the executive director of Conferences and Events Services, Frannie Mancuso, the director of News and Media Relations, stand Sigmunt, the Vice president for Student Life Bobby Davis, and the Director of the Center for Health, Education and Wellness, Stephanie Adamack, who very kindly volunteered to moderate the Q and A. The bookstore staff Lisa Mikhailo and Wayne Beach who stocked

over a thousand books for us. Also a big thank you to the students who helped organize the event and to all the fans who attended. Next my people from Cooper's Cooper's Seafood House. Big thanks to Jack, Paul, Mark, Ryan, the whole gang you open your doors for hundreds of fans who wanted to get their books signed, including the bride that I mentioned in the preface of the book.

To Patrick and Billy Nassair, Tony Potas, Eric Miller, the whole crew at Backyard Ale House for well the most unforgettable after party ever in the world, where I tended bar into the wee hours of the night. It is, without a doubt, my favorite pub in the entire world. Finally, one more giant thank you to Tim and Michelle and their families for greeting me with open arms and making

my trips back home to Scranton so special. So everyone listening, I'm telling you, the next time you're in script, all right, you have to check out each and every one of their establishments. Get the full office experience, and you will get a big Scranton welcome and listen. Just tell him Brian send you. I hope you all have a fantastic Tuesday. I will see you next week for another special edition of the Office Deep Dive. Where are you guys from

Video Texas? Yeah, I literally watched your show at least twenty times. Great character and I'm about the priory just because they're loving him. I drove all the way from Failing to meet you, and I have an interview in the morning. Got to get back to it. Our brother got married at the Redis and when the convention was on, then you and away downstairs and you take a picture with him and his wife and our wedding. We actually walked into the office theme. I have a tattoo of

Jim Helper when he addresses this. My mom would not believe this, because you think the Office of the stupidest show up all time. Please cut that part I love. Look for your children's eyes, and you will discover the true magic of a forest. Find a forest near you and start exploring it. Discover the Forest dot Org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the AD Council. Hello, Hello, Hi, oh my god. I want to come through the screen and hug you. Hey, everybody,

Jessica's are here. Also known as Vanessa Abrams on Gossip Girl. I am so excited to share my new podcast with you guys. It's called XO XO and it's a walk down memory lane all about Gossip Girl. I'll chat with some of the cast crew fans of the show, and I'm just so plumped for you guys to go on this journey with me Ade Westwick. I played Chuck Bass Is this Michelle Tractonberg, I'll never tell, Okay, I'm Taylor Mompson and I played Jenny Humphrey. Hi, I'm sbashion Stan

and I played Carter Bason. That that was one of the reasons I liked the character Jenny so much, is that she was very relatable. The whole thing was such a joy for me to do, and I was just so thankful that people responded the way they did to what we were doing. This really was just like wonderful. I like have like warm feelings inside. I'm giving you air hugs. Listen to XO XO on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

On the latest season of the Next Question with Katie correct podcast, Katie dives into Well Katie Here, exclusive podcast only conversations between Katie and the people who made her memoir Going There possible. Katie is a pack rad and she has been to clear her own archive of sorts in her basements. Plus, Katie explores some of the big news stories she's covered over the decades and the people behind them, like Anita Hill, I thought I could just get back to my life, and that was impossible. It

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