Explore paranormal phenomena, urban legends, and strange happenings from the NE United States.
"Never give up. If you love what you do, just keep going!"
Today Cord, JC and Kiki, the creators of Mission Spooky share their story of history podcast.
► Tell us about you and your podcast
Our podcast is hosted by three friends each with exciting backgrounds. Kiki is an archaeologist and physical anthropologist by degree and uses her love of history and science when taking on topics of the paranormal and cryptids. She is also a practicing heathen. Cord is a professional wrestler and enthusiast of all things related to cryptids. JC is a fan of the paranormal and both he and Cord were previously paranormal investigators.
Our show features in-depth discussions and analysis of paranormal and strange topics, as well as interviews with experts and eyewitnesses.
We like to approach each topic with a healthy dose of skepticism, but also with an open mind and a willingness to consider different perspectives, what some may consider Fortean Science. We delve into each phenomenon's history and cultural context, as well as the scientific explanations and possible alternative explanations.
Our podcast has a wide range of listeners from history buffs to those who love folklore and high strangeness. We've got fans in all corners of the world which is truly mind blowing.
► Why & how did you start this podcast?
All of us listened to a podcast here and there but it was JC and Kiki that decided to take their knowledge to the next level and share not only personal experiences in the paranormal but also get into the history and facts behind specific locations and phenomena.
We wanted to create a podcast where the listener could take in the information and decide what they believe. We also won't hesitate to tell you if something has been debunked or honestly doesn't have the evidence to prove it happened such as an historical event/rumor.
► How'd you find the time and funding to do this podcast?
The funding for this podcast comes directly from us. This is a labor of love and education for the three of us and we'd love to make this our first income stream eventually.
All three of us work "day" jobs but Kiki, having had the most experience with audio and writing, does the bulk of the work right now.
Because of this, we spend very little cash on the podcast but tons of time. Totally worth it!
► What do you gain from podcasting?
For the three of us, podcasting is about getting to meet interesting folks - some of which we have been fans of our whole lives - and hearing their stories and shared experiences. Being part of the paranormal community in podcasting is a niche market but our numbers have been consistent and we have our fantastic fan base to thank for that!
► How does your podcasting process look like?
Everything we do is free. The grand experiment here has been to see how far you could go using nothing but free services and we're pretty happy so far. The only items we poured money into after the first 25 episodes were new mics. We use Audacity for editing, we have a Discord channel for recording as well as talking with fans and we use social media to promote ourselves along with Canva for designs.
Kiki already had a vast library to pull from and she does all the in-depth research while Cord and JC serve as colorful commentary as well as give interesting side opinions. It takes about 2 weeks to prepare an episode, two hours to record and six hours to edit including adding music, promos and commercials.
► How do you market your show?
We primarily use Instagram and Twitter. Facebook has been secondary but we hope to have more interaction in our new Facebook Group for fans. We have a Discord server for fans as well as Patrons.
► What advice would you share with aspiring (new) podcasters?
Never give up. If you love what you do, just keep going!
We are working on a list of helpful resources but that goes hand in hand with another big project we have coming, hopefully, Fall of 2023!
► Where can we learn more about you & your podcasts?
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MissionSpooky
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missionspooky/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MissionSpooky
Facebook Fan Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/748413653397887
Discord Server: https://discord.gg/2mdUYjS
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Missionspooky
Mission Spooky Website:
https://www.missionspooky.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeL4bbfw3tCTxa9OOIr94wQ
Spotify Music Playlists:
Kiki's Goodreads Book Lists: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7003044-mission-kiki