Want to explore some strange, bizarre and unusual things in the world?
Ryan Clark (’10) and Brent Donaldson (’05) do, too, and they’re ready to “make weird fun,” as Donaldson put it in the first episode of the new Ripley’s Believe It or Notcast. The weekly podcast features interviews with experts from around the world, covering outlandish yet real stories about everything from Bigfoot to Area 51.
New episodes are available each Tuesday.
The first episode, released June 11, explores what would happen if someone captured Bigfoot in the state of Washington, as well as efforts in Florida to protect the rumored skunk ape.
“That, I think, says it all,” Clark says.
The podcast doesn’t search for Bigfoot, nor does it offer proof of his or her existence. Clark and Donaldson are not going to chase down ghosts and mythical creatures or try to validate conspiracy theories. Rather, they’re here to report on the people who do.
“We don’t do stories about haunted houses. That’s a different podcast,” Clark says. “It’s really people’s stories. There are people who do amazing things. There are people who have overcome amazing things.
“That’s Believe It Or Not.”
It’s people like Dave Shealy, who claims to have encountered Florida skunk apes and now advocates for the mythical creature while operating a nature preserve in south Florida.
“He has a nature campground where he offers tours,” Donaldson says. “But he is also known for trying to protect the skunk ape, which is basically Bigfoot of the South. He was a very colorful character and a very interesting guy.”
Episode 2 covers the real story of Area 51—which, by the way, does exist—and other areas around the world that you simply cannot and/or should not visit. Snake Island (Ilha de Queimada Grande) in Brazil, anyone?
Another recent episode features one of the world’s most experienced exorcists, which Donaldson admits was kind of a creepy interview.
“It may be all complete bull,” Donaldson says. “I don’t know. He took us through the whole process. He has done six himself and been a part of nearly 50.”
Donaldson is naturally skeptical of these stories, looking for empirical evidence. Clark wants to believe, although he often doesn’t.
“So we have this Mulder and Scully thing going, and it’s natural,” Clark says.
The show is not all myths and conspiracy, either—there are also hard-to-believe inspirational stories that are, nonetheless, true. For instance, an upcoming episode will feature Donaldson’s visit with the “shortest stuntman in the world,” a man whose legs were removed at birth and who now works as a stuntman and acrobat.
“It’s crazy, but it’s super inspiring,” Donaldson says. “That’s just the kind of stuff we’ll bring. It appeals to everyone, not just paranormal people. It’s more just really interesting stories.”
So how did two NKU alums with full-time jobs land a gig moonlighting as podcasters for world-renowned Ripley’s Believe It or Not? Clark, who has always enjoyed off-the-beaten-path stories that tend toward the unbelievable, wrote features for Ripley’s for the past two years. Last fall, the idea for a podcast struck him, and he immediately thought of his friend, a former NKU coworker with a strong background in feature writing and podcasts (he launched the Ask NKU podcast).
“I knew that it was a good relationship when we worked at NKU and that he knew I liked creative stuff and I would push the boundaries a lot,” Clark says. “And I knew that he liked that. But I didn’t know if he’d like this type of stuff or not.”
So he sent Donaldson a text, inviting him to come on board. As it turns out, Donaldson owned a lot of Ripley’s books as a kid and watched the TV show every weekend. He definitely wanted to be a part of the podcast.
“I was just kind of fascinated by all of the bizarre stories
and facts and cartoons and everything they presented,” Donaldson says.
The pair developed a podcast proposal for Ripley’s not long after, and by mid-winter they were recording their first 10 episodes.
“We’re two NKU graduates who are good at what we do,” Clark says. “It’s storytelling in another form. I’m pretty good at finding people and getting people to talk to us. That’s my input, as well as being a sounding board. And he puts it all together. He is so good at what he does.”
“It’s a lot of work, but it’s fun,” Donaldson says.
