I have to begin with a hard truth: it has taken me almost two years to make this podcast. That’s not hard for you, of course, but it is hard for me. I had big plans to release this podcast last year, and those plans didn’t happen. Then I made plans for the fall, which also fell through. And so on.
For the sake of transparency, I was initially working with a local Catholic media organization on distributing our podcast, but funding fell through. So my husband and I decided, ever so cautiously, to produce this podcast ourselves, and figure it out as we go.
It has been an interesting journey, to say the least, but we are excited to FINALLY have something to publish for the world to hear.
Like I said, this podcast is several years in the making, and each episode took weeks, if not months, to produce. So here are some basic facts about what you’ll be hearing each episode:
- Each episode, in our initial season, is around twenty minutes in length. While we talked about having longer and more drawn out stories/themes, we decided for our first year it was best to keep it simple. We wanted to make sure the episodes were done well, and doing that in a practical sense meant keeping the episodes on the shorter side. Perfect for a short commute or after-dinner chores ;).
- Our stories will be released in the form of multi-episode mini-series. We will release each “mini-series” on the first of the month, and will extend this first season over the course of four months. This means four episodes will be released on October 1, four episodes will be released November 1, four episodes on December 1, and four on January 1. This release structure is NOT common (I’m actually not sure of anyone who does it this way,) but we thought we would try something new. And practically speaking, this format would provide us with time in between series for additional edits and interviews.
- This is a storytelling podcast. We weave together interviews, storylines, music, etc to produce meaningful stories. While our information is entirely factual, I do edit interviews, shorten them, and weave them together to form the most articulate and compelling stories possible. This is never meant to be manipulative or dishonest; it is the best way to get the story told in the time we have to tell it.
- I do, however, from time to time, editorialize. I am not afraid to share my opinions on the stories we share, especially when, after reviewing the facts, we are forced to look differently at a certain topic.
- That being said, I want the listeners themselves to draw their own conclusions from the episodes. I do not force an answer upon them.
- Finally, I want each episode to be the very best. I am, however, just one person. Most podcasts in the same narrative-style have an entire team putting together episodes. For our lowly podcast, it is just me and my very best friend/husband/tech guy extraordinaire. Because of this, we want to hear from you! We want to know what you liked, didn’t like, can do better, and any ideas for future episodes. Please visit our contact page and leave a message, (including a voice message!). We hope, as this season plays out, to add a “question-answer” episode where we answer listener mail. Stay tuned :).
Tune in to next week’s blog post for more specific information about the topics we’ll discuss in season one, including information about some of our interviewees. And don’t forget, first series drops on October 1. We’ll see you then.