Back Channel Utah
Back Channel is a Utah politics, policy, and business podcast hosted by Marty Carpenter.
Every episode is a one-on-one conversation with someone who matters in Utah — an executive, a policymaker, a lobbyist, a community leader. Someone who's in the room when things happen.
The conversation has four parts: who they are before they're a title, the issue they're closest to right now, their read on what's happening in Utah, and a few lighter questions at the end. It's candid, it moves fast, and it doesn't sound like a press release.
Marty's been the one in the room too — as a governor's spokesman, his job was to take complex policy and make it clear, make it compelling, and keep it on message. That's still the job.
Back Channel. Off Script. On Record.
Episodes
20 episodes
Rolled votes, DC realities, and sweater days with Rob Bishop
Rob Bishop served nine terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and previously held the gavel as Speaker of the Utah House. After retiring from Congress, he returned to the Utah House of Representatives to serve his local district, bringing d...
Todd Weiler on the Senate, Sutherland, and what Utah politics feels like right now
Utah State Senator Todd Weiler joins Back Channel for a candid look at his fourteen-year career in the legislature and his new role as President and CEO of the Sutherland Institute. Growing up as the son of a custodian in the Chicago suburbs, W...
Labor Day, a Short Break, and Where Back Channel Goes Next
Back Channel is taking a short break for Labor Day — but this is a great weekend to catch up. Listen to last week’s conversation with Utah Attorney General Derek Brown or go back through the full catalog wherever you get your podcasts or on You...
Prediction Markets, Robocalls, and 80s Music with Derek Brown
Utah Attorney General Derek Brown details the major legal battles facing the state's largest law firm. Brown explains his office's push against the "addiction economy," the recent court victory against prediction market platform Kalshi, protect...
Brad Wilson on leading Utah's 2034 Olympics and thinking beyond the next headline
Brad Wilson, CEO of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games and former Speaker of the Utah House of Representatives, discusses what it takes to prepare for the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games while balancing one of the largest ...
AI, Education, and Protecting Kids with Ariel Defay
Rep. Ariel Defay represents Utah House District 15 after joining the Legislature through a 2023 appointment. Drawing on experience in government, political campaigns, and her family's small business, she has quickly become a leading voice on ed...
Curtis Blair on Utah County's Growth and Building Community
Curtis Blair, President and CEO of the Utah Valley Chamber, discusses why Utah County has become one of the fastest-growing business communities in the country and what it will take to sustain that momentum.In this episode, he shares how...
Kirk Cullimore on the Leadership Race Already Underway in the Utah Senate
Kirk Cullimore, Utah Senate Majority Leader, shares the unexpected journey that took him from a career in music to one of Utah's top legislative leadership positions. He reflects on the lessons he learned through music, law, and public service,...
Relationships, Rural Utah, and Four Governors with Mike Mower
Mike Mower has spent decades serving Utah through multiple gubernatorial administrations, but ask him what has mattered most and the answer is simple: people.From growing up in Ferron to working alongside Governors Jon Huntsman Jr., Gary...
Stablecoins, AI, and Utah’s Banking Boom with Howard Headlee
In Episode 10 of Back Channel, Marty Carpenter sits down with Howard Headlee, President and CEO of the Utah Bankers Association, to talk about how deposits fuel lending, what stablecoins change, what the GENIUS Act is trying to solve, and how A...
BONUS: Lessons from Utah's Primary: When a Data Center Becomes a Political Crisis
Between interviews, Marty shares a quick bonus take.Utah’s primary results delivered a clear takeaway: political fallout isn’t always about the policy — it’s often about how the controversy is handled.The Stratos data center backl...
Collaboration, Economy, and Utah’s Secret Sauce with Derek Miller
Derek Miller — President & CEO of the Utah Chamber and former Chief of Staff to Governor Gary Herbert — joins Back Channel to talk about what it takes to keep Utah strong as the state grows. The conversation covers the fundamentals...
Redistricting, Rural Utah, and Playing the Long Game on Water with Celeste Maloy
Congresswoman Celeste Maloy joins Back Channel for a candid conversation about the behind-the-scenes work that actually makes the job possible: building a congressional office from scratch, assembling a team, and learning the parts of ...
Education policy, COVID decision-making, and coalition-building with Karen Peterson.
Education policy does not move through a single decision-maker. It moves through a system.In Episode 7 of Back Channel, Marty Carpenter talks with Karen Peterson about what most people misunderstand about how education policy ge...
Lime rickey, digital twins, and a quiet giant with Johnny Ferry
Johnny Ferry is President and CEO of the Utah Manufacturers Association. Manufacturing matters more in Utah than most people realize, and Johnny breaks down why. Manufacturing is the whole process, from R&D and supply chain to q...
One River, Seven States, No Snow. Water update with Gene Shawcroft
Utah just came through its worst winter for water in recorded history. What happens next — and who decides?Utah River Commissioner Gene Shawcroft breaks down Lake Powell’s “3,500-foot line,” the storage and infrastructure Utah relies on,...
Wall Street, Capitol Hill, and How Utah Builds with Rep. Cal Roberts
Utah is growing fast. Can our infrastructure and institutions keep up?In this episode of Back Channel, Rep. Cal Roberts breaks down how Utah politics works when you zoom in on budgets, incentives, and the unglamorous mechanics t...
Diet Coke, Tackling Homelessness, and the Art of a Lacrosse Faceoff with Tyler Clancy
Utah's state homeless coordinator Tyler Clancy joins Back Channel for a conversation about the experiences that shaped him before public office.From growing up in South Carolina and playing lacrosse at BYU to working in homelessness ser...
The Power of Streaks, Cold Plunges, and Candor with Francis Gibson
Francis Gibson joins Back Channel for a candid conversation on leadership, healthcare, public service, and personal discipline.The President and CEO of the Utah Hospital Association and former Majority Leader of the Utah House r...
Power, Policy, and the People Behind Utah’s Decisions with Abby Osborne
Episode one is live.Abby Osborne, Chief of Staff for the Utah House of Representatives, joins *Back Channel* for a candid, one-on-one conversation on the people and decisions shaping the state.No scripts. No spin. Just real pers...
