A podcast that talks with interesting people about the latest happenings in entertainment, art, sports, and the news

The podcast is a satirical and quirky take on current events. Instead of approaching topics like COVID-19 and dating with pretentiousness and condescension to "enlighten" the audience, the goal is to try (sometimes successfully) to brighten the day of people with humor that isn't needlessly crass. The show is not meant to be taken too seriously and it seems like people who enjoy off-kilter guests are drawn to the show. I have been taken aback by the variety of countries from where people appear to be listening to the show! It would be funny if all along it was just people pranking me by downloading the podcast through a VPN --- wow, I have HOW many listeners from Zimbabwe?
 

I find myself listening to a fairly small number of podcasts. Gilbert Gottfried's is quite good because it is unique. There are not a lot of people doing humorous interviews with entertainers from yesteryear. I love podcasts like that which fill a void in the market. Hopefully my podcast does that. I started in late 2018 because I felt current event podcasts were inflammatory and polarizing, which gets dull after a while. Life is hard....why make it more unpleasant with divisive content? So I would say the goal is to bring some levity into the room. The first podcast was a breeze to record, although the audio quality in retrospect sounds like I am talking through a can of Dinty Moore beef stew (hopefully that name-drop leads to a Hormel sponsorship).
 

Whenever I have a creative spark and/or an intriguing guest, I will record the show. That avoids the show feeling monotonous. Recording for routine's sake takes the art out of it (okay, that does sound a little pretentious). Sincerely though, I think a lot of podcasts will be a lot more entertaining if people take the time to craft an engaging episode. I'm not going to interview someone if my heart is not into learning about that person. Very little money is spent on podcast recording and editing, as it is all done with tools I already have. I may delve into advertising the show more in the future, which will result in expenditures...brother, can you spare a dime?
 

I started on Anchor (like half of the human population), so I did have a sponsor immediately and made a decent amount of money. Unlike most podcasts hosted on Anchor though, I actually continued releasing new episodes! The frustration was that the way Anchor was set up at the time limited the potential platforms where my show could be heard; for example, it was not possible to get the podcast approved on Pandora if I continued with Anchor as my host. After trying different podcast hosting platforms, I am currently at Sounder.fm, which offers monetization opportunities as well.
 

I find guests through Twitter more often than not. If only I can find a date through Twitter! In terms of preparation, I do find creating an outline is helpful in making a coherent episode. Even if someone wants to be organic and authentic, using some bullet-points to stay on track can be incredibly helpful.
 

I promote the podcast on Twitter quite a bit, but I would like to expand the social media platforms I use to spread awareness about the show. Would anyone like to be my social media intern? Send in that resume, even if it is written in crayon.
 

Don't get discouraged if listenership is not high to start the first few months. It is a crowded marketplace and there are lots of options out there. Be patient and appreciative of those who do listen. Even if your podcast ultimately gets heard consistently by the same 10-20 people, think about how impactful your show is that they listen regularly. Your voice is making a difference in the lives of those people, and you should be proud of that. Multipurpose show content if you can by posting clips on a platform like YouTube; doing this will help people discover the show. It is amazing how many people exclusively listen to audio podcasts on YouTube, a platform usually meant for video content. Most importantly --- have fun!
 

@gradeausa for Twitter -- follow me on there and we can chat about podcasting and potentially collaborate! I'm also willing to shower people with kisses if they check out and subscribe to the YouTube page the podcast is featured on: https://www.youtube.com/c/GRADEAUSA -- thanks!