With six episodes now online, Coastal Currents with Aaron Reid, a podcast, is delving, in depth, into the thoughts and matters of importance associated with various qathet region personalities.
Reid said she had just got into listening to podcasts recently and somebody pointed out that City of Powell River councillor CaroleAnn Leishman had one.
“I had a listen to CaroleAnn’s and it tweaked something in me,” said Reid.
Reid said for years she had served as a trustee and board chair of School District 47’s board of education, where she had to be guarded about expressing opinions. She said that since she is no longer on the board, she can have an opinion, because she is not representing anyone else.
“I’m not beholden to a board or a group, or anything like that; the podcast is my avenue to talk about what I want or talk to who I want,” said Reid. “I thought the podcast was a good way to bring the community back a little bit. There’s been a really big gap in the last couple of years especially. With my own experience on the school board, I found people have really started to demonize politicians and treat them as less than humans. It’s awful. I just thought I needed to bring the kind back into humankind.”
Reid said that right now, she is getting her feet wet, so she’s trying to focus on individuals at the moment rather than issues, but at some point, she also wants to focus on issues after she’s got more of a handle on what she is doing. For example, City of Powell River’s possible name change is a big deal, but she said she’s not quite ready to tackle it.
Reid has interviewed city officials, however. She got the scoop that Leishman plans to run for mayor in the October 2022 municipal election during an interview with the councillor. Reid has also recently interviewed chief administrative officer Russell Brewer.
“What I’m really appreciating is the trust people are putting in me,” said Reid. “I appreciate that they trust me enough to come and have a conversation. People are being recorded and their voice is out there. There’s always the worry that you’ll make a mistake or say “um” too many times, and I understand the concern.”
Because the podcasts are recorded rather than presented live, Reid said she does have the opportunity to edit them and she’s clear with her guests that if they say something and hate it, to tell her and she’ll cut it out, because she appreciates the level of trust she receives from her guests.
“The best way to kill a podcast is have guests say they had a horrible time,” said Reid. “I don’t want to put people in awkward situations. I’m not doing a gossip podcast. That would go completely against why I am doing this.
“At times I’m going to ask tough questions, but I want to treat my guests with respect, and the way I would want to be treated. When I’ve had to go on the radio before, I’ve been petrified of sounding stupid, so I know that feeling all too well.”
Reid said she is working on her interviewing skills. She’s said she’s nervous about her skills and is lucky that conversations have flowed nicely with the people who she has already interviewed. She does a bit of research before a guest comes on and makes notes or talking points for questions to help the conversations along.
Guest selection
Reid uses varied approaches for guest selection. She has asked several people to be interviewed and has also put out an invitation through social media and in the intro and outro for the podcast; anyone who is interested in being interviewed can contact her.
“I’ve asked a few people and they are not quite there yet,” said Reid. “I’m sure I’ll nag them and they will get there eventually. I’ve had one gentleman who I don’t know contact me, so he’s booked. I’ll see how that works for me.”
Even though her podcast is new, Reid is getting listeners from other countries, as well as those from qathet region.
“I’m surprised; I have listeners in Ireland, the UK, Australia, and even Russia,” said Reid. “The majority are from Canada, but there have been listeners and downloads from other places. It could just be people I have connections with. I know people I’ve gone to school with are in Australia, so it could be those kinds of connections, or it could be family of my guests. I wasn’t expecting it, to be honest.”
However, Reid said she wants to focus on this area, the people here and the issues of concern. She is catering to a local audience.
“I want to build up an extensive listener base, at least locally,” she added.
She took a course in podcasting from British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) to assist her in developing the podcast, and questions included: what is your angle, what is your goal, why are you doing it?
“My goal was to have something that people were talking about,” said Reid.
In order to have a professional quality podcast, Reid has invested in good gear. She undertook research to determine what would serve her podcast well and bought the equipment locally through Rockit Music. The result is clear, well-articulated recordings.
Engaging conversations
When asked how much time she spends each week on her podcast, Reid’s response was “way too much.”
“The interviews themselves have been running over, every single time,” said Reid. “I find we get so engaged in the conversations. I really need to get people mic’d up as soon as they come in because we just start talking. We have a conversation, and then I realize, we actually have to start another conversation for the podcast.”
Reid is trying to book her guests in for an hour, but every visit has run to nearly two hours, she said.
In addition to the time spent interviewing, there is more time spent in production. Reid said the editing takes a lot of time. She strives to create an end product that listeners want to hear.
Reid said she is learning so much from people she interviews. She was born in Powell River and has lived here most of her life, but she is finding out details she never knew.
“It’s neat learning things about people,” said Reid. “I feel kind of nosy, but I enjoy it. I appreciate that people are willing to open up and talk. It’s been good for me.”
Reid has created her own website for the podcast. Coastal Currents with Aaron Reid can be found at coastalcurrents.ca.
For people wanting to appear on the podcast or wanting to contact Reid, the email is [email protected].
