❉ This week: Two friends watch and provide full length commentary on the films they watched growing up together.
So many podcasts, so little time. We’re big fans of podcasts here at We Are Cult, and we’re always looking for more shows to subscribe to. So if you’re looking for ear candy, we’re here to help!
Each week we profile must-hear podcasts by giving podcast creators a platform to tell us about their shows in their own words.
This week: Miscast Commentary, a Podcast where hosts Joe Findlay and Todd Murray do real time commentary for the movies they loved while growing up together.
What’s your podcast about?
Miscast Commentary is a show about two friends who watch and provide full length commentary on the films they watched growing up together, sharing information on the movie, personal stories and do some improvised comedy
If you had to describe your show in 10 words or less, what would you say?
Two best friends relive their childhood and make you listen.
Which episode would you recommend for a first-time listener? Do you have a favourite episode?
If you want to see what we are all about, you can listen to our best of season 1 episode to get a feel for us as hosts. As far as episodes go, Episode 19 (Star Wars) or episode 26 (No Holds Barred are a couple that come to mind first, but I would recommend looking at the list of movies that we did, pick a movie that you connect with and watch along with us.
What inspired you to create this podcast?
Todd and I were best friends since grade 1, but around college we drifted apart. We reconnected many years later and talked about doing something creative together. I was watching the Steven Segal movie ‘Marked for Death’ and remembered what it was like watching movies together at home and talking through the whole thing. I contacted him and pitched the idea, which he loved, and we made ‘Marked For Death’ our first episode.
Which guests have you had on your podcast so far?
We actually just had our first guest interview for an episode that we will be airing next month. Author/Speaker/Comic Book Creator B.J. Mendelsohn.
Who would be your dream guest?
We recently discussed this and I said that I would love to talk to Rick Moranis. There really are so many people, though, that I would love to speak with, based on the movies that we watch If we were swinging for the fences, I would say Steven Spielberg, Mel Brooks, Tim Burton John Carpenter, Arnold Schwarzenegger… people like that. Honestly, though. speaking to actors from some of our older or perhaps lesser known movies would be great because we could get a unique insight into the movie and we could thank them for being an important part of our formative years.
Which equipment do you use for your podcast set-up?
I have a small, portable studio that we set up in my living room for recording sessions as well as a mini TV studio with green screen for our YouTube channel, Miscast TV. the studio is a small Xenyx mixer and Behringer mics, recording on Audacity.
What would you say is the best length of time for a podcast episode?
I would honestly say that the episode can be as long as it can be and still remain interesting. I know there are a lot of guides out there saying to keep them short for the average commuter, but podcasts I listen to are all fairly long because the hosts, guests and subject keep me interested. Our show is long because our format demands it. It has to be at least the length of the movies we watch (though we do split longer movies into two parts to spare our listeners a little). We hope that we are doing all we can to keep people engaged for the duration.
Which podcasts (other than yours) would you recommend we listen to?
My personal go to podcast is How Did This Get Made, with Paul Scheer, Jason Mantzoukas and June Diane Raphael. It was one of the podcasts I came across when researching to do our show to make sure we weren’t doing something that was being done everywhere. For my money, it is the best podcast out there and what I aspire to be. It is also a great example of a show that only gets better as the episode durations get longer. Others I enjoy are You Made it Weird and Chris Gethard’s Beautiful/Anonymous. There is also a podcast that I was fortunate enough to guest on called Poop Culture that does some great episodes.
Where is your podcast available to listen to?
The podcast is available in more places that I can list. The big ones being iTunes, Soundcloud, Google Play Music, Stitcher and TuneIn. I’m still trying to get us o Spotify and IHeartRadio.
What is the future of podcasting as a creative medium?
Podcasting, like blogging or vlogging has a potentially limitless future. We have opened up the entertainment industry to the world. now people who may not otherwise get an opportunity to express themselves just needs some equipment to start out on their own. Oversaturation is always a concern, but as long as there are people who can stand out in the crowd, these formats can likely outlive most media as we know it today. The first time I heard the word YouTube star, I thought it was a joke. The truth is, though, that anyone can easily turn these things from a Hobby to a career now with the right amount of Talent, hard work and ability to connect with people. The fun thing is that if I were to search the word podcast with virtually any subject, I would likely find it. A listener/viewer can find something that they are passionate about that no network, streaming service or radio station would give the time of day. Now that viewer is engaged in a way that they have never been before. If you are like us, who have taken on a widely covered subject like movies, then the goal is to be as different as you can be from the rest of the pack and hope that our voice and point of view resonates with other people. It’s this connection that creates truly loyal fans and gives us an opportunity to be a part of a community with them; a place where people can go and know that they are not the only one who likes the things that they like or thinks the way that they do. Communities like that in film and Television exist, but only in very rare occasions. In my experience, though, this connection can be found in limitless supply in podcasts. You just have to know where to look.
❉ Follow Miscast Commentary on Twitter: @miscastpodcast
❉ Download past episodes or subscribe to future episodes of Miscast Commentary on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/miscast-commentary/id1145697204
❉ Have you got a podcast? Email wearecultcontent@gmail.com if you would like it to be featured.
