In January 2020, my son had a great idea for the two of us to start a Star Wars podcast. Here it is September of 2021 and we have had 100 episodes.
We named the show Rule the Galaxy from the line in The Empire Strikes Back. We felt that the two of us could Rule the Galaxy of Star Wars podcasting.
Twenty-one months ago I was happy to just be the co-host and research department of a show led by Joey @joeymulinaro . He had the radio and social media background that fit with being the host of a podcast.
Things change and after a few months, Joey had to step away due to some changes in his career. I thought my days as a Star Wars podcaster were over, but as Covid hit and we all had some extra time on our hands, I started getting the urge to keep things going. I approached Joey for his advice and he walked me through how to run Rule the Galaxy. In June of 2020, Episode 9 of a revamped Rule the Galaxy was launched. With Joey being busy, I recruited in my crew of Star Wars fans from around Central Indiana... Tony- my youngest brother Alfie - my cousin I grew up with @amulinaro Nick - my cousin that I had met once @nickscheske
Brent - a family friend @biggen7878
Vinnie - a family friend @brovvnsugar
Mass - my pal of over 35 years @mass84362363
Most of this crew thought their involvement was going to be a one-time thing. Little did they know what we were creating. Here it is 90 episodes later and most of them are weekly members of the show. They each bring something different to the podcast. Over time a few of them had things get in the way, but they still come back to visit from time to time.
The show keeps very busy on Twitter. We interact with other Star Wars fans and have become part of the community. One listener actually created a sign for me to have behind me while I record. It is one of my favorite Star Wars items. Dave @DDoc42 , the creator of that sign, is now part of the regular weekly crew all the way from Philly. We had him on as a guest and things just clicked. From Joey to Dave, this is my crew. We have created a bond and friendships that go well past Star Wars. We are all at different stages of life and going through different challenges, but we are there for each other.
To go along with our RTG crew, we have made so many friends across the country and across the world. The podcast helps with that, but so does Twitter. When done properly Twitter can really build up the Star Wars community. On top of Twitter we have started posting our shows on YouTube and look forward to doing more live shows and possibly some shows on location. We will keep you updated.
We have had so many great guests. Some are people I have been listening to for years and others are just people that we have interacted well with on Twitter.
Adam Bray - author of many Star Wars and Marvel books @authoradambray
Steve Glosson - host of Geek Out Loud podcast @geekoutloud
Scott Ryfun - host of My Star Wars Story @ryfun
T-Bob Hebert - Star Wars fan and ESPN host @TBob53
Mark Newbold - StarWars.com and host of Fantha Tracks @prefect_timing
Jessica Johnson - host of Stories by Darksaber Light @darksaberlight
Dominic Pace - Gekko the Bounty Hunter @gekkothehunter
Dale and the Szabologist - hosts of It's True...All of It @it_wars
Marc Thompson - Voice Actor for Star Wars books and animation @CaptainEhud
I sometimes have a hard time believing that this is all because we started a Star Wars podcast.
So what does 100 episodes get you? A lot of fun, laughter and friendships. Not only is our group great friends, but to think of the friendships we have built up with our guests and our listeners, it just blows me away.
I think one of my goals is to work with some of our guests and other podcasts to coordinate a listener meet up. We will make that a long term goal.
Some quick notes on the first 100 episodes:
We have gained listeners in 45 countries. The top 10 are:
United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Ireland, Ukraine, South Korea, Germany, Russia and the Dominican Republic
We have listeners in 49 of the 50 states...come on Idaho?!!? The top 10 are:
Indiana, Texas, California, Illinois, Florida, Georgia, New York, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Louisiana.
Here is to the next 100 episodes. Thank you to my crew, our guests, and our listeners. I truly appreciate you all. May the Force be with you ALL.
@rulethegalaxysw Twitter
Rule the Galaxy on YouTube and Facebook
