Journal

A Public Personal Journal
...A Look Behind the Curtain

The year 2020 was a roller coaster ride. For most everyone I know, at least. It took me from selling cars, paid on commission, to now working an hourly overnight gig. In a period of boredom, I realized my desire to create a podcast. If I had known what level of work I was getting myself into, I probably wouldn't have done it. In retrospect, I am appreciative that I hadn't known, and am very excited with the entire process of audio drama podcast production.

I know I won't update this often., let's be honest. But, I wanted to write to myself about my journey. Hopefully, I'll look back at these and realize how stupid I had been, by comparison. The following articles are a public journal, for myself.

*Reader's discretion is advised.

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quill pen on paper

June 02, 2022: 4/8s of the Way Through Season I

Universe25 is being published, and we're getting great responses. We're 4/8 episodes in. We got fan art! We launched a Patreon page, announced it on Sunday, and now have 4 patrons. I put out the goal of 30 patrons at any level, and then we'd go into production of season two.

Things I would do differently next series/season I create:
Have all audio saved as raw files. Maybe organize them first. I am always concerned I'll accidentally screw something up, and lose crucial audio.
Be more proactive with ambient audio. Once season one is over, I'll be going back over the audio, adding ambient audio. Just to distract from audio quality differences between the two mics, as well as making it more immersive.

Things I'm glad I've been doing prior to season one:
Social media presence. Making a following before the first season helped narrow followers down to more the listeners who would be inclined to appreciate the brand.

I didn't realize how heavy th
e needs were for audio drama production, and promotion. I have volunteers who say they're interested in assisting in the process, and their excitement tapers off immediately. I can't do tapered-off excitement. If they're not excited about doing it, I'm not taking volunteers. Don't offer something you are only offering just to be able to say you're helping.

Stargate Pioneer (now SP Rupert) has restarted Better Podcasting Live, but for interviews he's hosting. And, he asked me to be his episode one. So, that's way neat! If you want a link to see our conversation, go to
https://youtu.be/ixwDaOJoUUk. I think I'm getting the hang of interviews, promoting my content. I have a couple more podcasts I'm supposed to guest on, and have a few under my belt, since we've last spoken.

Good Thing 1: Universe25 has fan art from actual real-life fans!
Good Thing 2: Patrons are 2/15s of the way to justifying making a second season.
Learning Curve: I was hoping I could entrust certain tasks to certain individuals who either wait until it's too late for feedback, or not at all. I either have to accept the product they give me too late, or go with what I am capable of doing alone.

March 16, 2022: A Jumble of Thoughts

Universe25 is in post! Just the most MINOR tweaks are needed to be made to the dialogue. Like pronouns, I overlooked in the script, and just minor stuff. So, yeah. But we're in post!!! On Sunday, I'm going to scout for sound effects for the season with my buddy who helped in the casting process.

Holy shit.
I couldn't be more elated than I am with all the cast of U-XXV. It was SO much fun to record Universe25. It was hella busy for me, though. I scheduled everything like crazy. Scene partners were coordinated, for expediency and just overall effeciency. In post-production, it made this a tad more confusing... okay... I'll be honest: it made it WAY more confusing. I lost a couple scenes, but we're fine. Next season will be easier, having done it once.

My voice actors have a far greater connection with their characters, since they have the ability to truly take responsibility for them. I expected it, and it came around, just as expected.

I ordered posters to be
given away as prizes or whatever. I think I'll order some hats too, to be embroidered.

Have you checked out our site for the series yet?
Check out Universe25Pod.com. I'm also putting that in here to be a backlink for self-promotion purposes with the search algorithms. It's a whole thing.

Enough about Universe25 for a sec. Let's talk Mercury Theatre Podcast... It's still amazing! I've been cheating a little bit, so I could focus more on U-XXV, except
I don't think if you listen to the show that you'd notice when I took a break, since every episode is already totally constructed differently than the last. This next one will be fun. We recorded that one on Saturday. I absolutely love my voice actors. This one features two VAs you'll recognize from previous episodes, and they just killed the performance.

Good Thing 1: U-XXV is in post-production.
Good Thing 2: Universe25 has a healthier following than MTP had when it first took off... Let's be honest though... MTP had no following, originally. It helps that we have a VA with 14k followers on IG who is SUPER pumped to have been a part of this series.
Learning Curve: I have been working with Stargate Pioneer, since he seemed like he wanted to be busy with things podcasting. I have to be able to refrain from over-critiquing. I don't think it'll be a problem, nor has it been. But, it is something I need to go into, knowing is a potential scenario.

January 21, 2022: We're Cast

January has been incredibly busy doing so little, and so much simultaneously! Universe25 has been cast! We are in pre=production. I'm tightening the last bits of the U-XXV script, and we have scheduled dates for recording.


Good Thing 1: U-XXV has been cast!
Good Thing 2: We now have two microphones plugged into the same interface.
Learning Curve: We're now in pre-production for U-XXV. The similarieties, and the differences will create interesting obstacles for the series.

December 26, 2021: U-XXV Casting

You read that title correctly: we are officially in the season for casting season one of Universe25! I posted in our local actors' page on Facebook 1.9k followers, and we're getting... I keep saying we're, like I'm not the one running the damn thing. I'm busy as fuck. I should take some damn credit. I'm getting quite a few responses, and based on Facebook's algorithm, it'll only get more popular. So, I am setting January 8th as audition day (with maybe some exceptions). The month of February will be recording month on the weekends. I'll have a spreadsheet- no, my wife has promised me her services with that process... but the spreadsheet will be based off of peoples' availability, so I can record the right people with the other right people, since it won't be recorded chronologically. I'm so excited to record live. I got a new shotgun microphone, which will be used for sound effects, and as another microphone for the voice actors to be able to react in real time. I need a mic stand.

I am finalizing the episode Guild of the Onyx Moon, which will air tomorrow morning. I am excited about that. There's a parody commercial on there that I find way too hilarious:
WWII on Ice. It has like 8 layers of audio. So detailed, but SO fun.

I know it has been so long since my last update, but... I have way too much going on... that's not true. I am AT capacity, and these updates are a means of me venting, and
my venting is a luxury. I can't imagine how people do this while having a job AND kids. I love this.

Did you know your local library may have rooms available to reserve for an event? I may just host the auditions (and recording?) there. We'll see. I'll probably go tomorrow, to find out what's going on with the rooms.

Instagram: 838
Twitter: 372
Count: 4,568
Good Thing 1: I got a new shotgun microphone!
Good Thing 2: I also got new headphones as a gift! Audio-Technica ATH-M40x. I like them so far!
Learning Curve: Auditions! I've never held live auditions! I know that no matter their performance, I want to tweak it, to see if they can take direction. Like... holy crap. I'm so excited.

November 6, 2021: Seasons Greetings

Here we are: a very long time later. I promise you we're/I'm hard at work creating more content. We had another recording last week for another episode. And, I am officially in post-production for this month's episode of Mercury Theatre Podcast. That's right! We're returning for season 2 of MTP on the 29th of this month! This one has a super fun name too! Two Wrongs Make a Wright. It makes a ton of sense when you listen to the episode. I have a VA who didn't know they sounded like a ghost in their audio. I get to do a re-record with them tomorrow. It also gives me an excuse to get a better reading anyway.

