Today we’d like to introduce you to Micheal Whelan.
Micheal, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
Growing up, one of my favorite things about staying home from school was getting to watch the re-runs of ‘Unsolved Mysteries.’ Even though its theme song scares the crap out of me to this day, I loved everything about the show: the stories, the tone, the atmosphere. But the thing I loved the most was its emphasis on each story being very personal to the person telling it – even when it dipped into bizarre stuff like aliens or ghosts.
In the Fall of 2015, I decided to take the plunge into true crime podcasting. At the time, there were only a few high-profile true crime shows out there (Serial comes to mind – but other favorites included Thinking Sideways and Generation Why), and I eventually thought to myself: why not me? I had already been spending countless hours researching stories online and at the library… why not put it together in a podcast format?
Ever since I’ve been lucky enough to grow a nice little following, and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve gotten to shine a light on some obscure mysteries and gotten to meet a lot of interesting, wonderful people in the time since.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
Unresolved is a podcast that’s all about unfinished stories. In fact, the unofficial motto for the show is “Stories That Have No Ending.”
Each week, I focus on a real-life story that doesn’t have an ending. This includes traditional true crime fare such as cold cases, unknown serial killers, etc. But I also enjoy exploring other obscure topics, such as the psychology behind alien abduction stories, police shootings, internet mysteries, and even the occasional cryptid.
I really enjoy learning about the weird parts of humanity, and I do my best to lay out each story like an engrossing, slightly-unsettling campfire story.
Artists rarely, if ever pursue art for the money. Nonetheless, we all have bills and responsibilities, and many aspiring artists are discouraged from pursuing art due to financial reasons. Any advice or thoughts you’d like to share with prospective artists?
This is actually a really good question!
When I first started making this podcast, I really had no means to do so. A lot of podcast projects nowadays start with a $500 microphone, thousands of dollars in recording equipment, a budget for travel, connections in the film or radio industry, etc.
I had none of that. In fact, the “equipment” I had was a $10 microphone, a $5 mic stand, and a 5+-year-old gaming laptop. I didn’t know anyone in the industry, because – at the time – the true crime/mystery podcasting industry was basically nonexistent.
But I just started making the podcast because it was something I wanted to do. I put it online for people to hear, and – honestly – I expected MAYBE a dozen or two people to hear it. However, it quickly found a small audience, who encouraged me to keep at it (while also giving me suggestions on how to improve as a podcaster).
Then, the next episode had a few more listeners. And the one after that had a few more. And so on and so on.
I didn’t start making money with the podcast until nearly two years later when I decided to make a real go of it. In the time since, I had to balance making the podcast (a roughly 40-hour endeavor each episode) along with working a full-time job, moving across the country (for my wife’s work), and juggling a lot of travel.
I think that initial struggle showed to others that I wasn’t someone just looking to make a quick buck in a burgeoning industry. I had (and still have) a legitimate passion in telling these stories, and I think a lot of people have an innate ability to differentiate between the two.
So, that might not be the most productive advice, but I would encourage any struggling artists to keep at it. Even if it means staying up until 4:00 AM on a work-night to finish reading a book about a creepy serial killer – keep at it. Passion is contagious, and people want to get their art from someone that they know cares about it.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
My podcast can be found on almost every podcast-related app: iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, Spotify, etc. If you type in “Unresolved” in the search window, it should be one of the first things that pop up.
However, I also put all of my episodes up on Youtube, and listeners can learn more about my show at https://unresolved.me. At the website, I post the transcripts for each episode, along with sources, links to other projects, and much more.
Contact Info:
- Website: unresolved.me
- Phone: 831-200-3550
- Email: micheal@unresolved.me
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unresolvedpod/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unresolvedpod
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/unresolvedpod
Image Credit:
All images owned by self
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
