One of the finest horror/comedy podcasts on the scene, the hosts behind Kim and Ket Stay Alive...Maybe, Kim Burns and Ketryn Porter, have established themselves with their hilarious take on the films they cover and unique style to their shows. Now, in honor of Women in Horror Month, I talk with them about the start of their podcast, their preparation for recording and their thoughts on the show. (All answers were provided by Ketryn with Kim's input)
Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, where did you get the urge to get into the genre?
Kim and Ket Stay Alive...Maybe: Kim and I have always been the two from our group of friends that want to watch horror movies. It’s something we have always loved talking about and sharing. And I think the fact that we are just fans of the genre, as opposed to experts or film buffs, means that we get to discover things along with our audience.
Me: Were you always into genre films growing up? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?
KKSAM: As actors, we have an appreciation for all genres but horror has always held a special place in our dark little hearts. I grew up watching a lot of the classics, things that scared my parents: Exorcist, Halloween, The Shining. Kim grew up being delightfully terrified of films like It and Poltergeist.
Me: How did the concept for the podcast start initially?
KKSAM: It started with me wanting to sit down and talk to my best friend. Kim and I could talk for hours about pretty much anything. (And often do on the episodes – haha) But our mutual fascination with horror movies seemed like a good topic to center our podcast around. And they provide so much fodder for discussing themes that apply to our personal lives and our crazy college days, etc.
However, as we’ve said, we’re not experts and there is SO much we haven’t seen, we knew a regular ole’ review podcast wasn’t for us. So we decided telling each other the STORY of these films would be the most fun. Kim was the one who came up with the “choose your own adventure/staying alive” concept since that’s what we would do while watching these together anyway.
Me: Has the style of prepping and recording a show changed since then?
KKSAM: Very little has changed. We’ve perhaps honed our various techniques on taking notes on the films we watch and we’ve definitely gotten better at CHOOSING films… after some hilarious disasters that always made for a good episode.
Me: Has the structure and general format changed over time since you've first started?
KKSAM: The structure has stayed the same. We spend a lot of time in the beginning (and a fair amount throughout) going off on tangents. We were pleasantly surprised to learn, as we went out into the world and met our listeners, that this wasn’t the portion of the episode people skipped over to get to the movie part, but in fact, loved it and wanted more of that part!
Me: Your social media posts have at times incorporated short skits involving the chosen film. Does that allow you to indulge an inner scream queen while filming? What is the usual process towards creating them?
KKSAM: Haha! Any opportunity that Kim and I get to ham it up or perform is an opportunity that we seize. We love being silly with each other and find each other hilarious. So often, those skits are just things that make us laugh and then we’re pleasantly surprised to learn that our Sammies (our listeners) are enjoying them too. (Honestly, we’d still probably do them anyway because we crack ourselves up.)
Me: What is the usual strategy you employ for note-taking before a new recording?
KKSAM: Oof! It’s definitely work. It’s certainly easier to watch movies at home because there is a lot of starting and stopping to make sure we aren’t missing anything and can give a lot of detail when telling it. We’ve done a few movies that are still in theaters but that usually requires seeing them twice: once without note-taking to just take it all in and then another where we sit in the back scribbling notes during an empty matinee lol.
Me: Are there any pre-show rituals you perform before recording?
KKSAM: We always do our vocal warm-ups, like good little theatre kids!
Me: Has your friendship changed over the course of the shows' run?
KKSAM: I don’t think we consider it a friendship anymore… it’s a sisterhood. We were VERY close before but this has deepened our bond in a way that I don’t think either of us could have predicted.
Me: What has been the most surreal or unexpected experience the show has afforded you since you started?
KKSAM: The feedback from our Sammies has been humbling and amazing. The messages we receive about how what we’ve said or the way we’ve said it has impacted their life or made them feel not alone, or even just made them laugh when they were having a bad day, makes it all really worth it on a level we couldn’t have imagined. We’ve also been so welcomed into the horror community, which is a really special world with so many awesome humans.
Me: Has the show brought you new and different opportunities for your personal careers since you've started?
KKSAM: Yes! We have a whole KKSAM brand thing happening and some REALLY exciting projects in the works.
Me: What do you hope to achieve in the future for your work?
KKSAM: Movies! TV shows! More live shows! Tours! We’re gonna be EVERYWHERE! Watch!
Me: Beyond the show, what else are you doing you'd like to let our readers know about?
KKSAM: We're doing a WIHM event (but failed at getting a venue in time lol) It's going to be a Live Show of our pod in the middle of March. It'll be March 15th, 2020 at 7pm
El Cid - 4212 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90029
$10 (All proceeds donated to Downtown Women's Center)
Venmo @KKSAMpodcast for tickets
Me: Lastly, being that this is Women in Horror Month, what special message do you have for any women out there looking to join in the industry in any capacity as you are one yourself? Thank you again for your time!
KKSAM: Just go and do it! Don’t think too much about it. There will always be people who tell you ‘no.’ So don’t bother asking. Also, make it your goal to find ‘your girls’: those friends that love you and support you no matter what. Literally… no matter what. And make sure that you have done the work on yourself that you need to do in order to be that kind of friend as well. Women must (and I don’t care how cliché it sounds) stick together.
xo and #StayAlive,
Kim and Ket
To check out a sample of their show:
To follow the show online, visit their website:
http://www.kimandketstayalive.com/
As well, you can follow them on social media:
This interview ran as part of our month-long Women in Horror Month celebration. Click the banner below to check out all our interviews and reviews we've conducted for the event:
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