After coming back from my first ever Hearties Family Reunion in 2017, I was contacted by a podcast known as the “Hallmarkies Podcast” to participate in an interview about my time at the convention. I was quite flattered, and my association with Rachel and Amber of this quickly-rising podcast began. Over the past year or so, it has been an honor to be a frequent guest on this podcast, and I have happily promoted much of their work. This past summer/fall, I took some time to interview them, and due to my busy schedule, it is only now that I found the time to post our interview. As we go into 2019, please enjoy our conversation.
RH: It is my joy to have Rachel and Amber from the Hallmarkies Podcast with me here today. Now, please introduce yourselves to my readers and let us know a little about what you do for work outside of the podcast.
Rachel: My name is Rachel, and I work as a digital content coordinator; that’s my official title. I’m an independent contractor, so I’m not technically an employee. The main company I work for is Kobayashi America, a Japanese company that has an American branch. And they have about seven different brands, and I basically monitor their social media and try to come up with campaigns for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to be involved in social media as much as I am because anything I learn is something I can take with me into my job. I also try to contact bloggers and YouTubers to see if they’re willing to review our product or do a giveaway or something of that nature. Not that it’s the most exciting job in the world, but it’s super flexible and I get to work from home. I feel extremely blessed. I actually worked in accounting for years, and when I got the chance to move over to marketing, that was pretty cool.
So, Amber, what about you? What do you do for a job outside of the podcast?
Amber: Well, I just got a new job this month. That’s kept me pretty busy. My job for much of my life would be considered pretty boring because I just deal with filing and paperwork. So more about my new job later. I did work at a state licensing agency where I dealt with criminal background checks. It was rather mind-numbing. I really did enjoy that work, which might sound weird. I enjoyed the meticulous nature of the job. But enough about that for now.
Now it all makes sense! Amber, you’re the one we always rely on for keeping up with the records and looking everything up. So it makes perfect sense. You do much of the research for the podcast, at least from what I’ve seen. So is this the kind of work you’ve always done?
Amber: It basically is what I’ve always done. I started working for the division when I was nineteen. I thought it might just be a summer job while I went to school. But then it was like, “Okay, I’ll never leave.”
So what’s the story about you two coming together and creating this podcast?
Rachel
Rachel: Well, I had my own channel for a while, and I’ve been a blogger for a decade. Around the beginning of 2015, was when I started podcasting about anything that I liked, and I would invite different friends to come on as guests. I knew that the show Anne With An E was coming up on Netflix, so I posted on Facebook that anyone who wanted to discuss the show on my podcast with me on my channel was welcome. And Amber said she’d like to do it. {laughs} She had no idea what she was getting herself into! We also ended up talking about the other version of Anne Of Green Gables that was on PBS from the ’80s. We both hated Anne With An E. We had chemistry, and it was a natural fit. It was fun, and we kind of went on from there.
Amber: Yes, so out of the trauma of Anne With An E, a podcast was formed. It was interesting because we both had such a bad taste in our mouth after watching Anne With An E. So Rachel was like, “You wanna talk about Love Comes Softly?” And I said, “Sure, I will.” I think that was the first time I suffered from Hallmark burnout. As we were getting to the eightieth of those movies–there’s really only six or eight–when I gave them my initial rankings, I gave them…I don’t even think we used crowns. I think we used stars. I think I gave them zero stars then ’cause I just couldn’t handle the last three movies. Rachel was really mad about it.
Rachel: {laughs} But it’s funny because a lot of people think we’ve grown up together, but we really only met one other time before we started the podcast. The reason we became friends on Facebook was because we were both part of the same patron group for another podcast about Survivor. So since we both were fellow Utah Survivor fans, we had met up one time.
Amber: And little did Rachel know when she accepted my friend request that I would infiltrate her whole life!
Rachel: {laughs} And little did Amber know! It’s really just one of those things. You have chemistry with someone and you get along with each other.
Amber: Because of our shared love of Survivor, one of my dreams is to have a fake Survivor season with only Hallmark characters. And to try to guess who would win, just for fun.
Rachel: We’re gonna have to do something like that just for fun eventually.
