Each Tuesday, we will roll-out our featured Podfluencer of the Week.  We are so stoked about this weeks Podfluencer!! In this week’s feature, we are highlighting the podcast Astonishing Legends,  starting with a detailed interview below with Co-founder/Co-host Scott Philbrook.

His partner & co-host Forrest Burgess might have something for us later this week too! So let’s get to it…

The Mission of the Show

Scott & Forrest have been called the ‘Click and Clack of esoterica’ by their listeners. Their mission is to take a look at legendary strange and unusual events from throughout history and interview people who’ve had close encounters with the unexplained. They strive to bring you everything that’s entertaining about those stories and remind you that it’s ok to laugh at scary stories and respectfully, even the people that tell them. Put your headphones on, settle in for your commute and get ready to experience a show like nothing you’ve ever heard before. Our new show schedule is roughly 3 weeks of new shows and then 1 week off.

The Website Take You On A Journey

The first thing you need to know, before even exploring a show, is the fact that their website is a destination. Not only will you find all of their podcasts here, but the website explores some fascinating stories directly in their blog, for inquisitive minds looking to go on a riveting journey.

Articles include: 

• A Massive Pharaoh Has Been Unearthed
• Earth’s Oldest Fossils Could Be the Push For Discovery of New Life In The Universe
• A Ghost Ship Found Almost 100 Years Ago is Still A Mystery 

Your Hosts

 

 

An Interview with Co-Host Scott Philbrook

Who Had the Biggest Influence on Your Podcast Career?

I’ve always had a fascination with broadcasting in general. The very idea of it has been intoxicating to me since I was much younger. My great-uncle was newscaster David Brinkley and I went to college in Edward R Murrow’s hometown of Greensboro, NC. I grew up riding in the car with my Grandfather listening to Paul Harvey and later when I got to college I got into CarTalk. I wanted to do what those guys were doing. So for me my biggest influences where early journalism pioneers and later Paul Harvey, Click and Clack and ultimately Robert Krulwich and Jad Abumrad.

If there’s someone, past or present, that you’d love to have an opportunity to go to dinner with, who would that be and why?

Roman Mars – I would pick Roman not only because of what he’s accomplished but because I saw him speak at Podcast Movement 2015 in Texas and I loved the honesty of his talk. He actually warned podcasters not to join a network because, “networks do not have your best interests at heart” or something similar. That may be out of context so don’t quote my quote, but the point was, here is this guy who has arguably one of the greatest podcast networks in existence and he’s warning us to stay away if we ever get big enough to be approached by a network.

And…Roman also said something else that I can’t forget. He talked about how all he wanted to do was get onto the real radio and then when he got there he found that he didn’t enjoy it as much.

1. My take-away from his talk was stay independent as long as you can, and embrace the format for what it is. It has advantages over other methods of propagation that you have to recognize. For me personally, it was a message that podcasting is now and it’s the time and place to be doing it and don’t approach it as a means to an end, but approach it as the final destination and take advantage of all the freedom it has to offer now before it becomes something entirely different.

   What is it, about your audience, that continues to surprise you?

   There are so many things about our audience that surprise me. The first thing is their constant interaction and their ongoing loyalty to the show. We maintain a strong social media presence, which works for me because I’m obsessively social anyway, and to be honest, I love waking up and the first thing in the morning I do is grab my iphone and see who has sent us what messages on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram because it’s not only an affirmation that we’re doing the right thing with our show, it’s a direct connection with our listeners that is centric to how we pick topics and present the show.

   

2. The other thing that amazes me is the low number of trolls we have. There’s always going to be people that hate what you do and they’re going to let you know it on social media. They’re out there for sure, and we get them too, but 8 out of 10 of them are pretty polite and the other 2, well they get blocked, banned and shunned, but even the most negative review or comment often has a seed of something you should pay attention to in it.

In one word, how would your best friends describe you? Why do you think that is?

Wow! This is an exceedingly personal question. I’m not sure what it’s getting at, but I guess my best friends would describe me as ambitious and determined. At least I would hope that they would. Frankly, I’d rather they answer this question than me.

If you had one day, completely free, away from work, no watch on, and could do whatever the hell you wanted, what would it be and why?

Go to the beach in North Carolina with my wife and 8 year old son because that’s were I grew up and it’s the place I find myself the most relaxed.

Any advertisers you want to give a shout out to? Or anyone you’d like to thank?

We’ve had a lot of great advertisers on our show and it’s hard to put into words how grateful we’ve been for their support. Without them, there would be no Astonishing Legends, but one of our favorite sponsors is The Great Courses Plus. 

They’re just a perfect fit for us. What they do is a much more respectable version of what we do and they’re an easy sell for us.

 

I would also give a solid shout out to other long time supporters of our show, Blue Apron. One of the most amazing things about becoming more successful with Astonishing Legends was learning that when we got new sponsors we got free stuff and that been a blast, but how can you go wrong with Blue Apron?

They are sending us these amazing meals regularly and doing testimonials for their product is a walk in the park. They’re a prime example of how a sponsor has literally changed my life. My family eats at home more often, I cook more often, we are at the table together. Everything about it is great.

Click Here to See Scott’s Favorite Episodes & Podcast Recommendations

I’m sure that’s more than you wanted, but I’d also add a thank you to Mack Weldon, Indochino and Warby Parker. These 3 sponsors have changed the way I dress, look and feel. Between all of these companies, since our show has started, my life has changed for the better on many levels. That’s why it’s so easy for Forrest and I to do honest testimonials.

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We wanted to thank Scott for taking the time to answer our questions…and we look forward to hearing from co-host, Forrest Burgess! #TopPodcast greatly appreciates the Podfluencers who are working to expand industry awareness…we are grateful they take the time for the interview! Please give their shows a listen…and again, check out their awesome website!

Go Listen for Yourself…on their Website!