All The Good Names Were Gone: Local Content Creator Produces Podcast

In the world of content creation, Matty Tingles is a household name. 

Known primarily for his YouTube Channel filming ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) videos, Matty, whose last name isn’t actually Tingles, but Almendinger, jumped on the podcast scene three years ago. 

“I had all the equipment for it, and I was like, let’s just try it,” Matty said. “It’s been really fun to see it grow and see it take on its own life, separate from all of my other channels.”

Already at 10,000 listeners, as well as six to 10 million monthly views on social media, the podcast, called All The Good Names Were Gone, began in the way most podcasts do. 

“It started as a reason to get together each week, and as a time capsule – as a way to look back on what was going on in our lives at the time,” Matty said. 

He is the host, and his two friends Colby and Adam operate as co-hosts. 

Each episode is formatted similarly. The first segment is called ‘Around the Horn,’ where Matty, Colby and Adam each take turns and talk about what they did in the previous week. 

“That is a fan favorite,” Matty said, “because we are all so vastly different, so I think that makes for good listening.”

The meat of the episode is called ‘Do We Care,’ where the team goes through 50 to 60 topics from the week, mainly news headlines, and if one or all three care about it, they chat about it and share opinions –  if they don’t care, they move onto the next topic. 

“None of the news we talk about is heavy; it’s all entertainment, like sports and arts. We keep it light and fun,” Matty said. 

Then they have a Question of the Week, where people can write in questions to be selected, as well as weekly trivia. 

New episodes come out Mondays at six a.m. anywhere podcasts are available. 

“We’ve learned that a lot of people listen to it on their commute to work, or as they get ready in the morning,” Matty said, “It’s a great way to start the week.”

He said this podcast has become a kind of friend to the listener, so when they turn it on, it’s like hanging out with people they already know. “That was kind of the whole point,” he said. 

Matty’s been creating content since 2015, when he started his YouTube channel. Two years later, he quit his full time job at Guild Mortgage to focus solely on content creation and he’s never looked back.

“I’ve always been a creative person,” Matty said. “In high school, I was in yearbook and marketing. As a kid, I always had a camcorder and I would film home videos. It’s always been a part of me.”

His YouTube channel brings in 700,000 followers, and his TikTok sees 725,000 followers. He’s worked with brands such as Reese’s, Audible, G fuel, Method, Dollar Shave Club, and Helix. 

Matty grew up in Keizer and went to McNary High School. In 2020, he bought a house in West Salem. When he’s out and about, people come up to him and want to snap a photo with him. He says they’re surprised to find out he lives in Salem.

“I think people think I’m from LA or something,” he said, laughing. 

What’s next for Matty Tingles? 

Well, when it comes to the podcast, “we’re gonna make some changes and push to grow a lot,” he said. “Like adding in guest speakers. We’re gonna switch up how we do daily content on social media too.”

Beyond that? He doesn’t know. 

“Things change every day, and new trends happen all the time,” he said. “It’s very unpredictable, and for me, that’s exciting.”