So you’re now coming up with ideas for a Hallmark reality show. Actually, one of the reasons I don’t watch Survivor is that is not the most family-friendly show.
Rachel: Yeah, I get that. It can be a little much. Sometimes people are in their underwear, and it’s usually people you don’t want to see in their underwear. I’m more interested in the strategy. It’s fascinating to me that after thirty-seven seasons, it’s still going. There hasn’t been a season that’s been the same. There are certain blocks that feel kind of similar and certain winners that set a trend. But it’s always a little bit different from season to season. The only time you can say that somebody won the same was when a person won twice. There are times you think that nobody can win with a certain strategy, and then they do!
Amber
Amber: One of the things I really love about Survivor is that it really does strip people down to who they are at their core in the same sort of way that the “Apocalypse” movies are supposed to be a true representation of the way human beings are. After the first week when people are actually really hungry and people are in it to win the million dollars, you really see who people are. It’s interesting to see what motivates different people and see how their backgrounds play into their actions on the show. I really find human motivation something that is super interesting.
Rachel: It’s also an interesting study on tribal mentality. You have people that just can’t be disloyal to somebody that they have literally known for a couple of weeks. And I’ve noticed more recently in the last ten or so seasons that it seems like the younger contestants have a much harder time breaking tribal alliances. And it makes sense if you think about it. In the millennial generation, it seems like people are much more dependent upon their friends, whereas the older generations are more dependent upon their families.
So why do you think this podcast seems to work well with both of you?
Rachel: Well, it might seem natural to want to have a podcast co-host that you have a lot in common with. And Amber and I do have a lot in common. We have the same religion and more. But in our tastes, we differ quite a lot. I think that for me, that makes an interesting podcast. I want to have someone who’s going to push me and make me think about what I like and what I don’t like. And I also think that makes it fun to listen to. It gets boring to me if people have the exact same opinion about everything. I do listen to some other podcasts where that’s the case, and it’s just not interesting to me.
I definitely enjoy listening to podcasts where there’s a lively discussion that is fun, interesting, and I don’t think everyone needs to agree. The main thing is that everyone needs to remain respectful, and whenever I have been on with both of you, I have always felt that from you. I’ve never seen you attack each other, and you’ve never attacked me.
Rachel: I have definitely listened to podcasts that feature the angry critics or where they try to be funny, and it doesn’t come off as well. And I am not a fan of that kind of podcast. It’s just not my style. But there are some podcasts that can pull it off well, but most of the time, it comes off as mean-spirited to me. Not that I don’t get frustrated with certain things about various shows and movies, but this is Hallmark, and it should be fun.
I remember hearing your first interview with Nina Weinman Swift, and I remember how you said you weren’t a fan of a certain movie of hers, and she said that if you liked even half of her stuff, then she was good with that. That is a statement of hers that has stuck with me. There are some movies and shows that are not my favorites or that I didn’t like, but I make it a point to never be antagonistic about it.
Amber: I think one of the main things is that everyone has opinions. And no matter what, Rachel will never convince me that marshmallows are delicious. But it doesn’t hurt me if Rachel loves marshmallows, and it doesn’t hurt Rachel if I don’t love marshmallows. I feel like so many problems in the entire world is that people are like, “Excuse me! You have to share the exact same opinion as me on marshmallows! Because my opinions on marshmallows are not opinions; they are fact!” So I think what works for us is that when we disagree, we may go around and around disagreeing about what we like and don’t like. But at the end of the day, we both know that what we are having are opinions and not facts. When we dislike something, it’s not that we think we’re smarter than everyone else, and everyone else is wrong. We recognize that everyone has different experiences that have shaped our lives. Everyone has different natural dispositions. And all of that is what informs our opinions on things.
Rachel: I also think…how mad can you really be at people who are trying to provide you with entertainment? They’re just trying to make you happy, so you just talk to them about your life. Even if you didn’t like a particular movie, you can ask them about their experiences making that movie.
