► Tell us about you and your podcast
I gave birth to a dog in a human body. His first word was "woof!" He’s an epic cuddler. His first favorite book was Sandra Boynton’s Doggies. When he saw a dog photo or drawing before he could speak a human language, he would let out a visceral, guttural scream or shout. He is great at fetch.
He can’t help but chase squirrels.
When words, then sentences first came, every story was about dogs. The stories got better and better. We, his parents, joined in on the fun, and together we crafted fantastical epics. Our little dog always favored stories about helping and understanding, so I, his mother, knew we had something special. I knew we had some good tales about wagging tails to share with the world. I sat down to write. I reached out to production friends. I joined a writer's group and enlisted mentors and advisors so that we could do it right!
And, when we see him upon waking in the morning, our tails wag and we light up. When our little puppy senses someone is hurting or struggling, he goes to them and just tries to be with them- to provide support and care, and still-epic cuddles. His best friends are his grandmas, and he always wants to invite his teachers to his birthday parties when we ask him what friends he wants there. And hopefully, he will never catch a squirrel.
► Why & how did you start this podcast?
We started listening to podcasts on road trips and camping adventures with our little dog when he was four-ish. Because we love storytelling and our concept is about storytelling, we knew a podcast would be a great fit. We also liked that it was approachable for us as a small, indie Mom&Pop&Pup operation. We started our show in earnest in March of 2020, just as the pandemic lockdown was hitting the world. We applied for a grant so we could pay professionals to help us, and we won the grant in June of 2020. Our first episode was ready and released in October of 2020. I wrote over 45,000 words just for the script as well as all of the marketing copy, emails, blog posts, and correspondence with collaborators and fans. The goal was to preserve and share a great story from my son, but the ultimate reason why was to show him that all of our stories matter, and that we can all spread joy through this form if we choose to.
► How'd you find the time and funding to do this podcast?
We make this podcast on our own time, independently, and after we just be a family, work our jobs, go to school, and also respecting the time and priorities of our incredible crew and mentors. It is a labor of love and has to always come from a place of loving-kindness. Our working schedule and publishing schedule reflect these values.
We have been fortunate to receive a generous grant from the Regional Arts & Culture Council in our community as well as support from two sponsors. We pay for Buzzsprout hosting, and we pay into our Kids Listen membership because we love and value this organization's commitment to grassroots advocacy for high-quality audio content for kids and families. We are currently seeking new grants and new sponsors to continue to pay the artists we work with.
► What do you gain from podcasting?
We do not currently make money from this show, but of course, like most, we would like to! We got our first sponsorship by asking a brand that we genuinely love if they would be interested. This is how we will continue to operate. We will also continue to seek grant funding because we know we are making something fun, wonderful, creative, and enriching. We have gained community as well as the satisfaction of creative, artistic output. We've had wonderful fan feedback, including contact from some kids who spend a great deal of time in a children's hospital. And, sometimes, when we are feeling tired, we think of those kids, and we press on just thinking of them. We love our fans so much. Podcasting has introduced us to such a special and unique community of listeners and other podcast creators. And, during the global pandemic, it was even a creative lifeline for us.
► How does your podcasting process look like?
Our writers' meetings are bonkers! Sometimes we are going on walks, playing Pokemon Go, and arguing, other times, one of us is jumping up and down on a couch yelling and barking. I use Dan Harmon's story embryo as a loose outlining guide for episode and season structure and write it all in google docs or on large kid's notepads with markers. I have a writing coach and mentors that help with DEIB in my scripts, and I have discussions with my son about inclusion and belonging as well. I read the final script to him, and if he nods and says, 'Yep! That's how it all went down!" then I know it's ready to rehearse the read and then go record with our sound designer and composer, the incredible Jason Roark.
Jason records, edits, sound designs, and crafts original music for each episode. We've also worked with kindie rockers to use their music, and we also wrote and performed a song with my banjo-playing mother and stepfather. They actually met at the Seattle Folklife Festival, where I won my first storytelling competition when I was just 12 years old myself.
I then post the content for our supporters and our handful of Patreon patrons. I write a newsletter, show notes, and social media marketing copy. I use Trello to organize and save all of it. I use the Splice iPhone app to make a video version of the show for Youtube so that people experiencing a hearing difference or deafness may watch the episodes with transcripts. We also publish on the Bullhorn app so that those experiencing digital poverty can access via a telephone landline.
► How do you market your show?
We market our show through word-of-mouth and social media. Finding new audience members is a tough nut to crack, but we feel patient, and we also feel hugely supported by the amazing community within the Kids Listen organization of kidcast creators. We have also been able to do promo swaps with other Kids Listen shows.
► What advice would you share with aspiring (new) podcasters?
Get mentors from the start. Do not ask talented people to work for free. Apply for grants. Read everything from the Bello Collective on Medium. Apply to join Kids Listen if you make kid-friendly content. Choose a hosting service that provides support and community.