Time for another round around the roundtable!
Pokemon Podcast Appreciation Month is still happening! That means we have another round of Roundtable responses from all your favorite Pokemon podcasters!
And do we have responses! There are a bunch of good podcasts today at the roundtable. From podcasts talking about the anime to those that talk about science. We even have a podcast plays Pokemon using tabletop D&D-like rules. So what do these amazing podcasts have to say at our roundtable? First let us see who is here!
Steven from PokePress Digest Podcast (Anime)
Devyn from Critical Hitmonlee (Tabletop)
Chris from PokeScience (Specialty)
JD from PokeMakers (Specialty)
Now that we know who is at the table, lets ask them some questions!
What inspired you to podcast?

Steven (PokePress Digest Podcast): I had operated an online radio station (PIRN) for many years, where I played interviews in addition to music. When my hosting service shut down at the end of 2015, I decided I needed a new avenue of getting out my interviews.
Devyn (Critical Hitmonlee): We were inspired by Boarding Party on YouTube.
Chris (PokeScience): I joined the PokeScience podcast because they seemed like a group who enjoyed educating people about the real world through games (and they seemed to have a fun doing it too). I jumped in early 2020, and it’s been a blast so far.
JD (PokeMakers): Alex and I have always enjoyed creative projects together – we first met through making YouTube videos – and podcasting was another fun way to do that.
We started out two years ago with our first podcast, Sorted: Not A Harry Potter Podcast, but earlier this year decided to add to that with PokéMakers. We’ve always loved Pokémon, and this felt like a fresh way to join both the Fakemon community, and the Pokémon podcasting community.
What is your thought process when it comes to picking music for your podcast?

Steven (PokePress Digest Podcast): So, as I realized after reading last year’s articles, what you actually mean with this question is “how do you choose what music to insert into your episodes?”.
The background music in my show comes from a couple of stock libraries. We will hum a few bars and quote lyrics from whatever we’re talking about in the episode, but I’ve decided to play it safe and not use commercial recordings.
As for the music we discuss in (most) episodes, that’s driven by whatever the topic is. Usually, that’s a specific game or movie, but we also do discussions about specific topics, such as live music, underrated songs, etc..
Devyn (Critical Hitmonlee): We enjoy the video game music a lot as well as whatever cool 8-bit non demonetized music we can.
Chris (PokeScience): The music was set before I joined up, but from experience music is a great setter. It can convey tone, expectations, and so much more in a brief amount of time.
JD (PokeMakers): For Sorted, Alex thought of the perfect song and asked the artist for permission to use it, and that was that.
PokéMakers needed it’s own distinct feel, however, and so we commissioned an original piece! We asked the phenomenal Michael Frietag, aka @admiralamara, who worked with us to create a piece that captured exactly the feeling of wonder and adventure that we wanted.
When you record your podcast, who do you wish to reach with it?

Steven (PokePress Digest Podcast): The show is marketed as a “news magazine”, so the assumption is that the audience is looking for an in-depth discussion on that episode’s topic, but that is still accessible to a general (Pokemon) audience.
Basically, I’m trying to reach folks who are looking to get a more detailed picture of a part of the franchise.
Devyn (Critical Hitmonlee): Anyone who loves TTRPGs along with Pokémon!
Chris (PokeScience): I’m hoping to reach inquisitive minds, people who want to continue to learn.
There are so many interesting stories in the world, and helping connect people with a few of them is great. What I hope the most is that we’re a starting point for someone diving even deeper into a subject matter.
JD (PokeMakers): Both those with a long held love of Pokémon, perhaps those who might have made their own Fakemon, or be interested in doing so. As well as fans who might be newer to the series, interested in learning more about how it’s all put together.
With each topic we cover, we give a brief overview of how Pokémon games have handled it to give context into what we’re doing.
How has podcasting in the last year changed due to COVID?

Steven (PokePress Digest Podcast): In a normal year, I would have been able to attend a number of competitions and conventions and get some of my interviews that way.
Obviously that stopped after March, so I compensated with a couple of phone interviews. That said, I’m glad I was able to squeeze three episodes out of the discussion of “Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution”.
Devyn (Critical Hitmonlee): For us not at all. All of our players are spread across the U.S along with one out of the Country. We play virtually!
Chris (PokeScience): Podcasting for us hasn’t changed too much due to COVID as we were already spread out across the country and recording remotely. Overall, my brief experience podcasting pre-COVID didn’t change that much when the pandemic hit.
JD (PokeMakers): Our situation here is actually the opposite that many have experienced. For years we’ve been a long distance couple, and we’ve only been permanently in the same location since February 2020.
While many had to stop recording in the same place at the start of lockdown, we’ve only been able to since it started. On top of that, if not for COVID slowing down my visa application and meaning we have been unable to work for so long, we may not have had time to start PokéMakers.
What is the hardest part when it comes to podcasting?

Steven (PokePress Digest Podcast): Editing is pretty much always the hardest part of podcasting.
You can make it easier by preparing notes for your discussion, setting up your equipment correctly, and using some shortcuts in your editing software, but at some point you have to just work with the audio and make difficult decisions about how much and where to cut, which audio defects are worth attempting to fix, etc.. I’m probably my own worst critic, but I do try to make sure my show is tightly edited.
Devyn (Critical Hitmonlee): Finding a good time to record with the amount of people we have and sticking to a schedule.
Chris (PokeScience): The hardest part for me is overcoming my stage fright. While it’s not live, it’s still a performance of sorts, and I always get a little nervous before records. It’s nothing too bad, but just something I’m conscious of.
JD (PokeMakers): We’re both passionate about the project, and our ideas, and when our ideas clash with each other, it can sometimes be difficult to decide which way to go. We’ve had to find a number of compromises, including merging ideas to give something that’s half of what we each want, or agreeing that ideas will be used in different ways in the future.

It can also be a slow struggle to find the right name, though we know every time when we do, as the perfect name will just click right into place.
What has been the best Podcast moment you have had?

Steven (PokePress Digest Podcast): I’m not sure I can narrow it down to a specific moment, but I do like it any time I get to share some new insight into the franchise.
Devyn (Critical Hitmonlee): Having an interactive community constantly in our Discord!
Chris (PokeScience): I had so much fun competing in the two charity events the PokeCasters network last year. Both the VGC competition and the role playing formats were so much fun, and it was great to meet other content creators in the community.
JD (PokeMakers): When others have been inspired by what we’ve created to make their own Pokémon ideas and share them with us! Every time we get to see other twists on the same ideas, or even completely new ideas, that people have been inspired to create following listening to the podcast has been an incredible feeling.
Huge thanks to these amazing Podcasters! Thank you Steven, Devyn, Chris and JD for taking the time to answer these questions.
We hope you lovers of these fine podcasts also enjoy learning a bit about what makes podcasting so amazing and challenging.
Make sure to give them all a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher! Don’t touch that Totodile! See you all next time at the Roundtable!
The post Podcast Roundtable #2 #PPAMonth2021 appeared first on Pokémon Crossroads.


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