25 thoughts on “CASTERS: A Podcast About Podcasting – Part 1 of 2”

1. If I could offer some constructive criticism, dial back on the clips and flashbacks. Especially in the first nine minutes, it seemed as if all but a sentence or two were flashbacks. It made it difficult to remember what was being discussed in the “Live” portion of the show. I like Josh as much as the next guy (Assuming the next guy isn’t Redcap Jack), there was a lot of time devoted to his clips when he’s not even on the show.

   The actual topic of this podcast is interesting, but I wish we could get to that topic quicker.

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   • Sal Roma,

     I think your right about the first nine minutes… and I appreciate your insights. I will make sure to take what you said in consideration for Part Two of the episode. I guess I knew and thought Josh would come up a lot and I wanted to give him the proper introduction.
     And I became so consumed and overwhelmed with the editing, that I missed the obvious.
     Regardless, I’m just so glad you listened to it, and I hope it was enjoyable otherwise.

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     • I think it was wise to explain who Josh was for those who may be unfamiliar with him. I do find it a bit annoying when a podcast mentions a third party and then doesn’t give any context as to who they are. I would have preferred you and Jay to explain who Josh is and if necessary, share a couple of horrifyingly embarrassing anecdotes about him. It’s “Off-topic” but it’s still a part of the “Live” portion of the show, so you’re not disrupting the flow of the podcast.

       I was thinking that maybe you were just trying to experiment and practice doing podcasting editing since you’re new to being a podcast producer. In which case, even if I’m not a fan of doing so many clips, if it’s helping you become more and more comfortable at being a producer, then there is a positive purpose to doing it.

       If it’s available, I do think that things like your podcast with Josh about the local indie Utah scene, other podcasts that didn’t get off of the ground, or the old Considering the Sequels podcast would be a nice addition to the Movie Podcast Network patreon account.

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       • Hi Sal,
         Thanks for your feedback. We appreciate it. Regarding the Considering the Sequels Podcast, all 26 episodes of that puppy will be made available again in 2018. (And I’d like to thank the donors to MPW and HMP for enabling that to happen. We couldn’t do it without you!)

         In the meantime, I’m catching up the MPW releases, and we’ve got some KILLER patron episodes coming up soon that we’ve been working on. And there’s also the 2017 MeetUp in SLC on Oct. 14. Yeah, 2017 is wild!

         But don’t worry! CTS Podcast is coming back for everyone, if you’re willing to subject yourself to it… It is not advised… ha ha

         Thanks!
         J

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2. I actually enjoyed the clips and flashbacks, once I settled in I kind of figured out where and when I was. It was cool to hear all of the different intros. Thanks for this cast. For a longtime listener of many of the different podcasts referenced, it was interesting and insightful.

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   • Thanks, B-Rye. We’re glad you enjoyed it. When I heard William’s final edit with all the TLC he put into it, I couldn’t even calculate how much time it must have taken him to look it, prepare and insert those into the edit.

     FYI… This is kind of fascinating to me…
     To produce one 2-hour episode of MPW (with editing and trailer inserts), it takes me about 5 hours per episode. And to produce one 3-hour episode of HMP (which has more parts than MPW), it takes me about 10 hours. So, I estimated that if I were to try to re-create what William has done here, it would take me at least 80 to 100 hours (no kidding!) ha ha I’m slow, and he’s a master editor, so I’m sure he was faster, but I couldn’t even fathom pulling this kind of post-production off. ha ha WRjr has some serious skillz…

     J

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     • Which makes me feel bad for not liking all of the clips/flashbacks because even without knowing how long it took William to edit the podcast (Which has to be even longer since he’s likely still familiarizing himself with the process), it’s clear that he put in a ton of effort and time into the episode.

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       • No sweat, Sal. That’s fair enough. We get where you and others are coming from. Thanks for listening and appreciating William’s artistic and creative efforts!
         -J

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     • Every episode of MPW has been worth the wait. And much kudos to William rowan

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       • Thank you, B-Rye. It sincerely means a lot. Makes all the effort totally worth it for me.
         – J

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3. In regards to ads in podcasts, the ones that come up before a podcast begins can be pretty frustrating especially if all you’re trying to do is figure out if you’ve listened to that particular episode or not. The best start of the ep ads I’ve heard on a podcast are from the No Sleep Podcast. Each ep begins with an ad that lasts about two and a half minutes, but since they create a little horror fictional story to incorporate the ad into, it doesn’t entirely feel like an ad. It feels like the first horror story of the episode, just one that is overloaded with product placement. If they ran that lengthy of an ad and it wasn’t manufactured in such a way that it was also a story, I don’t know if I would still bother listening to the podcast.

   My biggest issue with ads in the middle of a podcast is when the placement isn’t carefully considered. I’ve listened to some podcasts where the ad was inserted in the middle of someone speaking which is just awful. If you’re going to have ads in the middle of a podcast, ideally use them to break up segments.

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   • I think I have memorized certain ads that the podcasters on certain casts have to do. I can pretty much recite ads such as Casper mattresses and hello fresh. I have to say they worked on me a little as I routinely order hello fresh and blue apron. Haha. It can be frustrating but I’m sure they got to do what they got to do to keep their site up and running.