I wrote the first 7 pages of another episode, and I love the concept. It will only require 2ish voice actors. But it'll be about artificial intelligence. I had my confidant read it, and they liked the concept. We did some brainstorming, and eventually, they said they wanted to write the episode. I was taken aback, because writing is the second- no third- least desired role in the whole process. In all fairness, I guess there are really only four positions in this process: acting, writing, social media, and post-production. But hey!
Anything that helps potentially lighten my load, and give someone an opportunity to use their creativity somehow.

I'm trying to plan a group recap of season one. It could be our Holidays episode. We'll record next weekend. Instead of an interview, it'll be our candid conversations. I also want to add snippets from season one. I'm actually quite satisfied with the idea.

My wife and I went to a local theatre production of
Clue at the Asheville Community Theatre last night. It was fun. Made a connection there with the marketing director.

Instagram: 767
Twitter: 358
Count: 3,938
Good Thing 1: We're ACTUALLY in post-production of season 2!
Good Thing 2: I have weekends off from the job I start on Monday! This is great for recording purposes.
Learning Curve: My new job starts on Monday, delivering beer and wine in the Asheville area. I will learn what my schedule looks like, and how to plan podcasting accordingly.

October 17, 2021: Sworn to Secrecy

I recently started schooling for trucking. I don't suck at it, come to find out. I'll be done with the school on the 29th, and have a CDL in hand, hopefull November 1. We'll see who wants to hire me. By the way: this will help my podcasting, as I will have madatory breaks from driving, allowing me to focus on podcast production, and I listen to podcasts as I drive. Not bad.

I'm still waiting on Apple Podcasts to figure out I have a new podcast they should make available. It's currently only available on Spotify.
You should check us out though, if you have Spotify. At The Sett.

I wrote an upcoming episode
Guild of the Onyx Moon. What a freaking cool title, right?! Anyway... We'll record that on the 30th. I've already summarized it for the VA's AND, I've even made a shortlist for the cast. Tomorrow, we'll solidify the list. I think I have everyone figured out for their roles. I'm still two weeks away, and I have this done already. I hope to make this a habit. Helps that I haven't been editing audio simultaneously too. So, that might put a damper on things, coming up shortly.

I just interviewed a really big name in audio drama, but again... Secrecy. *a***e* **b*** is a really cool cat though! They sound just like they do in the podcasts they make. Like, it's not fake conversation. Sometimes people get in front of a microphone, and become a different person. I think-
I almost said their name... I think they're genuine- the real deal.

Instagram: 739
Twitter: 346
Count: 3,717
Good Thing 1: At The Sett is live now.
Good Thing 2: A Foley mic is incredibly within reach, minus availability.
Learning Curve: I taught Heidi how to edit a podcast! And, she doesn't suck at it either!

October 1, 2021: A Spectacular Rabbit Hole

Hey... For Christmas, I want an ISK Pearl Microphone (about $40). It is currently out of stock, otherwise I would seriously consider buying one now. I intend to use it for Foley artisty. I also need a boom pole (which is ironically, about 2x the price of the microphone). So... yeah.

Happy belated International Podcast Day! That was yesterday (September 30th). Coincidentally, our new podcast aired yesterday. So... that's fun! We're still waiting on Apple Podcasts to pick it up, which is to be expected. I found I was able to submit it with my Apple ID I already had MTP submitted under. So, that was cool. I was trying to do it with the At The Sett email address, but their site is wonky.

Holy shit! Okay... So, I'm writing Universe25, right? I realized I needed to know genetic diversity to ensure the lack of inbreeding. Once I answered that question, I then thought about intentional human husbandry. And then, I considered laboratory procreation. And, if they relied on that... would they sterilize everyone at childhood? That would make sex purely for recreational purposes. But, what if the lab(s) failed? Would a select 500 children not be sterilized, to ensure they could still carry on their species? Would those people know they were not sterilized? What would happen if there were accidental pregnancies?
This was a spectacular rabbit hole.

I need to redesign this website, consolidating each podcast information to their own tab, instead of having it all an MTP jerk.

Instagram: 697
Twitter: 332
Count: 3,527
Good Thing 1: At The Sett is live now.
Good Thing 2: A Foley mic is incredibly within reach, minus availability.
Learning Curve: I get to learn how to teach Heidi how to record audio in my physical absence, while I start trucking next week. I think she found herself having volunteered for something more intense than she had anticipated. I am actually surprised at how easy this format is, by comparison to my other endeavors.

September 27, 2021: Coming Thursday

Last night, we recorded episode 2, and will record episode 3 tomorrow morning. This is legit happening. Yesterday, I spent the day making inserts for the episodes. That's right: this show will sound far more thought out than your average show. Which brings me to another realization I had yesterday. I was talking with my co-host before the last recording, and she had a different perspective on how podcasts should be made. I realized she was under the impression that her podcasts have no formula, and they flew by the seat of their pants. I agreed somewhat, but if you think there are successful podcasts with no formula, you'd be wrong 99/100 times. There are introductions, there's fluff, there's content, and there's conclusion. Every show has some variation to this, and some will remove some of these, and others will add to this formula, but... the formula IS there. So, I said we should try it, and what took me 10 minutes to edit in episode 1 took at least 45 minutes this time. The editing is minimal, but we throw in the inserts. The process is intended to be generally audio rendering. Content stays in. And that's an episode. But with no structure like she wanted, she realized in post how fucked it was. And, since she's going to be the one editing the show, it'll either flop because she won't edit the show to the very bare minimum OR we structure our show better. The time we'll save by structuring before recording will make the world of difference in the show... I am interested to see the carryover in listenership that we get from one show to the next. Listen to At The Sett when you get an opportunity. It will find its footing, and it's still pretty interesting, even episode 1.

Eos 10 just posted this morning. Justin McLachlan's episode will air on our next episode.

Instagram: 687
Twitter: 329
Count: 3,485
Good Thing 1: We're getting close to coming out with weekly content.
Good Thing 2: On Thursday, we're posting 3 episodes, specifically so listeners will be able to get a feel for our show.
Learning Curve: Teaching Heidi to make this podcast may wind up being somewhat difficult, but ultimately rewarding to both of us. In all fairness: she was the one who suggested the podcast. It's the small details that would kill us.

September 24, 2021: ANOTHER Podcast?

Okay folks! This is the very first place I'm posting this... I think my wife and I are starting a podcast. We're workshopping the name, but we're pretty sure we're landing on At The Sett. We're both Badgers, and as everyone knows, badgers live in setts. So, yeah! That should be a weekly podcast, and it'll be fairly genuine, as we will both be catching up in real-time, and the show will be minimally edited. She has even displayed interest in doing the editing, since there will (hopefully) be so very little to do. We will do a record in the morning, and I'll show her the editorial ropes. So... Keep an eye out for that! It very well may be posted next week. Our marriage may be rescued, finding a common interest. I told you dating over podcasting... there's something to it.

