We recently connected with Jerome Wetzel and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jerome thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

It’s All Been Done Radio Hour. I created it because I was having trouble getting people to buy my self-published books, and thought putting on a scripted podcast performed lived might fill an unserved niche, making it more likely to get attention and followers. I knew of only one such program in existence, and they were ending their run after 10 years, so no one else was doing it.

What I didn’t expect was just how much of an amazing team experience it would be. Eight years in, with most of the original cast still participating, we’ve become a family. Everyone contributes how much or how little they like, and in any ways that they like. I’m the organizer and primary writer, but others also write, pitch stories, compose music, direct, run social channels, edit audio, run the equipment, and of course act.

It’s become a group-owned project, which is an absolute joy, working with others to expand upon my original concept and grow it in unexpected ways that are surely better than anything I would have come up with on my own. Lots of people want to be a part of it, and we have no trouble getting guests to come in and play. Over and over I’m told by those on the outside that the group is welcoming and fun to play with, and our local reputation has been growing.

I’m very proud of the show and its impact, and would love to keep it running for many years to come.

Jerome, 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’ve always wanted to be a writer. I wrote short stories and even short novels in high school and college. When a full-time job in the real world took over, I had less time to devote to it, but found satisfaction as a freelancer writing TV reviews. Still, I wanted to get back to writing my own stuff. So I looked around for a way I might be able to break through the noise of all the thousands of people self-publishing and trying to get attention and tried to build something unique.

I am very collaborative. I don’t seek to lead, but I run a group. I view my job as serving the people I work with on the project. They’re doing me a huge favor, volunteering their time month after month, so I feel I owe it to them to give them opportunities, mentorship, and try to fulfill their wants and needs, too. That’s the mindset with which I run It’s All Been Done Radio Hour.

And I also find great satisfaction in writing work for my friends to perform.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

We performed a show on a Saturday in March 2020 and it seemed like the whole world shut down two days later. Certainly, Columbus, Ohio did. Our performance venue informed us they’d suspended the next couple of shows as things played out, and we cancelled the performances.

But I saw others performing online, putting together something when most such work was stopped, and I wanted to try it. With an entire month before we were due to perform again, I looked into what others were doing, the new technology available (Zoom!), and reached out to my cast to see how they’d feel about moving to a live-streaming show. The first performance or two were a little rough, but we worked out the bugs, and lots of people tuned in.

By six months into streaming, I felt comfortable enough to start charging for tickets again, that our quality had improved to the point where it was worth it. So we set up a private streaming link, sold admission, and streamed live via YouTube with the performers on Zoom.

I really missed the hangouts and social aspect of the show during the 18(!) months we stayed online. I was very excited to get back to in-person performances. We did so as soon as we were able. We lost ZERO cast members during this time, and everyone was as thrilled to come back as I was.

The streaming shows were fun and I’m glad we did them, to avoid losing momentum and keep the stories going. But two years back on stage and seeing the audience finally start to build back up (after a long period of small crowds after first returning to in-person) is rewarding, and I’m glad we made it through.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I am very loyal to people. That extends to my family, friends, and my IABD cast, which are both family and friends to me. But I also need to protect the production.

When I first started the show, while most of the cast was unknown to me, I did cast several talented long-time friends who wanted to take part. And I continued to treat them as friends, not as cast members of my production, even when one caused major problems. I thought the right thing to do was to privately try to deal with the issues one-on-one in the hopes their behavior could be corrected. It was not, and I let it go on way too long to preserve the friendship.

I did finally fire that person from the show. I should have done it much sooner. The damage she had done was lasting and it took quite a bit of time to repair the group’s cohesion. Also, by keeping my dealing with it private, it allowed an untrue narrative to take hold that caused further damage.

Eventually, I addressed what happened more clearly with the rest of the performers, assured them no one is fired without being given the opportunity to correct behavior, and also laid down some ground rules we all needed to play by, what my vision for the troupe was. I invited them to weigh in and contribute to the vision so we’d all be on the same page, rather than dictate iron-fisted rules. It was successful, I think, because it gave them all ownership in what we’d built, and also a clear mandate for me to run things based on what they wanted.

My troupe are still my family-friends, but they also know the expectations to stay in the show. I don’t put up with ego and negativity anymore, and if someone is disrupting the cohesion we have, they will be gone. Not because that’s what I want, but because it’s what the troupe wants. Having that firm line gives cast members confidence that the experience will remain protected as a positive one, and gives them the freedom to feel safe and secure. I love them, but the show comes first. They know that and respect it, and everyone with the show now feels the same way. Had I not made this shift, personal conflict would have destroyed it years ago.

And several have left on good terms and are always welcome back. They don’t have to stay to be part of the family. They just have to respect one another and the show.       

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.iabdpresents.com/radio-hour-podcast
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/iabdpresents
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IABDPresents/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/IABDPresents
• WIki: https://its-all-been-done-presents.fandom.com/wiki/It%27s_All_Been_Done_Radio_Hour

Image Credits
Performance photos by Jabari Cole Behind-the-scenes photos by Samantha Stark All photos owned by IABD Presents