#49: John Langmore - Cowboy, Lawyer, and a Life Behind the Camera
John Langmore is an Austin-based photographer, author, and documentary filmmaker who has also worked as a cowboy and corporate lawyer. His books include Open Range and Fault Lines, and he co-directed Cowboys: A Documentary Portrait with Bud Force.
We talk about going to work on Benny Binion’s Montana ranch at twelve, entering law, and finding his way back to the cowboy world through photography and film. John also shares the story behind his documentary in progress about Angola prison’s working cowboys.
Subscribe to Longfire for more stories worth gathering around.
Show links
Watch Longfire on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@longfireco)
Listen on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/longfire/id1851467002)
Listen on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/2IGYfTSYNvsD96UjUqqCJt)
Follow Longfire on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/longfireco/)
Guest links
John Langmore’s photography (https://johnlangmorephotos.com/)
Open Range: America’s Big-Outfit Cowboy (https://www.twinpalms.com/products/john-langmore-open-range)
Fault Lines: Portraits of East Austin (https://tupress.org/9781595348975/fault-lines/)
Watch Cowboys: A Documentary Portrait (https://www.thecowboymovie.com/watch)
John Langmore on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/johnlangmore/)
John Langmore on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/john.langmore.1/)
Chapters
00:00 Westerns and a Motorcycle Ride to Alaska
03:35 Photography Books and Earning Trust in East Austin
07:26 Dinner Guests and Taking on Liam Neeson
09:47 Becoming a Cowboy at Twelve
14:26 Benny Binion, Tough Horses, and a Lasting Friendship
21:18 A Great-Grandfather in Roosevelt’s Rough Riders
24:25 From Cowboy Wages to Corporate Life
30:36 Finding Photography and Stories Close to Home
35:29 A Documentary About Angola’s Working Cowboys
38:10 Finding the Range Crew and Getting Access
47:41 A Visit Without Cameras and How the Film Took Shape
53:39 Film Plans, Books, and Where to Follow John
2 Oct 2026
#48: Jake Hounshell - From $750 in Vintage Hats to Shells Vintage
Jake Hounshell is the founder of Shells Vintage Hat Co., a Charlotte-based business selling vintage sports hats and original, ’90s-inspired designs. A Raleigh native and University of South Carolina graduate, Jake started buying hats to resell with $750 of graduation money in 2019. He later created his own State Snaps and city designs, leaving his sales job in 2021 to run the business full-time.
I’ve followed Jake’s work since college, so it was fun to finally hear how it all came together. We talk about developing an eye for vintage, learning to manufacture his own designs, and getting hats into the hands of professional athletes.
Subscribe to Longfire for more stories worth gathering around.
Show links
Watch Longfire on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@longfireco)
Listen on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/longfire/id1851467002)
Listen on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/2IGYfTSYNvsD96UjUqqCJt)
Follow Longfire on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/longfireco/)
Guest links
Use code SHOUTOUTSHELLS21 for 15% off your first order at Shells Vintage.
Shop Shells Vintage Hat Co. (https://shellsvintage.com/)
Follow Shells Vintage on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/shellsvintagehatco/)
Follow Shells Vintage on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/shellsvintagehatco/)
Chapters
00:00 A Hundred Hats and One He’ll Never Sell
07:16 Starting Shells Vintage with $750
11:07 State Snaps and the Leap to Full-Time
16:08 Learning Design and Manufacturing from Scratch
18:19 Expensive Mistakes with Ads and Inventory
20:05 Warehousing, a First Hire, and a Cash Crunch
22:35 What Makes a Vintage Hat Worth Buying
25:22 A Day Running Shells Vintage
27:37 Getting His Hats onto Professional Athletes
30:26 New Designs and What Comes Next
34:25 The Mystery of Oxford, Ohio
36:26 Where to Find Shells Vintage
25 Sept 2026
#47: Sarah Calhoun - Work Pants, a Music Festival, and Small-Town Montana
Sarah Calhoun is the founder of Red Ants Pants, a women’s workwear company based in White Sulphur Springs, Montana. A former outdoor instructor and trail-crew leader, she launched the business in 2006 after years of working in pants that didn’t fit. She also founded the Red Ants Pants Music Festival and leads the Red Ants Pants Foundation, which supports women’s leadership and rural communities.
In this conversation, Sarah traces the path from sewing backpacks to touring the country with an Airstream for pants parties and launching a music festival in a cow pasture. We talk about choosing small-town Montana, learning the business as she went, and why handing over the company’s day-to-day leadership felt like a relief. She also explains the less glamorous side of festival production: buying up toilet paper across three counties. I also learned that a lonely male llama may start pooping in a perfect circle.
Subscribe to Longfire for more stories worth gathering around.
Chapters:
00:00 Rapid Fire: Books, Music, and Liam Neeson
02:53 A Farm Childhood and a Few Facts About Llamas
06:03 From Trail Crews to Women’s Workwear
08:20 Learning to Build a Business From Scratch
12:01 An Old Saddle Shop in White Sulphur Springs
15:27 Loans, Manufacturing, and Mentors
19:48 Tour de Pants: Taking the Business on the Road
22:13 A Music Festival in a Cow Pasture
27:14 Making It Better, Not Bigger
28:20 Hiring a CEO and Bringing In Investors
32:57 Work Skills, Girls’ Leadership, and the Foundation
35:35 Life Behind the Shop
Subscribe to Longfire for more stories worth gathering around.
Show links
Watch Longfire on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@longfireco)
Listen on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/longfire/id1851467002)
Listen on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/2IGYfTSYNvsD96UjUqqCJt)
Follow Longfire on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/longfireco/)
Guest links
Red Ants Pants (https://www.redantspants.com/)
Red Ants Pants Music Festival (https://redantspantsmusicfestival.com/)
Red Ants Pants Foundation (https://www.redantspantsfoundation.org/)
Red Ants Pants on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/redantspants/)
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-alchemist-paulo-coelho)
This House of Sky by Ivan Doig (https://www.harpercollins.com/products/this-house-of-sky-ivan-doig)
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
10 ratings
Contact Pieces of Impact
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Pieces of Impact?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
