Today we’d like to introduce you to Christian McDonald.
Hi Christian, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Originally, I was born in California and lived there for most of my life. My childhood was somewhat hectic as when I was 5, I was diagnosed with leukemia and had to fight against it for three years, but thankfully my cancer is in remission and has remained so to this day. At the same time, I was diagnosed with Asberger’s Syndrome, and as such making friends was difficult but not impossible. The one comfort I did have was my love of all things monster movies, most specifical stuff like Godzilla or King Kong.
Unfortunately, due to family issues, I and my older sisters moved to Florida in 2011. It was hard for me and my family to adjust but we managed to find our place and soon all of us made new friends and connections. After graduating high school, I was somewhat in a slump as I was unsure of what I wanted to do with my life as well as concerned that due to being on the spectrum, no one would see me more than the stigma of being autistic. That and add to the issues with my family that led us to Florida I realized I was suffering from both anxiety and depression.
But it was thanks to my friends and family I made here I managed to overcome my slump and after a conversation with one of my best friends Cole and Anthony, a new idea sparked within me. I have always loved monster movies and it was the one thing that always brings me comfort despite having a hectic life so I was inspired to do something with that love.
With the help of Cole and Anthony, I decided to become a podcaster as I always admire the medium of telling an engaging narrative through audio and I realized there aren’t many podcasts that center on monster movies. So, with Cole as my co-host and Anthony teaching me how to record and edit audio, I launched the podcast Gargantucast, named after one of my favorite monster movies The War of the Gargantuas.
While the first year of the show was rocky, what truly inspired me and made me realized just how I was almost destined to truly make Gargantucast my own was the response it had online. Due to my anxious nature, I was worried no one would like it and it would be tossed to the wayside but the opposite happened. Gargantucast started gaining traction amongst monster movie fans and it became a surprise hit for me.
Both I and my co-host Cole couldn’t believe the positive response we have gotten and garnered a small fan community around the show. A community we to this day are deeply thankful for as we had made new friends from across the world and through the show, we now try to spread positivity through our shared love of monster movies.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It was definitely not as smooth as one hoped. As said before I had a hectic life growing up and as such, I had to deal with lingering issues such as anxiety and depression. While I have been getting better at managing my mental illnesses, it’s a struggle every now and then. That and adding on the trickiness of living life, in general, makes balancing a day job and a podcast a bit of a metaphorically juggling act.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am primarily the co-host and producer of the monster movie (or Kaiju) centric podcast Gargantucast. Gargantucast’s main focus is to bring insight and humor to the many different monster movies from across the globe (ie Godzilla, King Kong, and Ultraman to name a few) and share both their histories and the personal insights from me and my co-host Cole Grisson.
What made Gargantucast unique I feel is that we try our best to ensure we see the humanity within these films and that they are more than just “cheap movies about rubber monsters”. We go over the production and give credit to the artists behind these larger-than-life stories. We also try to make sure we highlight voices of diverse backgrounds as we want to bring positivity and safety to this community of fellow monster movie fans, we have been a part of.
The thing that makes me most proud about Gargantucast is how I and Cole have inspired fellow fans to start their own podcasts and share their own thoughts on these films. Even creators who inspired us began to show their appreciation of our work and it makes me humble yet proud of how much our work has reached like-minded fans.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Aside from my love of monster movies, I read a lot of fiction books (either novels or comic books) that help me invigorate my creative juices. I also play a lot of video games that help me burn some of my anxious energy away. I also listen to other movie podcasts to help me learn about media criticism and how to apply it correctly.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.phasrmedia.com
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/gargantucast?s=20&t=LKnKGtzBFc2T7NQBlhtWSA
- Other: https://gargantucast.libsyn.com/
Image Credits
Anthony Derington
PHASR Media
