Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle and Andrea Johnson.
Danielle and Andrea, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Honestly, we stumbled our way into podcasting. We are two Blerds who work pretty demanding day jobs but have creative inclinations. We also really loved listening to a variety of podcasts. Two of our favorites back in 2015, when we initially discussed when starting our own, were The Read and Another Round (now defunct).
As we consumed more and more podcast content, we realized that the hosts were doing what we loved to do: think and talk, research and debate, explore the ridiculous and the significant… sometimes all at once. So, after several discussions and a lot of planning, we launched Spin the Bottle in May of 2016.
Spin the Bottle is exactly what we’ve just described: a mashup of life-changing discussion and advice, mixed in with the kind of silliest that makes adulting bearable. Oh yeah, and we drink wine and spin an actual bottle on the floor because it feels right.
Topics have included:
-Why therapy is crucial to our overall well-being. Check.
-How to prep for annoying relatives during the summer. Check.
-Advice for our favorite fictional characters. Double Check.
We like to think of ourselves as an audible Instagram… there’s no telling what might show, but you’ll probably like it. 88 episodes later, we are still here and turning three in May.
When we first got started, we knew absolutely nothing about podcasting. As we began developing what our show would be about, we were really fortunate to have the support of two people who believed in us from the start. The first was Alex Queen-Sneed who gave us our name and served as our Producer and Creative Director.
Next, was Drea’s partner Jarrett who is our Engineer. Not only does he record us on professional equipment, but he also assists with editing and posting our shows. It’s been a family affair since Day 1. We both recognize that having that initial support was imperative to our development as podcast hosts.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
We knew that we were learning an entirely new skill set, so we anticipated the challenges that come along with a sharp learning curve. The first year and a half were spent learning our craft. We’ve learned ( and are still learning) to be better speakers and interviewers. We help cut shows creatively and provide notes to our engineer on every episode. We even planned and hosted a live taping of our show.
These days, the biggest challenge is remaining consistent and disciplined. We both have full-time jobs and very full lives. So, making our show a priority as our schedules continue to fill up has to be deliberate. When you start something from the ground up, you wear a lot of hats. We both realize that to get our podcast where we want it to be, sacrifice is required.
That’s easier said than done when all you want to do is watch Netflix and have a glass of wine at the end of a long day…. which is actually a great idea for some visual content… COMING SOON.
Please tell us about Spin the Bottle Podcast.
We are most proud of being two women of color who host a podcast and have a production company. Although podcasting is becoming more mainstream when we initially started, a lot of our friends didn’t listen to any podcasts at all. Some only listen to ours, ha! Being part of creating original content “by us for us” is both a gift and a privilege.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
We definitely took the time to do our due diligence before we started our show. If anything, we might have done a little too much researching and not enough doing.
Looking back, we could have launched a little sooner. Research can only take you so far. At some point, you have to get to the business of doing. That’s where you really get the experience you want and need.
Contact Info:
- Website: [email protected]
- Instagram: @ddspinthebottle
- Facebook: Spin the Bottle Podcast
Image Credit:
Jahmel Holden
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
