Listening to Elizabeth Lew's The Westerosi Primer: Games of Thrones podcast injects memories of the early days of podcasting. Let me be clear. Those memories are not generated because this podcast is old-fashioned or outdated.
On the contrary, The Westerosi Primer about the Game of Thrones universe is a welcome throwback to those early days when straightforward rewatch podcasts (in this case, also re-read the books) capably accomplished a simple goal -- immerse listeners into the world building of whatever fantasy novel / movie they had embraced.
For example, the Game of Thrones follow-up, House of the Dragon, has generated this hyperbolic response from the Ringer network.
In June, Spotify’s The Ringer returned to Westeros with an all-new season of “Talk the Thrones.” about the TV show House of the Dragon.
Each week, hosts Chris Ryan, Mallory Rubin, and Joanna Robinson share their instant reactions to every new episode of the
much-anticipated second season of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” spinoff “House
of the Dragon.”
Episodes publish every Sunday on The Ringer’s House of R feed, and full video episodes will be available on Spotify.
Clearly, The Ringer, Vanity Fair, Entertainment Weekly, and others have invested a lot of money and time in these podcasts.
The Westerosi Primer has a much smaller budget, but has several grand aspirations that it achieves. First, it's not a rewatch podcast, in that the creator / host Elizabeth Lew has read all the books and seen every season of the HBO show.
Instead, host Lew introduces episodes that give listeners a guided tour of the Game of Thrones universe. For someone like me, who only read the first book and has never seen the TV show, this podcast is a helpful "primer" to Westerosi.
Elizabeth Lew only launched The Westerosi Primer in mid-April and has already released 17 episodes. Clearly, she's been prolific.
Her first episode was longer than a trailer -- about 19 minutes -- but nicely set up her reasons for launching the podcast, her history with the books and TV show, and her plans for the upcoming episodes.
Elizabeth Lew is a data analyst, self-described nerd, wannabe writer, and podcaster. You can check her out at: https://beacons.ai/elizabethlew.
For podcasters, Elizabeth has a Substack called The Westerosi Primer and her post on creating her podcast is fascinating. Check it out.
To be clear, Elizabeth Lew is an independent podcaster who wears many hats to write, record, edit, distribute, and market her podcast. Like many indie podcasters, she does an amazing job with all aspects of her podcast.
Her intro and outro music is perfectly suited to Game of Thrones, sound production is solid, and her hosting skills are superb. Unlike many amateurs, Lew doesn't speed talk through her narration. Instead, her voice and tone convey intellectual heft, intense curiosity, and an obvious penchant for analysis, given her day job as a data analyst.
In fact, I've learned more from Elizabeth Lew about the Games Of Thrones universe than any other podcast, article, or social media.
Lew also has built out her own podcast universe with a Substack page -- which includes The Westerosi Primer and Talk Nerdy To Me -- a Medium page, and a website for The Westerosi Primer, with ample opportunities for listeners to engage her there.
If you are a Games of Thrones and House of the Dragon fan, I recommend that you listen to The Westerosi Primer. I believe that creator / host Elizabeth Lew speaks High Valyrian, Dothraki and even Old Ghiscari.
**************************************
Comments
Post a Comment
Thank You for your input and feedback. If you requested a response, we will do so as soon as possible.