Founded in 2022, Benchwarmers Media is a company built around the goal of producing entertainment that supports and strengthens communities.

What started as some curiosity over a cup of coffee and a desire to help document stories for a book has grown quickly and organically into two full-fledged podcasts. The Benchwarmers team of John Russett, Tom Connell and Ryan Russett formed in the summer of 2022 to bring to life the stories of some monumental figures in St. John’s University history.

“Coffee with Father Don” started out as exactly that, with visits by John Russett to St. John’s University and the Local Blend in St Joseph, Minn., to have coffee with Father Don Talafous, a monk at St. John’s Abbey who most recently celebrated his 98th birthday, to discuss his popular “Daily Reflection” newsletter. Published the first and third Saturday each month, CwFD has become a staple of a very loyal listenership.

“No Place I’d Rather Be …” started when fellow Johnnies Connell and John Russett decided to help document the 51-year career of retired SJU basketball coach Jim Smith. Those initial recordings, alongside former players, were too good not to share and became the basis for NPIRB, which now includes weekly in-season updates from coaches and players as well as the weekly legacy pieces, spotlight features and bonus content.