Today we’d like to introduce you to The Wait For It Podcast
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?
Phil & I (Eric) have always had a passion for pop culture. We would always talk about movies, tv shows, gaming…..you name it, we had an opinion on it. After years of keeping those conversations among friends, we decided to start dabbling into the world of podcasting in 2018. “The Wait For It Podcast” was born from our hope that people will want to “wait” for our opinions and reviews of their favorite fandoms and topics. We are major fans of the song, “Wait For It”, from the Hamilton soundtrack, and that also inspired the name for the show!
After a few years of trial and error, we started to turn this passionate hobby into much more, finding new ways to grow our audience and put our skills to work in new and creative ways. By focusing on creating more engaging content and streamlining our topics of choice, we have really found our stride over the years with several themes for the show that keep us going strong with weekly releases. We also started to build relationships within our communities through supporting our local anime/pop culture conventions, getting the opportunities to meet and interview some of the biggest names in voice acting and beyond!
We take pride in not only building an audience and community here in Jacksonville, but also all across other surrounding Florida areas, including listeners coming in from the Orlando area! So we are very grateful for this spotlight on our show as it is something that can be enjoyed from any location throughout the world.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I’m sure you’ve heard “everyone has a podcast these days”. Well, podcasting has been infamous for being very easy to start up but difficult to keep up with once you get going. From imposter syndrome to the grind of recording/editing to the financial strain to support the podcast, it is very easy for shows to “podfade” and very quickly disappear.
When we first started, we used to release episodes whenever we felt like it. The topics we discussed were sporadic and all over the place because we had SO many fandoms and passions. We were very inconsistent, did very little editing, and frankly…it wasn’t very good content being created at that time. But sometimes taking a leap into uncharted territory is exactly the push you need to get out of your comfort zone and learn the hard way. Once we started to take this seriously as a craft and not just a hobby, we increased our workload and paying more attention to make better content, which resulted in a consistent two episode a week release schedule for multiple years.
Over time, we zoned in by focusing on specific episode themes and eventually reduced our episode count to once a week. We found this to be such a positive change that allowed us to try new things and create more bonus content for our listeners. As we continue to learn and grow, podcasting never really gets “easier”, but we have developed a lot of good habits that have moved us forward in the right direction!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
The Wait For It Podcast specializes in all things in Pop Culture from movies, gaming, anime and anything in between. We release new episodes every Wednesday on your favorite audio podcast platforms (i.e. Spotify, Apple Podcasts) and also have video versions of the show on YouTube! We have several recurring episodes on the podcast that we do each month:
“Late To The Party” is where we catch up on things in pop culture we missed out on over the years. In the past year, this included our first watch through of classic films like Interstellar, Top Gun, and Pretty Woman.
“International Feature” is where we highlight an international projects that people may have missed out on. In the past year, this included films like Another Round, Tokyo Godfathers, and 28 Days Later.
“The Game Room Where It Happens” is where we reminisce about classic games from our past and play the hottest games of today. In the past year, this included games like Fallout 76, Helldivers 2, and Marvel Rivals.
“Creator Spotlight” is where we bring on like-minded creators we’ve met over the years and give them a spotlight to discuss their crafts. This ranges from creative artists, fellow podcasters, to voice actors we’ve met from local conventions!
In addition to podcasting, we have also hosted several conventions locally since 2021, including panel moderation and live interviews with high-profile guests! We’ve had the opportunity to be apart of multiple conventions each year to interact with those in our fandom communities, which has really add a new layer of engagement for what we do on the podcast. Some of these Florida based events include Brick City Anime Festival, Bold Matsuri, and NakamaCon!
What are your plans for the future?
As we continue to grow the podcast and expand our portfolio in the Florida convention scene, you can expect to continue to see more of The Wait For It Podcast in your headphones, on your screen, and maybe even in-person! In the past year, we have introduced new ways to interact with us no matter where you are located, which includes platforms like Twitch, Discord, and Patreon! We are also actively working to grow our TikTok and YouTube platforms to provide even more content to those looking for something extra from our weekly schedule of episodes.
Our ultimate goal is and has always been to turn this into something bigger and better each and every year. So giving us a follow, leaving us a comment, or even just saying how much you enjoy the show goes such a long way! We hope you’ll join us for the ride and once again, we really appreciate the opportunity to share our story with the readers of OrlandoVoyager. Until next time….all you got to do….is WAIT FOR IT!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://waitforitpodcast.buzzsprout.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waitforitpodcast/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WaitForItPodcast/
- Twitter: https://x.com/waitforitpod
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheWaitForItPodcast
- Other: https://linktr.ee/waitforitpodcast
Image Credits
(Personal Photo) – Justin Drain Photography
(Additional Photos) – Kory Torjussen Photography and Brick City Anime Festival
