Hamilton podcasters' spooky stories entertain listeners on Para(normal)
They're the kind of spooky stories you might hear from friends at a slumber party.
Two Hamilton women have found success with their Para(normal) podcast on the Sonar Network, reaching an average of 4,000 listeners a week.
Para(normal) delves into the weird and supernatural, but the podcasts are designed to entertain rather than terrify. The show's target audience is mostly female, aged 24 to 35.
About four years ago, show founder and Mountain resident Marie Adoranti was thinking about starting a true crime podcast, but realized the market was already saturated. At the time, she thought to herself, If I was at a party, what other topic could I talk about?"
She settled upon real, first-hand account ghost stories.
The podcast started to take off when Adoranti joined forces with her longtime friend, Nicolina Savelli. Episodes consist of well-researched ghost stories along with submitted Hometown Haunts" from listeners.
We decided that we had to do something with all of these listener stories," said Savelli. They were kind of being included as footnotes at the end of an episode. People generally like hearing about other people's experiences because they feel like they're more authentic, versus these famous stories that may or may not be exaggerated over the years."
The show format allows the women to react to each other's stories.
It's really hard to tell ghost stories along without a reaction from anyone," said Savelli.
Using her background in media and communications, Savelli has helped to grow the podcast and improve the sound quality. The podcasts run year-round, but listenership tends to increase leading up to Halloween.
We are pretty much international," said Savelli, noting the podcast attracts local listeners, plus followers in Australia, the U.K., and throughout Europe. But the U.S. is the largest market.
The women have covered many spooky historic sites around Hamilton and the surrounding area on their podcasts. A recent episode delved into Mississauga's Cherry Hill House, which is said to be haunted by six spirits, including a girl named Miranda.
I like telling more local stories because I do want more listenership in Canada and close by as well," said Adoranti.
Past podcasts have delved into well-known Hamilton landmarks like the Spice Factory on Hughson Street North, the Hermitage ruins in Ancaster and Battlefield Park.
Adoranti recalls visiting the Hermitage at night when she was in high school. She decided to remain in the car while her friends explored the area.
We saw people walking through the woods in white robes with a neon orange belt around their waist," Adoranti recalled. I don't think they were ghosts; I think they were probably some kind of cult. But we were terrified, and I never wanted to go back there."
Adoranti did revisit the site, during the day, a few years ago, in a somewhat chilling experience.
Savelli has heard from a friend who volunteered at Battlefield House, about historic items being moved or misplaced. The National Historic Site in Stoney Creek is said to be haunted by the spirit of Mary Gage.
The Para(normal) podcast started out as a hobby but has since evolved into a pandemic side-hustle. During the lockdowns and stay-at-home orders, the women recorded themselves individually. More recently, and since becoming fully vaccinated against COVID-19, they are back recording together.
It's definitely connected us and made us close," said Savelli. We were able to rely on each other at any point. Connecting with the actual listeners is the most rewarding part."
Adoranti, who is expecting a baby, will be taking a break from podcasting, but Savelli will continue the show with special guests. An actor from the CBS series, Ghosts is slated to appear on an upcoming podcast, for example.
Adoranti hopes to return by February.
Para(normal) is available on the Sonar Network or anywhere listeners access podcasts.
A Halloween giveaway contest can be accessed on the show's Instagram page, @paranormalpod.