A True Crime Podcast Investigating Claims of Wrongful Conviction
"My advice to new and aspiring podcasters would be to SIMPLY START."
Today Neeli Faulkner and her team, the creators of Skeptical: An Investigative Podcast share their story of True Crime podcast.
► Tell us about you and your podcast
Skeptical is an investigative true crime podcast that investigates claims of wrongful conviction in violent criminal cases. Each season explores one case in detail. Myself (Neeli Faulkner) and my team interview key witnesses, attorneys, law enforcement professionals, and anyone else involved in the case. Our listeners are mostly females between the ages of 35 and 45 with an interest in true crime and social justice.
While I do not have a background in law enforcement or investigation, I felt like I could make a difference just by asking questions and exploring documentation available to the public.
I am also in process of producing a separate podcast, Murder in Mobile County, that investigates a cold case murder in Mobile, Alabama from 1981.
► Why & how did you start this podcast?
I have been an avid podcast listener for many years. It all started on a flight to Reno, NV years ago as I listened to the first season of Serial. Later, I listened to the first season of Up and Vanished, and eventually attended their first live podcast show in Athens, GA where I was able to meet the creators. On the drive home, I told my friend (and current fellow producer) "if he [referring to Payne Lindsey] can do it, so can I." It was that night that I chose the case investigated in season 1 of Skeptical. My goal when I first did the podcast was simply to tell an amazing story and inspire others to be an advocate - whether it was a victim's advocate, inmate advocate ... any type of advocacy. I wanted my listeners to use their voice to help others.
I actually started Skeptical in 2018 with a 10-episode series. Shortly after the release of the podcast, multiple witnesses came forward after seeing the podcast in the news and recanted their testimony. This evidence is now being used in two post-conviction appeals for the defendants featured in the podcast. Because of this, I decided to take down the first season and rewrite it to include the new evidence and new perspectives. The whole thing truly changed my life! I investigated the case for a little over a year before I released the first season, and now six years later, I've released part 1 of our revamped season 1.
► How'd you find the time and funding to do this podcast?
Skeptical does not have a regular release schedule. We had initially planned to do a 10-episode series with an additional 10 bonus episodes for premium subscribers. However, we are actively working on including additional episodes concerning known cases of wrongful convictions by interviewing exonerees.
Aside from podcasting, I am also a Technology Alignment Manager for a Managed Security Service Provider. This means I had to do most of the creation of this podcast after-hours. The podcast is fully funded by me and we do not currently have ad revenue, although we would love to have it! Spotify does not currently offer ads to us because we have to meet minimum criteria that we just haven't met yet. We do accept donations on our website, but we have not received any donations as of yet. We are in our infancy and are working on our marketing efforts to grow. I do all the hosting, editing, and marketing myself, although I do have a small team of volunteers that helps with marketing. My team members are passionate about social justice and are hoping our stories make a difference in the criminal justice system.
► What do you gain from podcasting?
We do not currently have sponsors but we are more than willing to accept sponsors once Spotify allows us to insert ads in our episodes. We have businesses that have expressed their interest in running ads with us, but we cannot accept them yet due to the constraints from Spotify. Our podcast was released this week and is currently sitting at around 350 downloads.
Podcasting has so many benefits. It helps me with networking, tech experience, and more. Not to mention it's fun!
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► How does your podcasting process look like?
Descript has been an absolute game-changer in the way we mix episodes. Because we use pre-recorded audio mixed in with host narration, using Descript has made it incredibly simple to script out episodes. We also occasionally use Audacity to clean up some audio snippets.
I prepare each episode by writing a script in a Google Doc. Then I read through transcripts of recorded audio from interviews and weave snippets into the script.
Guests are interviewed by telephone and sometimes in person, although I would like to expand to Zoom or Skype interviewing in the future.
► How do you market your show?
Most of our listeners find us through Apple Podcasts and have come from our social channels. We are actively working to expand our marketing efforts and will focus on paid ads and collaborations with bloggers and other podcasters.
We have a Facebook page, Instagram, YouTube, and email newsletter.
► What advice would you share with aspiring (new) podcasters?
My advice to new and aspiring podcasters would be to SIMPLY START. I was so critical of myself and the audio quality since my background is not in audio production, but I quickly learned that it doesn't matter. The STORY is what matters to our listeners and the only way we will get better is to gain some experience. Over the years I have improved the quality of my equipment and everything surrounding podcasting. It's a learning experience, but it is so rewarding.
A recent helpful podcasting resource I found is through Descript.com. They also quickly accepted me as an affiliate despite our numbers being low, which I appreciate as a "new' creator. I'm a loyal Descript subscriber, that's for sure!
► Where can we learn more about you & your podcasts?
Listeners can find out more about us, our mission, and our projects at murdercreekmedia.com.
We also accept donations directly through our website at murdercreekmedia.com/donate.
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