Today we’d like to introduce you to Tana Chastain.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve always loved storytelling. I earned my bachelor’s and master’s degree in Speech Communication and attended The University of Memphis’ Ph.D. program in Communication, but ended up taking a different career path from teaching.
My love never died, though, and I continued writing and public speaking throughout my adult life. When my daughter was accepted into medical school last year, we got the idea to start a podcast as a way to help finance her education.
Turns out, medical school is rather difficult and time-consuming (who knew?!), and I soon found myself solo. So, I decided to combine all of the things I love – writing, storytelling, history, and weirdness – and thus, the Oddity Poddity Podcast was born.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road was as bumpy as I-40 and I-55 combined (that’s a little Memphis joke) and I rode the struggle bus over every pothole on it. In podcasting, there is a huge technical learning curve. What kind of equipment do I need? What editing software should I use? Why do I sound like I’m broadcasting from the bottom of the ocean floor?
The internet will tell you that it’s super easy to start a podcast but the internet is a lying liar who is made of lies! Like anything that’s worth doing, you have to invest if you want to do it well. Then there’s the research, writing, and performance piece. Though I have plenty of public speaking experience, I got more nervous about recording than I ever did in front of a live audience.
I second-guessed myself constantly. I messed up a billion times. I got a lot of commentary on my accent. Turns out, I have the Jason Voorhees of accents that will never die, so I made peace with that commentary. And now I just keep trying to get a little better every time.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I host a podcast called Oddity Poddity, where I talk about… well, odd stuff! I have a series on history and hauntings in Memphis, of course, as well as historical haunts in restaurants and hotels in our neck of the woods. Covid hit these industries very hard.
It’s my hope that people will hear these stories and want to go have a Soul Burger at Earnestine and Hazel’s, spend a weekend at the Peabody, and tour the homes on what was once Millionaire’s Row. We’ve all seen at least one of our favorite spots shuttered in the last 2 years, and if I can help keep that from happening in any small way, this is it. I also do episodes over other things like cursed art, urban legends, ghost ships, and fun stuff like that.
In terms of the podcast, the thing I’m most proud of is the episode I did about people who died while climbing Mount Everest and the bodies that remain there (over 200!). What started out as morbid curiosity quickly turned into profiles of some of the most heroic people I’ve ever had the privilege to learn about. I cried a lot during that one, and I didn’t edit it out. I also have listeners from 18 different countries too, so that’s a pretty cool accomplishment.
Might explain the commentary on my accent as well.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Yes! If you want to learn how to produce a good podcast, reach out to the creators that you enjoy listening to and ask them how they did it or watch their tutorials on YouTube. Also, there are some good podcasts on how to produce podcasts. This can save you from a lot of trial and error.
Choose a topic you highly dig and producing the pod won’t feel like work. Strive to make it past 20 episodes, because that’s when most people give up. Don’t get discouraged if no one listens at first, especially your family and friends. Just because they don’t share your love of the macabre doesn’t mean they don’t love you. Seek an audience with your same interests and grow your base from there.
Finally, be a perfectionist but once you’ve made your work as good as you possibly can, just put it out there. Release it into the wild. Don’t worry that someone won’t like it (someone won’t), or if someone laughs at you (someone will). If you let those fears stop you, you’ll never create something someone will like or will laugh at for the right reasons.
Contact Info:
- Email: odditypoddity@gmail.com
- Website: www.odditypoddity.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oddity_poddity_podcast/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100074480106213
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/OddityPod
