► Tell us about you and your podcast
There are two kinds of stories we tell on the Dorktales Storytime Podcast:
FRACTURED FAIRY TALES
Do you remember the fractured fairy tales that were a part of the Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle show? Well, that’s similar to what we do: telling slightly wacky and very geeky retellings of classic fairy tales and fables. There’s a lesson to learn or an important message to take away from each episode. And, we’ve hidden pop-culture easter eggs for kids (and many for grownups) to find and enjoy too.
HIDDEN HEROES OF HISTORY
We want kids to discover stories about heroes in science, technology, engineering, arts, math and human rights—yesterday’s geeks, nerds and dorks who are today’s must-know visionaries, great minds, dream makers, achievers, and inventors! These are the people who broke through societal barriers and made history in ways beyond our imaginations.
► Why & how did you start this podcast?
We are a team of indie-creators who believe stories have the power to help kids discover their creativity, curiosity, and what makes them remarkable.
Acceptance is our mission! It’s more important than ever that kids know and feel their value. We are all trying to find our place in the world and know we matter. Our stories embrace and celebrate what makes us unique and extraordinary. The characters in our original fairy tales and the stories we tell about hidden heroes help kids understand resilience, persistence, empathy, overcoming obstacles, kindness, trust, respect, collaboration, friendship and gratitude. And we try to teach these important life lessons in a fun, dorky, and entertaining way!
► How'd you find the time and funding to do this podcast?
There’s always time for listening, reading, writing, and performing stories! Everyone on the team has been doing some form of storytelling since childhood. We came together because we believe in our host, Jonathan Cormur, and wanted to collaborate and create original scripts that his magical storytelling and character voice acting could bring to life. The podcast is family-funded.
► What do you gain from podcasting?
Creative bliss, pure joy, purposeful collaboration, community—something we desperately need, especially during these challenging times. We have all been able to use our talents to do work we really believe in and enjoy.
► How does your podcasting process look like?
We are a scripted show so we record a few months before an episode is scheduled to be released. We have an illustrator who creates new artwork for every fairy tale and hidden hero story, so listeners can quickly visualize an episode before they listen to it. We release episodes via Buzzsprout bi-monthly on Thursdays.
► How do you market your show?
We use grassroots efforts to market Dorktales Storytime which includes:
- Creation of a unique brand design, logo and website.
- Community support through Kids Listen, an organization of podcast creators for kids and families.
- Cross-promotions and collaborations
- Community engagement via Twitter, Instagram and other social media.
- Building a newsletter subscriber list.
► What advice would you share with aspiring (new) podcasters?
Start following podcast creators and podcast news sources such as Podcast Magazine to learn how others are managing and marketing their podcasts. We highly recommend Buzzsprout’s blog and their Buzzcast podcast and YouTube channel. Even if you don’t use them as your podcast host, you can learn so much from them about all aspects of podcasting.
It’s important to consistently publish episodes if you want to build an audience. If you are going to do a scripted podcast, make sure you have a backlog of episodes before you launch so you won’t find yourself scrambling and stressed out to make a deadline.
Have patience. It takes time to build a following.
► Where can we learn more about you & your podcasts?
Website: https://bit.ly/dorktales-storytime-pod
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dorktalesstorytime/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dorktalesstory
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dorktalesstorytime
Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dorktales
Ways to Contact: https://bit.ly/contact-dorktalespod