Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

Why work on a podcast project as a freelance writer? It’s all about story. Great writers must be good readers, patient listeners, lovers of story, and lifelong students of storytelling. I have experience in voice over narration and in editing podcast audio files. I can tell a story with the written word and with sound.

For the Casa Grande Ruins podcast project, in 2016, I created fourteen (14) brief audio files from the transcript of an over 60-minute DVD film. Listen to one podcast sample below.

Enjoy all of the Wayside Signs and the podcasts I created. Visit the page below and select each sign:

Select this link to go to the CGRNM podcasts page.

My Connection with Casa Grande Ruins

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. These ancient ruins of central Arizona’s First Peoples, administered by the National Park Service (NPS), lie southeast of Metro Phoenix, an easy drive from the big, modern city.

I used to live in the Valley of the Sun. In 1994, I visited the ruins for the first time and fell in love with the site. The huge, delicate, and ancient Big House drew a part of me into its walls, and it planted a piece of itself into my heart. While I walked the monument’s pathways, the Big House teased my mind into imagining a way of life lived thousands of years ago.

The Podcast Project

Spring of 2016, the Rangers assigned a project to me to help them with ever-increasing numbers of visitors. The pathways now have 14 “Wayside signs”, with beautiful illustrations to help visitors connect with what we know of the ruins’ ancient peoples and their stories of daily life.

The NPS had produced a new film, available in the Visitor Center auditorium and on DVD in the Gift Shop. The Rangers wanted me to create 14 short podcasts (audio files), from the film producer’s interviews, to go with each Wayside sign. Armed with mobile devices, visitors would stand in front of each Wayside sign and listen to a short podcast related to the sign’s theme.

The Podcast Project’s Challenge?

Question: How would you select only 14 two-minute podcast segments from hours and hours of interviews with park Rangers, archeologists, and today’s Native American descendants of the ancient ones?

It wasn’t easy as every interview produced by the film makers held me spellbound. I took my time. My love for story guided me, and I’m pleased with the result. My years as a writer, and as an interviewer, helped me. I found, and focused on, key descriptions and phrases. My analytical skills helped me to do three things: see the big picture, choose an audio segment related to a Wayside sign, and then bring the whole story together for the visitor.

How Can this Podcast Story Help You?

In today’s world, a writer who understands story, technology, and media can create impact beyond words on paper or on a sign. And, I can do that for you.

Image Credit: National Park Service.

Do you need help with your podcasts?

No problem! Please contact me and share your questions or concerns.

Email: info @ ridgeviewmedia . com

Call/Mobile USA: +1 (714) 423-1061