By: Tiffany Dobbyn, Capitol Morning Report
Gibran Maciel, who was former Asm. Jimmy Gomez’s communications director, is bringing his passion for jiu jitsu from the mat to the airwaves. He recently launched “Life, and Jiu Jitsu,” a podcast he hosts from his Sacramento home that features conversations about how to balance it all – martial arts, career and life.
Maciel (on left) when he earned his brown belt
Jiu jitsu is a martial art that teaches self-defense by focusing on grappling and submission holds. Maciel started his journey with the combat sport seven years ago when he discovered Ultimate Fitness, a gym operated by professional mixed martial artist Urijah Faber. It was the same time he also started working at the Capitol in the office of then-Asm. Jerry Hill. Before Gomez left for Congress, Maciel’s days were full with legislative work and training. That lifestyle didn’t leave much time to pursue the daunting task of producing a podcast, an idea he’s had for the past two years. Nowadays, while he continues looking for a legislative job, he’s taking advantage of his newfound free time to get his project off the ground. Getting all the pieces into place to create a podcast wasn’t easy, but the toughest part was fighting his fear of putting himself on display. “It’s always scary to put yourself out there,” Maciel said. “But that is true bravery; being scared and doing it anyway.”
Podcast in action
Maciel produced his inaugural podcast a few weeks ago, an hour-long conversation with professional MMA fighter Matt Betzold, using a makeshift studio in his living room. The two chatted about their journey training in jiu jitsu, with Betzold explaining how he was able to achieve his goals despite losing his left leg after being poisoned as a child. Maciel says he was nervous to record this first episode, so to take the edge off he had a glass of wine. However, his jitters got the best of him and halfway through it, he spilled the wine all over his laptop. He ended up re-recording their entire conversation on his iPhone. Nonetheless, that show garnered more than 2,000 hits on Facebook. After that, Maciel wanted to give his podcast a more professional vibe and so he converted a spare bedroom into a dedicated studio with lounge furniture for his guests and he started taking voice lessons. So far, he’s uploaded five podcasts; the audio clips are available on iTunes and DoggCatcher (a podcast player for Android), and video clips are on Facebook.
On top of scheduling guests for his podcast and trying to land a new job at the Capitol, Maciel is also preparing for the Submission Pro Tour, a competition scheduled for September 16 at the Crest Theater (tickets here). While he’s been working on his techniques on the mat, he’s had the chance to put his skills to the test outside the gym. Earlier this month, Maciel and his girlfriend, Haley, were walking through Capitol Park when they noticed a guy trying to steal someone’s bicycle. At the encouragement of his girlfriend, Maciel sprinted toward the thief and knocked him to the ground. Maciel says after the victim retrieved his bike, he then let the would-be thief go. Maciel was glad no one was hurt and that he jumped in to help. “It is useful to know that you can defend yourself or come to the aid of others if you need to,” he said.
Although his hobbies – jiu jitsu and the podcast – aren’t easy, he’s proud of his work both on the mat and on the microphone. “Anything truly rewarding is a little bit difficult,” he said. Contact: Maciel, Gibran.m.delavega@gmail.com.
