Cassie & Corey is an illuminating podcast about eating disorders and recovery through treatment and companionship. If you are currently struggling with an eating disorder, you may want to skip this one. Otherwise, take a ride into the night on an electric motor-scooter musical comedy podcast with friends Cassie and Corey. The two met in group therapy and are following their dream of auditioning at The BRIT School against all odds. Each episode is an hour from their wild night traveling through South London, so it is important to listen to them in order.

While it covers heavy and personal topics, Cassie & Corey feels like a modern musical! They love storytelling over a beat of drum and bass, one of the reasons they are so dedicated to auditioning at The BRIT School, and the songs are integral to moving the narrative along. The podcast also integrates flashbacks and sound effects to immerse listeners in the world as Cassie and Corey get even closer to realizing their dreams. 

We were fortunate to talk with Hogg about the podcast, how they differentiate from other podcasts, and their future plans in podcasting. See below for our full Q&A.

Listen: Spotify

DISCOVER PODS: How’d you get into podcasting?

HOGG: I love writing comedy dramas, but it is so difficult to get anything produced in London. Theatre is a broken business model for anyone at my level. It turns writing into an expensive hobby. However, Podcasting offers the writers a level of control. You can build your own audience. You can get your work to so many more people. I also love the fact that your drama comes through the medium of a smartphone. As a writer you can’t get more intimate that that. If you can write to enhance the intimacy, then you are really pushing the boundaries of this form. The first Podcast I wrote, was called Rathband – won best BBC Audio Drama Podcast 2018. I was so shocked, but from that moment I was hooked. 

DISCOVER PODS: In your own words, why should listeners tune in to Cassie & Corey?

HOGG: It is funny. It is moving. It is has an important message. It is a Drum & Bass Musical Comedy about Eating Disorders. It is an impossible combination of elements that I think is truly original. The audience if primarily young adults, but I think most people have will get into the story of a  300 pound 16 year old stealing electric mobility scooter to realise his dreams. It really works when you listen. Also the Music by GTA is a revelation.

DISCOVER PODS: What kind of feedback have you heard from your listeners?

HOGG: It is a little too soon for a large amount of reviews, but we did test runs at three schools in London, and they went wild. You can see a clip of the reaction in the kickstarter video here: https://youtu.be/crKKSsMzOFA

My favourite comment was from a friend who didn’t realise that I had written the drama. They texted me asking me if I had written it, and if so they were ‘engaged AF’ – Love that comment. Gonna put it on the posters.

DISCOVER PODS: Describe your recording set up? What equipment are you using?

HOGG: We were lucky to be able to record in a studio at Royal Holloway – University of London. The studio is called the Delia Derbyshire. After the woman who wrote the Dr Who theme tune. It is an octagonal dead space. The biggest challenge was to get the motorised scooter into it, but once in, we had realistic sound effects, where all the distances worked from a psychological listening perspective. You can see the set up with your own eyes on the Insta/Facebook/Twitter pages.  https://www.instagram.com/cassieandcoreypod/

DISCOVER PODS: What’s the biggest challenge you face as an indie podcaster?

HOGG: The amount of content being created, and our ability to take it are not the same thing. We have to be super relevant to people’s lives, otherwise we are just more noise. We have to really understand who are our audience is, and be committed to building a relationship with those people. This means lots of social media work. Creating online situations where we create connections not just between the show and the audience, but between audience members. The connections we make together are the story in a way. 

DISCOVER PODS: Where do you want to take your podcast?

HOGG: My dream is that the podcast is used in schools as a teaching tool for people to talk about the serious issues involved. The mortality rate for Eating Disorders are a real shocker. The earlier someone can signal distress, the earlier they can get help and have a better prognosis. We have been raising money to create teaching resources around the show.  

DISCOVER PODS: What other podcasts are you listening to now?

HOGG: Ear Hustle, This is Love, Wooden Overcoats

DISCOVER PODS: Anything else you’d like to add?

HOGG: If you like Cassie & Corey, try Rathband. It is a great drama but it kinda got passed by, by the world by unnoticed.

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