Tal Minear

Tal Minear is a SoCal based voice actor, sound designer, and fiction podcast producer. They're the creator of Sidequesting, What Will Be Here?, Someone Dies In This Elevator, and more. Follow them on Twitter here.

I saw your tweet about the joy of casting. What’s it like and why do you like it so much?
I love listening to people who are good at what they do show off, and that’s basically what auditions are. There’s something that’s just so fun about hearing different takes on the same character, and seeing people play with the material. Sometimes, a reading just instantly clicks and you go “THAT is the character right there” and there is no better feeling. I get so excited about projects when I’m casting them, because it’s the first time I hear it come to life. 

What did you want to be when you were eight?
I wanted to be an astronaut! I kind of still do - I follow the updates from the international space station and am constantly watching rocket launch livestreams. Both my parents worked on the shuttle program (they’re computer/electrical engineers), so space travel has always been on my radar. In college, I was this close to majoring in Astrophysics - I settled on Mechanical Engineering because it turns out I love making things! I’ve worked on a couple of spacecraft, and I want to get back to it someday! But I’ll also settle for making podcasts about space too. 

Which project are you most proud of? 
This is a very hard question! Right now my answer is What Will Be Here? (a sci-fi audio drama about living on a doomed earth) because it is a fully completed project, and there’s something about having a finished audio drama that makes me so happy. It’s got some of my best writing and sound design, and I’m so proud of all the work that the rest of the team did too! I got to use a lot of my space and mechanical engineering knowledge when writing this show. It really combines all the different things I love.

Tell us about Re: Dracula.
Re: Dracula is a bite-sized audio adaptation of the horror classic Dracula. We're taking the famous horror tale, breaking it up chronologically, and sending the story directly to your podcatcher. Every time something happens to the characters, Re: Dracula will publish an episode, in as close to real time as possible. If we are successfully funded, the first episode will drop May 3, and the final episode, November 7th. Some entries will be brief, and others will be long and intense. We've got a full cast to tug on your heartstrings and intense sound design to keep you on the edge of your seat. In Re: Dracula, we want to experiment with grounded readings of Dracula, the sort of intimate acting that audio drama so often excels at, and really lean into the horror of the story! The cast is absolutely stellar, and I am itching to start sound designing this, but we can only make the show if we hit our goal. Help us do it here!

What’s your favorite thing about working in the audio space?
My favorite thing about working in the audio space is all the different things I get to do! I get to stretch my writing, voice acting, directing, sound design, graphic design, marketing, and producing skills all while working on the same project. I love how all these jobs come together to make a thing, and I love the different types of things I get to create! I also love that I have a number of friends who I can go to with a really weird idea and they will immediately tell me to make it.

What does the podcast industry have to get better about?
The podcast industry needs to get better at uplifting marginalized voices! Anyone can start a podcast, but not everyone can succeed at that, and I think the industry as a whole has lots of opportunities to help underrepresented voices that they don’t take. Shout out to the Broccoli Equality Pact, the WGA Audio Alliance, and the LWC awards fund for taking great steps to improve the industry.

Tell us about your newsletter. Why did you start it?
My newsletter is called Podplane, and it spotlights podcasts by trans and nonbinary folks! I made it because I want to find and share shows by people under the transgender umbrellla - there are a lot of them, and many are underrated. I also share news from the industry and fun podcastey things I find! It fills my ever-present need of writing about podcasts, and I hope it can help people add some great new shows to their queue! 

How do you discover podcasts? 
A very complicated process that is part following newsletters, part seeing what ends up on my twitter feed, part friends telling me what they’re making, and part friends telling me what they’re listening to. I’m also starting to discover podcasts from people pitching them to me, which is rad!

What would you tell someone who says “I don’t like fiction podcasts?”
I would say “give me a chance to prove you wrong.” The thing about fiction podcasts is that listening to them is different than listening to nonfiction podcasts. They require a different level of attention and engagement, and you almost have to learn how to listen to them if you’re not used to it. But ultimately, if you think you don’t like fiction, I think you just haven’t found the right type of fiction show to listen to. 

If someone has never listened to a fiction show, where should they start?
I actually made a podchaser list of 50 indie fiction podcasts, split up by genre! I think where you should start depends on what you like. If you’re a fan of horror movies, start with Station Blue. If you’re a fan of fantasy, start with Tales of the Echowood. Sci-fi? We Fix Space Junk. Comedy? The One Stars. Slice of life? Seen and Not Heard. There’s an incredible amount of fiction podcasts all doing different things, which means there’s something out there for everyone. Or you can just start with my podcasts. I won’t complain about that.

Do you think Podcast the Newsletter is too positive and not critical enough?
Listen. We need more joy in the world. Podcast the Newsletter is the perfect amount of positive and I adore it. I will talk all day about how we need more podcast criticism in the industry, but we also need more people shouting their love of shows too.

Who is someone awesome in the audio space not getting enough attention?
Andrew Siañez-De La O is an incredible writer, voice actor, and friend of mine in the audio fiction space. They’ve written for Timestorm and Someone Dies In This Elevator, and they’re part of the WGA Audio Alliance Organizing Committee. But most importantly, Andrew is such a joy to work with. Everyone should go follow Andrew on twitter, and then hire him for your podcasts. Andrew is also working on a new show, The Ortiz Twins are Coming Home, that I am super excited about. Here’s the tagline: “Confronted with the secret history of their family, Andrea and Mateo Ortiz are sent on a harrowing adventure through the old magic of Mexico in order to save their abuelo's life.” I NEED IT! 

What’s your podcast diet like? Do you listen to mostly fiction?
I listen to almost entirely fiction, mostly because it’s just what I like to listen to (a radical notion, I know). I tend to fill my nonfiction void with youtube video essays or netflix documentaries. My brain doesn’t tend to retain info I get without visuals, which is why I always go for podcasts that aren’t trying to teach me new things. I also live for people doing cool/new/weird things with sound design, and I almost always find that happening in fiction. 

What’s a podcast you love that most people don’t know about?
Tales of the Echowood. LISTEN TO TALES OF THE ECHOWOOD. It’s got some of the best storytelling, sound design, and music of any fiction podcast I’ve listened to. This show deserves a million downloads and its own Netflix series. Netflix, are you reading this? Go go go. 

Anything I didn’t ask you that you want to talk about? 
If you’re thinking about making a fiction podcast you can hire me for a consultation! I love helping people bring their ideas to life, and I’ve gathered a lot of tips and tricks from working in audio drama the past 5 years. 

Thanks, Tal!