Instagram: 684
Twitter: 324
Count: 3,429
Good Thing 1: It appears we have a new podcast on the horizon!
Good Thing 2: I will be able to connect with the wife while I'm out of town, using the podcast as a kind of date, and catching up.
Learning Curve: My wife will be learning how to minimally edit audio. So, I get to teach her that. (Hey... for everyone wondering, I keep peoples' names on the DL until I get a real good sense that they're interested in being advertised)

September 21, 2021: What Am I Even Doing?

I am about to launch our Indiegogo campaign. You read that right. Indiegogo. It's going to suck, realizing yet again how few people actually care to hear an indie production of a topic nobody cares about. So... there's that.

I just negotiated rights to use some music as the theme of U-XXV, and it's super catchy, and amazing. Has a lot of depth. But, I won't divulge that here, not now. I had some music I had put together (as I'm sure I mentioned before), but after hearing some music organically, I knew I had to have it. Or, at least to attempt to have it.

Instagram: 677
Twitter: 321
Count: 3,422
Good Thing 1: I didn't die on the roadtrip!
Good Thing 2: While more than I was originally hoping, the rights to the music I negotiated is far less than I expected. No, I didn't just contradict myself.
Learning Curve: If you ever want to get any writing done on the road, don't take the back roads if you're doing the navigating.

September 12, 2021: Road Trip Coming Soon

Wow. I have neglected the fuck out of you/me. Tomorrow, the interview with the Vanishing Act producers Ian Geers and Lauren Grace Thompson airs.

I found the word "asshole" left in the Vanishing Act episode that aired last month. Nobody has mentioned it. But, I am re-listening, and going to re-upload the entire episode to censor the one swear. The lengths I go to for you. My ear has become blind to profanity, so It's hard to censor everything. It's like trying to find how many times the word "and" shows up in a paragraph. You keep forgetting that's what you're doing.

I am killing it with the Instagram photos. I now have two apps I recently downloaded to help increase the quality and content.
Instagram Layout has helped incorporate more pictures into a single image. It makes it very smooth. After going through that process, I will put it through MemeGenerator. I can use this to add captions. It has some pretty great fonts too. Unfortunately, it appears everything has to be horizontal., with no tilt. It also requires a bunch of lines, if I want to tighten lines. Okay, I know this makes no sense, as I'm screwing up the explanation altogether. Try it, and it'll probably make more sense for you.

I'm going to be leaving on Wednesday to go to my buddy's wedding up in Wisconsin. Road trip!!! I'm going to take a BUNCH of pictures, which is great fodder for the Instagram crap.

I just nominated the show for the
Audioverse Awards. We'll see how that goes. Or not. Pretty sure the Austin Film Festival has passed me over- which totally makes sense. I missed a couple things that were meant to be replaced.

I think I said I would stop the tally for the following, but I'm kind of liking it. It helps keep me humble. The Vanishing Act has surpassed 15k downloads in about the same period of time that we've been active. So... they're doing something right, or I am doing something terrible. Or, both.

Instagram: 645
Twitter: 310
Count: 3,330
Good Thing 1: I'm going on a long road trip!
Good Thing 2: On the trip, I'll have some opportunity to do some writing. I hope.
Learning Curve: I just passed a set of the Instagram keys to John Mark Maust. I'm interested in seeing the growth. His Instagram profile is performing very well. The followership to followship is very appetizing.

August 29, 2021: Blue Checks Need Headphones Too

Tomorrow, our first guest episode airs. Honestly, it feels like it has been months since our last episode has premiered. It has been strange, to get so much done, and yet, not a WHOLE lot of progress done on the audio side of things. Just more in the pre-production and marketing sides. I just interviewed **s*i* M***c***n on Friday. So, that'll air in October. We have also been given permission to play their first episode as well.

I haven't been harping so hard on the social media stuff these last few days, and have been getting the residual friend requests from earlier last week. So, today marks the last time for a while that I'll post the followers. But, don't worry: it'll show up periodically.

Instagram: 494
Twitter: 292
Count: 3,232
Good Thing 1: Another interview in the bag!
Good Thing 2: It has felt so good to be able to be away from the computer for such lengths of time. It'll be good to get back to editing, but right now, it's just a nice breath of fresh air. Like scuba diving is so fun, but after a few hours, you just need to breath above water.
Learning Curve: I need to make sure that all my interviewees have headphones, earbuds, or whatever, despite their level of stardom. That sucks.

August 23, 2021: Verified Reschedule

I have been batting way outside my league, to schedule interviews. Every so often, I am graced with a positive response. Yesterday, I got one. I cannot disclose who it is, except for my cryptic *u***n *c***h***. I got so excited. I sent them a Calendly link that I created for interviews... yesterday (for the appearance of looking more professional). They picked LITERALLY the only date I am not available, and can't reschedule. They offered to change the date/time if I was not available then. I am not. I am so embarrassed. We switched the date to Friday, instead of Thursday. They were so understanding. It's always embarrssing to reschedule with a verified personality.

Can we talk a second about batting outside my league for a second, though? The higher I swing, connect, and land, the likelier it is that I keep connecting with those even more outside my league. I leverage my previous interviews to convince my proposed interviewees.
KC Wayland is a slam dunk a homerun. In the beginning of the episodes, you may have noticed my intros of "I'm _________, I'm _________, I'm __________, and I'm _________. And, you're listening to Mercury Theatre Podcast." This is something I picked up from another podcast that those personalities are like Penn Gilette, Neil Degrasse Tyson, and so on. But, it also helps promote the caliber of which I intend to exude.

With interview propositions, I have begun to give a list of demands from my interviewees. That list consists of an item. Shut up- one is a list. That list consists of "I only have one request of my interviewees, and that is to promote the episode when it goes live." That's right:
I'm tapping into their followership, since I'm a dick. It gives them a platform that they can give their followers another avenue to hear them talk, as well as promoting my show.

Instagram: 400
Twitter: 265
Count: 3,211
Good Thing 1: Verified personalities are humans too, capable of understanding mistakes.
Good Thing 2: It is great to have people in my corner who get excited with me, despite people surrounding me who act like a wet blanket.
Learning Curve: In a week, I went from mid 100s (I think like 170) followers, to 400. FOUR HUNDRED. I could market myself as a social media merketer, and I might not suck at it. But, I can't imagine doing this professionally.

August 20, 2021: Not a Post

I have been finding myself accidentally enjoying some of the videos on Instagram, which distracts me from my task of building social media following. Speaking of... this is just an update on my social media following, so you can get an almost real-time look at my stats. As you can undoubtedly see: I have been focusing primarily on IG. Compare against the last three days.

On the 18th:
Instagram: 201
Twitter: 233

On the 19th:
Instagram: 237
Twitter: 240

Today:

Instagram: 288
Twitter: 243
Good Thing 1: N/A
Good Thing 2: N/A
Learning Curve: N/A

August 19, 2021: 10,749 IG Followers on August 18, 2021?

It has been a while since I updated my stats. Admittedly, I have dropped in download numbers over the last 30 days from the previous 30. I went from 440 downloads from June 19-July 18, to 367 between July 19-August 17. Which, that's fine. I didn't focus as hard on growth the last month, but I am excited to see what happens over the next 30, since I learned how to grow in followers on social media. Social follwership does NOT equal listeners, but, I do know for a fact, that many downloads have been a direct result from social media growth. So, that is a cool thing to know.

