Q.1. Tell us about your recent project and it’s status.
I’ve been working on podcasts recently, one of them being “Boomerang-Comeback Stories” which is live on Kuku FM. The idea of a ‘boomerang’ basically revolves around the concept of “coming back from a major setback in life and winning it over.” My podcast is basically about all the athletes in the world who have inspired us through their comeback stories after they were hit by a major setback. I’ve always been a sucker for such inspirational anecdotes.
Similarly, my first podcast which was called “The Backstory”. With me being enthusiastic about sports, this podcast is my small venture into the massive world of sport. I bring trivia(s) of great cricketing stars that inspire us and remind us that they’ve also had a humble start like any of us. My aim was to leave a smile on listeners’ faces at the end of the podcast.
Q.2. When was the first time you discovered podcasting?
I didn’t know what podcasts were back in 2015 since they were not trending then. My friend introduced me to an audio clip, which was called “The Lighthouse Painting” by Simigo. I was simply stunned. I could’ve never imagined that an audio clip would leave such a mark on me. I kept thinking about it every day. My friend told me that these were called Podcasts. That’s when I realized that I could do this too; and since then, I’ve been finding reasons to make Podcasts.
Q.3. Where are you based out of and what is your day job? Are you a full-time podcaster?
I’m based out of Mumbai and I’ve been here since 2017. I would love to be a full-time podcaster, but as simple as it sounds it is difficult to survive only on podcasting. I work with a media company as a full-time producer and a content creator.
Q.4. What is your favorite time to listen to podcasts? Can you share a few of your favorites?
There is no favourite time as such but I would prefer calm and quiet nights when I can listen to podcasts peacefully and uninterrupted. My favourites would be “The Lighthouse Painting” by Simigo and “22 yarns” by Gaurav Kapoor.
Q.5. What will always remain your fondest memory from your production days?
Producing something new and unique all the time is challenging. Production has many processes going on at the same time. It has music, content, script, technicalities, equipment etc. Making them all function together in sync is a task, but when it happens it creates magic. My fondest memory is me producing for the first time and all of the above-mentioned happening like a domino effect.
Q.6. How are you promoting your podcast?
I put up my podcast on Kuku FM and it gained a lot of traction there. There was a lot of engagement in the form of comments and listening on my podcast. This really motivated me and then I decided to also promote my podcasts on my social media.
Q.7. How should one choose their subject or theme as a podcaster? What is your take on that?
Podcasting is an art wherein you make the listener realise that there are different perspectives from which he/she could have considered a topic. You keep it interesting until the end. Hence, I feel that you should choose a topic in which you as a podcaster are comfortable with and you have an interest in it. Only then you can spin it in the way you want it to be heard. Otherwise, there won’t be any difference between a podcast and a recital.
Q.8. What were your concerns around duration, thumbnails, recording equipment, frequency of uploads, etc. while beginning? What conclusions did you arrive at?
My past experience was radio. You have very less time duration there. One person had to cover every single story, news, funny experiences and music. My faculties were restricted to the duration. Coming out of it with the freedom to do a podcast as long as you wished was a very interesting paradigm shift.
Eventually, I learned how efficiently I could keep my listeners engaged. Now about the equipment, if you go into technical details and specification of the equipment you’ll find endless products/techs to the extremely customizable levels. It becomes very difficult to choose one. With quick research and friends’ advice, I was able to zero on one which suited me well. I wanted to keep my listeners engaged but I didn’t want to continuously bombard them with a new podcast every day. I also didn’t want to be a lazy broadcaster who uploaded once in a blue moon. I figured out a way after listening to many successful broadcasters, and also by asking my listeners about the frequency of my uploads. Finally, I arrived at weekly uploads. It gives me enough time to do research and create good quality content.
Q.9. What is it that motivated you to leave engineering and start your own radio/podcast show?
Since I was a kid, I was fascinated by the voice-overs in the movies. I felt like they added the extra oomph. I kept researching the VO artists. Eventually, I let it go and started pursuing engineering as a career. During my engineering days, my friend told me that I spoke quite well during a debate and this motivated me to apply for an internship as an RJ. It was a great internship but I got an engineering job from college placements and decided to take it. Eventually, I left it as I got an opportunity to work for a radio station on a very basic level. With this, I understood the nitty-gritty of voice production. My passion rose when I understood the voice media to its details, and that’s when I thought I could give this a try.
Q.10. How has been your experience with Kuku FM? What is special in your relationship with Kuku FM?
For a beginner like me with ambitious dreams, this is a platform that lets creators broadcast their content to its listeners. For now, I’m concentrating on my content and the quality of it. I do not want to think about reach and all those promotional aspects, I think that’s where Kuku FM is making me worry-free. I’ve had an amazing experience with Kuku FM.
0 Comments