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This series is all about libsyn\u2019s newest podcasters. Its sole purpose is to introduce these awesome podcasts to the world as well as share their podcasting insight to empower the community!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n You heard from John Champion about The Mission Log Podcast<\/a> in Part 1<\/a>, now get ready to read up all about it from Ken Ray\u2019s perspective.<\/em><\/p>\n Ken Ray has been podcasting since 2005, almost DAILY. Yes. Since 2005! That is A LOT of podcast episodes.<\/em><\/p>\n Although this series is about some of the relatively new podcasts out there, we feel Ken Ray also fits in our Podcast Luminaries series, being one of those few that have been able to podcast consistently AND offer so much to the world of podcasting in general.<\/em><\/p>\n We are very excited to offer you the wisdom of Ken Ray below!<\/em><\/p>\n I started podcasting in 2005, doing Apple news for \u201cInside Mac.\u201d Our association ended at the end of 2005, and \u201cMac OS Ken<\/a>\u201d started in January of 2006.<\/p>\n Initially, because \u201cInside Mac\u201d wanted a daily news show and I wanted to do something on mic.<\/p>\n I\u2019d been behind the scenes on a number of audio projects and done some production for a few, but didn\u2019t have an outlet of my own.<\/p>\n I first heard about podcasting in late 2004 and thought it would be awesome to have a podcast. So awesome that I kind of got \u201cblank-canvas\u201d syndrome.<\/p>\n There were so many possibilities that I didn\u2019t know\/couldn\u2019t decide what to do. But I had done tech news a few years earlier for TechTV Radio, so when the opportunity hit with \u201cInside Mac,\u201d it seemed like a good one.<\/p>\n When that ended, I took a couple of weeks and started under my own banner.<\/p>\n \u201cMission Log\u201d is a whole other thing. Rod Roddenberry has been a listener to \u201cMac OS Ken\u201d for a few years, which still weirds me out from time to time.<\/p>\n He\u2019s a giant Apple and Mac fan and has come to the last two Macworlds in San Francisco.<\/p>\n At Macworld|iWorld 2012 he started talking to me about the idea for \u201cMission Log,\u201d and I said \u201cI wanna do it\u201d almost immediately. A few months later, we were underway.<\/p>\n As geeky as Star Trek can be, it\u2019s important to Rod that people take the philosophies and messages of Star Trek from the show, not just the phasers and teleporters.<\/p>\n One of the things I\u2019ve always loved about Star Trek is the idea that we can get from here (1966 through 2012 \u201chere\u201d) to there (exploring the galaxy in the 23rd and 24th centuries) without blowing ourselves up first. It means we get to put famine, disease, sectarian violence\u2026 everything that slows humanity\u2019s progress behind us.<\/p>\n John and I have been tasked with taking each episode apart and pulling out the messages, morals and themes and determining (as best we can) whether they\u2019re still relevant today.<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019d say fun and profit.<\/p>\n It\u2019s definitely fun. I now have a job that REQUIRES me to watch Star Trek and talk about it.<\/p>\n I used to do that for no reason at all, so that\u2019s a win.<\/p>\n At the same time, aiming towards monetization was important to me and to Rod, I think.<\/p>\n No one expects \u201cMission Log\u201d to make us rich, but it is important that it be self-sustaining at the very least. And if it can be more than that, that\u2019d be swell.<\/p>\n Currently using a Blue Yeti USB mic into a 13″ MacBook Pro (early 2011). Capture the audio with eCamm\u2019s Call Recorder for Skype, then edit in Adobe Audition CS 5.5 for Mac.<\/p>\n I have a daily podcast, already, so mentioning it there has been my biggest promotional vehicle, personally.<\/p>\n We timed the launch of \u201cMission Log\u201d to coincide with the Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas a few weeks ago. Both Rod and John had panels there, so they mentioned it from a couple of stages in some pretty big rooms.<\/p>\n And we handed out postcards like mad men. And we just talked to people about the show.<\/p>\n Roddenberry Entertainment has its own promotional avenues, of course, and our association with Nerdist is amazingly huge from a promotional standpoint.<\/p>\n It\u2019s very different than doing your own show. There are two established organizations behind this, plus John\u2019s show, plus my show all working to promote a show for which Star Trek fans seems to be receptive in some cases and hungry in others.<\/p>\n It\u2019s really been thrilling.<\/p>\n If you hope to make a dime, have a business plan in place before you start or work with people who do.<\/strong><\/p>\n I did a sort of \u201cif you build it, they will come thing\u201d when I started Mac OS Ken, figuring advertising dollars would find their way to my show.<\/p>\n Have I been able to make it? Yes, though I think if I\u2019d had a clearer idea of how I wanted to do that at the start, things would have gone more smoothly.<\/p>\n For \u201cMission Log\u201d it\u2019ll be audience engagement for me. Download numbers are a business thing on this one, and other people are handling the business end.<\/p>\n I haven\u2019t asked about our numbers yet because, once I do, I\u2019ll never stop asking. And now I\u2019ll probably start asking tomorrow.<\/p>\n Simply put, \u201cMac OS Ken\u201d led to \u201cMission Log.\u201d More than that though, I\u2019ve made friends in parts of the world I may never see.<\/p>\n So many people tell me their day does not start without me, which – six-and-a-half-years later – is still weird sometimes, but amazing as well.<\/p>\n Make sure you love what you\u2019re talking about, or at the very least love talking about it. If it goes well, you\u2019ll be doing it for a long time.<\/p>\n It can be a job, which is good news, but if you don\u2019t like what you\u2019re doing, it can end up a job you hate. And who wants that?<\/p>\n I\u2019d also suggest trying a decent run before you ever publish.<\/p>\n Think you want to do a weekly show? Do it for a month first. Four weeks that you may never publish, just to make sure it\u2019s something you can handle and enjoy.<\/p>\n And if you think you want to do a daily show, have your head examined.<\/p>\n There you have it. It\u2019s time for you guys to step into the world of Star Trek and enjoy diving into all those things beyond the ordinary, guided by two amazing guys.<\/em><\/p>\n Subscribe<\/a> to The Mission Log Podcast.<\/em><\/p>\n If you want to reach out to The Mission Log Podcast you can do so by emailing missionlog(at)roddenberry(dot)com, calling 323-522-5641 or following @missionlogpod<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n What are you waiting for? Start your podcast<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\nQ & A with Ken Ray from Mission Log<\/a><\/h2>\n
\nWhen did you start podcasting?<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nWhy did you start podcasting?<\/h3>\n
What\u2019s your show about?<\/h3>\n
Fun, Fame or Profit? Why are you doing the show?<\/h3>\n
What\u2019s your podcasting set-up? Hardware, software, CMS, etc.<\/h3>\n
How have you promoted your podcast?<\/h3>\n
What do you know now that you wish you knew when you started?<\/h3>\n
Do download numbers matter matter to you? or is audience engagement key?<\/h3>\n
How has or has podcasting helped create opportunities for you?<\/h3>\n
What advice would you give a new podcaster so that they keep going!<\/h3>\n
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