Two Prince George true crime podcasters will celebrate their 200th episode by recording it live at Trench Brewing on Wednesday, July 31 from 7 to 10 p.m.
Nicole and Ben Gibson, the content creators of Wicked & Grim, say they called it that because some pretty wicked people commit some very grim crimes.
Since airing their first episode on Feb. 8, 2021 they have seen more than two million listeners and downloads of their shows. That means they have reached the top one per cent in popularity around the globe.
Ben said the way the podcasts came about was rather unusual.
“It’s a bit of a weird inspiration. I have always been really into content creation, so YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and everything like that and I really started understanding the content creation world’s algorithms and I had a bit of success in online creation,” Ben said.
“And my wife, Nicole, has always had a strong interest in true crime stories. You know, watching different TV shows, whether it’s true crime or the stories told in CSI and stuff.”
It all started when Nicole and Ben were going through a time in their relationship where they hardly saw each other because they were so busy with work. Nicole worked at UNBC and Ben worked at a sawmill.
“We were thinking we needed to figure out something where we can spend time together,” Ben explained. “So I approached her and said ‘well, what if we do something in content creation like a true crime podcast?’ and that’s how our podcast was born.”
The ideas of which crimes to showcase on a podcast comes from a lot of online research and also from people making recommendations.
“There’s nothing we wouldn’t cover but depending on the story we may tread lightly," Ben said. "Something that is very sensitive for many people is sexual assault so we generally don’t go into descriptions on the nature of the sexual assault, we will say they were sexually assaulted but we don’t dive into how that played out. Also when it pertains to children, whether it is sexual assault or physical assault or death of children it’s another one of those things where we try not to go too descriptive.”
But the show is called Wicked & Grim, after all.
“So there are times when we go very descriptive and there’s times where we don’t – it’s just a matter of trying to read it on a case-by-case basis,” Ben said. “And if we do cover a very heavy case and we are very descriptive, we try and follow up our next few episodes with some lighthearted true crime or don’t go into as deep a description. We try to keep a balance if we can.”
Because of the success of their podcast both Nicole and Ben have left their day jobs. Nicole is a photographer and the podcast has become a big part of Ben’s new career.
“I am now a full-time content creator and freelance media creator, so I work with other businesses doing videography or consulting for their social media,” Ben said. “But I would say a good 60 to 70 per cent of my of my full-time job is just the podcast now.”
There is money to be made in podcasting.
“It comes down to ad revenue, it’s no different than a radio station, so podcasting is radio – it’s just a very new way of doing an old-school media form,” Ben explained.
“So it’s online radio and we are able to play ads before and after our show and we even sometimes get sponsorship. And they will pay pennies per listen. It’s usually, say about $1.50 for every thousand listens per ad, and from there over the course of hundreds of thousands those pennies and dollars begin to add up.”
Another revenue stream is Patreon, an online subscription platform, where people have access to exclusive content, like behind-the-scenes stuff. A monthly subscription is paid to the content creator.
When Ben and Nicole decided to leave their day jobs they had a newly built home with a mortgage.
“But we just weren’t too happy,” Ben said. “So we sold it all and bought our tiny home and we have no mortgage and we’re able to chase what we want to do for a living."
Ben offered a few words of wisdom on how to become a successful podcaster.
“The key is consistency,” Ben said. “We found that’s what actually propelled our podcast in the beginning was being consistent.”
Without fail Wicked & Grim is uploaded every Tuesday.
“That’s what really got our listenership up,” Ben said. “And we’re doubling down now. Since February 2021 it’s been every Tuesday and now with the 200th episode we are uploading every Tuesday and every Friday.”
That’s a lot of content.
“If crime were to stop today and no one commits another crime for the rest of humanity I’m still going to have a lifetime worth of content to create with all the stories out there,” Ben said. “That is very unfortunate to think about but that’s the reality.”
The first live Wicked and Grim: A True Crime Podcast goes Wednesday, July 31 at 7 p.m. at Trench Brewing & Distilling, 399 Second Ave.The evening includes the live recording, audience interaction and the chance to hang out with fellow true crime enthusiasts.
There will be door prizes as well. Tickets are $22.63 at www.eventbrite.com/e/wicked-and-grim-live-tickets. For more information visit www.wickedandgrim.com.
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