Talking podcasts with Ghibliotheque and Acast

This is Let There Be Pod in Association with Acast. In each issue of the magazine, our partner Acast – home of the UK’s BEST podcasters – sits down for a chat with one of its creators to hear what they love about making podcasts. In this interview, from issue #017, Acast speaks to Jake Cunningham and Michael Leader about their love letter to Studio Ghibli, Ghibliotheque!

Let’s kick things off – what inspired you to start a podcast?

Like star-crossed lovers, we caught each other’s eyes over the desk at work. We had podcasted about films separately, but never together, until Jake revealed that he had never seen a film from the legendary Japanese animators Studio Ghibli. Michael, one of the UK’s experts on Ghibli, leapt at the chance to become Jake’s personal lecturer on the subject and so Ghibliotheque was born.

What do you love about making a podcast?

The interaction, and not just with each other and with our guests, but with our listeners as well. The podcast began as a one-to-one tutorship and has expanded to include a global classroom of Ghibli nerds.

What have been some of the best moments on the podcast?

We joked when we were starting the podcast about one day making a pilgrimage to Japan to visit Studio Ghibli’s office and museum. Amazingly, we did exactly that and made a whole miniseries about it featuring interviews with Ghibli insiders and animators. We also visited locations that inspired some famous Ghibli scenes and recreated them — it’s probably the nerdiest thing we’ve ever done!

You even have a book coming out. What’s it about?

After exploring every Ghibli feature film in detail on the show, our publisher Welbeck reached out to see if we’d like to adapt our podcast into a book. Each chapter is dedicated to an individual Ghibli film, with Michael looking at the context and history behind them and Jake reviewing them. We wrote it over lockdown and are hugely excited for people to get their hands on it in September.

What have you learned from the guests who have appeared on your podcast?

When we started the show, we thought we were going to find a small but passionate group of listeners who shared our niche fascination with  Ghibli. It turns out that niche is pretty big! Having been lucky enough to have the writers and directors of some of the biggest animated films in the world on the show, we’ve learned that the inspirational power of Ghibli’s creativity is enormous — and we’re going to keep shouting about it.

What do you think your fans and listeners enjoy most about your podcast?

For a lot of audiences — us included — Studio Ghibli’s films can be an oasis in a frantic world. Even when they’re full of monsters, violence and magic, their focus on details like wind rustling through grass or a perfectly fried egg offer a sense of calm. We wanted to bring that tone to the podcast, so our conversations are always fairly gentle, meditative and welcoming, reflecting the Ghibli viewing experience in our show.

Listen to Ghibliotheque on ACAST, SPOTIFY and other popular apps. Follow the podcast on Twitter @ghibliotheque.