After reading Miriam’s interview with the founder of www.MormonMomCast.com I found myself wanting to know more, so I sent Whit, the founder, an email and all three responded to my questions.
I’m really liking these ladies and what they are doing. Brilliant idea! I wanted to give them a little more time to delve a little deeper into who and what they are.
1. Who came up with the idea for MormonMomCast and how?
Amy – Whitney, she’s the enthusiast of the group. She’s always coming up with fun and exciting things for all of us.
2. What is the purpose of MormonMomCast?
Amy – To give women of our faith something to listen to. Hopefully we can help them realize that there are a lot of us out there in the same situations just plugging along from day to day doing the best we can.
2. What was involved in getting it implemented?
Whit – We had to decide on a format, get the equipment we needed, design the website, program the .rss feed, submit the feed to iTunes and feedburner and for every show we record and edit and then my brother, Steve, edits the sound and adds in music, etc. The final step is uploading the new .rss feed. Techno-geeky, I know – but fun!
3. How do you promote or market your show?
Whit – First, of course, is word of mouth. We tell our friends and family about it. I also have a lot of friends “online” and so I share the podcast website with my different email groups, forums and so forth. Now I am actually sending out press releases and contacting websites for promotion. I hope to exchange some promotions with other LDS groups.
4. Tell us a little bit about Whit, Julie and Amy.
Amy – I live in Heber City, Utah. We just moved here in the last year and are excited to settle here FOREVER! I have five children. Thomas is my oldest and he’s 13. Renee is 11. Ty will be 8 in May but wishes he was 16. Connor will be 6 in May. Last I have Josh and he is 3. I stay really busy taking care of my kids and just keeping up on the laundry. My favorite pastime is reading. I love to read!
Whit – I am crazy. I never met a hobby I didn’t like. I have lived in Utah for about 18 years, so consider it to be home. My husband and I live in Logan and have two wonderful children; Rob, 16 and Katie, 12. I have a full life and I like it that way! I don’t watch a lot of television. I knit/crochet, I read, I do genealogy, I serve in Primary, I do web design, I write… I podcast!
Julie – I live in Provo where my husband attends BYU. I stay at home and take care of my two kids; Amelia, six and Jacob, four. I love to watch movies and read. I enjoy screenwriting. My dream is to someday write a screenplay that gets made into a movie.
5. Have you heard of the Satellite Sisters (Utah’s 820 AM) and has this show had any influence on yours?
None of us have ever heard of the show – but we are intrigued now and may have to take a listen!
6. What do you hope to accomplish with MormonMomCast.com?
Amy – I just hope to have some fun and to hopefully touch someone in some way.
7. How well is your show being received on iTunes?
Amy – So far so good. We’ve had lots of feedback.
Whit – iTunes doesn’t provide statistics, but for a new podcast we have received a lot of email. We will have the way set up soon to check our own stats and that will be helpful.
Julie – Seems good so far, but I can’t wait until it really gets going to see what people have to say.
8. What are some of the funny things that have happened since you launched?
Amy – We’ve had a little bit of controversy. But there’s always bad with the good.
Whitney – I think the funniest thing to me, as a Mom, is to hear our children’s feedback. They are our biggest fans and our biggest critics. Amy’s daughter said to me the other day that she listened and we were kind of boring. She’s eleven, so I take it with a grain of salt.
Julie – Definitely the feedback – both online and from my family. My kids love hearing my voice on the computer. And my husband really surprised me with how interested he is in the podcast. His suggestions for topics crack me up. Probably most of those won’t actually make it in.
9. What is the one thing you’d like your listeners to know?
Amy – We’re not trying to be preachy or to sound like we’re better than anyone else – we’re just trying to share a little bit of ourselves.
Whit – We are AMATEURS, so please be patient with our quality. We are improving daily. Also, we love feedback!
Julie – There are people out there struggling with the same things you (the listeners) are. The world doesn’t always value what we’re doing as Moms, or when they do it is sometimes in a patronizing way. But it is really the most worthwhile thing we could choose to do!
10. What’s it like working with your sisters?
Amy – We always have a great time working together. There’s no one I’d rather work with. Julie is a cousin and we grew up really close to her family also. She’s almost like a sister.
Whit – I would rather work with my family than anyone else. We know each other so well and love each other so much. It’s not really like work. I agree wholeheartedly about Julie being another sister.
Julie – Fun! Having topics and structure is interesting. I think I’ll get to know them on a whole new level.
11. Please give us your favorite musicians, actor, actress, author and most importantly, your favorite prophet and why.
Amy – I like a variety of music. Jane Austen is my favorite author. I used to love Tom Cruise in High School but I’m kinda past that now.
I have to say I really loved President Kimball because he was the prophet during most of my growing up years – but how can you not love President Hinckley?
Whit – I like classical music, 80s pop, some country and Broadway Musicals. I would have a hard time choosing a favorite author. A couple of my favorite books are Dandelion Wine (Ray Bradbury) and In The Eye of the Storm (John Groberg). I am an old movie buff – Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, Jimmy Stewart, Lauren Bacall and Audrey Hepburn to name a few.
I am currently studying the prophet Enoch. As I study the prophets’ lives I learn and grow so much that it would be difficult to choose a favorite. I learn obedience from Noah and Nephi, the power of prayer from Enos, endurance from Job and Moroni, repentance from Alma the Younger and on and on. I have a special fondness for modern day prophets Joseph F. Smith and Spencer W. Kimball. And, as Amy says – how can you not love President Hinckley?
Julie – Musician – Donny Osmond; Actor – I like tough-guy action-hero types: Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hugh Jackman; Actress – Nicole Kidman; Author – Elizabeth Peters, especially the Amelia Peabody series;
Prophet – How do you choose a favorite prophet? It’s like trying to choose your favorite child. I think President Hinckley is my favorite right now because the Lord chose him because he is who we need right now.
Check out their latest broadcast at www.mormonmomcast.com.