We recently connected with Ralph Anthony Sandez and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ralph Anthony, thanks for joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

I spent 11 years working at a popular smoothie company, where I built a strong work ethic, learned management and team-building skills, and honed my interview abilities. But deep down, I knew I wanted something more creative. I felt overworked, underpaid, and unfulfilled.

After I quit, I finally had time to reflect. I noticed that many voices were out there, but most took a one-sided approach to topics like film and society, with little room for nuance. I wanted to create something different—a podcast that was both entertaining and unafraid to dive into complex subjects with balance and depth.

That’s how the Scream Queer Podcast was born. Those 80 episodes were a journey, helping me become who I am today. The show was raw, messy, and sometimes you could tell I was still finding my way. I was cautious, often holding back for fear of cancel culture. By August 2024, I felt ready for a refresh—so I changed the name, streamlined the format, and committed to authenticity, giving birth to The Scream Society, my “variety show from hell.”

On The Scream Society, I cover everything from true crime and 911 calls, hoping to inspire vigilance and safety, to “Sinister Subjex,” where I dive into hot topics like horror, bizarre crimes, celebrity gossip, and society. I follow with a “terrifying but true” case and end with listener questions and stories—a favorite part of this experience. Sharing others’ stories has become central to this podcast, creating a community of diverse voices and perspectives.

Ralph Anthony, 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?

Absolutely! I’m the creator and host of The Scream Society, a podcast I like to think of as a “variety show from hell.” My journey here started with an 11-year career working at a smoothie company, where I learned all about hard work, leadership, and team dynamics. But after a decade, I realized I wanted something more creative and fulfilling. I wanted to be my own voice and dig deeper into storytelling that felt true to me.

That’s when I launched my first podcast, Scream Queer Podcast. Those 80 episodes were a huge journey of self-discovery. It was my place to experiment, but I was also navigating the fear of cancel culture and finding my footing. In August 2024, I decided it was time to rebrand, streamline, and create something even more authentic, and that’s when The Scream Society was born.

The Scream Society is a mix of true crime, horror, and hot topics—a kind of “society of screams” that brings in the bizarre, the chilling, and the taboo. Each episode has segments designed to entertain and, hopefully, encourage people to stay vigilant. “Sinister Subjex” is my hot topics segment where I dive into horror news, strange crimes, celebrity gossip, and societal issues. I cover real cases to keep listeners alert to their surroundings, and I end each episode with a segment for listener stories, where people can share their own chilling tales.

What makes The Scream Society unique is this blend of topics—moving seamlessly from true crime and spooky stories to cultural commentary. I’m most proud of the community I’ve built, full of listeners who bring their own voices and perspectives into the mix. This isn’t just about shock value; it’s about sharing stories and building a space where people can explore the eerie and unusual while feeling seen and heard.

For anyone who tunes in or joins my community, I want them to know they’ll be entertained, engaged, and, sometimes, even a little unsettled. It’s all about embracing the dark and bizarre in a way that feels both thrilling and inclusive.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One key lesson I had to unlearn on this journey was that while it’s important to stand up for yourself, you can’t control other people’s actions or beliefs. It’s about freedom of expression and free will. Part of the reason I rebranded was because, halfway through my previous podcast, I came to a realization. I want to encourage people to fight for what’s right, but I also want to help people move beyond a victim mentality.

As someone from the LGBTQ+ community, I was taught to see our struggles through the lens of oppression and often to feel anger toward anyone who didn’t accept our way of life. But eventually, I felt that anger taking over my own creativity, turning me into someone who was both unreasonable and, ironically, full of hate. I needed to step back and embrace critical thinking, which helped me expand my perspective.

This reminded me of an experience in third grade, when I wanted to be friends with a girl who simply told me, “I don’t like you.” I was ready to run to the teacher, but she replied calmly, “Go ahead. I don’t have to like you.” She didn’t insult me or mistreat me—she just didn’t feel the need to pretend otherwise. That taught me an invaluable lesson: not everyone is going to like you, and that’s okay. You can fight for equality and respect, but you can’t make people like or accept you. Now, I focus my energy on making a difference where it matters most, letting go of what I can’t change and aiming to create impact that contributes to the bigger cause.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

For creatives to thrive, we need spaces that value substance over shock value. Society could support artists better by funding more platforms that prioritize meaningful storytelling, diverse voices, and genuine creative exploration over commercialized trends. Education is also key: fostering critical thinking, emotional resilience, and self-expression from a young age would empower future generations of artists to share authentic, varied perspectives. In short, if we want a thriving creative ecosystem, we need a culture that celebrates those just starting out, depth, diversity, and integrity, allowing artists to be bold without feeling pressured to conform to fleeting trends.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://beacons.ai/thescreamsociety
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/screamsocietypodcast?igsh=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Image Credits

Image credit all goes to myself