Grating The Nerd

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► Tell us about you and your podcast

Tim and Zach both come from an IT background and primarily identify as nerds in all forms of media be it comics, games, movies, tv and more. Zach has a tendency have less leniency when it comes to reviews and Tim likes to make fun of him for it. The show is usually a spoiler riddled break down of various movies, tv shows and more followed by a variety of jokes and poking fun at things.
 

► Why & how did you start this podcast? 

Zach and Tim both love podcasts but for Zach this is a passion that he wanted to make a part of his life. So in winter 2019 Zach started making plans with Tim and put forward a new show based on two things they both loved: reviews and comedy. Then in February of 2020, they both had built up a backlog of episodes to distribute and the show was born! That first season was a bit of a fumble but their footing was found and now there is a catalog of more than 140 episodes ranging from various topics!
 

► How'd you find the time and funding to do this podcast?

Shows are released on Monday's with a minisode that is between 30min to 45min and again on Thursday for a longer "full length" episode that usually sits at about 1hr 45min. Shows are usually recorded one after the other the Sunday before release and editing/production takes roughly 2-3 hours per episode depending upon the length of the show.

Both hosts have fully time jobs so editing is done on weekends and in the evenings usually the day before release. Editing is completed using Adobe Audition. All promotion for the show is done through a variety of social media but mainly Instagram and Twitter. In addition to that, a website is hosted for direct contact and various other social media sites. There is a small budget for the program that is paid out of pocket (and with the aid of some sponsorship) for web hosting. The platform of choice was Spotify's Anchor platform for its free hosting for the time being, they have no length limitations as well as no episode limitations like other free services and it is easy to use.
 

► What do you gain from podcasting?        

Spotify's Anchor is currently the first and only sponsor at this time but the two are open to other sponsorships. Not a great deal has been gained from current sponsoring but enough was made from sponsorship that it covers webhosting for the last year.

Really the primary benefit of the podcast is that it's broadened our experiences with film and television and strengthened an already otherwise great friendship between hosts.
 

► How does your podcasting process look like? 

The podcast is largely recorded virtually. The two hosts have used a number of different platforms for creating calls before including zoom, skype and zencastr but after much experimentation, regular old phone calls with headphones were settled on. The two record separately from their PCs while on a call and the two audio tracks are then stitched together for the final cut of the show. This improved sound quality greatly and made it easier to control separate track volumes and levels.

Every week the two hosts read, watch or listen to the topic at hand and then come to the show with notes, questions and ideas based on the subject. They always start the show with a little banter and catching up and then an introduction (which is new and fresh for every episode) is read by Tim followed by thought, comments and often spoilery break downs of the subject.
 

► How do you market your show?

The show can be found on most podcasting platforms. Our largest audience members listen to the show through iTunes or the Apple Podcast app making up 25% of listenership followed by Pandora and Spotify in similar numbers as well as a few other platforms in smaller numbers.

The two hosts spend a lot of their time marketing the show using social media posts and clips/snippets on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Goodpods and recently Tiktok.
 

► What advice would you share with aspiring (new) podcasters?

There's new things to learn about podcasting every week. The first thing we'd say is make sure that if you're going to be serious about it, invest in a good set of mics and try to get familiar with editing software. Don't be afraid. It's not nearly as difficult as one would think. But the most important thing we think is that if you have a passion for podcasting and you want to chase that dream? Do it. Absolutely do it. Chase it and love it. You'll have a blast.
 

► Where can we learn more about you & your podcasts?

You can find out a little more about Zach and Tim on their website gratingthenerd.com.

They can also be found on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and most other platforms under @gratingthenerd. There is also a Link Tree for direct links to all of that and more. https://linktr.ee/gtnpodcast

And if you want to support Zach and Tim and the future of their podcast you can become a supporter over on Anchor by clicking the support link in their show notes.