Talents In The Entertainment Share Their Stories For Listeners To Enjoy

My name is Mollie Amburgey & I am the host of The Casually Mollie Podcast. Having a background in theatre & journalism from St. Louis University, I graduated in 2013 & ran a theatre company for five years (GoodPeople Theatre Co.), producing plays in Cincinnati (OH), Covington (KY), Chicago, St. Louis, & other cities in the Midwest. After starting stand up comedy & listening to other comedians being interviewed on podcasts, I decided to go back to my journalism roots & begin interviewing different guests each week.

My mission for 'Casually Mollie' strives to be a podcast that interviews talent ranging from comedy, to music, & other forms of entertainment to share their stories for listeners to enjoy. Whether on the go or at home, Casually Mollie encourages you to casually choose an episode of your choice while connecting with a guest & topic you may not have known you had an appreciation for.

My listeners are mostly others in the entertainment industry or people who have an appreciation for comedy & the arts.

I always enjoy striking up a conversation with other people. If I was going to start a podcast, however, I wanted something that didn't make a listener feel left out if a topic wasn't something they were unfamiliar with. I have always felt when people know more about the story of a guest, they have a better chance of of being a new found fan or supporter of that artist.

My initial goal was creating a casual and yet professional setting where the guest could feel like they were being themselves, yet still being treated like the professional they have worked so hard to become. So far, I feel like I have accomplished that.

I started very small, recording on my cell phone, not knowing too much about audio at first. I still had a plan in mind, & from past experience in theatre & comedy, I have always felt like you have to try things out to learn how to get better, even if it may not start out quite as you might have planned. If you have a good work ethic, in addition to an open mind to continue to learn & grow, you will succeed.

It didn't take long to produce my first episode. Luckily, I have a great support system of friends that started out each episode with me, even when I wasn't in a studio yet. It just grew from there, & I'm still learning.

A lot of marketing I do on my own. Social media is a great tool, & Canva is a great resource. With a day job, I usually record in the evenings. Before I had a set evening, I would figure out with the guest what worked with our schedules, & if you are flexible, people are willing to be flexible in return when it comes to scheduling.

I have a couple of sponsors, & have continued to solicit more, raised money, but partnerships are a great way to start to make connections. Even if it's for a giveaway for a product, it's a great way to possibly earn sponsorship in the future.

My first sponsorship was actually through friends. I had previously worked with the small business when I was part of a fundraiser for a theatre company. I happened to win their basket at the auction, loved their product, & then got in touch with them when I first started my podcast because I knew their product was good.

Connections are always great like this because they benefit by selling product, & you benefit a new connection & partnership.

I use Podbean as my host, but work out of a studio now for editing.

I mostly know the majority of my guests, but sometimes my guests will recommend other people they think might fit the podcast. If I haven't met the guest, I contact them (or their publicist) & see if they are possibly interested in an interview.

I interview guests both by call-in methods & in person.

Almost 60% of our listeners are from Apple Podcasts, followed by Spotify & then ITunes.

Marketing channels I have found useful have been Instagram & Facebook. Having short clips being able to be shared on there can let you know how many views you have since many people use Facebook Watch & IGTV.

If there are other people you are inspired by, see if they have a podcast. Most likely, they also have a podcast & give valuable advice not only about their own profession, but running a podcast as well.

Everything Casually Mollie can be found on thecasuallymolliepodcast.com