Have I mentioned that I could tell somebody about three things, and let them grow the show 2k followers on IG in 6 months?

As an added bonus, you can see the most recent socials' growth, from about the last 30 hours. You'll be able to see that I've been focusing more on IG. Especially since Twitter puts limits on how many people you can follow in a specific (secret) timeframe. The information is vague, so I am not sure how many I can follow in an unknown amount of time. They're limiting people from doing exactly what I'm doing, except they also restrict them to prohibit bots from mass following. I bet, Twitter... I bet.
Keep in mind that our Instagram had 201 yesterday, and Twitter had 233. If it indeed was 30 hours ago since my last post (I don't know exactly how many, but I assume it's right about 30), I have gained 36 followers on IG, averaging 1.2 followers an hour. There are 8,760 hours in a year. If I kept at the last 30 hours' pace, I could have 10,749 followers by this time next year. That will NOT happen, because I have neither the time, nor attention to do so. But if I had someone else doing it... think about it. Social Media Marketer: It'll be my first paid position.

Instagram: 237
Twitter: 240
Count: 3,192
Good Thing 1: Social media presence/growth has resulted in downloads.
Good Thing 2: Social media is exploding. It really is.
Learning Curve: I didn't do a great job last month for growth, but that's okay. I am moving forward. Also, some of the people binge the show when they find it. Which translates to not a drop in listeners from the previous month, but that we may have simply not been binged as much this most recent month.

August 18, 2021: It's Working! It's WORKING!!!

That title for this post couldn't be more perfect. In case you have tried to forget: Anakin, in the Phantom Menace yelled that when they were testing the pod racer. Remember? Oh, now you do. Don't hate me. It'll come back around. Not the movie; the subject. I am in the process of connecting with people in the social medias that are pertinent. I even did it with my personal account! Let's break down who I'm following on the different accounts:
MTP Instagram and Twitter accounts: Voice Actors, Podcasts, and Podcasters. (I'll update the categories as I continue)
Personal Twitter account: Screenwriters and Authors.
[Actually... I'm going to update my numbers for MTP below. I know I did this somewhere in the history. But, time to update]
This process has been incredibly rewarding in the folloership department. I have gained at least 40 followers on IG in the last three days (that's being conservative).

Why am I forcing you to remember the Star Wars prequel? I followed a screenwriter, and he messaged me (
who does that???). Come to find out, he was a consultant on the screenplay for a bunch of movies. That one included. But, yeah. That's pretty cool. Potential interview, but I'm not going to push it. Not everyone's comfortable with the audio medium.

Podcast creation discussion now... I have NDAs out in the ether now! We are not discussing the actual content of the show. Just the process and stuff. I got positive feedback from some masochist who read the entire script in a day. He says he binges good quality content. I specifically asked for initial impressions, and I got great feedback- not just the
"Oh it's so good! I wouldn't change a thing" bullshit. It's incredibly thoughtful. Before we adjust the script, I'm having the small team sign NDAs and read the script. Then, we'll meet and have a powwow.

Instagram: 201
Twitter: 233
Good Thing 1: I'm far too excited to have NDAs with my crew.
Good Thing 2: U-XXV is coming together!
Learning Curve: What's there to learn? I'm amazing. I need to better continue making actual IG posts, and not just the stories (which, admittedly, are AMAZEBALLS).

August 15, 2021: I Wasted Money on a Social Media Marketing Class

You know how last year I took classes for Social Media Marketing? Keep that in mind. Yesterday, I went over to my buddy's house. He finally introduced me to his wife who does promotion for their Air BnB house. She started showing me her Instagram profile. I have been posting to Twitter because I've had the most engagement there. She showed me all the features of IG, and who she follows, and what photos she likes... Let me just clarify: she likes and follows everyone and everything that's somewhat relevant. She looks up related hashtags, and just clicks heart after heart. What's she losing? Nothing. What's she gaining? Brand recognition. A simple comment of "congrats!" or an emoji increase the visibility of the brand that much. She instilled in me the importance of the Stories, since people will see that every day. Jesus Christ... After she showed me what Instagram was, I realized I had NEVER been shown this method in the Social Media Marketing class. I don't know if we even were taught the benefits of the app. She encouraged me to add my personality to the gram: something I loathe, since I've never felt anything special about myself (I feel like I'm in a therapist's chair, writing to you guys). Stupid simple things like taking pics of potential backgrounds, just to have when I want to write a post. What I learned yesterday was invaluable. What I learned yesterday, was that I wasted my money on a Social Media Marketing Class.

I like sleeping periodically, regardless of location. If I fall asleep on the couch, is that a bad thing??? Why does it seem every time someone goes to sleep on the couch, it seems like a desperate method of rest? I like sleeping on the couch.

Good Thing 1: You are going to watch our Instagram go from sleepy to bustling. Over time, anyway. I'm excited to see it in a year.
Good Thing 2: In addition to simply getting more followers, many other profiles will get followed too. It's not just about me, but creators as a collective.
Learning Curve: Instagram is an avenue I haven't focused on. As I am on hiatus, I can focus on writing scripts, and on social media application. Increase my followership, and my presence. I need to be a leader in the field. I think I could just pull it off.

August 14, 2021: Finally Content for You!

Hello, Readers!


I realize over the last few posts, I have been minimalistic in my writing. I felt compelled to write, but I didn’t know what to write. There has been a great influx of knowledge over the recent weeks. Yay! But, also, that has, ironically, deterred my posts.


Yesterday, I sat at my computer, and drafted about three episodes of U-XXV, and there are some points that I am aghast at the events occurring in my own writing. I won’t go into particularities, but there are two scenes that really jump out at me. One about a relational construct that would be considered normal today, but could be construed entirely different, from foreign perspective. And the other being a point at which I realize as I’m writing it, that one character is pitting another character against a third party. I sat back after my own revelation, and just… Essentially, I mentally stroked myself off. I just had a profound moment, where I felt the character was leading the scene, and I just happened to record it. I think that was a first for me, honestly. My fingers can only type so fast, and I was fortunate enough to have kept up. Knowing too, the premise that the series is based on, I am accidentally writing material that only naturally fits into the storyline, that I hadn’t originally anticipated. I read what I’ve written, and I realize there are perfect parallels to what currently exists, and watching the evolution of the story, making it more believable. Sometimes, I have to stop a scene, just so I don’t just bog the listener with all the facts. Spoiler: Sometimes I will write a question from character #1, and before character #2 answers, the scene has changed… I don’t always have an answer in mind, but I can bring it back around, and realize it fits perfectly.


So, these episodes are JUST drafts, but those two scenes will make the final cut, I can nearly guarantee it. If I could write each episode like I wrote those two scenes, I wouldn’t even need anyone to read my material. But, U-XXV is being done differently than I’ve done with MTP, as you have probably read time and time again, by now. I forget all the posts I’ve written. U-XXV will undergo a much more thorough process, requiring several re-writes, and notes.


I’m also realizing that with U-XXV, I’m writing some more dialogue-heavy scenes. Much longer. But, in order to convey all the information, there has to be the audience’s stand-in. It’s going to be less SFX heavy, but a listener from most any other audio dramas won’t notice the lack of sound design. I say this now. I might be eating my foot next year, when I read this again.