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4. He only casually mentioned this, but why were you against the idea of naming a podcast with something that begins with the letter, “W”, Jay?

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   • Hi Sal,
     There is no good reason, really. I’m old enough that I still come from the telephone book era, where everything was alphabetical order and people named businesses “Apex ______” and “Aardvark _______,” just so they could be listed first.

     Alpha order doesn’t really matter so much in the digital age, but I was still superstitious about starting with a “W.” ha ha

     — J

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     • Since names were so important to you, did you have any back-up name choices for MPW, HMP or any of your older podcasts that didn’t survive? Or if MPW and HMP were your back-up choices, what were your original name ideas that were already taken by other people?

       Also, what was the mindset behind going with Horror Metropolis for your second horror podcast name? It always stood out as a bit unusual that your first attempt at a horror podcast had a very straight forward name (Although a tad bit wordy) in The Weekly Horror Movie Podcast, then you switched to a name that had a more grandeur sounding to it with Horror Metropolis, but then you went back to having a very straight forward and simple name in HMP.

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5. Hi guys, this is a great idea and all…. but I’m currently at minute 16 of listening and am about ready to mortally wound both of you 🙂 waaaaaay too many clips and sound effects! If there has been any real content or discussion it’s totally lost. I want to give you guys the benefit of the doubt so I’m hanging on to see if it gets better, but don’t think I’ll last much longer – update: 23 minute mark and I’m out, I just can’t listen to this and I did want to hear you talking about your podcasts.

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6. Thanks for the feedback, Magsie. That’s totally cool if it’s not your thing. We understand.

   For me personally, I realized that William (who has a documentary filmmaking background) was channeling the random “inserted humor” of works like Monty Python skits and “The Family Guy,” and I appreciate what he was going for.

   For instance, have you ever seen the “Family Guy” episode where they go around the room and say, “Oh, no!” — new character, “Oh, no!” — new character, “Oh, no!” and then cut to the Kool-Aid man bursting through the wall saying, “Oh, yeah!” Ha ha ha Masterful and random, inserted humor!

   There are two equally great moments in this podcast of William’s that I really appreciated on that same level. (You may not have made it this far into the show.)

   1. There’s a moment when William is talking about there being podcasts for every niche or interest, and to demonstrate his point, he plays a clip from “The Pen Addict” podcast, a show hosted by a guy who loves ink pens — hard. So great!

   2. Then there’s a moment where I randomly pull a number out of thin air and refer to “Episode 497,” and what William does there cracked me up. Brilliance.

   Anyway, we understand that this Monty Python-style “insert humor” may not be for everyone, but we thank you, Magsie, for giving it a try, anyway. And thanks for your comment.

   Sincerely,
   Jason

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   • Thanks for your reply Jason,
     I definitely got what William was going for stylistically and, in general, am a fan of it (I love the Kool-Aid man scene and the Family Guy chicken fights are maybe the most brilliant thing ever) – and I appreciate all of the work that went into editing the show. It’s clear from both your and William’s podcasts that you guys know what you’re doing and have a lot of great experience to share. Perhaps the problem is that I can only listen to podcasts while I’m working so at least part of my brain needs to be paying attention to what I get paid to do 🙂 and I found the length of the clips were actually making it harder to keep the thread of your conversation in mind. A couple of times I thought itunes had skipped to another episode without my noticing. The only reason that I commented is that I really am interested to hear about your collective experiences with podcasting and am very hopeful for the next episode. Sorry if I offended with my comments.

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7. Thank you. this is just what I’m looking for. Can you cover things like How you actually record podcasts. Like mixers, recording software, editing software, how to get started on a budget. Are free download programs worth the time? I want to start a podcast in the new year and have an episode and a half worth of notes or script really. I purchased an 8 track mixer and am trying to teach myself how to use it. Also how do I get my pod online once it’s all done?

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   • Quick answer: Part 2 (which is coming soon) will go into a little more of that information! William is preparing it for release! Thanks! -J

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     • Great, thanks.

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8. I listened to this back in August when it was released and I kinda-sorta liked it. Even though I’m not a podcaster, I listen to A TON of podcasting and was interested in how the whole thing goes down. I just read the comments here and thought they were a good feedback on the creative aspect of this episode. I think the comments as well as the creative choices in this episode illustrate how many different approaches there there are and how subjectively they will be received. For my part I also thought the many clips were enlightening and educational from a pop culture standpoint so even though they were many and kind of distracting I was ok with them and interested to see how that evolved over the course of a few episodes.

   What I really liked in this one was hearing you (Jay) talk about how you had to learn to listen to your own voice and how that developed for you. I was wondering about your interactions with others and your interviewing and mediation skills. You’ve never talked about that very much, and I have to say, you’ve become quite good at it. Listening to you handle a cadre of co-hosts or a special guest it’s one of my favorite aspects of the podcast. Do you think practicing that over and over translate to your inter-personal skills outside of podcasting and make you a better conversationalist and communicator OFF podcast? And: How many hours do you estimate you have spent on podcasting and related activities? (And I have a specific reason for asking this question)

   Thanks for the episode guys! I really was waiting for more installments, but I love what you do and there’s plenty enough of it to keep my happy.

