Castos Creator Spotlight: Jeremiah Lee and The Black Pondo Podcast
The Castos Creator Spotlight celebrates the people behind great podcasts. Each month, we feature creators in our community who are doing remarkable work, sharing their stories, their craft, and the passion that drives their shows.
Jeremiah Lee runs The Black Pondo Podcast, a long-form bonsai interview show. He says he started the show to get direct access to the artists, collectors, and craftspeople at the top of the craft, and 42 episodes in, his typical conversation runs two to three hours.
The podcast came out of curiosity rather than strategy. One of the best things about this Spotlight series is seeing all the varied passions people have enough to podcast about. Turns out, bonsai has a deep, serious international community. Jeremiah wanted direct access to the artists, collectors, and craftspeople inside it. And a podcast was the most direct path. He opened Episode 35 by telling Randy Knight, one of the most respected yamadori (forest trees) collectors in the country, “I feel like you are the GOAT when it comes to collecting.” Then he asked detailed, specific questions for two more hours.
A Guest List Built from Inside the Community
Peter Tea is a recurring guest and also Jeremiah’s teacher, mentor, and friend. His business (ptbonsai.com) sponsors the show. His most recent appearance covered his trip to Japan for the Kokufu 100, the 100th anniversary of Japan’s most prestigious bonsai exhibition.
Randy Knight walked through the differences between Sierra Juniper and Rocky Mountain varieties, and how he decides which collectors earn access to his best trees. Seth Nelson covered exhibition politics, photography in bonsai presentation, and what it means emotionally to own a significant tree.
The show doesn’t stay in the studio either. Jeremiah has recorded at the John Naka Memorial Exhibit and the Pacific Bonsai Expo floor. When something is happening in bonsai, he shows up.
Meet Jeremiah Lee
| Go-to tools | Riverside, iPhone, mics |
| Consistency philosophy | Follow genuine interest; don’t waver from it |
| Using AI? | Not using it |
| In a year | Experiment with formats, find what resonates, triple the listeners |
Jeremiah’s advice: “Seek out guests and topics that you actually find interesting and don’t waver from this strategy.”
A Show for People Who Already Know
Bonsai has a long lineage and a serious collector community, but it gets little mainstream attention. The Black Pondo Podcast isn’t trying to change that. It’s not an introduction for people who think they might be curious. It’s a show for people who already know and want to go deeper.
The conversations are technical. Taper development, soil composition, the philosophical differences between Japanese and American aesthetic standards.
The monetization is honest and in-house. Jeremiah sponsors the show through Peter Tea’s business, a source he genuinely uses: copper wire, bonsai containers, and trees. “I feel like not enough people know about this awesome resource,” he says in episode intros.
What’s Next
Jeremiah is planning to experiment with formats to find what resonates most with his audience. Tripling the listener count is the target.
Listen to The Black Pondo Podcast
Thank you, Jeremiah, for being part of the Castos community!
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