As it stands, U-XXV will start off with a recap of the previous episode, and then it will jump right into the episode. THEN the theme music (which is amazing) will play. I still envy the Vanishing Act’s theme music (which I have integrated into the interview). But, U-XXV will feel much… darker, I hope, than the Vanishing Act.


I have the next two months worth of Twitter posts scheduled for MTP. They are lines from previous episodes, in no particular order. I am very happy with the lack of required mental capacity for the posts. I’m just trying to wake up the Twitter algorithm. Maybe I’ll achieve some more visibility. But, goddam… it’s a lot to have done. Especially on my shitty laptop’s touchpad. To top that off, it wasn’t letting me connect the mouse, so I had to do it with that faulty touchpad. Speaking of laptops! I just got my new one yesterday afternoon! And, I now have Adobe Audition on it. So, I can edit on-the-go. I’m so happy about my future.


You read a memoire! You have reached the end. I’ve been so burdened by so much information that I wasn’t quite capable of squeezing it out. But, with all my recent writing, it was apparently quite easy to get back on the wagon. If you’ve been reading this in real-time, thank you for your patience. Feel free to email me, prompting me to get back to writing though. How do you feel about me writing a book from all my posts to-date?


Good Thing 1: So much of U-XXV is getting done, after focus on so much, but barely.
Good Thing 2: I got a "new" laptop! I just realized this morning that it has no USB ports. At first they took my CD-Rom ports, and now my USB ports. I have to get a Bluetooth mouse. This wireless mouse won't do.
Learning Curve: Sometimes I impress myself. Not often. But, I can. If I could more consistently harness the capabilities I just discovered, I could have great potential. Assuming I can focus myself on one thing at a time. Which, again, is why I'm on active hiatus.

August 11, 2021: False Starts

This is attempt #3 at starting this post. I have been so incredibly busy with everything, and excited about a good portion of it.

I found a couple websites that would be PERFECT for what I'm about to propose... again. But, this time, I think I have a fighting chance at making this one happen:
a network. I went to PodMov last week, and I realized what a scam an audio drama network was, and I decided to uncut them in percentages. ALL of this paragraph is spit-balling, but I want to have another creator get in on this at the ground floor. I would be willing to set audio dramas of my own creation on the backburner, because I believe in the network potential. Dramafy has an 80% fee, with a 20% share amongst the creators. They said they would "help with" marketing, but that it wasn't marketing they were offering. So, what the hell are they charging 80% for??? Marketing is what costs a lot of money, and if they're not even providing that... I have actually still been considering it, regardless. Why? I want to know the costs and benefits of the network. But... I actually have done fairly well thus far, with learning things as I progress. A network would be a means of combining our efforts to offset creation costs. And, hopefully put some money in our pockets too. That would be neat.

One of the sessions I attended was all about how to create a network.
He said it took 3 years, when he had been told it would be four. Going in with the right expectations is key. 4 years.

Good Thing 1: I think a network is feasible, and I think I have access to those who can ensure its success.
Good Thing 2: I'm in audio drama for the long-haul. There are so many shiny aspects to it, but I'm in the right creative atmosphere.
Learning Curve: Marketing hasn't been kind to me, but... money fixes that problem. What?! It does! Get the right marketing manager, and this would sky-rocket.

August 8, 2021: Nearly Cried

Okay... That was a packed week. If you know me, you probably know I'm naturally an introvert with the capabilities of an extrovert. Week sleep deprivation and my introversion, I nearly cried on Wednesday.

There's so much to unpack, but I am in a good place.


Good Thing 1: We made it to Nashville, safe.
Good Thing 2:
Learning Curve: This entire week is for the purpose of learning. And networking.

August 4, 2021: PodMov Day I Recap

I met Stargate Pioneer. And, he's our roommate until Friday. Pretty neat dude.

Aspirations for this week: Stop me if you've heard this one- networking. But, it would be great to actually CREATE a network. An audio drama network would be incredibly delightful. At this conference, half my sessions are audio dramas, and who goes to audio drama sessions? And, who's asking way too many questions in a blog-type-thing? I get it. Anyway... I would love to go into MTP Season II as a network, promoting other audio dramas, and vice versa.

Yesterday was fun. The
Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center is enormous. It's like an indoor city. But the layout is bizarre. Like, it's cool, but I swear the maps are worse than not having any at all. I don't know guys... I'll update you after the first day ACTUALLY started. Yesterday was a primer day. Didn't really have much opportunity to... Okay... I'm conflicted. It's like dating all over again, but I've lost my luster. Today will be about re-learning how to hit on people, minus the end goal being to fuck.


Good Thing 1: We made it to Nashville, safe.
Good Thing 2:
Learning Curve: This entire week is for the purpose of learning. And networking.

August 2, 2021: Sleep is for the Dead

I just recruited like 4 new voice actors yesterday. I cast them as "Recurring Cast Members," so hopefully there will be more likelihood of attendance than there has been, with those I recruited for individual episodes. Nathan and Derrick are both of the "RCM," ilk, and they have been on top of being available for the episodes. Very, very happy with those guys.

Okay, the real reason I'm here writing to you today... Oh dammit.
I still haven't told you who I interviewed yesterday, nor will I. I'm sorry. Don't worry. You know what? Fuck it. Ian Geers and Lauren Grace Thompson from the Vanishing Act. Two of the loveliest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting via Zoom. I am jumping right into post-production for the interview now, since if I get it done now, I can skip focusing on it next month, and letting it interrupt my writing flow. Our interview lasted over an hour before I told them to just stop recording, since we just hit it off, and all love talking about podcasting. I could have had an episode with each of them. I get the beautiful task of narrowing it down to only the most exciting parts. They are legitimately interesting people. Also, kudos to me for being the first person to interview the two of them. Assuming nobody else interviews them and publishes it before September 13, this will be their interview premier!

My smoke alarm is beeping, and I can't do anything about it since of all the batteries we have on hand, D batteries is not among them.
Why bother having a wired-in alarm, if you still have to replace the battery?


Good Thing 1: I am creating connections where I have opportunity to promote other peoples' content, and get my episodes out.
Good Thing 2: Podcast Movement starts tomorrow, and I will be there! We're getting up early (4:30ish) to go. Luckily for me, I'll literally already be up.
Learning Curve: I am concerned about censoring a show because it is obviously perfect as it is, and to censor it is literally censorship. Sure, I have permission, but I still hate it. But, I would hate worse to allow MTP's rep to be marred by an episode.

August 1, 2021: Frankenstein's Monster

We meet again. I'm just going to jump right in.

Yesterday, I spent my entire free time creating the Vengroff interview, and I am in love with the final product. It took an excessive amount of time, since it's a new process, and I hadn't marked the right times for it before dissecting it. It's like I went into surgery, forgetting to label the guts, so when I tried to recreate Frankenstein's Monster, I had to rediscover
which lump was the spleen, and the liver. Next time, I know better how to do it... if there is a next time. It took a lot of time. What did I do differently this time? This is why you guys came here: the inside scoop before the product goes public. I eliminated the majority of my dialogue to create *drumroll* a highly produced interview. If you're familiar with Revisionist History, you may know that Malcom doesn't do a whole lot of talking to the individuals, but exchanges his dialogue with explanations in post. Confused? Wait until the 9th, and you will hear exactly what I'm talking about, and you should love it too.

