Podcasters Questionnaire: EXP. Share #PokePodMonth2023

Mikey

2 years ago

One last experience to share.

July is Pokemon Podcast Month. A month where we get to celebrate our favorite Pokemon podcasts.

Pokemon Podcasts have a vast array of hosts. All of them come from various backgrounds and think in different way. The one thing that they all have in common is that they host their podcast as if they are a friend. A friend where you can come to every episode in hopes to have a conversation with them. One where you can enjoy their company for various minutes as you do something from driving, enjoying a meal or just doing something in your everyday life.

Still, as friends you want to get to know them a bit better. So we have taken the chance to ask some of your favorite Pokemon podcasters various of questions. Some of these questions range from podcasting in general to why they simply love Pokemon. Overall, we want to give you a chance to get closer to the friends that you love to listen and talk to every episode.

Today we have the following answering our Pokemon Podcast questionnaire:
Josh from EXP. Share.

What drew you to the Pokemon franchise?

Josh: My parents wouldn’t let me get a proper console, but the Game Boy was apparently a loophole because it was handheld, and thus they thought I could still be “present” with the family or whatever.

I grew up in the woods and animals—both wild and pets—were always around and a fascination of mine, so Pokémon (Blue because of the superior selection of ‘mon) was right in the sweet spot.

What inspired you to podcast?

Josh: I partly wanted a way to learn how to produce and edit a podcast, and partly wanted an excuse to hang out with my bud Tanner.

What is your thought process when it comes to picking music for your podcast?

Josh: We wanted a suite that riffed on the old 8-bit stuff from Red & Blue, but more layered so that it could remain relevant for the rest of the franchise as we play through each game. Our composer and my friend, Matt Shilts, was in a midi band in high school and is now a podcast producer and editor, so he was perfect.

What keeps you going when it comes to podcasting and Pokemon?

Josh: We’re both completionists, so in the beginning the allure was being able to say I’d beaten all the main games in a franchise I love.

But steadily the motivation has become the fans. Seeing so many Bug Catchers play along with us and watching a community grow around our podcast, and getting to interact—and even meet!—with them is easily the best part now.

When you record your podcast, who do you wish to reach with it?

Josh: There is definitely a big nostalgic appeal to our show, but even if you haven’t played every game or only got into the series in the past couple of years, I think it’s more about sharing our vibe—of not taking yourself too seriously and willing to think about the Pokémon beyond their stats. We’re competitive, but we’re really here to explore the world of Pokémon and the creatures and characters in it.

What is the hardest part when it comes to podcasting?

Josh: This is neither of our main jobs, and we’ve only taken one three-month hiatus in nearly four years of playing a game gym by gym and week by week, so doing that is the hardest part, lol.

What has been the best Podcast moment you have had?

Josh: Hard to say over all that time, but what comes to mind recently is the moment we booted up the Switch for Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee.

When we started I had no idea we would actually make it up to the games’ current console or gen, and knowing that we’re on the cusp of playing games like Arceus that I’ve been pining after since its release—is super exciting. Open world Pokémon is my childhood pipedream.

Huge thank you to Josh for taking the time to answer these questions.

We hope you enjoy this moment with your friend if you are a listener of this podcast. If you are not then how about you take a chance and make a new friend by listening to EXP. Share.

Make sure to give them a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher! Don’t touch that Totodile! See you all next time!