Featured Host: Adair Rice

Each month we interview one of our hosts  to learn about their backgrounds, projects, and passions. This month, we're getting to know Adair Rice, co-host and editor for Dizzy Channel: Original Friendship and Slow Claps and Rewrites. 

The Interview

You’re a writer and poet by day; podcaster by night. What drew you to podcasts, and what advantage do they have over the written word?

Becoming the host of a podcast was never a specific goal of mine,  I was actually very late to the game when it came to it. But once I really grasped the medium, the freedom that comes with it and how I wanted to approach it; I began to feel a levity that I don’t experience with writing. You don’t get the chance to second guess your choices, so little of what we talk about is planned out so I’ve learned a lot about my impulses and the beauty of not overthinking what I say when I’m recording.

What are some things you’ve learned in your first year of making podcasts?

I think the first thing you learn when you begin podcasting is how to hate the sound of your own voice, it’s humbling to edit the awkward pauses and meandering stories but you learn a lot about how you navigate conversation. Another huge lesson is how important it is to pick the right partner/co-host in a creative endeavor. You need a person who can make you laugh but who can also empathize when things aren’t going smoothly, I could not imagine these podcasts being half as good without Maia and Dan.

"I think the first thing you learn when you begin podcasting is how to hate the sound of your own voice,"

What is your favorite drink from Dizzy Channel: Original Friendship?

My favorite drink to look at was the Witch’s Brew cocktail we made for Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge, it had dry ice and was so cool visually but it was too strong for me.  The drink I love the taste of is the Zetus Lapetus, a Zenon themed drink I created including Limoncello and Prosecco, it’s strong but so refreshing.

What are you working on outside of Secret Weapon Productions?

I’m still happily contributing weekly to the poetry project Dan Crary and I created last year entitled “Everything’s an Island” and recently had a poem published in the TILL’s 2016 Chapbook.  In April, one of my poems is being featured by 4Culture’s Poetry on Buses contest and I’m working on final edits for my first solo chapbook.

Any new audio projects in the works?

Not yet, I’ve been toying around with a possible scripted project but, for me, it’s all about finding the right collaborator and getting them on board with my reckless enthusiasm.

What is your favorite podcast not on SWP?

I have recently become a huge fan of “Comedy Bang Bang” and am a Nerdfighter at heart so “Dear Hank and John” is always a favorite.

Featured Host: Daniel Crary

Each month we interview one of our hosts  to learn about their backgrounds, projects, and passions. This month, we're getting to know Daniel Crary, the central founder and Social Media Manager of Secret Weapon Productions.

The Interview

Q: Why did you start Secret Weapon Productions?

A: I am lucky enough to have a very talented circle of friends. In the past, all of us had collaborated on plays, papers, film, or music. As many of us shifted into “the professional world,” it became clear that creative endeavors may not pay as well, but they're far healthier for our ilk. So I sent a few (too many) emails, and that’s over 100 hours of content ago.

 Q: What do you love about podcasts?

A: I have to admit, I was behind the curve on podcasts by about 3 or 10 years. But, the freedom of format and the ability to create unimpeded immediately hooked me. You can’t do a production of Little Red Riding Hood on a park bench for less than what it takes to start a podcast. The bar to entry for most people is very doable. Which makes it great for schmucks like me.

"You can’t do a production of Little Red Riding Hood on a park bench for less than what it takes to start a podcast."

Q: What have you learned in the first year with the company?

A: I don’t get Twitter, but I’m trying.

Q: What are you working on at SWP right now?

A: Co-hosting both 20 Minutes of Banter and Slow Claps and Rewrites. I’m trying to grow the company and make us a home-base people want to create out of. If I can get one more person creating a thing that previously lived in their head, I consider that a win.

Q: What are you working on outside of SWP?

A: Adair Rice (co-host of Slow Claps and Rewrites) and I have a poetry tumblr we update every Tuesday and Thursday with new original poems. I’m also writing a TV pilot and watching every episode of The Simpsons backwards in hopes of finding enlightenment.

Q: What is your favorite podcast not on SWP?

A: I am a big fan of Script Notes. One of the hosts liked a tweet I sent his way and it filled me with hope.

Slow Claps and Rewrites

Writing is hard. Not exactly "Building-A-Giant-Deadly-Robot" hard - but it ain't easy. 

Enter Dan and Adair; two friends who have been pushing each other up the winding road of writing for over five years. With a bi-coastal blog in the rearview and a poetry blog on the side, the duo is now cruising onto the airwaves in our newest podcast "Slow Claps and Rewrites". 

In Slow Claps and Rewrites, Adair and Dan talk about new projects, old hang-ups, how to find your muse and murder your darlings.   

Maybe it'll be great - maybe Dan will ruin it. Only time will tell. Until we know more, please listen and subscribe to Slow Claps and Rewrites on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or right here on Secret Weapon Productions. 

- SW

Six Months of Doom

Six months ago, Secret Weapon Productions exited the research phase and started creating podcasts. We had three brand new podcasts, six total episodes, and exactly 4 subscribers.

Many things have changed in these six months: theme songs have been belted, crossover episodes have emerged, and new scientists have been brought into the labs to create new monst... er... productions. 

We've also been working hard to improve the quality of our recording, editing, and episode structure so listeners can get in and out of episodes with happy ears and time to spare. We do this out of love, not because we're testing mind control frequencies for a foreign military. 

With our first six months behind us, there are many things we are excited about for the rest of the year. Wordstruck is entering a new season with new surprises, Dizzy Channel and Into the Echo are contemplating seasonal drinks for the fall weather, and 20 Minutes of Banter is finally hiring a lawyer to work through their mountain of cease and desist letters. All of this is happening as we make the hike to our first 1,000 subscribers, a goal we're confident in reaching. We may even have a couple new shows up our lab coat sleeves - who knows?

So thank you to all of our listeners and subscribers for sticking with us over the last six months. It's been a thrill to hear from you, and we hope you'll love what we have in store.

- SW

Launch Codes Activated

You may have felt it: a faint rumbling in the dead of night - a distant thrumming in the back of your mind. You're not imagining things - the world has a dark secret. 

And now, after several Millenia, it's being released. Secret Weapon Productions is opening its eyes and stretching its turbines, ready to launch into a podcast player near you. Is it a man-eating Kaiju? An F-35 fighter jet? The world may never know. But one thing is for sure - your ears are about to be a whole lot happier. 

You can listen to our first podcast - 20 Minutes of Banter - right now, or Subscribe on iTunes to have banter assaulting your ears every two weeks. 

Thank you for tuning in, now please brace for impact. 

- SW