I met yesterday too, with some select members of the team, giving me an opportunity to talk aloud about my restructuring. You know the phrase "
that could have been an email?" I feel like it could have been, except I wouldn't have been as capable of dialogue in an email. I was searching for input, which I got a bit of. I think we'll have a few episodes of MTP queued to publish before we go into production of U-XXV. But, I'll have the opportunity to write MTP and U-XXV in the meantime, focusing on that. The writing isn't the hard part, but it does take a little more discipline, since the recording and post are reliant on the writing. Plot holes, and emphasis make writing necessary. I want to not be able to write fan fiction of my own shows anymore, in hopes of plugging holes. Ironically though, Room 707 is one of the most-often complimented episodes, despite all the plot holes I accidentally created. Want to read a fanfic that ties that episode together?

In case you don't remember the episode, go to
Room 707 now. FanFic: Catherine went to the city to meet up with George to kill him. That's the only way the episode makes sense. What was she looking for as the clerk banged on her door? Oh... I don't even remember what plug I used to cover that hole. Such a poorly written episode. Oh well.


Count: 2,953
Good Thing 1: Interview episodes are going to be OFF DA HOOK henceforth... unless listeners hate it.
Good Thing 2: Podcast Movement's Nashvile expo starts on Tuesday (It's technically Sunday, right now).
Learning Curve: Going into production of MTP before U-XXV was a bit of a surprise to me, but it totally makes sense. It's going to require a great deal of concentration on my part.

July 24, 2021: MTP Under Construction

I have my schedule for next week's PodCon, and I couldn't be more dlighted. Okay.., maybe I could be. If there were some sessions not overlapping, at my choosing. So, I have "alternative" sessions to go to, if the session I go to sucks. There are only like three overlapping ones that I would really want to go to.


Fruitikenesis just published for the rest of the world. So, MTP is officially under construction. Here's my laundry list:

Organize Files
Name Files
MTP Completed Episodes
MTP Episode Drafts
SFX

Transfer Files to External Hard Drive

Cast MTP Season 2

Write MTP Season 2
First 6 Episodes (next 5)

Write U-XXV Season 1
All

Schedule/Record Interviews and Audio Drama Episodes
(08.09) Travis Vengroff
(08.30) V**i***** *c*(?)
(09.13) V**i***** Pod Interview
(09.27) George/Kittenbetrippen
(10.11)
(10.25)
(11.08)
(11.29) Holiday(?)

Dates and episodes are not guaranteed. Remember: you're reading the thoughts as they emerge from my brain oftentimes, as well as while they're still in draft form. And, the dates with blanks, I get to figure out what to fill them with. I promise
I will never recommend something I don't enjoy, myself. And, the Holiday episode may very well not happen.


Oh!
I also created the Press Kit page. Check it out. It's a summary of the podcast. I straight-up stole the format from the... I almost gave away who I'm interviewing tomorrow. You tricksy. But, I think the page is kind of fire. I want to get more reviews from which to choose, but the ones I have don't suck.


Good Thing 1: I am now focusing on organization, instead of feeling forced into the next episode right now.
Good Thing 2: Progress has already been made on that aforementioned list.
Learning Curve: Just because I have the time to breathe, doesn't mean it's time to sit back, and let the time fly away. I must continue to progress, but I can take a more relaxed approach.

July 26, 2021: A Rando Article

I am including a random thing I wrote. I had no idea what I would do with it, but if I'm going to write something without purpose, I will include it here. You're welcome. It reads:

I have been a man who is easily described as “Happy-Go-Lucky.” I am often the guy who is happy under any circumstance, and yet… I never found passion in life. I thought I understood passion in food when I sought and achieved a degree in culinary arts. But, I always envied the assholes in class who spoke out of class about the intricacies of food. Their whole lives consumed by… food. A substance created essentially to stave off starvation. I never understood passion, since they had that factor that I would have sworn to be falsified. It wasn’t false- I was.

It was over a year ago now, that I realized the capabilities I have to create immersive audio drama. Something listeners can sit back, and become totally consumed by simply listening to a story. A story that captivates them, yet allows their own imaginations to run rampant. Audio Drama. Actors, sound effects, and music with perfect timing will create the desired environment.

These are all aspects that I, as an amateur, realized to be at my fingertips, if only I knew how to access it. With no know-how, I became entranced by the concept of the invention of audio movies. Stories that by simply assembling sounds just the right way, could remove a listener from their current situation, allowing them to become enraptured, simply by listening. I found my passion: audio drama.

I know the feeling of waking up, thinking about audio, living my day thinking about audio, and going to sleep thinking of audio. Audio consumes me. For over a year now, I have become enslaved to the concept of transporting others and myself to other lands and times. I have passion. Passion I knew was impossible. I am in love. And, I require nothing from it in return, as long as it follows my lead.

I hope every single person finds their audio drama- whether that be running long-distances, scuba diving, video games, hockey, or anything else. I was a non-believer, but today I can attest to the very excitement a usually unexcitable person can feel in the depths of my being. If you’re not in love- if you don’t have passion for something, try something else. Eventually, you will likely find what has you excited from pillow-to-pillow. In the meantime, listen to Mercury Theatre Podcast, so you can help me reach my ultimate goal of success in my passion. Don’t let my passion cripple me!

July 24, 2021: Restructuring

Season One is closing, as of Monday. I am recording Season Two episode One today. And, I will sit on it in post for a while. I need to breathe. I need to reorganize. I need to write. I need to cast. I need to delegate. I am restructuring.

One of the restructuring measures should be in the interviews. I have been listening to Malcolm Gladwell's Revisionist History podcast. It's a great podcast, which I highly recommend. I am currently watching his Masterclass about writing, but I know there is so much that will translate into podcast interviews, since he writes many, many biographies and interviews people for books. My EXTRA interviews have simply been myself and whoever talking. Inspired by Poddecks on Instagram, I am going to try to employ a different method: storytelling. I'll take our interviews, and cut out my prompts, and then in post, I'll include transition/explanation. Less John, and more interviewee. I am cramming before my interview with **u**n *r*** T**m**** and *a* *e*r* on Tuesday. I couldn't be more stoked about these changes. Also... I have permission (and access) to one of their episodes to use at my discretion! I feel like I am in the IN group.

God... I love what I do, even if it IS for practically free.

PodCon is in less than two weeks! And, I realized while listening to Carcerem that it was created by Shane Salk... co-creator of We're Alive. A little bit of me is concerned he may have been who KC Wayland was referring to, when he said to get stuff in writing.
Carcerem includes HUGE SAG-AFTRA names like Jane Lynch, Neil Flynn, Bob Bergen, Rob Paulsen, and more. I say that to say that he'll be attending the conference AND hosting a class, and has actively sought to create connections prior to to it. Honest opinion: the writing is fine (kind of reminds me of the old time radio faux pas), but the aural tapestry is genius. I immediately knew it was superior to most productions out there.

