Today we’d like to introduce you to Let’s Get Haunted.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Let’s Get Haunted started out as an excuse for both of us [Aly & Nat, the hosts of the show] to hang out with each other while having fun doing something creative. Our first-ever episode was recorded with Nat’s old laptop and two borrowed microphones, one of which had duct tape all around the base holding it together. As we recorded and posted more episodes, our audience began to grow larger and larger. With the help of the “Haunties” [listeners of the show], we were eventually able to upgrade our microphones and purchase an audio mixer for the first time. This was a huge deal for us and our first step towards a more professional-sounding product.
For the first four seasons of our show, we were living on completely opposite ends of Los Angeles, so trying to find a quiet place to record while meeting in the middle was really difficult. We would record anywhere we could – friend’s garages, cars, bathrooms, a friend of a friend’s recording studio, etc. Think of any random location, and we’ve probably recorded there; it became a sort of inside joke with our listeners to try to guess where we would be recording the next episode. We even recorded inside an airplane hangar once while Nat was on a Tinder date!
Towards the end of Season 4 of our show, we decided to take a chance and try to sublease our own office space. With support from our listeners via merchandise sales and Patreon donations, we were finally able to get a little studio space to call our own! It feels really warm and inviting with our walls covered in art and mail from fans. Even though it can still be a bit chaotic trying to coordinate our schedules to make time to record, the stress of finding a recording location has been completely eliminated, and we are so grateful to our listeners for sticking with us over the years and helping us achieve this goal!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Growing our show has definitely come with its own set of challenges, and we pride ourselves on being very transparent with our listeners when it comes to sharing our struggles, both personally and professionally.
Besides the obstacle of finding places to record the show each week, we also had to overcome a steep learning curve with the production side of having a podcast. Neither of us had any experience with the practical side of podcasting: SEO optimization, audio engineering, editing, clearing audio samples, interviewing guests, business budgeting, setting up an LLC, etc. so we had to take the time to teach ourselves each of these skills.
It’s nearly impossible to compete with celebrity podcasts where the talent gets to show up to a professional recording studio and read a pre-written script, so we don’t even try. There’s something charming about listening to a show with just two regular people who do everything themselves. We’ve tried to lean into the warmth that comes with listening to a DIY project so that rather than competing with the professionals, we’re in a completely different lane.
We’ve also definitely had our fair share of personal struggles over the years. Since the podcast has been in existence since 2019, it’s spanned the length of different relationships and various stages of adulthood. After the birth of Nat’s son for example, she had to learn the art of juggling being a mother and managing the household while still making time to create her podcast episodes. When Aly was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, she had to learn to juggle her infusion schedule with working on a farm during the day and performing podcast duties at night. We’re definitely proud of our determination to continue this labor of love even when confronted with obstacles.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Hosted by longtime friends Aly & Nat, Let’s Get Haunted is a paranormal comedy podcast that’s guaranteed to make you laugh as much as it scares you! Billed as “The only investigative journalist podcast about sh*t that may or may not have even happened in the first place”, Let’s Get Haunted is the perfect storm of chaos and intrigue.
Each week, the hosts rotate telling each other frightening supernatural tales from around the world. Topics range from historical mysteries – like the Battle of Los Angeles and the Donner Party Disaster – to little-known pieces of regional folklore and internet urban legends. Let’s Get Haunted prides itself on digging deep into niche topics to unearth new information you’ve probably never heard before! Like the time Nat went on the dark web to crack a conspiracy or the time Aly got a scuba diver to dive down to a famous haunted shipwreck.
From time to time, the girls invite special experts on the show to tag team a topic. Past guests have ranged from famous comedians to actors to professors to even ex-CIA scientists!
Each episode begins with “Personal Hauntings”, a segment dedicated to swapping hilarious anecdotes about strange things going down in each host’s personal life that week. Nat and Aly never shy away from oversharing the more outrageous events in their lives, like the time Aly hunted down a credit card thief or the time Nat rehabbed a possum. Often more “haunted” than the episode topics at hand, these intros have quickly become fan favorites!
Every five episodes are dedicated to reading paranormal experiences submitted by listeners (aka the “Haunties”). Past listener stories have included creepy meetings with doppelgangers, poltergeist hauntings, cryptid encounters, and even alien abductions.
Above all, Let’s Get Haunted seeks to find the levity in any situation and to remind their audience that it’s perfectly normal to feel a little paranormal. So, what are you waiting for? Come get haunted with Nat and Aly every Wednesday, wherever you listen to podcasts!
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The power of persistence cannot be under-emphasized when looking back at the beginning of our journey. There were many times when we could have become discouraged and chosen to throw in the towel, but at our core we’re just stubborn people. Giving up has never been an option for us.
In 2023, we’ve won so many awards that we have a running Google doc with them all listed so we don’t forget. Through sheer scrappiness and determination, we were finally able to get representation this year, signing with UTA a few months after winning Best Comedy Podcast in The Shorty Awards. More recently, we were able to sign with podcasting network QCode which we consider a great achievement and something we’ve always wanted.
To anyone else out there who may be working on a creative project, our message would be to just keep going. The number of times we’ve been rejected or passed over for opportunities throughout the years is high, but in time your determination will pay off.
Let’s Get Haunted’s 2023 Awards Record
WINNER 🏅- Best Comedy Podcast, Best Entertainment Podcast in the 2023 American Writing Awards
WINNER 🏅- Excellence in Storytelling for “The Haunting of OP Rock” in the Communicator Awards
WINNER 🏅- Award of Distinction for “The Haunting of OP Rock” in the Communicator Awards
WINNER 🏅 – Best Comedy Podcast in the Shorty Awards
WINNER 🏅 – Society & Culture in The Podcast Awards
WINNER 🏅 – Storyteller & Drama in The Podcast Awards
NOMINEE – People’s Choice Award in The Podcast Awards
NOMINEE – Best Female Hosted in The Podcast Awards
NOMINEE – Comedy Category in The Podcast Awards
NOMINEE – Entertainment Category in The Podcast Awards
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.letsgethaunted.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/letsgethaunted
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/letsgethaunted
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/letsgethaunted
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/letsgethaunted
- Other: https://linktr.ee/letsgethaunted
Image Credits
Image Credits: Jamie McCune, Alexa Dillon
