Today we’d like to introduce you to Jillian Davis and Yolanda Rodriguez.
Jillian and Yolanda, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Early in 2016, we were both new to the entertainment industry and balancing smaller job opportunities. We saw that Bernie Su – co-creator of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries – was looking for writing interns. Since we both had an interest in writing and in working for the guy who made our favorite web series, we got the gig and that’s how we met! Coincidentally enough, we happened to be from the same hometown of Rancho Cucamonga and from that point on, it was a lot of driving from there to Santa Monica – the worst commute we’ve ever encountered. After working for Bernie for some months, Yolanda had the brilliant idea (Jillian: I’m sure I’ve got the text from her somewhere) that we should start a podcast where we talk about The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. She was listening to the Gilmore Guys podcast at the time and was inspired by these guys who talked all about Gilmore Girls and even had actors and writers on as guests. We had the passion and the idea, all we needed was a solid plan and a good microphone. Thus began The Pemberley Podcast.
From that time on – September of 2016, we’ve kept the podcast going with relative consistency. We’ve discussed all one-hundred episodes of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, plus all seventy-two episodes of Emma Approved. We’re now discussing the latest PBS series Sanditon, and it’s been a great experience talking about a show right as it’s gone on the air.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest challenge of starting any podcast, especially one as niche as ours, is creating and sticking to a brand. Not to mention getting guests on. Many of our obstacles have been discussing what our listeners want to hear, and is that attainable for us given our time and resources? It’s been a journey to find the right balance of creating a quality podcast in our spare time while continuing to grow in our careers in entertainment. The main goal from the start has been to talk about a show we love and have fun with it, which we have continued to accomplish.
The Pemberley Podcast – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We are a podcast that discusses Jane Austen adaptations. We are pretty unique because even though there are plenty of podcasts that discuss Jane Austen and her body of work, they tend to take on a more academic and historical tone, whereas we like to keep it more fun and casual. There’s this misconception out there that only older women are interested in reading Jane Austen, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. There is so much Jane Austen content on social media, and we’re just two of many people in the millennial generation who are obsessed with Jane Austen and the adaptations that have come since. We’re really fangirls at heart – we just had the foresight to invest in that microphone.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Jillian: I’m pretty proud of the fact that we had the mastermind behind the Pemberley Digital Universe, Hank Green, on our podcast. And we didn’t even ask him, he found us on Twitter and offered to talk about his experience.
Yolanda: Definitely agree about Hank Green. I’m also proud of just how much we’ve grown confidence-wise. I remember we literally collapsed on the floor after our very first interview with actress Julia Cho from overwhelming fangirl feels and now we’re much more comfortable reaching out to various people and conducting interviews with ease. Forever fangirls at heart though.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thepemberleypodcast.com
- Email: thepemberleypodcast@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepemberley/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thepemberley
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/thepemberley
- Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pemberley-podcast/id1156737811
Image Credit:
Crystal Clarke, Joanna Sotomura, Hank Green, James Brent Isaacs, Dayeanne Hutton
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