We recently connected with Eric Freeman Sims and have shared our conversation below.

Eric, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I feel I took a huge risk going from a stable career in the medical field to being a full-time content creator. Especially not knowing if anyone would be interested in what I had to say as a podcaster and if the investment would pay off. Well, the risk was worth it even though it has taken a few years to build an audience and to branch out into documentary filmmaking and other creative areas.

I had a 20 year career as an Emergency Medical Technician and Medical Assistant working in urgent care and emergency medicine. Around 2020 I started having issues with PTSD and my body was starting to fall apart from the physical demands of the job. Along with my partner, I decided that at the very least I needed to take a step back and deal with the issues I was having, both mentally and physically. It was hard to say goodbye to a career I loved. I worked hard for many years to climb the ladder and was finally monetarily good.

I started The Unseen Paranormal Podcast in July of 2020, and it took off faster than I could’ve imagined. I have been able to go places and do things I would never thought I would in my life. I have met and become friends with many people I respect and admire in the paranormal field. The risk has been well worth it and I am excited to see where it takes me in the future.

Sometimes it is about the journey and not necessarily the destination.

Eric, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have been listening to podcast for many years and in 2018 I reconnected with a high school friend who had her own successful podcast. One day she asked me to guest host on her show and I was hooked. I started to do small things behind the scenes and eventually became the producer of her show. Through this experience she taught me the ins and outs of the podcast world and encouraged me to start my own.

In late 2019 she decided to end her podcast and go in a different career direction. She continued to push me to start my own and I procrastinated for a few months and then I just took the leap and made it happen. I settled on a paranormal podcast with a different guest every week. I have researched and investigated the paranormal since I was a teen and wanted to chat with others in the field. The Unseen Paranormal Podcast was born.

I offer my guests a laid back, conversational style of interview that feels more like two people chatting about a topic they love. I always want my show to come off authentic and as truthful as possible. A lot of my guest are experienced interviewees and I want to approach the interview in a totally different way than they are used to. Offering a different perspective than a formal interview would convey. Also I want my audience to feel as if they are part of the conversation and have a voice within the podcast.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

One of the biggest things that I think non creatives don’t understand is how much work goes into creating something from nothing. To take an idea that you have in your head, with all these moving parts, and make it a reality. As a creator you have to wear many different hats. You have to learn how to market yourself, become a social media guru, possibly a small business owner, and then there is shameless self-promotion and being good at networking with others.

Also you can’t force creativity and not every idea is great. There are many times that you will have to go back to the beginning and start a project all over because it just wasn’t right. Working for hours to tweak your craft and become the best you can be to stand out in a field of possibly thousands of others who are working toward the same goal you are.

Some may think “Why don’t you just hire someone to do some of this for you?”. Well the problem is that most creatives don’t have the money to pay someone else to do their marketing or run their social media. Most of us are the president and CEO of our own small businesses.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I think the best support you can give a creative is to share your love for that creator with anyone and everyone. It is very easy, and free, today to simply share the things you like on social media. It is as easy as liking or following a creatives social media pages. Also, many people are quick to post about the things they dislike in our world and are less likely to review and share the things they enjoy and love. This may sound like a simple, trivial thing to do, but reviews and shares help more people discover the creative and what they are doing. And always consider buying and consuming things from your local creators and support their small businesses.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://unseendarkparanorm.wixsite.com/mysite
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theunseenparanormalpodcast/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnseenParanormalPodcast
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/the-unseen-paranormal-podcast-a0323b1ba/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheUnseenPara
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@StrangelyHaunted
• Other: https://www.facebook.com/eric.freeman.1048

Image Credits
Photo of Eric Freeman Sims taken by Tia Boner at One Wing Photography