Erick & Vivi discuss horror movies while trying to pair a themed drink to accompany it!

We are a married couple who have always loved the horror/thriller/etc. movie genre and anything related. So much that we got married on Halloween in Salem, Massachusetts in front of the Salem Witch Museum. Through the pandemic we also started to build a knack for creating cocktails and getting drinks that were interesting. We combined these thoughts together and figured we should combine these hobbies and tackle our huge horror movie watchlist while trying to theme drinks alongside them. Our puppy Loki joins us at the end of every episode and tells what scared him in every movie. We were already doing this together so we thought why not bring people along for the ride. We started our show in February and have been trying to get things rolling ever since. Every week we cover a new horror movie, bring in any other creepy content we've encountered, and discuss! Our listeners would be anyone who loves horror movies, aesthetically pleasing drinks inspired by these movies, and dogs!

We started this podcast with the intent to bring others along with us in our journey to complete a very extensive list of horror movies that I (Erick) started to put together with my wife (Vivi). We both listen to a lot of different podcasts and have done so for many years ranging from true crime, ghost stories, comic book movie news, cryptid stories, and other genres of podcasts. We don't necessarily have the video editing prowess of a lot of other folks to be Youtubers so podcasting was the next best thing (we'll get to YouTube eventually!). Our goals are really to just have fun and enjoy the movies and drinks that we bring on to our show. We were already having these sorts of discussions outside of podcasting so adding a mic wasn't too different. We started our podcast in February and have had 1 guest and listed 11episodes so far. We recorded our first episode 1 week and posted the next with new episodes being released weekly ever since.

Vivi and I both work from home due to the pandemic which has allowed us a lot of free time to get into a groove that works for us to produce the podcast. We record our episodes on weekends and edit for about a day with plans to post and distribute every week on Wednesdays. Between my 2 jobs and Vivi's job we are able to comfortably spend what is necessary on our show. At the moment we spend roughly $50 a month including website, hosting, and resources for our show (movie, drink ingredients, etc.).

We would like to be sponsored, but don't have any sponsors yet. We have started reaching out to and creating relationships with local Midwest brewers and distillers so that we can feature their products on our show through drink creation media. Honestly at the moment the only gain we've seen from podcasting has been the ability to join the horror community in a different and direct way and meet other people who love horror as much as we do. We have learned so much in our 2 months of podcasting and have so much more to learn and give that we're excited to continue this journey for as long as we're able.

We use Audacity to edit, have a laptop that we complete all recording/editing on, 2 microphones, and a virtual mixer that we use to bring in any virtual audio. We do our best to engage with people daily on social media and have created relationships with other podcasters who have expressed interest in being on our show and vice versa. We have also tapped into our personal networks to bring in people who also love the genre. We prepare for each episode by selecting a movie and deciding what drink would best fit the film. We then get all of the ingredients and products necessary to create or present that drink on our show. We watch the movie, take notes, set up the mics, prepare our drinks, our fun facts with research, and start the show! We have only had one guest so far and it was done in person.

We have used Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram as our main sources of listener engagement. Social media has been most useful as the drink videos we have posted along with audiograms have pulled in the most views through Instagram Reels and TikToks. Twitter has recently become more useful as we start to engage with other fans and creators as well.

We thought podcasting would be as easy as just hitting record and throwing it on one of the podcast services, but it's way more than that. You realize quickly that although you thought you might've sounded great talking about something outside of podcasting you might not sound as coherent as you think. It takes time, patience, technique, a willingness to learn, and plan what your vision for the show is. We think as long as you're having fun and doing the best you can within your ability to put together YOUR show all of the rest will come together. Tons of research is required to figure out what you need, but there are plenty of people out there who have already done it and are willing to give you a helping hand and some advice. Join some podcasting Facebook groups. Attend a virtual podcast convention. Listen to some podcasts about podcasting. Whatever you need to do to fully understand what it takes, but don't let any of it discourage you. You can do it! Honestly can't explain the feeling we get when we see someone else who started at the same time we did and has reached 10,000 downloads and says "oh it's nothing. I'm just a beginner" meanwhile you're only averaging 40 downloads per episode. It can make you start to doubt your ability, but some people are just setup for success a lot quicker and that's great for them! You just need to find a way to get there. Positive vibes only!

You find out more about us at @shakennotscared on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest. You can find us on Twitter at @shakenscaredpod. You can visit our website a shakennotscaredpodcast.com. Our personal social media accounts are linked in those as well! We are on Patreon and Buy Me A Coffee as @shakennotscaredpod.