We recently connected with Jamie Ray and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jamie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

My parents always made me feel like anything was possible. My dad especially shaped how I see the world — he believed it was more valuable to know a little about everything than to know everything about one thing. That curiosity he instilled taught me that people are genuinely willing to share their stories and knowledge if you just take the time to ask. And maybe most importantly, it’s okay not to have all the answers — recognizing that and seeking help isn’t a weakness, it’s how you keep learning.

Jamie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Jamie Ray, host of Fave Five From Fans — a pop culture podcast built around one simple idea: your favorites matter, even if they’re not the most popular or critically acclaimed.

I grew up shaped by a curiosity my dad instilled early — the belief that it’s more valuable to know a little about everything than everything about one thing. That mindset led me to podcasting naturally, because people are genuinely willing to share their stories and knowledge if you just take the time to ask. Fave Five From Fans became the perfect place to do exactly that.

Each episode, a guest and I independently build a list of our five favorite things on a chosen theme — anything from horror movies to movie snacks to Edgar Allan Poe. The lists stay secret until we’re live, so the reactions are unscripted and the conversations go somewhere real. We’re more than 215 episodes in and it still delivers.

What sets us apart is the philosophy: there’s no wrong answer. We’re not here to rank the best or the most important — we’re here to celebrate what genuinely moves you. That’s what makes every episode different and every guest worth hearing.

What I’m most proud of is the community it’s created — people who feel seen when someone finally validates the pick they’ve always been a little embarrassed to admit they love. We never argue because how you feel about your picks are special to you, and we create a space that honors and respects that.

If you’re new to the show, just know this: bring your real list. The specific one. The passionate one. That’s exactly what Fave Five From Fans was made for.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding moment for me is when a guest reaches out after recording to say how much they enjoyed themselves. There’s something genuinely special about watching someone light up talking about the things they love — and knowing the show created that space for them. That never gets old.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My mission has always been simple: give people a space to be completely themselves. Not the version of themselves they think they’re supposed to present — the real one, with all the specific, unexpected, gloriously niche corners of their personality fully on display.

One of my favorite examples of that is a guest who’s a criminologist and horror writer. After our first episode together covering found footage films, I invited him back and told him to pick the topic. I fully expected horror, something dark, something in his wheelhouse. Instead, he asked — a little sheepishly — if we could talk about Murder She Wrote. Of course I said yes. We brought in a second guest, and what followed was one of the most genuinely joyful conversations I’ve ever had on the show — diving deep into the theory that Jessica Fletcher may have actually been a serial killer, and making the case for why her story deserves a Broadway revival.

That’s the whole mission right there. Where else does a criminologist get to set aside the expected version of himself and spend an hour being enthusiastic about a cozy mystery? That conversation doesn’t happen at a dinner party. It doesn’t happen at a work event. But it happens on Fave Five From Fans — and that’s exactly why I keep making it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.favefivefromfans.com
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• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@favefivefromfans