2013 Sure Was #Interesting
/So, I sit here listening to an album I never would have voluntarily sought out on my own after spending my waking hours watching a television drama I never would have sought out casually, whilst ready to watch a professional wrestling event I never would have been motivated to purchase and download before this year. Why, you might ask? (I know you didn't ask, humor me) All because of this website, this "network", Rabelly.net
When 2013 was about to begin I wrote down a set of goals. One of those was reach a goal weight 218 and another was to launch five Podcasts/Web Series/Projects/Whatevers by the end of the year. As I sit here typing, I didn't reach 218, but I did manage to lose close to fifty pounds. I gained some back but I plan on conquering the rest in due time. Additionally, though I didn't reach my goal of five, I did manage to launch three fantastic projects that I hold dearly with fantastic friends that I admire and hold even more dearly.
It all started with a couple of conversations, a spark of an idea and a shared love of Independent Wrestling. David J. Majors (a.k.a. DJM) and I have long shared a passion for the wacky, esoteric, and beautiful world of professional wrestling and have wanted to channel said passion into a formal project we could be proud of. As it stands, Fanny Pack is just that. I'm proud of how much the show has grown from the its humble and awkward first few episodes, and how much I've grown as a podcaster from those same beginnings. I didn't know how to host a podcast, then. Hell, I still don't know how to podcast now, but, with a lot of help from DJM, I don't quite suck as much as I used to, and, for that, I'm proud and grateful.
Hallyujuku's beginnings were a little haphazard. I had cobbled together a recording setup and I needed to test it. So I tweeted Brandon Cooper, otherwise known as the internet's King Kaz, this exact question:
@kingkaz I want to test my new mic. Wanna bullshit a K-Pop/K-Variety/Etc. podcast pilot later tonight?
— Petey Rave (@peteyrave) September 10, 2013and we did just that. Now this was not out of nowhere. At that point we had steadily been having constant conversations about K-Pop, variety shows we like (namely Running Man) and other Korean Pop Culture stuff and I had been contemplating formalizing these talks into a project we could work on. This situation became the perfect opportunity, since neither what was then a technically unnamed music podcast nor Fanny Pack were scheduled for a few days. That first pilot episode turned into another beta episode and into another one. In no time we had a sort of rhythm and identity. The show is still young and evolving but I'm happy with where it's come in the short time it has existed and where it's heading from here and am looking forward to much more in the future.
Record Breakers' beginnings started years ago from my initial ideas of what I would want to do a podcast about. I had initially thought of a music discussion show named DCBL (hence the beta episodes being titled as such) that had reviews and, most importantly, a segment where each of the hosts would share what they thought was an essential album of music history and the rest would judge it on those merits. I put this idea this rest, because I had no one to do it with me. Then Chatrealm happened. The friendships that formed over the few years gave me a family of enthusiastic creative people to share ideas with and get ideas from. One of those people was Patrick Swagger. He had a passion for music and the chops to podcast. He also had an idea. The virtual lunch table. A group of friends gather round and, one at a time, share an album. Be that an all-time classic, a beloved hidden gem, or even a notable curiosity. We would then discuss and judge accordingly. In an effort to force his hand and finally get him to put his idea to action, I forcefully coordinated him and two personalities I knew would be perfect for it, Brett Hibbard and Drew Snyder to record a pilot, and thus the show was born. It brings me so much joy to work with a group of people so passionate about not only what we discuss on the show, but the show itself. I can only hope I can match their enthusiasm and hard work with my own and never let these guys down. Mainly because these guys could easily do this show without me, Easily.
These shows share the common thread of my friends and I channeling something we were passionate about into a formal setting and putting our all into it. They also share the thread of people much more charismatic and talented than I am allowing me to steer the ship on these projects despite me not knowing what I'm doing most of the time and helping me learn the way.
As the year comes to the end, I can only humbly thank David, Brandon, Patrick, Brett, and Drew for going along on this journey with me and indulging my wild ideas of being a podcaster. I also thank you for even reading this far and indulging my sentimental and pedantic retelling of my journey into new media this year.
2014 is going to be a year of more. My goals for this upcoming year are to finally land at that 218 lb. goal weight. Additionally my goal for this network is to launch three new projects by the end of this year. What those projects will be and what medium they will be delivered depends on the idea that spawns it. One thing is certain, I plan to give it my all and make them passionate, sincere, and fun to do. At the end of the day, that's all that matters to me.
Thank you for reading.
감사합니다!! 파이팅!! 사랑해요!!
Happy New Year!