Sharing the Message of the Marginalized w/Paula Blair

[00:00:00] Jennifer Francis: This is Tools of the Podcast Trade, where you can learn about the tools and resources you can use to start and grow your podcast tune in this week. As we talk about the help you need to remove the mystery from podcasting. So you can become a successful podcaster that can reach your audience where they are.[00:00:20] My guest today is Paula Blair. Welcome Paula. Thank you for coming and talking to me. [00:00:25] Paula Blair: hi, Jennifer. Thank you for having me. I really appreciate it. [00:00:28] Jennifer Francis: Yes, of course. [00:00:29] tools of the podcast trade can always use some brilliant minds. so so podcasters can know what's going on in their world. So, tell me about Paula.[00:00:40] Who is Paula Blair? [00:00:42] Paula Blair: Oh, the all a player. Oh, that's a great question. , who is she today? Let's try and answer that one. so, , I, , I research, I write about film and visual culture. I make a podcast called Audio visual Cultures, and I [00:01:00] just muddle through life. That's really what I'm all about at the moment.[00:01:04] Jennifer Francis: Okay. All right. So why did you start your podcast? What, what's the background in. [00:01:10] Paula Blair: That's a, that's a really good question. I'll try not to be too rambly with my answers. So I started Audiovisual Cultures because, , so I, so I have a film studies background, but when I was doing my research, when I, , was doing a PhD, I.[00:01:28] I started to work more on convergences between cinema and other moving image forms of production. So television and video installation and performance art and that kind of thing. And I wanted to do something that looked at that really broadly because my studies were in a really specific context. , but I was interested in those things very broadly.[00:01:54] So, That was really where the idea of it came from. And then I was [00:02:00] transitioning from working in an academic context to becoming a freelancer and just trying to figure life out a little bit. So those things kind of just dovetailed a bit and became the same thing. [00:02:15] Jennifer Francis: okay. Alright. Thank you. And what has been your biggest struggle as a, you know, in starting your podcast and, you know, Rambling through cuz we all ramble through.[00:02:25] Right. [00:02:27] Paula Blair: Mm-hmm for sure. It's really tough to get started and it's really overwhelming as an indie podcaster. I'm sure you find this yourself. I know you've got a lot of experience and you make another podcast as well, but. It is such a minefield and there's so much out there and it is a wild west. It's a very young, medi, there's not really any rules.[00:02:46] And I've, , actually learned quite a lot from listening to your podcast recently about more, the legalities around how do we even do this? How do we keep everybody safe when we're doing this? You know? So I find your [00:03:00] podcast really useful, Jen, as well. But I've been doing this for four years. So you were you.[00:03:06] I, I didn't have you yet. So , , there's been a lot of trial and error and a lot of learning how to do stuff the hard way, and a lot of searching on blogs and YouTube and figuring things out because I went into it with no budget to throw at it, you know, and just totally on my own and just thinking. Could I could I, could I do that?[00:03:28] Oh, let's give it a try. Let's just give it a try and see what happens. So it started off just, and answer to the question. Can I even do this and four years later? Well, I, I am doing it. I don't know if I'm doing it especially well, but I know I've got a really small show, but I think I make it really well.[00:03:47] And. You know, it's been a real journey and I'm learning all the time. And I think that's the key to it is just be open to learning about it all the time and be prepared to just make [00:04:00] improvements. And there's so much you can do without spending any money to make it as good as you can make it. [00:04:05] Jennifer Francis: Yes. Yes. I mean, I mean, it depends on your reason for starting your podcast in the first place, but the main thing is, you started.[00:04:15] and you're going strong four years. that's commendable and you are doing a subject that you you're knowledgeable and most likely enjoy as you wouldn't, you wouldn't have lasted four years because yeah. So that's really good. Thank you. what has been your, your most useful tool to get your message out, through the podcast?[00:04:38] Paula Blair: Yeah, that's another really good question. , I think I struggled quite a bit until I joined Instagram, , when I joined Instagram and really developed, , the, the podcasts account there. And it's, I mean, again, it's got a small following, but it's growing constantly. It's just constantly going up a little bit, a little bit [00:05:00] more, a little bit more, a little bit more And I think because, you know, it's, it's a podcast, it's an audio program about audio, visual, media.[00:05:08] So, you know, the visual's really important there. And then to have Instagram, I think's been really good at developing the more visual side of things and to be more playful about it. And I've learned a lot about digital marketing and that kind of stuff as well. So I think once I. Twigged on and just became more prepared to jp into something like that.[00:05:30] You know, that actually was what. Has got it to reach more people. Actually, a lot of people have find the podcast because they find the account on Instagram. so that that's been really useful actually. I mean, I mean, I wouldn't necessarily suggest social media to anybody, but. It's just, I think Instagram, especially at the time that I joined, you know, it hadn't yet been bought by Facebook and it was slightly different place.