Episode 72: Meetup with Erika Ensign

Erika Ensign of Verity! and many, many other podcasts joined us at the July podcasting meetup to talk about growing a fandom. Erika is one of the most prolific podcasters I know, and one of the most successful. She has a hand in these: Verity!, where six smart women talk about Doctor Who; Beginner's Puck, a podcast for hockey fans new and old; The Uncanny Magazine Podcast, a companion to the online magazine of science fiction and fantasy (which just won its second Hugo Award!);   The Audio Guide to Babylon 5, a rewatch of the sci-fi series; Lazy Doctor Who, a rewatch with her husband, Steven Schapansky; Total Party Kill, where a bunch of friends play Dungeons and Dragons;  Afoot, a mystery podcast; Game Night, where Incomparable folks play board games. In this episode, you'll hear a whole lot of wisdom from Erika about such things as: how nerdity and fandom led her to podcasting; how Verity was instigated on Twitter; how to encourage interaction in comments and on social media; the glory and weirdness of meeting fans in real life; how Verity uses Patreon to generate some funds; the benefits of being involved in The Incomparable, a network of nerdy podcasts; how being generous can help you; what makes her a fan of a podcast; and how to keep going when you're not sure anyone is listening. Erika also has a podcast production business called Castria, which produces this very show. Many thanks to her and Steven for that, and thanks too to these folks: our meetup hosts, Variant Edition; our door prize donors, EDMojis; and our catering sponsor, CafeRista. Sign up for the Edmonton Podcasting Meetup to meet local podcasters and improve your craft. The next one is planned for Oct. 22. Seen and Heard in Edmonton is a proud member of the Alberta Podcast Network, powered by ATB.  This episode of Seen and Heard in Edmonton is brought to you by ATB Financial, founding sponsor of the Alberta Podcast Network, powered by ATB. In this episode, you'll hear my daughter Elizabeth talk about how happy she was to open a bank account at ATB. (Seriously, she was really happy.) Learn more about how to get an account here. ATB might just listen better than I listen to my own kid. Find out how at atb.com/listen. You'll also hear a shout-out to two fellow members of the Alberta Podcast Network, powered by ATB. To follow the ups and downs (but mostly ups, lately!) of FC Edmonton, subscribe to Loyal Company of the River Valley. To celebrate the Canadian national women's soccer team and the teams its players play on, listen to For Kicks. These and other great Alberta-made podcasts can be found at albertapodcastnetwork.com. Musical credits: Beethoven’s Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 2 No. 1, played by Daniel Veesey, from freemusicarchive.com.