The Future is Bright for Good Morning Marco

2025 was a year of creativity and discovery, passion and interaction, fun and dedication, and in the end, an extremely gratifying surprise for the Good Morning Marco podcast.  

Created about 18 months ago by hosts-producers Ryan Sullivan and Jordan Kraley, the program finished the year among Spotify’s top 25 percent of video podcasts in terms of views and watch time. 

The arts, the entertainment and dining scenes, community events, local government, hot topics on the island, businesses, Marco’s history and landmarks are just a few of the topics addressed. Interviews with community members, governmental officials, business owners and employeesare among the regular focuses of the roughly one-hour-long episodes, which are usually posted weekly. 

Sullivan and Kraley said the podcast’s performance is especially notable given its niche, a hyper-local focus on life on and around the island, as compared to the many nationally focused and interest-specific podcasts found on Spotify. 

The 23-year-olds, who also hold down outside jobs, were caught off guard by the ranking.  

“I could not believe it when I first saw the notification, an end-of-the-year wrap-up showing all of our stats,” saidSullivan. “It gives us a badge that says top 25 percent of all videos on Spotify, and I'm just like, ‘That's insane.’” 

Since its start, Good Morning Marco has racked up almost 350,000 views across the platforms where it’s present, which also includes YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Instagram, Facebook, Audible, Amazon Music, Podcast Republic, and Deezer, among other sources, in either a video or audio format.  

“I think it’s something like 65,000 of those were in the last three months,” said Kraley.  

She and Sullivan said the recent surge in views has occurred despite the fact thatthey haven’t been posting as consistently as they had previously because of job and outside life responsibilities.  

Good Morning Marco has also more than doubled the number of subscribers over the last year, rising from about 100 to 260 today.  

They cited several reasons for the podcast’s popularity.   

“I think inherently, being a local podcast, we have a loyalty with our listeners that you're not necessarily going to get with something that's more national,” opined Sullivan. “I've spoken to plenty of people that say this is the only podcast they listen to. I think, at this point, it’sthe podcast age. Some of the biggest movers and shakers in our culture are the top podcasters in the country. Legacy media is not what it used to be. Podcasting is the way of the future.” 

Kraley agreed. “It's crazy how deeply people connect to the podcast. I mean, people just come up to us anytime they see us in public, and they share what episodes are their favorite,” she said. “They'll kind of tell us how they feel represented and seen. I would say we definitely keep things fairly unfiltered. There's never going to be a point where you sense bias.” 

Sullivan said regardless of any inherent bias they may have, “As a rule, the podcast is impartial. We can each have our own opinions on a topic, but we attempt to remain an unbiased source of infotainment. It's infotainment because you're learning about your community in an entertaining way.” 

Diversity has been a hallmark for Good Morning Marco, where topics and interviewees are concerned. Candidates in the most recent city council election, longtime Marco realtor and former Deltona employee Marv Needles, Skunk Ape researcher Dave Shealy, Collier Seminole State Park, Skin Renewal Systems, Calusa Garden Club, and Faith Church are just a few of the subjects that have been before the podcast’s microphone and camera.  

The digital duo said it’s common for people to approach them with suggestions for topics to be examined, which is welcomed. They view those ideas as another key to the podcast’s popularity. 

“I would say that it's got to be the local listeners really caring about what's happening on Marco Island and sharing what's happening with us to keep us in the loop and allowing us to be authentic and consistent with our episodes,” said Kraley. 

As for the future, both in the near and long term, Sullivan and Kraley look forward to broadening Good Morning Marco’s scope.  

Plans include interviews with two of the four declared candidates for Florida’s governor in the 2026 election. James Fishback, who’s running as a Republican, has agreed to be featured, while arrangements with David Jolly, the Democratic Party candidate, are still being finalized. 

Sullivan and Kraley are also considering several new series. One would see them conducting brief interviews with restaurant employees, bartenders or employees of other businesses, or the cast of a play, or firefighters, for example. They would all be asked the same question, and the segments would be combined into one episode. They said the episodes would provide viewers/listeners with insight into what the interviewees experience.  

They’re also considering live events, such as a Marco-focused game show patterned after “Family Feud.”  

“We actually come up with very Marco Island specific questions, and we survey 100 people, and then we either have notable Marco families or staff of different restaurants or something compete against each other,” explained Sullivan, while adding that he hopes to attract sponsors so prizes can be presented. “That's what's on the horizon - I’m hoping by the end of 2026.” 

To learn more about the Good Morning Marco podcast and to connect to episodes, please visit www.goodmorningmarco.com There you’ll find links to all the online platforms where the podcast can be found.