I started podcasting in March because of having extra time on my hands all of a sudden.
The pandemic surely hit us hard, me included. And that’s just really something we can grieve for and be sad about right now. But I also have to acknowledge that the extra time I suddenly had because I didn’t have to go through my four-hour daily commute is such a silver lining.
I started my podcast with the main goal of improving my speaking skills in all the languages that I currently use – English, Filipino, and Korean. I wanted to establish how I’m capable of speaking in these three languages and I wanted to develop my voice (literal and metaphorical) in using all these languages.
So that’s what I did in the first three episodes.
I talked about different things. I shared stories from my distant past. I shared my learnings. I shared how I learned to speak the languages that I do. I tried to be vulnerable and I also shared about the books I’ve been reading.
That went on for about 15 episodes in English, Filipino, and Korean.
I completed a season of podcasting with 15 episodes and thought I would have to rebrand. I wasn’t using my real name in most of the first season. I used a pseudonym I’ve long used for all my creative pursuits – Ando Jun. It was a nickname I created for myself. There’s a Japanese soccer player with the same name and I thought I don’t want to be competing with him for google searches.
So I had to use my own name – Rome Juanatas.
But people who simply calling my podcast as Rome Juanatas wouldn’t make it. So I decided to call it – Rome is in MNL. It’s supposedly a pun of some sorts, saying that Rome (a city) is in Manila (which is also a city). It doesn’t really play well with me and doesn’t serve any special purpose for my podcast right now aside from making it a name related to mine.
Seriously, if you try searching for Rome is in MNL on Google, you’d probably find flights from Rome to Manila or vice versa. That’s not helping me at all. At least if I were hoping to grow my audience. But right now, that’s not really my purpose.
I’m still with my original purpose of improving my skills in the languages that I use.
Right now, I’m on season 2 and I’m having guests join me from time to time.
I’m improving my conversation skills while also being able to extract ideas from friends and people I know so that we could share them with the world. Oops. I meant “with the world of those whom I know personally”.
So far, all the listeners I have on my podcast and even on my YouTube channel are people I know personally or people I’ve come to interact with in person or online. I believe I don’t have strangers watching or listening to me. If there are, don’t be a stranger – talk to me.
This podcast will probably keep changing and changing still.
It’s only been four months.
Changing too often doesn’t always equate to being indecisive.
It could also mean the ability to accept reality and adapt.
Rome Juanatas 