Retrospective movie reviews with guests from a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic

I’ve always enjoyed film and cinema, I was drawn in by its magic as a kid. Having sat through Film Studies in college, I eventually (many…many years later) decided to create What I Watched Tonight as an outlet for me to air my film views and opinions. Since the, I’ve been able to cover national and international film festivals as well as becoming Rotten Tomatoes-approved in 2018.

I began podcasting back in 2017 after appearing on my friend (and an eventual co-host) Jon Berk’s old show, Top Five Movies. When I realised that podcasting was something that was actually pretty simple to begin and within reach, I got the bug and never really looked back from there.

The Back Row was born from earlier shows and exists for me to chat about the films I love with a guest who also shares the same affection for the release. This allows me to talk passionately and breezily as I’m creating the output, as opposed to talking about bad films or just bonafide classics. It would seem like a cop out to say my audience are film fans, but that’s what they are! The episodes are accessible for all ‘levels’ of fandom - casual, hardcore, etc - and I’ve always aimed for loose, conversational discussions rather than stilted and sequential.
 

Before starting my own podcasts, I wasn’t a particularly avid podcast listener. The first podcast I loved and followed was The Russell Brand Show from back in his BBC 6 and BBC Radio 2 days nearly two decades ago now (!!). Those shows made me realise that a podcast didn’t have to be overly studious or restrained.

I had no real ‘goals’ per se, I can honestly say I didn’t start to make money - I would’ve dropped off a long time ago had that been the case! I just wanted to talk film with likeminded people, and, at the same time, meet new people along the way. It all sounds so idyllic! I’ve been lucky enough to find some real mates from doing my shows so, in that sense, I’m blessed.

Once I had the podcast bug having appeared on Jon’s show, it didn’t take long for the episodes to begin dropping, and, eventually I branched out into co-hosting other shows too, including Star Wars Sessions and Bloody Awesome Movie Podcast (both of which are still going strong!)
 

Thankfully, I’m in a position to be able to devote a decent amount of time to the show. The ‘work’ involves watching the required film and taking notes - something I do anyway for What I Watched Tonight. In terms of funding, I’m very frugal when it comes to this. I aligned with a free podcast host and create all graphics and videos myself. The only real outlay is the podcast recording software, but I’m happy to pay a small monthly fee for the best audio quality.

Generally, production is short. Unless there are any genuine flubs or errors during recording, the shows are delivered “as is”. Of course, post-production comes into play to ensure the cleanest possible listening experience, but, that aside, I try to keep it simple which, in turn, makes the overall production process simpler and time-efficient.
 

I’ve gained additional skills, that’s for sure! Whether that be communication, confidence, audio knowledge and an eye for marketing, podcasting has been a huge help.

It’s also opened the door to many opportunities which I’m forever grateful for. Across my shows, I have been lucky enough to attend advanced screenings, conventions and events, plus hosting at conventions, organise large fan meetups, and foster relationships with large companies for mutual benefits.

Friendship has been a key output from podcasting as well, I’ve met some wonderful people from doing these shows and a handful I would class as genuine friends now, so I’d call that a pretty big win.
 

I begin by identifying the films that I want to discuss, ones that excite me and provide the most potential for interesting discussion. As mentioned, they aren’t necessarily the ‘classics’ (some are) or anything like that, and I prefer it that way, it allows for greater diversity.

My search for guests is similar. I generally put the feelers out to see who would be interested in discussing certain films, but I always have particular people in mind - people whose work I admire and/or consume, people who air opinions online and are willing to engage in further discussions, sometimes people just jump out to you as well. My main aim is quality discussion first, other factors such as potential reach, scope, etc comes after.

For ease, all of my episodes are recorded remotely via zencastr - it’s browser-based and requires no registration which makes it ideal for inviting guests on the show, they just literally have to turn up.
 

The vast majority of listeners will find the show via social media channels. Like most, I advertise the episodes via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook pre and post release in order to drum up interest and anticipation. I also encourage guests to share the episode they appear one with their following also.

It seems most listeners hear the show via Spotify (currently 62%) but that doesn’t surprise me. Spotify has really pushed itself as a company in recent years both with their music and podcast departments - I use Spotify myself to listen to other shows.
 

Perseverance is key. When listener numbers are down or engagement seems non-existent, keep pushing on. If you are enjoying what you do, then the rest will follow, but the MAIN thing is that you ARE enjoying podcasting. If not, it’s easy to fall out of love with it.

Don’t be afraid to change things up during the process. If something doesn’t feel right, change it. Don’t allow production issues to cause stress that will affect the quality of your content. No one would be so proud that they cannot admit if something isn’t vibing.

Another key learning curve I found was LISTENING to other shows. Not for competition (because that’s pointless) but for educational purposes - what are these shows doing that could be incorporated into yours? What’s their structure? Do they use audio bumpers to break up discussions? Length of intro/outro music? Being inspired by others will only make your show better and forward-facing.

Engage with your audience as well. Simply putting episodes out and dropping a social media post isn’t enough, that won’t attract people in. Post with questions for your audience in order to begin conversations, comment on relevant posts, anything to show that you’re not just pushing your own content rather - that isn’t particularly warming for potential listeners.
 

You can find me at whatiwatchedtonight.co.uk as a landing base. There you will find all of my written reviews and links to The Back Row, as well as the other shows I appear on - though all good podcast providers carry these (The Back Row, Star Wars Sessions, Bloody Awesome Movie Podcast). Alternatively, you’ll see me popping up on Rotten Tomatoes contributing to the Tomatometer of new releases.
If you are interested in appearing on the show, follow me across social media or send me an email! I’m always happy to talk!