I also feel like in having this podcast, it’s championing the underdog in a way. A lot of my friends on social media who are into film don’t tend to have a high opinion of Hallmark movies. But there is a fun in championing all these actors who are trying really hard and putting out the best work they can along with these writers, directors and more. Sure, some of these movies might be considered pretty terrible, but I think even my friends who are into film would hopefully have an open mind…and maybe I’ve convinced a few of them to give these Hallmark movies a shot.
So how have your viewing habits of Hallmark changed since starting the podcast?
Rachel: It’s been interesting and fun for me. I was definitely a Christmas Hallmark movie watcher. And an occasional Valentine’s Day or Hallmark Hall of Fame movie. But I certainly wasn’t watching them all like I am now. It’s been fun to see the whole breadth and scope of the network over this last almost two years now.
Did you grow up watching Hallmark?
Rachel: My parents are not big media people. They don’t watch movies or TV very much. I can remember watching PBS and maybe Hallmark Hall of Fame. And we watched Sarah, Plain and Tall and Love Comes Softly. But we would watch other things. Little House On the Prairie, but I called it Little Prairie On the House. We would watch The Waltons. I kind of went away from that stuff as a teenager. I was into The Simpsons as a teenager, which I still love to watch. We loved the old Mission Impossible. And my dad is super into Sherlock Holmes. My parents love classical music. They go to plays, and they watch sports. They watch a lot of Disney. We would watch a lot of movies at Christmas. White Christmas, It’s A Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol. And we would watch some Christmas movies from Hallmark like The Most Wonderful Time Of the Year and The Christmas Card.
So now, Amber, what about you?
Amber: I feel like we watched everything constantly all the time. My parents are big media people. We love movies. When I was little, I don’t even know how many VHS tapes we had. Probably over a thousand. And we often had three movies on each VHS that we had recorded off TV. We probably had every Hallmark Hall of Fame movie recorded that aired until we got a DVR. I’ve always really loved Hallmark movies. When I was in high school, my friends and I would schedule time to watch certain programs and movies so that on the weekend we could watch any new ABC Family movie, a new Disney Channel movie, a new Hallmark movie. Not so much Lifetime because that wasn’t really what we were looking for. I think I made sure to watch every single Hallmark movie that would come out with a few exceptions probably starting in 2007-2008, when I got a DVR.
Rachel: My brother was super into movies. It’s kind of funny. My parents weren’t into movie at all, and almost all of their children are into movies. My brother is the one who introduced me to Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Amber: And my parents, when I was like four, accidentally showed me Monty Python’s Life Of Brian. And they told me it was a mistake to show that to me. I guess they hadn’t realized how much stuff was in that movie that I maybe shouldn’t have seen at the age of four. {laughs}
Rachel: {laughing} Not Hallmark-approved.
Amber: We had different lives, Rachel and I.
Rachel: A lot of people might not realize that I am a bit older than Amber.
Actually, I think I had assumed you both were the same age. You always seemed to be.
Rachel: Yeah, Amber is always getting on to me for not watching these Disney Channel original movies. And I’m like, “That was on when I was in college!”
Amber: Rachel, if I could watch The Philadelphia Story when I was three, you can watch Disney Channel original movies.
Rachel: I do, but not when I was in college. Those were the last movies I would have watched!
Amber: That’s insane! You went to Brigham Young University. I guarantee you the contingency for High Schoool Musical fans..huge!
Rachel: High School Musical wasn’t on till well after I completed college. I missed out on most made-for-TV stuff between 1999 and 2005. So I know that Amber and I did grow up during different time periods to a degree.
Amber: The problem is that I am basically still a thirteen-year-old at heart, so anything that age loves, I’m there for! I’m a very interesting combination of an eighty-year-old woman and a thirteen-year-old girl.
Who was the first person you interviewed on the podcast?
Rachel: Nina was our first interview.
And your first actor was?
Once Upon A Holiday
Amber: Paul Campbell.
