► Tell us about you and your podcast
I'm David Race. I created Monstrosity and host the show. I had previously created a different, successful paranormal comedy combo podcast, that led to TV development deal. I'm a Los Angeles based comedian, podcast host, TV and podcast show creator and producer, and a former major market rock radio disc jockey.
"Monstrosity with David Race" is basically a talk show with an odd combination of guests. Typically, it's a legitimate TV star, movie star, or rock star, and a paranormal expert. The paranormal guest is also often a known TV personality of that specific genre. The show usually starts out with a detailed interview with the celebrity guest. Lot of times I get into questions and subject matter from their life or career, that the celebrity has not talked about publicly before. Later in the show the paranormal guest joins the discussion, and the show takes a turn towards the paranormal topics. On many episodes, there's a game show or other funny comedy bit somewhere in the first half of the show, with the celebrity fully participating. Very often the celebrities have a paranormal story of their own, that they end up sharing at some point in the show. But we don't have any requirement that the celebrity have one, or even be "into" those topics, in order for them to come on the show. They just need to be legitimately famous. We don't just call someone a celebrity. If a celebrity is on our show, they're a celebrity.
Our listeners like comedy, significant celebrities, and fun, funny, and unusual interviews and topics.
► Why & how did you start this podcast?
I started Monstrosity a few years after I had already done a different comedy/paranormal podcast, that had gotten a TV development deal. When that TV deal ended, I decided to start a new podcast, somewhat similar to the previous one, but less comedian focused, and instead more celebrity focused, in terms of guests.
I resisted starting any podcast, for a long time, after a lot of comedians I knew had already been starting them. My initial hesitation was that having already done radio for many years, doing a podcast would be going "backwards" in my career path. But eventually I had a good specific idea for what I wanted to do with a podcast and decided to get one going. That idea led to my first podcast, and "Monstrosity" is the second one.
► How'd you find the time and funding to do this podcast?
At the moment we do new episodes of Monstrosity approximately monthly. They are funded by commercial advertisers.
I'm committed to putting out high quality episodes, with legitimately famous guests. Quality over quantity. It takes a little while to secure such guests, and have advertisers in place, for each episode. But as we build up more advertisers, I expect we'll be able to do more frequent episodes.
► What do you gain from podcasting?
Most advertisers approach us and sign on to run a commercial on the show. Most are excited by the results after their first commercial runs, and then advertise on additional episodes.
I've found podcasting to essentially be an unexpectedly enjoyable return to a medium I'd assumed I was already done spending any time with (radio). It's allowing me to combine lots of my professional skillset and background into one job: Comedian, radio host, and executive producer/show creator.
► How does your podcasting process look like?
Monstrosity is done from a recording studio in Los Angeles. Pre-COVID all the celebrity guests came into the studio, in person, to do the show. Since COVID most of the celebrity guests have been doing the show via an ISDN like audio connection, the studio uses.
Doing the celebrity guests remotely changed the show a bit. The celebrity used to always be a full participant in the paranormal guest portion of the show (the second half of the show), because they were in the studio with us. Most often since COVID, the celebrity and the paranormal guest have been 2 distinctly different segments of the show.
Preparation is critical to getting anything right, and we pride ourselves on getting the podcast right. So, we always research our guests and learn more about them in advance, than we already knew from their TV/movie/music careers, and lives, in the public eye. We also often write a prepared comedy bit into the episode.
► How do you market your show?
Monstrosity is on all the major podcast platforms, and has Twitter, Instagram and Facebook pages too.
► What advice would you share with aspiring (new) podcasters?
My main advice, (in most things) is less is more.
► Where can we learn more about you & your podcasts?
MonstrosityPodcast.com has everything there is to know about "Monstrosity with David Race"
DavidRace.com has more about me.