Jamie Loftus

Jamie Loftus is a writer and the co-host of The Bechdel Cast. She created Santa University, Boss Whom Is Girl, My Year in Mensa, and a bunch of other stuff. Follow her on Twitter here. Follow The Bechdel Cast on Twitter here. Follow Jamie on Instagram here.

You could tell stories through so many different ways, books, songs, journalism...why is podcasting such a good format for you?
Podcasting is the best because you can make a solid product with very low overhead, and the way you connect with listeners is more intimate and direct than a lot of other work I’ve done (there’s also drawbacks to the whole parasocial life but that’s for another day, haha). There’s a lot of projects I’ve wanted to do that I either don’t have the means to create and promote -- the Mensa show I worked on is a good example of that. I would have loved to make a documentary of that, but when you’re pitching people a left-field idea like that that there isn’t a ton to compare it against, you’ll almost always get shown the door. I’ve found that podcasting is a great way to avoid that discussion altogether, not feel beholden to have to convince someone that the story is worth it. If you feel like it is and have a way to record it, then you can just tell it the way you think it should be told.

You're a great writer. Which writers do you admire?
Thank you, that’s so kind!! The first person who comes to mind as a great writer who was really influential on me when I was starting my writing career is Rembert Browne -- he wrote for Grantland and had such an incredible writing voice that he could get me passionate about literally anything. His piece about Nicki Minaj at the bar mitzvah? SEMINAL. I’ve also been revisiting Elif Batumann recently, and Diablo Cody was my writing hero when I was a teenager.

Did you receive any backlash from the Mensa community after you released My Year in Mensa?
Not as much as I was expecting -- although, since I formally left the secret group that was the nucleus of the problem, I can’t speak to anything going on there, though I hear it’s pretty bad, haha. There have been a number of people who have reached out to share their perspectives on the group, some telling me to fuck off and die, and others defending the group. A healthy unhealthy mix of feedback that hurts my head to think about!

You've been a guest on a zillion shows. Which was the first?
I was on a Boston comedy podcast called “Improv Saved My Life” I think about five years ago, and I was so terrified and also improv did not ever save my life. The host was so sweet and it’s a great show! [ED NOTE: I FOUND IT.]

You are a feminist who I think appeals to a lot of bro-ey guys. Lots of dudes listen to The Daily Zeitgeist. What has your interaction been like engaging with so many dudes? Do you think you are changing the way they look at the world?
I hope so! It’s always nice to hear from a male-identifying listener that The Bechdel Cast or TDZ changed their perspective on something, and that very much goes both ways for us, as well. We’re very much in our LA bubble and hearing back from listeners who live all across the country and world is truly invaluable, it’s symbiotic. The men listening to our show seem willing to listen, and we want to do the same. And we love hearing from people who all genders who get the men in their life to listen!

Women podcasters are always being criticized for their voices. What's your relationship to yours? How would you describe your voice?
I’ve been adjusting my voice since I was a little kid to make myself sound more ‘appealing’ to people, and I wish I hadn’t. I like my voice, but one of my earliest memories is watching how people reacted to my mom’s voice and accent and promising myself to never sound that way, and once I started podcasting, removing any trace of ~vocal fry~ or other things that I would get people flooding my mentions about. It sucks. I majored in radio production and the way women are trained to have their voices sound over broadcast is, um, different. So I like my voice, but also recognize how many times I’ve forced myself to change it for others.

Listening to you on The Daily Zeitgeist I have observed that you listen to Who? Weekly, but what else do you listen to?
I love Say More with Melissa Lozada-Oliva and Olivia Gatwood and Reply Guys with Julia Claire and Kate Willett! 

I bet you have a lot of ideas that you don't end up pursuing because time. How do you decide which projects to move forward with?
Maybe this is overly optimistic, but I think every idea has its day. There’s ideas I’ve been sitting on for years that I haven’t found the time or right medium or angle or funding to make happen yet, but if I’m excited enough about them I try to make sure I revisit and update stuff every once in a while. The pod I’m working on right now has been in the back of my mind for three years, and I’m only now getting my shit together on it! Then there’s other projects that feel more urgent or timely and get to the front of the line. I love all my children!

If you were going to have just a weird fucking podcast, don't worry about selling it or whether or not anyone would listen to it or any of the logistics, what would it be?
EASILY an entire expanded-universe Santa University podcast. What WOULDN’T I do to spend more time that I already do on the SU?

Thanks, Jamie!