The following is an interview with Brad Jost, host of The Jurassic Park Podcast. In this interview, Fanbase Press President Bryant Dillon talks with Jost about his love of the Jurassic Park franchise, the origins of the podcast, and more!
Bryant Dillon, Fanbase Press President: Can you tell us a little about yourself and how life led you to The Jurassic Park Podcast?
Brad Jost: I have been a huge film fan since my early years, finding film franchises to be the crux that pulls me into new and exciting worlds. Franchises like Back to the Future, Indiana Jones, and Star Wars pulled me in at an early age and led to my discovery of a little franchise revolving around Jurassic Park! I’ve been a huge advocate for the audio medium, as I’ve been involved in podcasts for years and decided to hop into the larger world of film fandom podcasting with The Jurassic Park Podcast!
BD: For those who haven’t yet checked out The Jurassic Park Podcast, how would you describe a normal episode and why do Jurassic Park fans need to check it out?
BJ: My intention with The Jurassic Park Podcast was to create an audio experience for fans of the films, music, actors, quotes, marketing, collecting, theme parks, and so much more. We like to treat it as stepping into the film universe to discuss our favorite franchise. Typically, our episodes contain a wide variety of segments, some of which include an introduction to the show, news surrounding all aspects of the franchise, interviews, radio dramas, debates, reviews, and one of our favorites, the Jurassic Mailbag – collecting thoughts, questions, and concerns from members of the Jurassic Park fan community.
BD: What do you love about the Jurassic Park franchise, and how did it inspire the creation of your podcast?
BJ: I love how Jurassic Park feels real. It feels like an extension of our world, so you can believe just about everything that happens in the films. I like to take those aspects and create an authentic FAN experience, sharing our real thoughts, emotions, and love of this incredible saga.
BD: What do you think our readers would be surprised to learn about the podcast?
BJ: One of our contributors, Arjan Bos, has submitted an audio drama over the past year connecting the dots between The Lost world: Jurassic Park and Jurassic World. He’s enlisted many members from the community to act out his script, uses incredible music and sound effects to build the atmosphere, and narrates the journey himself as familiar characters head back to Isla Sorna, the island from The Lost World.
BD: What can you tell us about the rest of team behind The Jurassic Park Podcast, and how they contribute to the final product?
BJ: Over the years, many listeners have contacted me to join the team, and now we have a great group of people contributing segments to the podcast nearly every week. When people write in and ask to be a part of the show, they usually come prepared with a segment idea of their own, something new and original to add to the fan space. We have segments devoted to collecting, video games, kids interpretations of the films, a pop quiz for fans, comedy segments, debunking theories, and so much more! Some contributors write articles for the website, others produce video content for our YouTube, and, most of all, I really enjoy their company as we dive deep into analysis on the films on the podcast.
BD: What has been your favorite episode of the podcast so far and why?
BJ: One of my favorite episodes that stands out was back in the early days when we dissected the sounds of Jurassic Park. We analyzed the sound effects, the character’s choices on screen, and even the use of silence in the film. I think these films are some of the best you will find in the sound department, so it was a ton of fun to pick out some of our favorite audible moments from the original film. That episode was recording with contributors James Hawkins and Steven Hurrell of Jurassic Unicast.
BD: Given your knowledge of the franchise and fanbase, what are you expecting from the upcoming Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom feature film?
BJ: We’ll, I’ve already seen the film, so that’s a tough one to answer. I will say that I am most looking forward to the discussion this film will bring to the fan community. There are so many details to pour over and lots of revelations to debate for years to come. I think this film is the natural progression of the series and will spark some extremely interesting discussion on the podcast.
BD: Like many fandoms (Star Wars specifically comes to mind these days.), it seems like there’s a division between fans in the Jurassic Park fandom who love the new Jurassic World films and those who don’t. What can both sides learn from the other side’s opinions, and what would be your advice (or hope) in regards to how fans approach supporting one another while also feeling free to express their individual opinions about the films, characters, etc.?
BJ: There is a lot to learn from fandoms these days, and, unfortunately, the Star Wars fandom is going through a rough patch at the moment. The Jurassic community has certainly had its share of ugly debates between those standing behind Jurassic World and those who don’t. The way I look at it is that this is all supposed to be fun. If we are not having fun with this, then why bother? I don’t think any of the films in this franchise are perfect, but I like to approach things from a supportive standpoint, because at the end of the day, we are fans. I think we can have very productive discussion with those who don’t support certain films in this franchise, but as long as we approach our discussion from a level headed frame of mind. “Film Twitter” has a tendency to bash a film over the head until the entire internet dislikes it. Hopefully, we can work together before constructive criticism turns cynical.
BD: What do you want to see next from the Jurassic Park franchise? What should they tackle next?
BJ: I would like to see the Jurassic Park franchise jump into a bigger expanded universe. Universal is starting the ball rolling with the upcoming novel, The Evolution of Claire, by author Tess Sharpe, but, hopefully, we can get more “canon” expanded material from more aspects of the films. I love learning the back story of Bryce Dallas Howard’s Clarie Dearing, but imagine a world where we have even more character backstory, television shows, spin-off movies, and comic books surrounding the world of Jurassic Park. I think that is where they need to take it next, to create longevity from here on out.
BD: At Fanbase Press, we’re always interested in what our fellow creators are fans of. It doesn’t have to be part of Geekdom or Jurassic Park necessarily. We just want to know what you’ve recently enjoyed that you’d want to share with our readers.
BJ: It’s tough to say at the moment, because I’ve been fully immersed in the Jurassic fandom producing content for the podcast, seeing Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, reading The Evolution of Claire, collecting the new Mattel Jurassic toys, and playing the brand new game Jurassic World: Evolution. One of my other loves is the theme park community. I am part of another podcast discussing all things theme parks (Grim Grinning Hosts), so the parks industry has completely enamored me lately. I love focusing in on the construction updates for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge coming to Disney Parks, all the updates to the Jurassic sections at Universal Studios, and even the upcoming Toy Story Land in Hollywood Studios. I love diving deep into nostalgia, the music, and the imagery of theme parks, so I would say that is something I continue to enjoy outside of the Jurassic fandom.
BD: Finally, where can our readers find our more about you and The Jurassic Park Podcast online?
BJ: You can find everything relating to the podcast at www.jurassicparkpodcast.com and make sure to follow along with us over on Twitter (@jurassicparkpod), Instagram (@jurassicparkpodcast), YouTube, and Facebook (@jurassicparkpodcast). My personal Twitter is @bradjost.