[00:05:56] So, you know, I don't know if I'd recommend it to anybody, but it worked [00:06:00] for me in just what I was working on. [00:06:02] Jennifer Francis: Okay. So it helped to just, , at least find one place that you could tell others about [00:06:09] Paula Blair: it. [00:06:10] It did. Yeah. cause I, I think a lot of people who've ended up guesting on the show, a lot of artists and filmmakers, , and all sorts of people have find the podcast because of Instagram.[00:06:22] And then they've reached out to me and we've had a chat and they've been on the show and they've helped then grow the audience. So it's just really it's in drips, but it does build up. And I think if you're not too worried about building big nbers. If you wanna build a meaningful community with it and a meaningful audience, then it's a good, you know, it's a good space I think for that.[00:06:49] Jennifer Francis: Okay. All right. Thank you. All right. So, what is Paula grateful for today? [00:06:54] Paula Blair: Oh, lots of things. That's a really, again, fantastic question. , [00:07:00] to have got through the past couple of years, to, , to. Yeah, to just be in a, a really, , safe space and, , a relatively happy time in my life. And that, for the most part, the people in my life are, are well at the moment.[00:07:20] , you know, so yeah, that's a really important question to, to ourselves every day. [00:07:27] Jennifer Francis: Okay. [00:07:28] All right. Thank you. so. One of the things you you have in your profile is that, you know, you, you interview, you address, voices in film, right? Am I framing it correctly? [00:07:43] Paula Blair: Yeah. Yeah. [00:07:44] Jennifer Francis: Some of these, voices, may be marginalized.[00:07:47] Can you give us an example of, the topics you cover and who those topics, are for. . [00:07:53] Paula Blair: Yeah, definitely. , I mean we try, we tr we try and be [00:08:00] across the board whenever we can. I mean, Because, , cuz a lot of the time, I mean, for example, , when, , like my partner is a film historian as well and for throughout the pandemic, he wasn't really able to, to join in with the podcast very much.[00:08:16] But before that we used to record stuff together all the time and , you know, we would watch a film and then. Closely, analyze it together and record that. And, you know, we would try and do a wide range of topics. So for example, we would talk about a film like the miseducation of Cameron post and think through, you know, L G B T issues and, , conversion therapy and things like that.[00:08:43] and, , but we would, we've done episodes by, , Eva D nice films and trying to draw attention to, , you know, marginalized figures in the past. So we've looked at Selma, but not just looking at Martin Luther [00:09:00] king, but all the, the women who are behind the civil rights movement in the US who, whose names we can't remember don't know.[00:09:07] And, but who, who, who really were. You know, the, the, the grassroots of it, you know, really were the, the foundation of it and everything and kept everybody going. And, you know, so we try and do stuff like that, or try and include people, try and interview people who are, you know, , Like queer artists or, you know, non-binary or trans or, or anything like that, you know, I just wanna see what's going on in the world and just make sure there's a space for the people who were not hearing so much from, but they're doing work out there.[00:09:41] And it's really interesting. And we have something to learn from it really. [00:09:45] Jennifer Francis: Okay. So you basically highlight the work that they do. So, you know, they, they have more exposure. [00:09:53] Paula Blair: Yeah, I suppose so. I mean, I can't, I, I mean, I have to be honest, I can't offer very much in terms of exposure, cause [00:10:00] we're a really tiny show, but ,[00:10:02] Yeah. I mean, I suppose, , how I opinion it, , there's a, there's a podcast I listen to that is really great. It's called Toxic Leadership and it's about, , you know, sort of dealing with, , you know, toxic workplaces and stuff, but somebody who was guesting on that show said like, when you make a podcast, you, you make space for yourself but.[00:10:23] You also make space for the people who you invite to have on it. And, and that just made me really stop and think and go, gosh, I didn't realize that I'd been doing that, but in, in my own tiny little way, I had been doing that. So that's a really special thing to be able to do. [00:10:40] Jennifer Francis: Yes. I mean, if it's one person and it makes a difference in that one person's life, it's significant.[00:10:47] Because you don't know who, who that one person will come in connection with. Right. [00:10:52] Paula Blair: Mm-hmm , that's true. Yeah. [00:10:54] Jennifer Francis: Yeah. It's, it's very important to think in, in those terms. [00:11:00] Yeah. All right. So I'm going to, bug you again about, about tools. This is tools of the podcast trade. [00:11:07] Paula Blair: Sure. [00:11:08] Jennifer Francis: And I always wanna know what people are doing to, you know, make life easier for themselves.[00:11:15] we talk about a couple of ways. You, you publicize your show. what about the process? How, how difficult do you find the process? Do you do it yourself or do you hire that [00:11:25] out [00:11:26] Paula Blair: I do everything myself, everything, I haven't got any budget to hire anybody. , but I, I'm a little bit techie, you know, I'm not super techy, but I'm medi techie and I can do a bunch of stuff.[00:11:39] You know, there's things on the internet. I find relatively easy where other people might find quite complex and difficult. So with the. I likes of editing and uploading and all of that. I, I have no issue with that at all. I actually quite enjoy learning those kinds of systems and figuring out how they work and [00:12:00] learning about, , search engine optimization and how to write my show notes so that things should hopefully come up better in search engine, and search engine results and things like that.