Conversations with ‘This Podcast Doesn’t Exist’

Today we’d like to introduce you to This Podcast Doesn’t Exist, a mystery-themed weekly show that explores the unknown, unsolved, and unseen.

Hi y’all, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Emma Kiely: It was a little bit of “Hey, Shannon; we should do a podcast” and a little more of “Yea, sure. Why not!” It was a great excuse to spend time together, especially during the pandemic and its aftermath.

Shannon McCarthy: Emma had this idea floating around in her head since 2018 or 19. We’re always sending each other articles or videos about oddities and unsolved cases, so it just made sense. When the pandemic hit and we had a very small quarantine bubble that included one another, it finally felt like the right time.

Alright, 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?
Emma Kiely: The crash course in audio engineering and production that this initially threw me into was a bit of cold water to the face. As we’ve learned with the podcast, though, we love a good surprise on the way to a broader understanding. So long as we get to enjoy the recording as we do it, the product is always great.

Shannon McCarthy: At times, it can be challenging to motivate me to do the research. The inner perfectionist is constantly at war with the person who already works a 9-5 job. But we always find a way to get it done; for me, the motivation comes from wanting to surprise (and sometimes scare) my co-host.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Shannon McCarthy: I’d say that we have our lanes that we tend to stick to, in terms of topics. I love a good historical mystery, sunken ship, or adventure story (I love learning about Mt. Everest). Emma is big into missing-person cases and cryptids. Oh, and haunted dolls; she loves to make me cry on the pod for comedic/dramatic effect.

In terms of episodes that I’m proudest of, I would have to give you a top three:
Ep. 27: Cocktail Hour in Heaven: Everest and the Mystery of Mallory and Irvine
Ep. 47: Team Indoors Forever: The Dutch Hikers Mystery
Ep. 123: Collapsible Soap Box: The Swatch Watch Killer

And of course, I couldn’t forget “Ep. 13: Gorls, Gargoyles, and Airports: The Denver Airport!”

Emma Kiely: We do our best, I think, to make each episode a surprise to both the listener and the co-host, which pumps up the energy of any episode you listen to. I love the history or folklore behind each piece we do. To tack onto Shannon’s list of favorites, here are the ones I’m the proudest of:

Ep. 82: Squatch Squad: Bigfoot
Ep. 70: Is it Me?: Gef the Talking Mongoose
Ep. 44: Hot Hands McGee: The Island of the Dolls

And a shoutout for one of my favorites of Shannon’s: “Ep. 65: Cheerio, My Dude: George Melville Boynton.”

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Emma Kiely: Thanks in advance for taking a listen! We can’t wait to surprise you and make you giggle with all the chaos we cause each episode. Welcome to the Fiendom!

Shannon McCarthy: We welcome listener feedback and topic suggestions, so please drop us a note!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thispodcastdoesntexist.com/
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/thispodcastdoesntexist
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thispodcastdoesntexist
• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/poddoesntexist
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsi2RB3VC5nTzFPlZxkGAag
• Other: http://vm.tiktok.com/ZMRQn2L3P 

Image Credits
Karen Fletcher Fine Art and Kim Kiely Photography