Podcaster spotlight: comedy4cast

With podcasting having evolved so much over its five-plus years of existence, it’s increasingly rare these days to find an original podcaster who started in back in 2005 and is still at it. But that’s exactly what you’ve got in Clinton Alvord, who came up with the idea for short and sweet comedy based podcast, an idea that has evolved over the years itself…

How did you come up with the idea for comedy4cast?

When I first learned about podcasting, early in 2005, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. But I didn’t want to get in over my head. I mean, I  was listening to some shows that would go on for two or three hours. That seemed daunting daunting to me. So I thought about things that were fun for me to do. During college I worked at the campus radio station and I loved writing funny commercials. After college, I wrote a number of short plays. So, the idea of producing a short comedy podcast sounded appealing. And, to make absolutely sure it stayed short, I put that right in the show the show title “comedy4cast: a podcast in four minutes or less.” Over the years the show has gone through some format changes and broken through the four-minute boundary. But fortunately, it’s still nowhere near the three hour mark.

Did you always envision the show as a podcast, or what led you to that format?

Yes, I always envisioned the show as an audio program. If I went to video I’d have to restrict my ideas to things that could be easily filmed — on a budget of zero dollars and a crew of one. I prefer the endless possibilities of audio for comedy4cast.

What can listeners expect from a typical episode?

With my current format, the show has a sitcom feel. I’ve set up the premise that I run comedy4cast out of the Venus Arms Hotel & Towers in the mythical town of Middling Fair. I brought a lot of the recurring characters from the old format into the new setup. For instance, the listener might hear Danny Hillcrest, a movie reviewer who never actually sits through a movie. Currently there is also a underlying story arc, which will wrap up soon. After the regular episode is over, there will often be a short segment about the virtual table of random things. Essentially the table is a way for fans of the show to interact with each other. Anyone can call in and pretend to drop off or pick up all sorts of random things.

Your bio lists you as a “Disney park fan” but you live in New England, a long way away from any of the Disney parks. How did that come about?

I first visited Disneyland in 1984 and instantly fell in love with the place. Since then I’ve been been to Disney World, Disneyland Paris and even Tokyo Disneyland. But Anaheim still holds a special place in my heart and I get back there whenever I can. I’ve also been lucky enough to combine my loves of Disney and podcasting from time to time. I’ve provided audio for fan-run Disney podcasts, had Disney podcasters on my show and have run live events for fans at both Disneyland and Disney World.

comedy4cast has recently donated some items to a charity auction for The Boom Effect. What’s going on there?

Friend and fellow podcaster Tee Morris lost his wife earlier this year, suddenly leaving him to raise their young daughter, nicknamed, Sonic Boom, all by himself. When Philippa Ballentine organized a fund-raising event to help set up a trust fund for Sonic Boom, I wanted to do whatever I could to help. And I’m happy to say that close to $30,000 has been raised so far. This isn’t the first time there has been a loss in the podcasting community. For instance, we lost AJ (“Road Rage”) in 2006 and Joe Murphy in 2007, to name but two. These losses leave giant holes in our community, but it’s good when we can do something to help.

You’ve been podcasting since the early days. What are the biggest changes you’ve seen, and where do you think it goes from here?

I think podcasting has become a lot more corporate. Perhaps it is a natural progression, but I feel that something is being lost. I mentioned the podcasting community earlier. That is what I remember most from the “early days.” It seemed like everyone knew everyone else. When the first Podcast Expo was held in Ontario California in 2005, it was like a class reunion of people who had never met. Everyone there was a rock star. And, while I still believe that is true, it’s harder to convince the general public that they might enjoy a homemade podcast just as much as repurposed content from NPR or ABC. People are creatures of habit and it’s easier to go with what you know than try something new. That was the advantage podcasting’s pioneers had — there was virtually no corporate competition. People would go to Web sites like Podcast Alley and Podcast Pickle to discover and interact with podcasters who were just ordinary folks. Try doing that with Ricky Gervais.

At the top of one of your recent episodes you thanked some of your fans by name. How vital is your relationship with your fans?

It is every podcasters hope to hear from their listeners or viewers. A podcaster may love what they are doing, but knowing that people are having a strong enough reaction to the content to write or phone in — that makes your day. And, the same is true in reverse. When someone is nice enough to leave you a five-star rating at iTunes, I think that deserves a shout out. I always hope that my listeners are having a good time. And when I get their feedback, I try to take it into consideration. Yes, it’s my show, and I’m not getting paid to do it, but sometimes listeners can be good editors. Their comments are a way of making you think about what you’re doing. Their feedback can be like a giant highlighter applied to part of your script, with a note that says “consider reworking this section.” When several people expressed their disappointment over my decision to discontinue the virtual table of random things, I eventually figured out a way to re-incorporate it into the show. So, my advice to anyone who listens to podcasts — especially the independently-produced ones — is be sure to drop them an email and let them know how much you like the show.

Learn more at comedy4cast.com • iTunes • Facebook • Twitter