Cross and Selby, Barry County’s first and only local podcast
Above is a typical recording of an episode of Cross and Selby: Local Cast from their base of operations, located within the Cassville Chamber of Commerce. From left to right, hosts Michael Holycross, Rachael Selby Freeman and producer Laura Holycross.
October 23, 2019
Vinnie Roberts
Podcasting is one of the fastest growing entertainment mediums around today. From people on the jog trying to catch up with the news to office employees looking to spice up their day-to-day with on-the-go talk radio, the podcasting boom has branched into nearly every area of interest imaginable.
One of the fastest growing markets for podcasting is the localized podcast. These are shows that have very little in terms of scope, having to do with hyper-localized content, but make up for it with the level of deeper information about local issues and concerns.
For the last few months, Rachael Selby Freeman, director of the Cassville Area Chamber of Commerce, and her friend and co-host Michael Holycross are hard at work building their podcast, Cross and Selby: Local Cast, from the ground up.
“I’ve always enjoyed talk radio,” said Holycross. “I learned about podcasts a few years ago. I work in Rogers (Ark.) on the lake and some of the college-aged boys, they listen to podcasts and told me that I should do one about the lake. I’m very computer illiterate. I became friends with Selby a few years ago, and I thought that, since we were from Cassville and know a lot of great people here in the surrounding area, I thought that it would be a good idea to introduce people.”
“Michael asked what I thought about it and if anyone would listen, and the irony of it is, Michael doesn’t talk at all,” explained Selby Freeman. “So, I told him ‘Yeah, people might want to hear you talk for the first time ever’.”
Over a period of six episodes, Cross and Selby have developed a loose-interview format to create a relaxed atmosphere for guests.
Guests of the show include prominent local figures people such as: Sherah Farris, of Haven of the Ozarks; Cassville football head coach Lance Parnell; and Cassville and Monett superintendents Richard Asbill and Russ Moreland right before the Barry County Brawl.
“We’ve had businesses and people in the community that are influential in a way, so we’ve been able to get their insight on certain things, and help people to get to know them on a personal level,” explained Holycross.
“Laura (wife) and Selby have both been very involved in the community,” continued Holycross. “I wasn’t necessarily jealous, but I thought about what I could do to be involved. This is a very off-the-wall type of thing, but I want to be involved somehow. I’m not a huge people person. It’s helped me grow and talk to people.”
Laura Holycross, Michael’s wife, occasionally works with the pair as a producer, recording interviews, denoting times for possible edits and assisting in the editing process. She also recorded intros for the podcast.
The podcast is sponsored in part by Security Bank of Cassville. According to the duo, bank president Jon Horner had a hand in helping the podcast get off the ground and continues to sponsor the podcast.
“Jon Horner is a huge part of this community,” said Holycross. “They’ve been great about supporting a lot of different things in the community. He’s tried to help support us just to get it started. That’s been an eye-opener.
“It’s encouraging that he would do that,” said Selby Freeman. “We didn’t start this wanting any sponsors or any of that.”
Holycross and Selby Freeman both have an affinity for the medium, Holycross being a fan of a wide variety of local and historical podcasts.
“One of the first podcasts that I started listening to was one from a guy named Bo Mattingly who has a podcast called HogPod,” said Holycross. “It’s a podcast about the Arkansas Razorbacks and their whole athletic department.”
While both explained that they weren’t influenced by any specific podcast, some figures in the medium are inspirational to them.
“There’s a few guys that are inspirational,” explained Holycross. “There’s a guy named Jocko Willink who’s an ex-Navy Seal who has a podcast. He has a lot of Vietnam veterans on and some ex-Navy Seals.”
“I wouldn’t say I was inspired by a podcast to start one,” said Selby. “It’s more that I have a degree in communications. I did sports broadcasting and different things like that. I really like the communication medium.”
Selby Freeman is also a fan of sermon podcasts. This is a form of podcast that takes a live recording of a preacher giving a full-length sermon and distributes it, either in chunks or as a whole, as a single episode. Specifically, Selby Freeman notes her fandom of long-running televangelist Joyce Myers.
“She’s been a pastor for like 35 years,” Selby Freeman explained. “They’ve been taking some of her sermons in 15-part series. I really enjoy the marketing of things like that.
“The podcast that I listen to the most is Social Media Examiner,” she continued. “I talked to someone the other day about listening to podcasts and they told me that some of them feel like they are continued education in their field. That’s how I feel. It makes me feel like they’re helping me being better at my job.”
The duo explained that, in addition to providing information about key figures in Barry County, the podcast also serves as an excellent business opportunity for local industry heads to promote and explain their businesses.
Cross and Selby: Local Cast posts new episodes every two weeks. New episodes can be found and downloaded on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, as well as through third-party apps.
