What do a professional mermaid, a group of knights, Maine guides and Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers have in common? They’ve all been guests on a podcast celebrating the people who make Portland, Maine, such a unique place!
Pierce Kempkes is the host of Between the Piers, a podcast dedicated to sharing the stories of the “wicked, wacky, and wonderful” people of Portland and beyond. The idea for the podcast came to Pierce after he injured his leg around mile 75 of Alabama’s Pinhoti Trail. With some unexpected downtime, he decided it was finally time to start a podcast — and Between the Piers was born.
Pierce records the show at Portland Media Center on Congress Street, a nonprofit, full-service media production studio offering podcast and filming studios, a large talk-show studio and even a Whisper Room ASMR studio. Members can use the facility’s resources to create podcasts, television programs and other media projects.
And Pierce has no shortage of interesting people he’d like to sit across from! His dream guest list includes Stephen King, Patrick Dempsey, Chris Lafon and Suzanne Hockmeyer, the Queen of the Kennebec and a pioneering Maine whitewater guide.
Between the Piers is currently available on YouTube and Spotify. Pierce is expanding the project with Beyond the Piers, a separate YouTube series released on the 25th of each month. He’s also launching a Patreon featuring exclusive media and behind-the-scenes content.
Listen to our interview below to learn more!