Good Thing 1: I can breathe. I had no idea how overwhelmed I was beginning to feel, but now I can breathe.
Good Thing 2: I am connecting with huge personal inspirations of mine.
Learning Curve: I need to utilize this time I have given myself, to best reorganize, without sacrificing listenership.

July 17, 2021: This Sonuvabitch Did It

I have just created an account with Masterclass (as a student, duh). I am starting the process of learning HOW to direct, which has been a failure on my part. I am so excited- you have no idea! I'm currently watching Ron Howard's course. So, I'll be wholly consumed this way for quite some time. Taking a break from MTP will help give me this opportunity.


Good Thing 1: I finally have a subscription with Masterclass.
Good Thing 2: I am always wanting to figure out how to learn, and this is put into practice.
Learning Curve: Masterclass IS a learning curve.

July 13, 2021: The Bachelorette and the Bachelor Suck

I'm getting tired of podcasts spamming peoples' social media. I've had it, and my Twitter feed is reflecting it. Unfortunately, my suspicion is that there are some bots- but that doesn't seem right either, since there is sometimes an indefinite delay for some posts to get responses to their requests. Honestly, I sometimes feel bad when I've looked up requests for podcast recommendations, and see that some people got no replies AT ALL, within 3 entire days. Not just hidden podcast recommendations, but the post gets completely overlooked. Not even their friends will answer. My immediate thought then, is that they're likely like me, and have no friends. Like, I feel awful when I think that. For me, I prefer the smaller groups of friends, but I like to think I'm more intimate with those friends, than if I had a big mess of friends. But, I still feel bad. Not to mention that I'm not a social media kind of guy, except by podcast necessity. My friends by proxy, too, are also not very social media people. But, yeah... podcasts need to stop spamming people. End of rant.

Count: 2,765
Good Thing 1: One of the spammers just deleted their post when I called them out on it. I did it to like three spammers on a single thread.
Good Thing 2: This month has broken yet another month's record of most downloads within 30 days AND, we haven't even hit the end of the 30 days.
Learning Curve: This week's episode of Better Podcasting is going to come in tremendously helpful! It was about creating networks, as well as the cost and benefits of them. It's a really good episode. (I definitely know they brought up the topic, since I asked about it on Discord, so it really spoke to me personally)

July 11, 2021: It Could Be, but it Won't Be

Want to know something exciting/depressing? No, I'm not talking about Bo Burnham's Inside this time. I'm talking about Chapo Trap House. Ever hear about it? I never had, until today. It's a podcast. Before I go on about with it's exciting/depressing, allow me to explain everything I've learned in the last five minutes (which is all the research anyone needs, right?). I'm listening to it right now, and it very much has the vibe of a couple guys in a room with shitty mics in dire need of better plosive filters. Burst of breath in their mics in every goddam sentence. Now, why am I talking about this podcast? It is currently the most successful, visibly transparent podcast on Patreon. With an income of $162,873. Sorry... an income of $162,873 a MONTH. Fucking WHAT??? Let's break down a tiny bit of this information. They currently have 36,685 patrons at a minimum of $4.70/mo subscription. I'm going to tell you something else. True Crime Obsessed. With 44,384 subscribers at a minimum of $5/mo, grossing $221,920... a MONTH. Patreon gives creators the option to not disclose all the monetary income, but the subscribers will show, regardless (if I'm not mistaken). Why do I give a shit? That could be us. It won't be, but it COULD be. Over the last year, we at MTP have 2 subscribers, and had 3 for a minute.

Good Thing 1: If stupid podcasts can be financially successful, then we could be too!
Good Thing 2: Once this episode goes out, we can relax on the following episode, and really nail it.
Learning Curve: Just because we can, doesn't mean we will be incredibly successful. It takes patience, and motivation.

July 10, 2021: Getting Ahead

I get to thank a podcast I just started listening to, for something so stupidly simple, and yet... I need it now more than ever. Are you familiar with Linktr.ee? It's a site that consolidates all your links. Social. Websites. Whatever. It's essentially a business card, for all your sites. What a concept, since every time I give people ways to follow me, it's on EVERYthing. Twitter, Facebook Page, Facebook Group, website, LinkedIn, everything. Here's what mine looks like.

Casting call for Two Wrongs Make a Wright just posted. We'll see if we have enough VAs to justify not being a gold member on CCC.

I will not worry about the Austin Film Festival anymore. The first two episodes were submitted, and now, only time will tell how it went. Mid-September is the deadline for them to let applicants know whether they placed or not. I ultimately risked the $40. Which brings me to a concern that has been growing, as U-XXV has been developing: Intellectual Property (IP). I gave birth to the concept, and it has been growing amongst a very small group. Giving credit is of no concern whatsoever, buuuuuut... what if someone... Okay... I'm answering my own question. I need to copyright this concept. I think I know how to go about doing that, so we will see how to do that, first-hand. And, how much it'll cost. Everything costs money. I'm making no money, and yet I don't hesitate to spend it, if I think it'll help the development of my podcasts. Okay. I definitely do hesitate. It's expensive.

Good Thing 1: No more Austin Film Festival talk for quite some time, now.
Good Thing 2: Casting call for S:2 ep:1 just posted. We're now well into the future, and ahead.
Learning Curve: I said we're ahead, but I still have to record some of the lines for Fruitikenesis.

July 8, 2021: Risk the Forty Bucks?

You don't know what you have, until you have something better.

The countdown has begun for the upcoming PodCon! August 3-6, I will be in Nashville for the Podcast Movement conference, meeting with a true bunch of amazing people (or, at least people with whom I relate). The more I'm learning about the industry, and the people in it, the more I am enamored by it. I made the joke on Twitter that I doubted they'd have enough room in the conference center for all the introverts to sit in their own corners. But, you go to a ComiCon, and there are people who live in their parents' basements, associating with others who are just as anti-social as they are. It's about the element you're in. I'm an introvert by nature, but I couldn't be more excited about this conference. I posted on Facebook, asking for other PodCon attending audio drama producers to drop their podcasts, and I'd listen before going next month. I am compiling quite the list. I started putting together my list of sessions I intend on attending, and by the second day- the SECOND day, a legal pad page is full of events I plan to attend, and there's only one that overlaps another by 15 minutes. Goddam. So excited. I'll likely hate it. It'll probably be a shit time. (Gotta lower my expectations now)

When I first started this blog shit, I expected to very seldom ever include my thoughts on here. I also said that if I had known just how much work I would put into this, I never would have started it. The first one was false, and the second one, so very true.

I am currently typing this article, but I am also writing the intro/outro for the EXTRA interview I have with Morgan Blackwell, that posts tonight (for patrons), and Monday for the regular civilians. In addition to that, I am contemplating not submitting to the Austin Film Festival. But.., I think I probably should anyway. It's $40, and I'm strapped (as usual). But, maybe I COULD win. I don't know. You don't know. Shut up. If I don't submit by tomorrow, I'll miss the deadline. I have episodes one and two that I'd submit, but there is tweaking required for both. Probably a lot of tweaking! Yes. A lot, actually. But, instead of doing that, I'm writing this, and not even doing the intro/outro for tomorrow's episode. What the fuck is wrong with me? I just want someone else to read the scripts I've written, and make them amazing. I suck. Okay... I have to write other more important stuff. Also... I have some fairly big announcements in the upcoming episode, so listen to that.