Catch this interview, in its entirety, on this week’s episode of Cross and Selby, expected to be posted this week.
Vinnie Roberts
Podcasting is one of the fastest growing entertainment mediums around today. From people on the jog trying to catch up with the news to office employees looking to spice up their day-to-day with on-the-go talk radio, the podcasting boom has branched into nearly every area of interest imaginable.
One of the fastest growing markets for podcasting is the localized podcast. These are shows that have very little in terms of scope, having to do with hyper-localized content, but make up for it with the level of deeper information about local issues and concerns.
For the last few months, Rachael Selby Freeman, director of the Cassville Area Chamber of Commerce, and her friend and co-host Michael Holycross are hard at work building their podcast, Cross and Selby: Local Cast, from the ground up.
“I’ve always enjoyed talk radio,” said Holycross. “I learned about podcasts a few years ago. I work in Rogers (Ark.) on the lake and some of the college-aged boys, they listen to podcasts and told me that I should do one about the lake. I’m very computer illiterate. I became friends with Selby a few years ago, and I thought that, since we were from Cassville and know a lot of great people here in the surrounding area, I thought that it would be a good idea to introduce people.”
“Michael asked what I thought about it and if anyone would listen, and the irony of it is, Michael doesn’t talk at all,” explained Selby Freeman. “So, I told him ‘Yeah, people might want to hear you talk for the first time ever’.”
Over a period of six episodes, Cross and Selby have developed a loose-interview format to create a relaxed atmosphere for guests.
Guests of the show include prominent local figures people such as: Sherah Farris, of Haven of the Ozarks; Cassville football head coach Lance Parnell; and Cassville and Monett superintendents Richard Asbill and Russ Moreland right before the Barry County Brawl.
“We’ve had businesses and people in the community that are influential in a way, so we’ve been able to get their insight on certain things, and help people to get to know them on a personal level,” explained Holycross.
“Laura (wife) and Selby have both been very involved in the community,” continued Holycross. “I wasn’t necessarily jealous, but I thought about what I could do to be involved. This is a very off-the-wall type of thing, but I want to be involved somehow. I’m not a huge people person. It’s helped me grow and talk to people.”
Laura Holycross, Michael’s wife, occasionally works with the pair as a producer, recording interviews, denoting times for possible edits and assisting in the editing process. She also recorded intros for the podcast.
The podcast is sponsored in part by Security Bank of Cassville. According to the duo, bank president Jon Horner had a hand in helping the podcast get off the ground and continues to sponsor the podcast.
“Jon Horner is a huge part of this community,” said Holycross. “They’ve been great about supporting a lot of different things in the community. He’s tried to help support us just to get it started. That’s been an eye-opener.
“It’s encouraging that he would do that,” said Selby Freeman. “We didn’t start this wanting any sponsors or any of that.”
Holycross and Selby Freeman both have an affinity for the medium, Holycross being a fan of a wide variety of local and historical podcasts.
“One of the first podcasts that I started listening to was one from a guy named Bo Mattingly who has a podcast called HogPod,” said Holycross. “It’s a podcast about the Arkansas Razorbacks and their whole athletic department.”
While both explained that they weren’t influenced by any specific podcast, some figures in the medium are inspirational to them.
“There’s a few guys that are inspirational,” explained Holycross. “There’s a guy named Jocko Willink who’s an ex-Navy Seal who has a podcast. He has a lot of Vietnam veterans on and some ex-Navy Seals.”
“I wouldn’t say I was inspired by a podcast to start one,” said Selby. “It’s more that I have a degree in communications. I did sports broadcasting and different things like that. I really like the communication medium.”
Selby Freeman is also a fan of sermon podcasts. This is a form of podcast that takes a live recording of a preacher giving a full-length sermon and distributes it, either in chunks or as a whole, as a single episode. Specifically, Selby Freeman notes her fandom of long-running televangelist Joyce Myers.
“She’s been a pastor for like 35 years,” Selby Freeman explained. “They’ve been taking some of her sermons in 15-part series. I really enjoy the marketing of things like that.
“The podcast that I listen to the most is Social Media Examiner,” she continued. “I talked to someone the other day about listening to podcasts and they told me that some of them feel like they are continued education in their field. That’s how I feel. It makes me feel like they’re helping me being better at my job.”
The duo explained that, in addition to providing information about key figures in Barry County, the podcast also serves as an excellent business opportunity for local industry heads to promote and explain their businesses.
Cross and Selby: Local Cast posts new episodes every two weeks. New episodes can be found and downloaded on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, as well as through third-party apps.
Catch this interview, in its entirety, on this week’s episode of Cross and Selby, expected to be posted this week.