By Nathan Fligelman

Two years ago, at the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic, the hosts of the “Star Bros” podcast–Jan Kargulewicz and Ben Anderson–made the remarkable decision to join a team, named after the famous “Star Wars” franchise, on the Red Cross Blood Donor app.

App-sponsored teams are designed to compete with one another in a friendly manner as members of each group log their latest blood donations. Cumulatively, the amount of blood donated per team is converted into a number of lives saved: a pivotal and heartwarming statistic designed to encourage the continued donation of blood.

According to Jan and Ben, their “Star Wars” team, as a collective whole, has helped to save a whopping 900+ lives with each of the member’s logged blood donations. If you or anyone you know is capable of and willing to give blood, please encourage them to do so! Every donation is appreciated and not only has the chance to help save a life, as blood is always in need by hospitals and medical settings across the country, but also presents the new and fun opportunity to join a lifesaving team aligned with your favorite franchises and interests, too!

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of corresponding with Jan and Ben about how their podcast began, how they proceed with their work, what their future goals are, and more. Read below for the highlights!

Q: How did the Podcast begin?
A: We met about ten years ago and almost immediately realized that we’re both “Star Wars” fans. Not long after that, Disney bought the rights to “Star Wars” and all of these great new movies started coming out. We’d go see the movies on opening night and get lost in conversations afterwards. When the most recent movie came out, we found ourselves in a diner after seeing it. Deep in conversation, one of us just blurted out, ‘We should start a podcast!’ A few months later, the pandemic began and we used some of our newfound free time to begin recording our show. Since then, we’ve released over 50 episodes. A big part of the fun for us has been becoming a part of the Broaxium YouTube channel and family. Broaxium is a Philly-based “Star Wars” group that is well known for its spoiler-free review of comics. Our motto is “No Drama, No Hate, and No Clickbait.” It’s all about inclusive, positive conversation! We pinch ourselves because we were fans of Broaxium before we were invited to join up.

Q: How do you two go about creating new content?
A: We start planning episodes about two weeks before we record them. Once we’ve decided on a topic, which can take a bit of time, we go off and separately research it, write some notes, and come prepared to just have a conversation. Practically speaking, we take turns recording at one another’s homes. Once every other week, we grab our mics, a bundle of cables, and a laptop, and we meet up to record. We don’t have a studio, but Ben’s office where we record is chalked full of nerdy items, most of them “Star Wars” related.

Q: What are your future goals, with both the podcast and your Red Cross team?
A: We’d love to get more fans involved in the “Star Wars” team on the American Red Cross app. The fans in the group have impacted 900 lives at this point. Let’s keep going! As far as the podcast goes, we’re really only in this for one reason: to have fun “Star Wars” conversations and to connect with other fans. We are very focused on keeping the show clean and positive and inclusive. It doesn’t matter if you’re a new fan or were in the theater when the first [movie] came out, we hope you’ll find the vibe of the show inviting and relaxing.

Q: Why did you choose to partner with the Red Cross?
A: We’ve both been involved in blood drives in the past and we’ve both donated, of course. Ben helped set up a blood drive at his old church a few years ago and it’s still going strong. Jan became a regular donor a few years ago and is one donation away from the two gallon milestone! It’s a great way to give back to our community in more ways than just a fun conversation!

Q: What are each of your favorite “Star Wars” movies?
A: This is the hardest question for any “Star Wars” fan to answer. “Return of the Jedi” is always at the top of both our lists, but they’re all so great, you feel like you’re choosing your favorite kid!

Download the Red Cross Blood Donor App to schedule a blood donation appointment, track your donations and/or join a team. And don’t forget to check out the “Star Bros” podcast!