Starting a Podcast? : Reenita Malhotra, Founder of The Shadow Realm, Shares Key Learnings
Have you ever thought about starting your own podcast? “Most women I know have great stories to tell but they live in a world where they have to multitask All this becomes part of their daily thoroughfare. It's easy to say "i'll do it on the side" Today’s woman dreamer, Reenita Malhotra is quite a creative spirit. She is the founder of The Shadow Realm Podcast, an envigorating podcast series that brings a twist to classic fantasy fiction stories. Her work has been featured in outlets such as Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Disney. With The Shadow Realm, she “wanted to create a superhero series akin to what you might find in Marvel comics.” Reenita shares how she found her inspiration and top tips to other women creatives!
1. Tell us your story. What inspired you to start your own podcast?
I have a long history in radio and broadcast. I spent many years working as a journalist for public radio where I won several awards, and commercial radio too (Bloomberg). In this time I have been a producer, anchor, reporter. In 2017, I segued from broadcast journalism to tech but specifically in the audio space - as VP of Content for a podcast tech company. Since then, I have always though about creating my own podcast but essentially have had no time! So finally, this year was the year to switch things up. I have actually launched two podcasts this year. Shadow Realm is a YA fantasy fiction narrative podcast based upon a middle-grade novel I wrote (published in 2012). It has been a couple of years in the making with an original music score (created by Kanniks Kanikeswaran) and was released in October 2021. This story is very close to my heart - I have always been inspired by fantasy fiction and wanted to create a superhero series akin to what you might find in Marvel comics. Print and audio are the two ways I know best. hence this podcast. A classic hero's journey, this is a contemporary story drawing upon concepts from Vedic mythology and quantum physics to explore the concept of light versus dark. Without light, there is no dark, but there is no definite good or bad. Through the journey of a young adult named Arya, it plays in the grey areas between ‘good and bad’. Without good, evil has no meaning but vanquishing ‘evil’ is a permanent station of temporariness that requires balance. Arya's story of salvation and enlightenment combines the story principles of the ancient Vedic texts with futuristic concepts from quantum mechanics, and applies them to a universal fantasy fiction story outlining a roadmap for the modern day Superhero.
I am also in pre-production for another podcast called the True Fiction Project, which will launch in January 2022. This show that explores the origins of fiction. I conduct interviews with guests from all walks of life. The premise of this show is to conduct a non-fiction interview and then have a fiction writer define a main character based upon something s/he picked up or was inspired by, having listened to the interview. The writer will then create a piece of short fiction around it. The reader will feel captivated by the storytelling of the short fiction pieces as they are read aloud.
2. Your podcast, The Shadow Realm, has a very interesting premise. Tell us more about it. What is the story and lesson you are trying to convey? What do you want your audience to takeaway from it?
No lessons. Nothing didactic at all. It is a YA fantasy fiction series called 'The Arya Chronicles' in 7 parts. Shadow Realm is Part 1. As explained above, it is a fantasy fiction series. There are plenty of superheroes out there - in Marvel comics, Star Wars, Avengers, Greek Gods and the like. I wanted to create something that draws from Vedic mythology but is accessible to kids (from 2 to 92) all over the globe. A story in which the clues and answers to the characters' journey are supported by science fiction. My storytelling focuses on diverse characters, themes, settings. I like to entertain audiences but without giving them all the answers. Thinking, imagining, interpreting and drawing your own conclusions is my ideal desired takeaway for audiences of this show.
3. Many women have been wanting to do creative pursuits - writing books, podcasts, etc. What are your top tips to women looking to be creative like you?
Oh my goodness. I could go on about this one. Critical though is to make the time and commit to it. Most (ambitious) women I know have great stories to tell but they live in a world where they have to multitask - day job, career, kids, family etc. All this becomes part of their daily thoroughfare. It's easy to develop the desire for a creative pursuit and then to say "i'll do it on the side" or "I'll start on it when I finish A, B, and C" but truth be told, your daily tasks never end..and over the years your tasklist might even become more complex. Make the time to spend on your creative pursuit. Dedicate 2, 3, 4 hours of your day...whatever it is you need and COMMIT to creating in that time. In my case, I wrote as a side gig for several years. In the last few years, as I mentioned to you I wanted to create my podcasts but there was just no time. So this year, 2021, I decided to actually quit my day job and focus full time on my creative pursuits - my books and/or fim/TV projects, my creative fiction app called Chapter by episode etc., rather than having them sit on the backburner. After all, no one is getting any younger...so if I do live to be 70 or 80, I don't want to look back and think 'I could have but I didn't'. Of course, giving up your day job is easier said than done for a lot of women, I do understand this. So in essence I say define how you can best do this be it alongside your other commitments or in place of them. But whatever you decide - allocate the time and commit to it. Creativity is a long and involved process. Sometimes it requires hours of thinking and dreaming or research...that needs to be done before you actually begin the creating. Allow yourself the time and space for this work.
4. As the platform for women dreamers, what is your next big dream?
My next big dream is to have Shadow Realm picked up by film/TV producers to turn into a visual show. And/or my other stories - Operation Mom - How I got my mother a life and a man - this is a YA humorous fiction book I wrote. The Indian version was published in 2012, the US/Western version will be published in August 2022. Also Playtime at the Bagh - a historical fiction love story - due to be published next year in 2022. I would love to have these picked up by film/TV too.
I also have another dream...so many dreams, I launched a fiction app this year called “Chapter by episode”. I would love to see this eventually sold or go public as a truly alternative option for genre fiction authors to bring their stories to audiences in a unique and scalable digital format. I call this pulp fiction for the digital age 😊.
Thank you Reenita for sharing your story with us! We are excited to have you in our global women’s network
Bio - Reenita is a founder, executive-level content, operations, & marketing leader, and prolific writer. With multiple years of experience in media, entertainment, communications, tech/innovation and wellness industries in the USA and Asia, she grows organizations, ranging from early stage startups through mid-size businesses, through storytelling, creative marketing and business strategy. She has served as Head of Marketing at SRI International, Silicon Valley's pioneer science and deep tech research institute, VP of Content at hibooks/Otto Radio producer/presenter for Bloomberg and award-winning host for RTHK Radio 3 in Hong Kong. Reenita founded, built and sold Ayoma, a health and wellness brand, and has written seven books - five non-fiction and two fiction. She has contributed to The Hindu, South China Morning Post, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, CNN, Asian Investor, Times of India and National Geographic Kids, Cartoon Network Asia, Disney and more. She is a limited partner in the How Women Invest fund which specifically invests in women owned companies. She is working on her next novel and has recently launched Chapter by episode, a digital publishing platform for immersive chat fiction stories with diverse themes.
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