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   • Hi Jenifer!
     Thanks so much for taking the time to listen and to comment. And thanks for your gracious words. As always, you’re too kind. Yeah, if you hear my voice style in the recent CTS Podcast “Best Films of the Aughts” release, I sound like I’m high or half asleep. ha ha It’s weird how an air or sense of confidence, however misguided or misplaced, seems to develop over time.

     One of my favorite podcasters is still horror critic “BillChete.” I have recently been listening to his first horror podcast. He is a bold man in so many ways, but I can even hear a big difference in his early work. I guess it takes a while to finally relax behind the mic. I’ve learned a lot from listening to Rob Booker (of The Traders Podcast), and David Chen (of The /Filmcast). I’ve said many times that Josh Ligairi is the most gifted movie podcaster I know. But I feel that for on-air radio personalities, Rob Booker takes the cake, and David Chen provides context and brings the audience in to the conversation better than anybody I’ve ever heard. So, Rob and Dave have been huge influences on me.

     My podcast production work has also helped me negotiate interviews, especially with topics where I’m lost at sea. (I never know what they’re talking about on The Traders Podcast.) And believe it or not, I am a bit of a wallflower on podcasts, if I don’t have the “permission” or go-ahead to be the lead host. ha ha Just the other night, I briefly appeared in Episode 200 of the Geek Cast Live Podcast (which releases Saturday), and there were, like, nine or 10 people on the call. It was nuts! And I barely said anything. And even when we record an MPN Special Features show, if I’m not the moderator, the other big Network personalities eclipse me! For instance, at our October 2017 meetup, we were hanging out at Mattroid’s house, and I barely put a word in edge-wise… ha ha It’s funny how that works. I’ve hung out in person with Matt, Josh, and Ryan, and those guys are life-of-the-party stars and I’m just shy. ha ha

     I’m a writer in my day job (though you probably can’t tell from this comment), and I’m told that I’m a decent communicator and people person — by everyone except my wife. ha ha! She thinks I could use some work. So, maybe I have some people skills, anyway, but I assure you I’m actually an introvert and quite bashful.

     How much time have I spent on podcasting? Wow… I wince to even think about it. Just to give you an idea, one episode of MPW takes an average of two hours to record. (I won’t even count movie-watching time.) My post-production editing and publishing of MPW takes about seven hours per episode. And what, we’re up to 270-something episodes now? HMP shows are an average of three to four hours in length, and they take about 12 hours to produce / edit / publish. There are around 130-some of those shows. (One HMP episode was 8.5 hours, if I recall correctly…) That’s just my two shows I work on now. Even Considering the Cinema, my new solocast… those episodes are about 10 or 15 minutes, but it takes at least two hours to produce. And that doesn’t count, probably, 70 to 80 other podcast episodes I’ve produced and dropped since 2010. And then there are my clients! Rob Booker’s Traders Podcast is approaching 600 episodes, and I was a part of about 500 of those. Most of his shows are 20 to 30 minutes. So, I’m sorry I can’t even calculate an answer for you, but the short answer is exactly what my wife would say, if she were asked how many hours I’ve invested in podcasting: “Too many.” ha ha ha I know, I know. But I love it! I just can’t help myself! Thanks again for your comment, and I hope I didn’t ramble too long. -Jason

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     • Thanks for the reply, Jay! Very interesting. Fun to hear about your influences and experiences. I’m sure other people would be interested in this reply as well. Here’s something about me; I love books the most, Podcasts second and then movies. So, yeah. I’m always curious about what’s going in to the endeavor.

       In the book “Outliers” by Malcom Gladwell, he posits that to become “a master” at something the main ingredient is not talent, but time. And that if someone puts enough time into something he will become “a master” at it. There are a lot of other factors to consider, of course, (like the age when you start your practice) and he talks about them at length but for the sake of the argument he settles in at 10,000 hours.

       I’ve been practicing Martial Arts for 11 years and I thought I had put in a lot of hours.
       In 2013, interested in Malcom Gladwell’s theory of 10,000 hours, I did some calculations.
       2007-2008 2 years at 2 hours/week = 200
       2009-1010 2 years at 3 hours/week = 300
       2011-2012 2 years at 4 hours/week = 400
       2013 1 year at 6 hours/week = 300
       2014-21015 2 years at 5 hours/week = 500
       2016 1 year at 6 hours/week = 300
       _________
       2,000
       11 years.

       Anyway, you have put a lot of concentrated hours into your craft and it shows. I consider you a master at what you do. I’m proud of you and inspired by you. Well done.

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       • Wow! Thanks for saying that, Jenifer! I’m sure most of the listeners could call me a “Master Aggravator” or something of the sort… ha ha

         Even with 2,000 hours of martial arts study, you could still beat me up any day of the week, even with two hands tied behind your back! ha ha Karl and I will pay you $50 to beat up Andy, so we can film it and laugh. tee he he.

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