good conversation with... emily owart
Meet Emily! Just kidding, you already know her. She is a photographer, Instagrammer, Youtuber... basically anything to do with good visuals and savvy social media strategizing, she's your girl. She also loves MURDER! In a cute way, you know?
by Emily Owart
I don’t know if you’ve heard, but… True Crime is kind of in now.
And if you ask me, it’s about time. Lowkey, I’ve always had an addiction to true crime. Like a true addict, I started getting my fix young… with gateway crime dramas. Throughout middle/high school I would join my mom on the couch to watch SVU, Criminal Minds, and CSI NY without thinking twice. During my college days, I met Netflix (God bless) and binged all 12 seasons of Criminal Minds and all (now 18) seasons of SVU. Front to back. All over again, only this time, in order. Olivia Benson and I were pals. I’ve tapped so many crime drama franchises, they know me by name. But now, I get my true crime fix mostly from podcasts. And Lord have mercy, the true crime podcast fountain has overfloweth for all of us to enjoy.
If you’re not into podcasts, you should be. It’s a way to make traffic more bearable and brush up on your facts that will likely only be useful in your local pizzeria’s weekly trivia night. But really, I think of podcasts as an acceptable way to listen in on a conversation topic you want to know more about. Which is something that I find comforting… even when the topic is true crime.
Here are some of my favorites, I hope you enjoy them too.
For a more lighthearted conversation about murder…
1. My Favorite Murder
More like My Favorite Podcast. Good for laughs and fulfilling conversational true crime cravings. LA natives / comedic lady-badasses Karen Kilgariff (whose Twitter I highly recommend) and Georgia Hardstark (whose cats are amazing) talk about infamous murders, crimes, and punishments with a very relatable flair. And by relatable I mean sometimes they mix up some facts or don’t know how to pronounce a province of Canada. They read hometown murders submitted to them via email every Monday for a "Murder Minisode" and their sometimes 2-hour full episodes come out every Thursday. They've also started taking this show on the road and may be coming to a theater near you soon! I honestly cannot get enough of these ladies and their community of "murderinos." I bet you'll love them too.
For true crime told in an Australian accent…
2. Casefile
Because crime happens everywhere and accents are great, Casefile covers an Australian case every episode. Let me tell you, the host - simply known as Brad - proves that true crime is even scarier when told in a thick Australian accent. With a new episode every Saturday, this series is one of the most thorough and factual presentations of true crime I've ever consumed. More recently, this podcast has expanded into international murders. Quite frankly, my world was shook by their 5 part series on the East Area Rapist / Golden State Killer... who HAS NEVER BEEN CAUGHT. All in all, expertly covering cases and providing theories about unsolved cases is Casefile's forte.
For a fully immersive true crime experience…
3. Sword and Scale
A new find for me and definitely worth sharing. Covering the "underbelly of true crime," Sword and Scale covers true-crime stories, high-profile trials, unsolved murders and missing persons that you might not otherwise hear about. They pride themselves on revealing that "the worst monsters are real." Each episode combines original audio, like 911 tapes and news clips, creepy atmospheric music and expert phone interviews with host Mike Boudet's guided storytelling. There's something about this podcast that I hooked me. In my opinion, it's one of the most polished, visceral podcasts around. Check it out for sure.
For Canadian cold cases in docu-style…
4. Someone Knows Something
From our northern neighbors, Someone Knows Something (SKS for short) is hosted by Canadian Award winning filmmaker and writer David Ridgen. Similar to Serial, where each season covers one cold/unsolved case, this podcast is addictive. You honestly feel like you're listening to a documentary. Ridgen hides nothing, including car rides to different locations and whispered interviews. It's a shame there are only two seasons of this show, I cannot wait for more. Take a trip to Canada, listen to SKS.
Oh and if you haven't listened to Serial already, you should do that. Rewind and start there… definitely start there. But really honestly, only the first season.