Rachel: Interesting story how we got him to come on the podcast. It was a combination of being difficult and…
Amber: –I think it was the Twitter equivalent of negging someone. Like, “Oh, I like your hair. Too bad it’s not that color.” I was like, “Seventeen crowns for this movie that I love so much!” And Rachel was like, “Nah, three crowns.” {laughs}
Rachel: So I gave Once Upon A Holiday three and a half crowns, which is a good score. And I have no problem with his performance in that movie at all. I have other reasons that brought it down to three and a half. So he saw that, and he was like, “How dare you!” He was being bombastic for fun. “I thought you liked me!” I was like, “Hey, why don’t you come on the podcast and defend your movie? It would blow Amber’s mind.” I think it was a little bit competitive and flattering at the same time. To know that somebody was going to be that excited to talk with him. We just got lucky.
It was sort of the same thing that happened with Nina. I decided to watch one of her movies, and I decided to live tweet about it. And I didn’t love the ending. She had noticed my initial tweet, and she said how she was so proud of that one. And when she saw that I said I didn’t like the ending, she said, “I’ll try to do better next time.” And that so impressed me. So we just started chatting on Twitter, and I said, “Hey, we’d love to talk with you.” And now she’s been on the podcast like three times. She is one of our favorites for sure.
We always believe in giving our honest opinion in the right way. As far as I’m concerned, what are we here for if we’re not going to give our honest opinion?
Amber: And I think one thing I’m really proud of us for is that we’re always really trying to get better. We’re trying to figure out ways that we can be more representative of our feelings. At first, we were only going to do one podcast a week. And now I feel like we’re trying to do a million podcasts a week! {laughs} And at the end of the day, we do get excited when we have a big response or a lot of listens. But basically, we’re just doing it for ourselves and probably my mom ’cause we and my mom are the only ones we can know for sure will listen. {laughs}
Rachel: It’s true. When I do a podcast and Amber can’t be on, I’m very anxious for her to listen and I hope that she’ll like it.
So how did you decide to start doing these recaps of the Hallmark shows? I know you weren’t doing that at first.
Amber: We started out just doing our Christmas reviews. I don’t think we even knew what we were gonna do after that. As soon as When Calls the Heart season five came up, we thought this would be a great opportunity to have fun and keep whatever audience we have engaged while spending time with each other. And we loved you so much, so we decided to get you to come on our show too!
Rachel: That’s the other gift of podcasting. The people you get to meet become genuine friends. If I were to get married, I would send you, Ruth, an invitation to my wedding. I have several I consider genuine friends who would receive invitations. Without all these great people in my life, my life would be boring. I’m a single woman in Utah, and I’d probably be some hermit lady. I mean, I already kind of am, but at least I have an online channel.
Amber: I think a lot of people when they start out podcasting or blogging, they go into it with the mindset that they are going to be discovered and become famous, and then they can be on Dancing With the Stars. For us, that is not the point. It’s something we actually do care about. We care about Hallmark movies, and because we care about them, we can be tough on them. We want them to be as good as they can be. But it’s also a chance for us to talk about something that we care about with people we have fun with.
Rachel: It has led to some amazing opportunities. Some of the people we have interviewed I never would have dreamed of interviewing in a million years. And I’m always trying to learn about how to do it better and get ideas from other podcasts. I try to listen to all the other Hallmark-themed podcasts. I’m really glad I have this creative outlet because my regular job can be a bit mundane at times. Podcasting allows me to tap into my creative side.
Thank you all so much for your time today and your dedication to watching and covering everything on the network.
Rachel: It’s a pleasure, Ruth. Thank you for your support and help.
Amber: And one of these days, we have to get your mom on the podcast!
I very much embrace the working relationship I have with several podcasts, and the Hallmarkies Podcast is one of the first who ever reached out to me. While there have been the obvious ups and downs along the way and sometimes things don’t go as planned, Rachel and Amber have continued with their vision, and in so doing, they have developed a fairly significant following. I am sure I will still come on their podcast and guest-host from time-to-time, and while I rarely share their views on much media in general, they always challenge me to think critically in terms of Hallmark movies and shows. If you are so inclined, I invite my readers to check out their links below and consider subscribing if interested. I have no doubt that the Hallmarkies Podcast will be around for a long time to come, and I am grateful for their support at various times along the way. While we may not always share the same views on Hallmark movies and shows, I do appreciate the fact that they have a dedicated following that continues to rise to the challenge of chatting about all things Hallmark and more.
FOLLOW HALLMARKIES PODCAST