Universe25 episodes! I am realizing the true potential of the episode names: I will be naming them after keywords used in Dr. Calhoun's NIMH experiments. I'm a fucking genius.

Count: 2,694
Good Thing 1: PodCon is less than a month away!
Good Thing 2: I write in this journal more often than I anticipated.
Learning Curve: I need to be better about deadlines, expecting even less of others than I currently do. Well... unpaid others, at least. I need money so I can raise my expectations.

July 3, 2021: Headliner

Headliner. My newest, favoritest thing, and I hate myself for not having made the effort until just today to figure out what the fuck it was. It's a gift from Lucifer, himself. That's what it is. For real though, it is a site that will take audio, and make a video. You've seen them, with the audio wave fluctuations. I will soon be using them to promote upcoming episodes. At the beginning of the interview episodes, I have a promo for the upcoming drama episodes. You know this already. So, I can take the promos, and upload them. But because I'm an asshole, I expect I'll wait until the week before drama publication, to post the clip that had already played in the interview episode. This will help to ensure the people who listen to the EXTRA episodes just for the promos, aren't just watching our Instagram strictly for that purpose. Why? Because I need downloads, and I don't think the IG post counts towards downloads. Oh... I forgot to mention that Headliner allows me to pull from the RSS feed, so I don't have to submit the audio, but rather, pull from audio that I'm already going to use. My god. I am so happy. And, it's free for so many videos a month (I think 5?). Which, is more than I would use. Tik Tok, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook. All are visual mediums that can take the video. What else should I be using this for? So many opportunities.

Something entirely off-subject. I am contemplating keeping the "Press the button, and away we go, ahoy!" for every future endeavor. We'll see. We. Shall. See.

Totally forgot! I started a Facebook ad yesterday. I'm seeing good results so far. A lot of page likes, since yesterday. 17, in fact. $5/day for 7 days.

Count: 2,678
Good Thing 1: Headliner. GREAT thing.
Good Thing 2: RSS feeds. They're phenomenal.
Learning Curve: I really ought to have jumped on this Headliner sooner. Which means there's probably something out there right now, or soon, that would change my world for the better. And, I shouldn't fight it.

July 2, 2021: Year 30

Yesterday was my birthday. I turned 30. It took me 29 years to find my true passion in life, and nothing, absolutely nothing will prevent me from making this an eventual career doing this. I am an artist, and I would be a starving one, if I wasn't working a job that paid. Kids would also prevent me from spending as much time as I do, on a podcast., if I was given any time at all to do this. Certainly not enough to realize that this was preferable to having kids altogether. To all who have kids: please don't think I'm bragging that I don't have kids, but different strokes and all. Also, I don't want to hear it, since everyone with kids seems to brag all the time about how wonderful their fucking shitheads are. You'll potentially have a legacy you pass on through your kids (assuming you don't fuck 'em up), and I'll only have podcasts to outlive me. Priorities have been taken into consideration, and for me personally, I believe I have chosen wisely.

Social media: I think I'm figuring it out again. I am targeting the phrases "Podcast Recs," "Podcast Recommendations," and "Podcast Suggestions" on Twitter. The latter two are 50/50 giving recommendations, while the word "Recs" is 7 out of 8 a request. I sort through them, and find <10 comments on the requests, and then respond. I target the request... Okay... I'm going to get real technical for the geeks, everyone else can skip this part... I target the request, so if they say "I need podcast recs. I have a 15 hour road trip tomorrow," I will respond like "Dude! 15 hours is such a long drive! In case audio dramas aren't yet on your radar, might I recommend @MercuryPodcast? It's created like an audio movie with sound effects, full cast, music, and everything! Drive safe!" If I didn't see the request until the next day, or two, I would respond like "I hope you drove safe! In case you're still in the market for podcast recs, might I recommend @MercuryPodcast? It's created like an audio movie with sound effects, full cast, music, and everything!" Notice, most of the text was exactly the same. That's because I copied a message I sent to someone else, added a more targeted message, and it is exactly tailored to that particular individual. Why copy/paste? You do that two days in a row, and you tell me why NOT to do that. I change my formula every day, since my phone's clipboard forgets the copy after so long. In addition to the text, I'll also include a gif, to stand out. Everyone posts the picture of their podcast cover art. Incredibly boring, and the person asking for a recommendation automatically determines it to be spam. Rightfully so. I also use my personal profile to recommend the podcast, directing them to the RIGHT one. Why? Because, again, spam. Everyone trusts a recommendation more than they do self-promotion. Having said this... not everybody will like this tactic (there will always be people who don't appreciate anything you do, but don't let their negativity bring you down). Using this method, someone responded with "Man I hate to dog on a North Carolinian esp from that general area since I spent so much of grad school working on a site near Morganton but would you be personally recommending this because you work for them? nice hustle my man but it pays to be upfront." I have not yet concocted a response to this, nor do I expect to. I could argue that I'm recommending something, since they requested it, and I only have 140 characters to work with, or I could apologize, and explain in a thread of three posts how self-promotion doesn't work, since it seems like an ad, despite the value being higher quality than the average bear. Neither of those have a high possibility of them understanding, or gaining an inkling of respect for my process, despite no ill intent. So, I leave it be. But, to-date, I have had like two of those responses, and TONS of "Thank you's" and "That sounds great! I just downloaded some episodes to listen to on my way to work today." I say tons, and that, dear reader, is because I send out TONS of replies on social media (mostly Twitter, currently).
Target social media requests.
Don't spam.
Add a gif.

And,
bonus tip: since you recommended the podcast using the personal account, you can use the other account to "like" the reply, adding another notification to the requester, bringing more attention to it.

Let's do an assessment of current social media and website engagement stuffs...
Website visits last 30 days: 151
Twitter Followers: 155
Facebook Page Likes: 45
Facebook Group Members: 52
Total Download Count: 2,655
Most downloaded Episode: Nikki Sketch and the Big Top Bears @240 downloads.

If I can ask you to do me a favor: would you find us on a podcast player somewhere, and
rate the podcast (reviews are even better). Preferably 5 stars, duh. This helps increase the visibility of the show to those seeking podcasts of the kind. That's my birthday request this year.

I just re-read
December 28, 2020: A New Recap Factor just for fun. I want to re-read an article every so often, just to see if/how I've progressed. So many things I was onto, so early. I'll take it. Ironically, I was fixated on social media, and the frustrations. What I wouldn't give to tell past John what I told you in this very post. You live, you learn. Or, someone else lives, and you learn from their failures. You're welcome, dear reader.

Good Thing 1: I am constantly getting likes on my social media recommendations for my podcast, resulting in a noticeably higher download number. I literally typed this not 20 seconds ago, and got yet another "like." It works.
Good Thing 2: After 29 rotations around the sun, I have found my passion. I can talk about it night and day in some capacity or another. I. Love. Podcasting.
Learning Curve: I want to find more key phrases that are requests for podcasts, so I can better shmear the podcast throughout the ether.

TO SEE WHAT'S IN THE VAULT, CLICK HERE