Podfluence: What inspired you to start your show? What were some of your influences?

It was something I always wanted to do, I (Jared Ordis) was formerly a streamer on Twitch, streaming horror games, and one day decided to finally bite the bullet and start a podcast. in September of 2019.. ultimately leaving streaming on Twitch all together.

 Originally the podcast wasn’t Even the Podcast is Afraid it was Talking Trash with Ordis and focused on mainly interviews, which eventually morphed into three shows: Talking Trash with Ordis, Storytime (Which add Nick Porchetta as co-host,as we talked true crime and paranormal cases) and Pasta Time (which had Nick & Me, joined by co-host Samantha Vazquez reading Creepy Pasta Stories)

Nick Porchetta and Samantha Vazquez were both guests on Talking Trash with Ordis, I’ve known Nick for a few years through gaming and met Samantha when she was a guest on my show. However, none of us have ever met in person! Nick is in Canada, Sam is in Florida, and I’m in Alabama.

We have just recently in the last 3 months added a new person to our team, though she isn’t on the actual show in voice, her words are though, our Elbow Deep Researcher and Writer (as we call her) Stephanie Kemmerer. She came to us having written for Skeptical Inquirer Magazine & formerly at a Pennsylvania Newspaper. Stephanie has helped change the overall dynamic in our stories and it’s been great! and she is a huge advocate for the show!

By episode 21(we are on episode 66 as of writing this) we officially changed the name to Even the Podcast is Afraid and morphed all three shows into one, focusing mainly on true crime, horror, the paranormal, the unexplained, and just weird cases involving anything that goes bump in the night – or just makes you go what the hell. All while adding in our own comedic dialog.

Influences for the show..i’ve had a few, but the main influence would be Last Podcast on the Left, the humor that Ben, Henry, & Marcus bring to their show is on point, they can tell you about anything dealing with the macabre and leave you with a smile (not many people have the ability to do that) I loved what they were doing, and it drew me into the comedic true crime area of podcasting.

I have always been fascinated by the strange & the macabre, so being able to talk about things that I read about and watch is exciting for me! It never gets boring, I really enjoy being able to tell stories and make people laugh, it never feels like work.

Podfluence: What paths have you taken to grow your audience?

In the beginning it was telling my followers from Twitch about the show, as the original incarnation” Talking Trash with Ordis” was live on Twitch. However, over time social media has been a big influence in promoting the show and reaching people who might have interest in listening to what we offer.

Word of mouth seems to be the best, some of our listeners are so passionate that they will tell their friends & Family about us, bringing in more listeners. Without loyal fans and listeners I think sometimes it would be hard to grow!

We have done the same things most podcasts do, by getting really good microphones and having good music, editing, etc. but it will always come back to our listeners!

Branding I think is also essential, I (Jared Ordis) am a graphic arts nerd, and I’m all about branding, all the logos and branding for the show was thought out, and I make sure that it stays that way, so you always know you are looking at Even the Podcast is Afraid, or any other show I would do in the future. It makes a listener want to click your show, and once they are there it is up to the hosts or host to be able to keep them there.

Talking to your listeners is another big one, we make sure to talk with them as much as we can, whether that is through email or social media, we are always going to respond! Knowing what they like is great feedback.

Podfluence: Is there a special episode of yours that you recommend new listeners to check out? 

We actually have a few episodes, since we dabble in a few different styles of topics. We did a series on Joe Exotic, and during that series Jared Ordis wrote a letter to Joe while he was in prison, to see if I could get an interview by letter back. I asked dhim 10 questions, and to my surprise I received a 7 page front and back letter from Joe. The episode that we read Joe’s letter is a special one for me, episode 49 – Joe Exotic: Letter from the Tiger King, Interview by Mail

The series on the British serial killer couple, Fred & Rose West was the longest series we have done to date, 7 part series, and it was the first series written and researched by Stephanie Kemmerer, that series packed with so much information on that sadistic couple, Episodes – 53 to 59 Fred & Rose West Series.

The Luka Magnotta two part series is a popular one with our listeners and the True Story of the Amityville Horror series, plus we have some one off episodes on Michael Rockefeller, The Lobster Boy Grady Stiles, Carl Tanzler, the Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp and more. As you can tell it’s hard for me to pick just one episode or series!

We have listeners that only listen to certain types of episodes, whether that’s our Creepy Pasta stories, the Side Crime episodes, true crime, or the paranormal. There is something for all types of macabre history.

Podfluence: What has it been like to be a part of the Crawlspace Network? What is your favorite podcast on the Crawlspace network (besides your own)?

It has been great! We have been with Crawlspace Media Network now for a few months, it has really helped us grow our show, to places I want sure we are going to get. Tim and Lance are really good people who have been a great help to us, and we highly respect those guys for that. I (Jared Ordis) really appreciate everything they do for me, and what they have done for not only our show, but for Ordis Studios.

Crawlspace is more like family than a partnership, or just some ol network that has you on there to be on there. Tim and Lance, Crawlspace as a whole, care about one another and everyone is willing to champion for the other. It’s a great place to be!

I have two that I listen to on the regular from Crawlspace Media Network, there are many great shows and some I listen to one off episodes like: Murder Was the Case, Criminal Perspective, DIE-ALOGUE, and LA Not So Confidential  but the two I listen to on a regular bases would be Pi_Rational Stories and Crawlspace Podcast.

It is hard to choose sometimes, as they all bring something different to the table, like Tim’s podcast called “Life Of” I actually thoroughly enjoy that podcast! I have listened to every episode thus far.

How can you pick?? It’s one of those places that if you listen to one of the shows, you are probably listening to 4 or more of them. As we all mingle with each other, and pop up within each other’s shows. I think everyone would agree, if you are listening to our show, big chances are you are listening to Crawlspace Media Network as a whole!