PERILS OF A PODCAST PRODUCER

I love storytelling. My podcast project is all about stories, mine and other peoples'. 

The Podcast Project

I started working on this idea in May 2026. I knew I wanted to produce a podcast but I hadn't decided on a clear theme or subject for my show. I brainstormed a few ideas when this one hit me like a brick. It was so obvious that I should do a show that incorporated storytelling with practical discussions about beginning again. I started over at age 73, and I know many other people who have started over too. I could create a show on this premise and ask others to join me for lively discussions about Starting Over Later in life.

The Research and Development

First, I had to decide whether or not I wanted only an Audio podcast vs a Video podcast. The issue was me being the host and being on camera. I've never been comfortable in front of the camera, although I have had many on-camera appearances. Still, it's not my thing. 

I had to learn how to produce a podcast for YouTube and set up my channel. Then I had to convince myself that a video podcast would be best for my concept and get accustomed to being on camera. So, I wrote scripts and practiced them using my laptop, headset, and webcam. I had to find my tone, rythym, and vocal pacing. It's still a work in progress. I had to create and set up my production files.

My Small Studio

Trying to set up a small Video studio on a budget with equipment I had on hand was daunting.  A small corner in my Bordeaux bedroom is now used as my office and studio. Working in a small space is another adjsutment. Fortunately, I had a lot of production equipment on hand which I brought with me from California when I moved to France.

Still, I had to gather it all and figure out how to connect everything together. My HP laptop, Sony digital Vlog camera, Galaxy smartphone, iPad Mini, Galaxy earbuds, Bose headphones, a plantronic headset, Moana wireless microphones, wired head/microphones, speakers, a logi webcam, a ring light, tripods, and a DJI gimble for my Galaxy phone. Setting up all this equipment to test it, finding out what worked easily and what was too cumbersome to deal with and not my waste time was worth the effort. 

Soon, I settled for using just my laptop, plantronics headset/mic, my logi webcam, and a WD external 1TB hard drive as my studio equipment. Since I sit in front of a patio door, I have plenty of natural light. My laptop secure is on a laptop stand on a laptop table. I have my very comfy office chair and a foot rest that I shipped from California, and a 23'' monitor, if I need it.

The Challenges

This project has been my biggest challenge yet, due to the ongoing issues I have had with my laptop’s small memory storage capacity and only 4GB RAM. Because of my laptop's storage limit for this work, I unsuspectedly burned through tons of recording and editing software that either failed to export my videos or crashed my computer altogether. I’ve had so many audio sync and editing issues during this time which I could not fully correct. So much of my early episodes are either partially edited or I just uploaded my raw recordings to my channel. At least the sound quality is good. Although, some audio/video sync issues are still visable.

At times I felt like the Universe was against me because I had so many roadblocks alone the way. This production process was so stressful as I put out one fire only to have another one pop up day after day. My laptop's memory was so low that I could not export the videos I had created in Shotcut. I really miss my desktop. This is where AI came in handy - helping me save my work, eventually reseting my computer, answering questions about software, and guiding me through the use of various programs I needed so I could bring my podcast idea to life. An idea that had been rolling around like marbles in my mind for a quite a while. 

I should have given up on this podcast project weeks ago after having one technical glitch after another, such as my audio not syncing to the video on the same track, lagging, and jerky video frames, webcam and headset microphone sound levels became deterents. These hurdles caused me hours of wasted time and frustration, always lurking in the background waiting to pouch just when I felt I had it all figured out, another issue would pop up.

Still, I persevered with patience in order to figure out and learn the best work around for all those unwavering technical circumstances. 

The Production

Just deciding where to record in my apartment, then dusting off and setting up the necessary production equipment needed to produce a podcast. Getting the lighting right, the camera angles, and the sound levels. Learning a bunch of new free open source software for encoding and editing the videos. Writing the scripts for each episode, trailers, and shorts. Finding the right teleprompter to rehearse, read, and record my scripts on - getting my tempo and adapting mentally to feel natural in front of the camera. I practiced a lot. So, I don't envy actors.

Post Producton: Editing and Encoding

Then I had to look into software, I needed to edit my videos which are created using PowerPoint.  PowerPoint poses a few issues too because it does not use a Constant Frame Rate (CFR), instead a Variable Frame Rate (VFR). So, I needed to try out encoders to change my videos frame rates.  For encoding, I used open source software Handbrake and Avidemux (for syncing audio). As my media player, I'm using VLC. Because my laptop refuses to work well with Riverside or Squadcast to record or edit, I'm using Zoom Pro for my remote guest tapings.

Next, I tried several popular free and open source editors: Capcut, Shotcut, VEED, VideoProc Vlogger, Riverside, and Squadcast - only to end up using YouTube's Studio Editor. Editing takes forever, one reason I was reluctant to edit any of my videos. I found other useful things to do while waiting for the rendering and exporting of each video. Practicing my French. Still these editors caused my computer to crash midway through the editing process. It was a struggle to complete my solo recordings using this laptop. 

Eventually I gave in and uninstalled all that software to stop wrestling with my system that just couldn't handle the heavy editing workload or export my videos. Through this journey I have learned how to edit using this modern editing software, how to encode videos, and so much more. So, all of that time really wasn’t lost or wasteful. 

My Podcast Channel

Since, I have finally uploaded some solo episodes to my YouTube Podcast Channel, more episodes are coming soon.

Two weeks ago, I managed to upload my podcast channel’s 4-minute introduction and two 2-minute trailers. This week my first solo episode - The Turning Point, my starting over story, a two parter, was uploaded to YouTube. It's a full length episode, Part 1 is 36 minutes and Part Two is 42 mins in length. I created a Starting Over Later Workbook that subscribers can download and use as a companion guide for my podcast. The link is in the podcast description.

Upcoming Episodes

Next month, my solo Episode 2, How to prepare for a life reset without fear? kicks off my starting over discussions focusing on ways for viewers to reset their lives. 

Guest videos will be coming soon.  My Guests all have their own reinvention themes, so our discussions will be fun, lively, and very informative. Very inspiring. We have so much to share. 

Here is the link to my Podcast Channel, I hope it resonates with you and that you will like, subcribe, and follow the conversations. Please  leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks for visiting my Blog.

 A Bientot!🍃🍷

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