Podcast Spotlight: The Cabinet Podcast
The Cabinet Podcast host, Tim Gibson, doesn’t quite have your traditional route to podcasting as others out there. Sure, he does have a background in broadcast journalism, but then his path veered in a different direction. He’s been a criminal lawyer for the past several years, but couldn’t shake the urge to cater to his creative storytelling genes. The Cabinet Podcast became his creative outlet.
I got a chance to catch up with Gibson and talk about how the podcast came to be, some of his favorite stories, and the challenges he faces as an indie podcaster. See below for our interview.
Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher
Discover Pods: How did you get into podcasting?
GIBSON: I feel like I took the long road to podcasting. In my early twenties, I was a broadcast journalist for radio and television in Charleston, West Virginia. I loved writing stories, talking to interesting people, recording audio, everything that went with that business. However, I had a strong desire to also serve so I decided to go to law school. Fast forward, I’ve graduated law school and have been working in criminal law as a defense attorney for two and half years and assistant prosecutor for about a year and a half. I still had that desire to tell stories and create so I decided to put my broadcasting skills to work in developing a podcast.
Back in January, I had a show idea. The show was originally going to focus on video games and the law. During my research for that idea, I ran across these weird, little, creepy stories about video games. I began digging deeper and kept finding more and more of these stories. I had never heard of a lot of these urban legends and ghost stories about games. I decided to change the idea and develop scripts around them and read what I had written in a narrative format for the podcast. In February, I had a pilot ready to go to share with a few close friends and family, people who would be blunt and tell me if the show sucked and needed work. They loved it. That first episode was A Life for a Score about a cursed arcade cabinet called Berzerk. I even named the podcast in honor of the old cabinets from the 1980s, the Cabinet Podcast. Then in March I had five episodes at around 12-20 minutes each ready for a launch on the major platforms in March.
DP: In your own words, why should listeners tune into The Cabinet Podcast?
GIBSON: There’s nothing else out there like it. That’s kind of a big statement with so many pods out there right now, but it’s true. Many podcasts focus on just video games or just focus on horror. With the video game shows, you’re just mainly getting news such as upcoming game releases and a discussion of what that means for the gamer or industry as a whole. It’s mainly a news-talk format. The horror is very narrative driven either taking a campfire format or audio drama format. I feel like The Cabinet fuses those two genres, games and horror, to give its listeners something new and unique. If you’re looking for a scare, you’re going to get that. You’ll be sleeping with the lights on. That’s for sure. I’m also hoping you pick up something from video game history or the current state of gaming or just life in general from these stories.
DP: What are some of the most fascinating mysteries you’ve covered on the show?
GIBSON: The traditional ghost stories are the ones that really grab me. Right now, my favorite is Episode 7: The Fifth Ghost about a haunted Ms. Pac-Man machine that was listed on Craigslist. I had so much fun taking the news stories, blog posts, and message board comments I found about that story and adapting them into something that felt like I was telling a scary story around the campfire. It really allowed me to play with building suspense and creating atmosphere. Also, I can’t really explain the story away like I’ve done in other episodes so people can choose if they want to believe it or not. By the way, the haunted Ms. Pac-Man machine is supposedly still out there if one of your brave readers wants to start looking on Craigslist or eBay to own that particular cabinet.
DP: Where do you find these gaming mysteries?
GIBSON: Anywhere. Most of them started with that original Internet search I told you about earlier. Others go back to stories I heard as kid from other friends who gamed. I then compiled list of possible stories. When I decide upon a story I like for the next episode, I start researching it hardcore. I have stacks of papers and a ton of open Internet tabs of news articles about the story. I then turn the research into a script that sounds like a traditional campfire story, but I also make sure if I’m referencing a fact from an article, the outlet gets proper attribution. I want my listeners to go find the article and look deeper into the story themselves for several reasons. First, I want the news outlet who wrote about this originally to get the proper credit. Second, I want a starting point for my listeners to do their own research, too, so they can test the truthfulness of the story for themselves or they can follow up and add their own touches to the story if they want to tell it to their friends like a true ghost story/urban legend.
DP: What’s the most difficult part of podcasting for you?
GIBSON: That’s a darn good question. Probably, for me, personally, it’s putting the show out there and wondering if people will like it or not. I’m a one-man band when it comes to this show. I write, edit, host, and produce it with no assistants, co-hosts, or guests. If I screw up, then it’s on me. Any dip in the quality of an episode is on me. I don’t want to disappoint my audience. They trust me to bring them something entertaining and unique, and I truly hope The Cabinet is delivering that to them every two weeks.
DP: What podcasts are you listening to now?
GIBSON: Right now, I’m really into Lore. It definitely scratches that itch for creepy stories, and Aaron Mahnke knows how to paint a picture with words with his writing. Also, the No Sleep Podcast. I like to see what new fresh form of terror awaits me there.
For my video game news, I like IGN’s content such as Nintendo Voice Chat and Game Scoop. I’ve been following their written content since college, but my friend Joel introduced to me to their pods on our way to meet our friends Garrett, Will, and Dave for Dave’s wedding in Atlanta. Made me a subscriber.
DP: Anything else you’d like to add?
GIBSON: Absolutely. I can’t leave this profile without dropping some ‘thank you’s. First, off my family has been really supportive of this project. My mom is constantly hitting retweet. My dad listens. My brother and sister in law listen and have reviewed the podcast. My sister and my brother-in-law ask about the stats and how the show is growing. I feel really blessed to have a family that sees value in being creative and doing something new and different.
Also, those friends I listed earlier, Joel, Garrett, Will and Dave, they listen and get excited when the show hits another milestone like getting featured in an article or reaching a big number of listeners. Thanks for the support! All the people I’ve been meeting online from podcasting have been really helpful. People from #PodernFamily, the Podcasts and Podcasting Sub-Reddits, and the Legion of Indie Pods, they have all been extremely welcoming to me and my little show. Thanks and anything I can do to help you with your projects let me know. Finally, thanks to my listeners. You’re helping the show grow and become bigger than I can have imagined in the short time it’s been available for download. Thank you.
Oh, and if you’re not a listener, head over to The Cabinet Podcast for the best urban legends, creepypastas, and ghost stories from the world of video games. The Cabinet is available on most major platforms in iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, iHeart Radio, and Spotify. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and learn more about the show at the official website www.thecabinetpodcast.com.
Previous Story
Roundtable: What’d you think of Gimlet’s Sandra?
Next Story
Pods Review Pods: The Pitch, No Limits, & Podcast Brunch Club
Comments
Comments are closed.