Other Xbox.com Personalities
| Community Spotlight:Coastal Michelle of Video Game OutsidersPublished February 21, 2008 I recently had the chance to chat with Coastal Michelle, who along with John and Kyle co-hosts a weekly podcast called Video Game Outsiders. Here's what Michelle had to say: TriXie: Take us through the early days of Video Game Outsiders. How do the three of you know each other? Coastal Michelle: John, Kyle, and I all met on an Xbox® adult gaming community website founded by John, called ZeroCommit.com. Still active, the website is a relaxed, no pressure, mature gaming zone, and a sanctuary for people who have hectic, real lives outside of gaming.
Go and listen to their podcast. You'll be glad you did. TriXie: When and how did you get the idea for doing a podcast? Coastal Michelle: John and Kyle got the idea to do a casual podcast from the video game "outsider" perspective in 2005. They soon realized, like a lot of things in life, it needed a woman's touch, and approached me. TriXie: How long was it from the point of saying "Yeah, let's do it!" to posting your first 'cast? Coastal Michelle: It actually happened very quickly, I would say within a week of the original idea. That's pretty much our attitude on everything: wing it! TriXie: How many downloads do you typically get for a show? Coastal Michelle: We have had as many as 8,000 for a single episode. TriXie: You've done over 100 podcasts … what's the most important thing you've learned about podcasting in that time? Coastal Michelle: That it is indeed a viable source of media. It seems more and more people are turning to podcasting for not only entertainment, but also news, due to the convenience of getting to listen at their own leisure. TriXie: What has been your most memorable podcasting moment so far? Coastal Michelle: That would have to be the first time Major Nelson appeared on the show. The whole team at Xbox, in general, has really done a great job at being accessible and interactive for us and our listeners. Just the fact that you can go and download our logo and set it as your Xbox LIVE® gamerpic is a perfect example that reached way beyond our expectations.
A slightly different version of this logo can be used as your gamerpic. Note:To get the VGO logo and use as your gamerpic, go to the Marketplace blade, select Game Store, Themes and Gamer Pictures, All Gamer Pictures, Community Gamerpics, and then choose the LIVE is 5 – Community Gamerpics – Pack 02 Picture pack. It's in there. TriXie: What do you think is the worst or most embarrassing podcast you've done? Coastal Michelle: Probably our April fool's joke that we did, the lost "Cooking Outsiders" episode, where we just talked about food. If you want to hear a lot of talk about bread makers, turkey, and frozen chicken, it's a must listen. TriXie: How did it feel to be voted Xbox Community Podcast of the Year? Coastal Michelle: We really don't take ourselves seriously, so we were completely shocked, that's for sure. I have to say, even John didn't let it go to his head! :) It truly meant a lot to us that the awards were voted on by the podcast listeners themselves. TriXie: There are a lot of gaming podcasts out there. What is unique about Video Game Outsiders? Coastal Michelle: We clearly are not experts, just casual everyday adult gamers who aren't in the industry. We often hear it's more about our chemistry with each other, and the three very contrasting personalities and opinions we bring to the table. Perhaps it feels much like just listening in on friends blab about games and life, because that's what it really is in a nutshell. We also have a great community of people listening, and on our forums, who help keep the tone of the show relaxed and approachable. TriXie: How much time does it take you, John and Kyle to do research, book guests, record and edit a podcast? Coastal Michelle: We record on Tuesday nights for about 2-3 hours, John then stays up way past his bed time to take care of the uploading details. We really don't edit or tinker with it too much. Booking guests is something I normally try to do during the day via e-mail, and I have to say we have really been lucky to have some wonderful people respond and visit the virtual VGO studio. TriXie: Any big plans for the podcast in 2008? Coastal Michelle: We hope to do another live event like we did for our one hundredth show on AllGames.com some time in the future, but we've also been throwing around the idea of a special video cast episode for a long time. TriXie: Thanks, Michelle! Everyone should check out Video Game Outsiders! Interview by TriXie |
