Inspirational stories that motivate you to make the world better

I am a former television weatherman and newscaster. I've directed and produced two documentary films, The Last House Standing and License to Parent. I started the "Move the World" podcast to feature people that in their job or in their lives are doing something to make the world better. My listeners are people who are looking to put their ideas into action in a way that will benefit more than just themselves. They are looking for that little push or spark to get them going and to realize they can make a difference in the world.
 

I started this podcast as a way to get positive stories out there. I've been interviewing people my entire career so this is a natural way for me to continue doing that. It's a one on one conversation that gives the guest a comfortable forum to talk about what they do. I started the podcast in August of 2021 and have 16 episodes as of today. My motivations are to help and encourage people that they can do something to make a difference.
 

I run my own business Move the World Films, so between projects how I use that time is up to me. I release a new episode every week. I like to prepare for each interview, so if the guest has a book or a film I like to read or watch it so we can have a good discussion about it. The second biggest amount of time seems to come with making a clean transcript. It's challenging finding an audience, so that is where money ends up being spent, although many of the ways to promote seem a little sketchy. It's about more than just pulling in some numbers, I want to build a base of loyal listeners that will keep coming back.
 

I'm waiting to search for sponsors until I have something solid to offer them. That means having a better understanding of my listeners. Right now I'm partnering with The Readiness Lab and their job is to bring in sponsors. I've had 3,700 downloads so far, but the amount of listeners seems to be dependent on the kind of following the guest has. Podcasting benefits me by meeting interesting people that could possibly end up being subjects of a documentary film down the road.
 

I am recording my podcasts on zoom, editing them in adobe premiere, and hosting them on buzzsprout. I use an RE20 mic for the interviews running that through an H4n recorder. I try and prepare by reading the guests book or watching their film, and also sending them pre-interview questions. Many times during the interview we will stray off the prepared questions as interesting things come up during the interview. One of the most important parts of an interview is listening to the guests answers. That can lead to some great information, but as the host you have to pay attention.
 

Right now I market on social media, Facebook, instagram, twitter and linkedin. By biggest audience is on iTunes. I have yet to find a form of advertising that delivers a loyal audience. It seems like a lot of scammers are lurking trying to make a fast buck.
 

My advice to anyone wanting to start a podcast is to go for it. Get your thoughts organized and start doing it. Make sure you have realistic expectations. What does success mean for you. I've had some veteran podcasters tell me they don't look at ratings, and if they can help one person it's worth it to them. I love that in theory, but I'm a lot more competitive than that. Coming from television news I am a creature of wanting good ratings. I understand not everyone is going to love what you are putting out there, but have a thick skin and don't let that stop you.
 

You can learn more about me on my film website which has links to my work in both the documentary world and the podcasts. https://movetheworldfilms.org/. I hope you will visit and check them out.