About the Show

Welcome to the one show that dares to combine a long-time Eurovision expert, a pop music fanboy, a guy who’s new to this, and Derek. 12 Points from America is an irreverent and insightful podcast about four best friends coming together to discuss the Eurovision Song Contest. In America! Featuring a mix of trivia, humor, and delightful camaraderie, 12 Points from America is your new favorite look into the world’s greatest music event.

Meet the 12 Points Crew!

Samantha

Vaguely aware of the Contest since childhood, a fanatic since 2008, and an ESC blogger since 2009, Samantha made her first sojourn to Eurovision in 2011, and was quickly welcomed into the fold at ESC Insight, where she’s been a contributor ever since. Over the years, she’s been interviewed by BBC World News, SVT, NDR, LBC Radio, and many other national and local broadcasters. She was a semi-regular contributor to Oystermouth Radio’s weekly dedicated Eurovision program, “Wales 12 Points”. Furthermore, Samantha contributed to BBC Radio 2’s coverage of the Copenhagen contest, and was a member of the official JuniorEurovision.tv web team in 2014 and 2015. She also worked as a member of the Bulgarian Delegation, serving as Assistant Head of Press in Kyiv and Lisbon. When not at Eurovision, Samantha is a regular on the Twin Cities pub quiz circuit, and has volunteered as a moderator for the local high school quiz bowl for over ten years. You can follow Samantha on Twitter at @escinsider.

Erik

Erik is a Minnesota native and Eurovision fanatic. His first major experience with the contest was in 2014, where he attended Sam’s annual ESC preview party, and has been hooked ever since. In 2018, he aided the Bulgarian delegation in selecting their song for that year’s entry (“Bones”), and is excited to be making his first trip to the contest itself in 2020. When not obsessing over Eurovision (or other pop music), Erik is a writer, editor, and tournament director for quiz bowl competitions across the U.S., which is another of his greatest passions. He is also the director of the Bounceback Foundation, a non-profit focused on mental health awareness and suicide prevention in young people. Erik is on Twitter at @erikistweeting.

Danny

Danny is a classical actor, writer, and co-host of the popular podcast “12 Points from America.” He’s pretty new to this, being first exposed to Eurovision at Samantha’s 2018 preview party, where the first song he heard/saw was “Toy.” It was all downhill from there, really.  He’s not on Twitter, because he’s much cooler than the rest of us.

Derek

Derek is the show’s producer, Jenga expert, and our newest co-host ever. He has attended Eurovision annually since 2015, and has worked at the contest in numerous capacities, including as a member of Austria’s delegation in 2018. He also briefly appears (along with Samantha) in Kristian Kostov’s postcard from 2017, cementing his status as a Eurovision legend. He is also not on Twitter, somehow.