Welcome to the next in the Podcast Showcase series, where we share podcasts with you in the words of the podcasters themselves. This time, we talk to Beyond the Rainbow.
Who is your ideal listener? Who loves your show?
Listeners of true crime and armchair detectives would be ideal and, to expand upon that, LGBTQI and the ever-important allies of my community. The people who love my show are open minded and usually empathetic supporters of marginalized groups.
What made you start this podcast?
I began Beyond the Rainbow as a thought when I was moving back to the mainland from Hawaii. My daughter and I were on airplane heading to Dallas, Texas. I was thinking about all the true crime shows I would listen to in Hawaii when I took my dog for a walk.
Sometimes a podcast would include an episode about an LGBTQ plus victim or serial killer but those episodes seemed very few and far between. I got into contact with a friend of mine who introduced me to true crime podcasts and bounced some ideas off of her. Eight months later I released my first episode about two lesbian girls in Georgia who murdered one of the girl’s grandparents so the girls could live happily ever after without being interfered with.
What have you learned about your subject thanks to this podcast?
Pronouns are important to my community. I’ve also learned there is hate oozing from crevices all over this world. I want to scream “Live your truth people”! But at the same time, I know there are places all over where people die for who they are and living their truths.
The ones with hate in their hearts… I wish they could be compelled to open their minds. Their hate comes from fear. If they would educate themselves, learn LGBTQ people are not so different from them, some of their hatred might dissipate.
For example, before I did this podcast, I didn’t hate trans people but I was confused. I educated myself on gender dysphoria and trans people. I look at them with so much more compassion now. When I report on a trans victim who was murdered for living their truth, my heart hurts so much for them.
What has your experience of podcasting been? What do you love/hate about the process?
I realized my first couple of seasons, I was still trying to find my groove. I was nervous, although it was just me in my room with my animals and a microphone I stumbled and hurried through each case like I was on a timer. So it took me a while to get comfortable behind the microphone, sharing cases.
My favorite part of the podcast is researching and writing. I get immersed into people’s stories. The recording part, I really have to be in the mood for and the part I dread is the editing. It takes forever. In fact some of my podcast friends and I have had multiple conversations about how we fall asleep while editing and hope our listeners don’t feel the same when they listen to us. I think it’s just because it’s monotonous having to listen and cut out parts where our breathing is too heavy, or we made an odd mouth noise. We have to make sure we didn’t repeat the same sentence over again. Plus most people don’t like listening to the sound of their own voices… and we listen for hours to the sound of our own voices while editing.
If someone wants to start listening to your podcast, which episode would you recommend they start with? Why?
I like to go against the normal, I tell people to start with the latest episode and work your way backwards. Then you can see the growth in the show and how it’s evolved.
If you listen to the first few, you might say, “this is crap…I’m done” and not get to the point where the show gets better. I actually recommend doing this for all indie shows. Unless of course it’s a series about the same topic, where you have to start at the beginning or you’re lost.
Which other podcasts do you love listening to?
I’d recommend anything on the Darkcast Network! This is a network of dark and obscure themed indie podcasts of which I’m a co founder along with Paige of the show Reverie True Crime. Our shows include true crime, paranormal, conspiracy theory and just plain weird, but we scouted many of them and for sure listened to all of the shows before we brought them onto the Darkcast label. We have such great podcasts in our collection!
If people want to find you online where can they do so?
- http://BeyondtheRainbowPodcast.com
- https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/beyond-the-rainbow-podcast-beyond-the-rainbow–6q5Ghe07L4/
- https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/beyond-the-rainbow-podcast-902742
- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-the-rainbow-podcast/id1476793938
- I’m rainbowcrimes on Twitter, rainbowcrimes12 on Instagram and Beyond the Rainbow Podcast is my group on Facebook
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Image credit: Ryan Quintal