A Day in the Life: Video Podcaster Hannah Nolan from “What’s in the Hat? Laughing Matters”
Posted on March 18, 2026
Hello everyone! I’m Hannah Nolan, the Creative Lead of the Social Media Fellowship and the Project Lead of our TELUS STORYHIVE Video Podcast, What’s in the Hat? Laughing Matters. The Fellowship is a creative community of people with disabilities producing podcasts, radio and digital stories that centre curiosity, humour and lived experience.
Often, people with disabilities are either left out of conversations entirely or included in ways that focus only on disability itself. Our Video Podcast aims to offer something different.
I applied to TELUS STORYHIVE because I was looking for a space that believes in bold, community-led ideas. Our Video Podcast flips who leads conversations and how academic spaces can feel, and STORYHIVE felt like the right partner to help us grow that vision.
Telling stories through laughter
I knew I wanted the Video Podcast to be just as fun as the people hosting it. The title What’s in the Hat? came from our idea for a show built around a hat of questions, mixed with talk-show-style segments. We were inspired by playful formats like the “Colbert Questionnaire” on The Late Show and “Chicken Shop Date”, [a unique interview-style web series] by Amelia Dimoldenberg, which does a wonderful job of balancing structure with spontaneity.
The subtitle, Laughing Matters, is a cheeky play on words and a core belief of the show. Humour really does matter when it comes to connection, vulnerability and showing up as yourself. Putting yourself out there on a podcast takes guts, and I wanted the title to reflect that courage.
A day in the life of a STORYHIVE Video Podcaster
A typical day as a STORYHIVE Video Podcaster starts with lots of behind-the-scenes prep: checking consent forms, coordinating with guests and co-hosts and making sure the tech is ready, from charged cameras to clear audio. Our first filming day was the most nerve-racking, but it quickly became clear that we were all in it together. The fellows and the production team were so on top of their roles that the day felt supportive and calm rather than stressful.
As the program went on, each episode became smoother. We made small tweaks, learned from one another and built confidence as a team. Choosing our first guests felt daunting at first, but connecting with them beforehand turned nerves into excitement. By filming day, it felt less about perfection and more about enjoying the moment.
Laughter levels the playing field
For each episode, we start with big, human themes, like humour and happiness! From there, we invite guests who explore those ideas from really different angles, whether that’s psychology, language, politics or comedy. A lot of the fun comes from digging into the expert’s work ahead of time and, as a group, figuring out what we’re genuinely curious about and want to ask.
Laughter levels the playing field. It works whether it’s someone cracking a joke in an elevator, or, in our case, a professor and a person with a disability who may never have explored that topic before. That’s why we love to include silliness on our show, because when we’re playful, people relax.
For me, the series expands what disability representation can look like. By letting people with disabilities lead the conversation, their questions, curiosity and personalities really shape the show. I hope audiences, both with and without disabilities, come away feeling welcomed, curious and connected.
The best advice I could give is if you have an idea of something you want to create, run with it. We all battle with asking ourselves: Can I really do this? And I am here to tell you, you absolutely can. Other people are likely just as excited about your project as you are, but it takes the leap of applying and putting yourself out there to find out.
I’m deeply grateful to TELUS STORYHIVE for believing in this project, and to the fellows and our small but mighty production team (especially producer Matthew Rachmat!) for bringing it to life with so much heart.
More than anything, I hope the podcast leaves people with a sense of possibility. That academic spaces can feel welcoming. That people with disabilities belong at the centre of conversations. And that is a little meaningful silliness, as comedian Zach Anner calls it, goes a long way.
What's in the Hat? Laughing Matters is streaming later this year! Catch other STORYHIVE Video Podcasts on TELUS Optik TV Video on Demand channel 9, Stream+ and STORYHIVE's YouTube channel.