Putting Tulsa's hip-hop scene on the map – Steph Simon, rapper

Welcome to Tulsa Talks presented by Tulsa Regional Chamber. I’m your host Tim Landes.

My guest on this episode is a household name in northeast Oklahoma for two reasons: her work as a journalist and for her many successes in fishing and hunting. Tess Maune is a veteran journalist for News on 6 and she just might be our state’s most famous noodler.

When she’s not sharing news, her social media feeds are full of pictures of her with standing in lake water holding a giant catfish or decked out in camo holding turkeys or deer. I wrote a profile about her in our July 2018 issue.

We kick off this conversation by talking about her love for the outdoors before moving on to her career in news.

Tess and I both attended Oklahoma State University’s journalism school at the same time, and then we ventured out into the real world where our paths crossed while she worked for KHOG 40/29 in Northwest Arkansas. In 2012, she took the job at News On 6, where she’s reported from major events and now kicks off the day as an anchor and reporter for 6 in the Morning. She also shares hunting and fishing photos submitted by viewers in her segment “Outdoor Adventures with Tess.”

Sometimes it’s hard to believe we’re both now veterans of the media industry. It just doesn’t seem possible. Tess and I discuss how TV news has evolved during her career and how she went from the newbie to being old enough to be a coworkers parent.

I’ve always been a big fan of Tess and her work, and I think it’s really cool that so many young people get to look up to her as a role model. She loves sharing stories about her fellow Oklahomans and she’s always working hard to do her best and continually get better. she genuinely loves what she does. She's twice been named Tulsa Press Club’s “Favorite Anchor/Reporter, and Tulsa Press Club also awarded her for “Best Use of Social Media by an Individual.”

She’s a great social media follow and does her best to stay connected with fans, We discuss the pros and cons that come with being that engaged on Facebook and Instagram.

I really enjoyed catching up with her. She’s a great ambassador for our field and someone I continue to look up to and learn from. Hopefully the next time we get together it’s in shallow water near a catfish hole. I’m ready to try to wrestle a big one out of the water.

Speaking of fishing, if you want to learn more about the history of fishing businesses in Tulsa and the best spots for fishing in the area, make sure to pick up a copy of our July issue or read the articles at TulsaPeople.com.

Following my conversation with Tess, I share the new single “While We’re Waiting” from Rushmore Beekeepers. You’ll want to make sure to give it a listen. More on it later.

OK, let’s get this going.

This is Tulsa Talks with Tess Maune.

In our July issue, Brandon Schmitz wrote about the duo that recorded this episode’s playout sing.

From the article:

After watching Wes Anderson’s 1998 film “Rushmore,” Zach Fountain says he knew that if he were to ever start a band, it would be called Rushmore Beekeepers.

Although this began as a solo project in 2001, Fountain has performed off and on with others throughout the years. These days, the Beekeepers are comprised of Fountain and his sister-in-law, Amanda Hawkins.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic the indie-folk duo composed one song per week from March 10, 2020, to March 2, 2021.

Now Fountain is using that work to create a 12-song album that is slated to drop Oct. 1. The duo will be performing at the Tiny Porch Festival on Sept. 25 in the historic Owen Park neighborhood.

Here is the album’s first sing