Keep On Podcasting
I first started podcasting in 2006 and it’s been something that I’ve continued to do over the last 9 years. I was inspired by shows like the MacCast and diggnation to start podcasting and being a television post production major in college, I knew that I wanted to do a video podcast. Nine years a go this was a bit more work and the file sizes where a bit out of control. Still, me and my friend Steve Siwinski did a video show for over 20 episodes. Our show was called ChiHookah and revolved around the two of us drinking beer, smoking a hookah and talking about the things happening in Chicago. You can find a few clips of the show on the original youtube page, but most of the full episodes have vanished. The viewership for this was pretty small and that was fine, high numbers hasn’t been something I’ve been after for any of my podcasts. As this show faded away, Ken Hunnemeder and I took the similar idea of ChiHookah and diggnation and started a show where we review beers and interview brewers. The Hop Cast has been a rather popular podcast and is slowly fading away but we do still try to put out an episode or two every month. Again, this show was never about the numbers or making money, it was about getting together and doing something we enjoyed. That’s a theme for all the podcasts I’ve started, it needs to be something I enjoy talking about because you can’t go into a show thinking you’re going to be number one on iTunes.
The Hop Cast has been going strong for over seven years now and over the last few years I’ve also started a couple other podcasts; Toon Talk Weekly, The Lane Podcast, Chicago Beer Pass and Shatter The Vain. All of these are primarily audio only podcasts and that was strictly for time reasons. Video podcasts take longer to produce, edit and upload. My advice to anyone looking to start a podcast is that you should stick to audio first and then add video later if your audience wants it or you want to try it. But don’t start with video if you need to do anything visually elaborate with your podcast unless you have a good background in production or post-production. It just takes a lot of time.
Whether it’s audio or video, I have a blast doing all these shows and the people you’re able to connect with is pretty fantastic. I may not seem like the most talkative person when you first meet me so it’s often a surprise that I have all these different podcasts. I’ve found a voice and a way to create interesting content that I believe people enjoy. There’s been very little negative feedback from any of the shows I’ve started and I find that might be just because each show is very niche and that audience is typically very eager for more on the topic they love, if it’s craft beer, cartoons or MOBAs.
Moving forward, there have been a few other podcast ideas in the works but they are on hold until I find a better way to make what’s primarily been a hobby into something that can at least make a little bit of money to help offset the time and cost. So although I’d love start a donut podcast or even one about building a business, there is only so much time and I also have my hands full running a business that brings home the bacon… hmm, bacon podcast? I am working on trying to bring all these shows under one name or network so that listeners can find and explore more of the shows. Podcasting can be more than just a hobby, it just can take a long time to build the audience you need.
