► Tell us about you and your podcast
Rick Broida and Dave Johnson: longtime friends, tech writers, and sci-fi nerds. Between us we've written for nearly every major tech site/publication, and over the years we've hosted "Geek Vs. Geek" in various formats: print column, Web show, etc.
Battlestar Recaptica recaps every episode of "Battlestar Galactica" (the good one, not the cheesy 80s show) from miniseries to finale. We've been doing the show for about two years, and we're just getting into the home stretch (season 4). It'll all be over soon!
We've been lucky enough to attract a small but devoted worldwide audience. When we hear from someone in, say, New Zealand, it's just remarkable -- and incredibly gratifying. The podcast, of course, is for all fans of the TV show, including those who are rewatching it for the nth time and those discovering it for the first!
► Why & how did you start this podcast?
We started in May, 2016. Rick was a fan of the then-new West Wing Weekly podcast and wanted to do something similar for BSG. The goal was simply to have fun and bring our special blend of nerd-talk to the masses. The two of us have always had an entertaining (to us, anyway) dynamic. We argue about EVERYTHING, but in a wholly delightful and charming way. People seem to find it amusing.
Once we made the decision to start, it was just a matter of setting up a web site and all the social-media stuff, finding a podcast host, and then just doing the recording.
► How'd you find the time and funding to do this podcast?
It's a little challenging because Rick's in Michigan and Dave's in California, so we have time-zone issues. That's why we haven't exactly been consistent about recording: sometimes we'll do one episode per week for two straight months, sometimes we'll go two months without recording a single episode. (Also: we're incredibly lazy.) Mostly we record on weekends.
Because Rick is far more successful in life than Dave, he foots the bill for hosting. But Dave handles the very heavy chore of editing -- including corralling all the hilarious bloopers for the end of each episode.
► What do you gain from podcasting?
At one point we toyed with getting sponsors or setting up a patron, but it just seemed like too much hassle. We do this as a labor of love -- and we got to meet Grace Park, which is way better than money. Actually, we've been lucky enough to land interviews with several of the actors, one of the writers, and show creator Ron Moore himself... all very rewarding.
We're still waiting on the incredible fame we expected when we started this. (Why haven't Jimmy Kimmel's people reached out yet?!)
► How does your podcasting process look like?
We host on Podbean and edit in Audacity. It's definitely a shoestring operation, though I think it comes across as pretty professional. We prepare for each episode by watching each episode.
Most of our interviews were set up via actors' agents, though we did get a few just by reaching out directly on Twitter. James Callis is our hero, because we asked him on Twitter, he said yes, and a few weeks later, bam, we had him on Skype. He was our first guest, and I think once others saw that we'd interviewed him, it lent some legitimacy to what we were doing.
► How do you market your show?
We're available on iTunes, Google, Podbean, etc. And of course we have a presence on Facebook and Twitter, though not a ton of followers. We haven't been super-active on that front; we just hoped people would find us. And thankfully, they have: We've had about 70,000 total downloads since we started.
► What advice would you share with aspiring (new) podcasters?
Advice to new podcasters: Beware echo! If you record in a room without padded walls, it's going to sound terrible. Likewise, invest in a decent microphone. Doesn't have to cost a fortune, but it does have to be better than the headset that came with your phone.