[00:12:10] So I'm okay with that. , I think early on. I think you, cuz, cuz I started in the before times, , I was doing a lot of things in person. , so I had you a little, I have, , you know, a little recorder. I have lots of little gadgets and things to, to go out and record mobile. , and I used to Fox spot people and go.[00:12:33] To go to artist studios and interview them in their studios and stuff like that. , you know, where we would, , have a chat after seeing a film at the cinema and that sort of stuff. , so it's quite nice revisiting those old things, , to hear being in a public space and what that sounds like again. but, , but yeah, and then in the pandemic, it moved to.[00:12:57] , almost exclusively [00:13:00] recording like this as we're doing at the moment online. And I've tried out lots of different systems. I think zoom became a default for a lot of us. , but it's by far not the best platform, it's just not designed for recording at all. So you're set up at the moment with Riverside is great.[00:13:16] Jennifer Francis: Mm-hmm mm-hmm . . [00:13:18] Yeah. And it's interesting, you talk about those early times when you were outside because you weren't thinking about sound and audio, you were thinking about your mission. right. So, so yeah. And yeah, zoom yeah my first year I used zoom and I can't access any of those videos. [00:13:38] Paula Blair: Oh [00:13:38] really? Oh no.[00:13:41] Jennifer Francis: I lost [00:13:41] most of those videos, so, I, I try to tell people don't don't even, don't even attempt it. If you want video. . [00:13:49] Yeah, yeah, all right. [00:13:49] Paula Blair: It's a tricky one. Zoom. It's a tricky one. And I think, you know, but, but, but if any of her listeners are insisting and still using it, cuz they're just familiar with it, you do look up [00:14:00] blogs and stuff for how to optimize your settings because we're all using the wrong settings on zoom for recording audios.[00:14:06] Specifically, , you know, just things like, I mean, even just recently, I mean, I gave up zoom a while ago. Some of my guests prefer to use zoom, so I'll do it for them, but I try not to use it anymore. But, one thing is, , your, , background suppression should be set to the lowest setting, which seems really counterintuitive.[00:14:26] And this is a really geeky thing I know, but this might help somebody who's listening. So, so. Please try this. If you're listening, set it to low, because what zoom does zoom is to facilitate meetings. It's not to facilitate recording and it tries to just get the sound across as efficiently as possible. And that's where the distortion comes from.[00:14:48] That's what make you makes you sign? Like you're eating tin foil when it comes out in a recording , so, , set it to low. Your voice will be the best quality your computer or [00:15:00] your microphone can record, and it will sound so much better. So if you just do that one thing today, if you're insisting on still using zoom, please trust me.[00:15:09] It'll work. It'll help. [00:15:11] Jennifer Francis: awesome. Thank you. And thank you for that. very useful, actually. Oh boy. All right. So, , tell me how we can find your show or get in touch with you or connect with you. [00:15:23] Paula Blair: Sure. , so the, the show's website is audiovisualcultures.com that's all one word, lowercase.com. , if you look for, , let me see.[00:15:35] It's bio.link/peablair. So it's P like the. Blair, , then you'll get just all my links and stuff and on all the socials we're AV cultures pod. So hopefully that should be easy to find. Okay, [00:15:55] Jennifer Francis: thanks. And I'll put those at least one, you know, one or two links in this show note, [00:16:00] so they could find, they could find you.[00:16:02] Okay. Before you go. , give me one piece of advice. I'll give a podcaster one piece of advice that you might, you know, something on your. [00:16:11] Paula Blair: Oh, let's see. , wear headphones guys. we're headphones when you're recording, please. , I, , I keep asking people, , today, even if it's just in meetings and you're online or you're on zoom, please just wear headphones because I'm so exhausted with, , my own voice warbling back at me when I'm recording stuff.[00:16:35] So a plays it's it's not really advice. It's more a play it's just where headphones [00:16:41] Jennifer Francis: please.[00:16:46] yeah. All right. Thank you, Paula Blair for coming and talking to me today. Anything else? [00:16:50] Paula Blair: Well, Jen, if you're happy to you're so welcome on audiovisual cultures as well. It'd be so cool to, to talk about your podcasts that you're making. [00:17:00] Yeah, we'd love to love to have you on and to, to hear more about everything else you're working on and, and why you're making this show.[00:17:06] Cuz I think it's really, it's just so useful for all the Indy podcasters out there. I'm going to really recommend this. I have a newsletter that I bring out every month for our podcast and you're gonna go in my recommendations at some point, so [00:17:20] Jennifer Francis: oh wow. You're giving me[00:17:22] goosebumps thank you. thanks so much. And thank you for coming and talking to us and I really appreciate you. [00:17:28] Paula Blair: Oh, thank you. And yeah, I appreciate you too. It's a great show. [00:17:31] Jennifer Francis: Thank you.[00:17:32] Got questions about podcasting. Do you find yourself struggling with the tools and strategies that you know will help you launch and grow your show? Why not join the New West Podcasters Club where you can get your questions answered by me or one of our guest experts. The link to our next meeting is below sign up today and don't let confusion about [00:18:00] podcasting.[00:18:00] Stop you from owning your genius, whether you are an individual or a nonprofit. The new west podcasters club is where podcasters come for answers, link below for our next meeting.