Episode 102- Announcing Vertical HeliCASTS

We also have Jason Quinn , founder and creator of the Real Rescue podcast . What's going on , quinnie ?

Podcasts really did take off in this , in this space , and evidence here is with the three of you , with the hangar z podcast , the real rescue and the helicopter podcast , which has all been doing phenomenally well within the within the helicopter industry .

So it's , how could we bring the synergies that vertical offers and bring it together in a in the world of podcasts ?

So when we look at what we're offering right now with with vertical between you know , we have a digital magazine , we have a website and then we have our social media following , which is nearing we're close to a million people what we were missing with the podcast .

So by bringing in the podcast , that is checked off , one more box , and now we have the ability that we can take someone in the written format , video format and now a listener type format . But the podcast , that what they really do is that it just brings it to a different level .

The thing I like about the podcast is it makes it more personal and you can really connect with with the listeners or who the readers are with vertical , in a different way than we haven't been able to do before .

So that was a big key for us when we looked at going down this avenue , and what we wanted to do is we wanted to partner with those podcasts that we felt were the most representative for the various sectors that we're going to be covering .

So the first was actually through the , the partnering and acquisition of the hangers e podcast , which would cater more towards that valor side of the house with with vertical .

And then , of course , the real rescue with that , with that focus on search and rescue , and and then Halsey with with the helicopter podcast , which that is more broad approach but with the , the civil helicopter side of the industry that we're covering off .

So and when you listen to all three of those , the stories that that everyone is telling on those podcasts , I mean they're , they're , they're actually they're really interesting to listen to , to hear from their perspective , and it's done in such a way you can't do that in written format . It's just not possible . So we've really enjoyed them .

So I think this is a this is a good way for for us to expand and we're not done . You know , this is the first , the first three , and we'll be looking at other options in the near future .

You know I think aviation you know I talk about in my podcast quite a bit how everybody who's in the is it is an aviation has overcome ton of obstacles and adversity to get to where they are and to be where to do what they're doing .

So it's really cool to hear those stories and each person's got some different story of adversity that they've overcome to get to that spot . So really exciting to hear . You know all of us work together to create a better content from the podcast standpoint .

Quinny made an effort this last year to kind of put a group together and synergize a little bit for HAI and that was really cool . You know . That allowed us to kind of work together and collaborate and content and increase the quality of our podcast and this will continue to do the same thing but in an elevated platform . So excited to do that .

Before I introduce Halsey and Quinny and the podcast they run , mike , do you have any thoughts on ? You know on ? We talked about content creation and kind of the synergy that exists between the podcast .

I think what the helicopter podcast is doing the real rescue and hangers e-podcasts have been doing I mean , there's a reason why you have as many followers that that everyone has . But what we can look at is how can we make it even better . So I think that's that's what our goal is is to how can we feed each other with with content .

You know some ways okay , I don't like that word where we just say , well , we're just , we're just feeding content and it is , but it's really , it's really cool stuff , like some of the stuff that we're putting out there , because look at the industry that we're in , the helicopter industry is the coolest industry within aviation .

I mean , you don't see a level of innovation in the industry like you do within helicopters and you know , by being able to convey this in podcasts . I think this is just awesome . It's it's it's long overdue .

It's unfortunate that the the helicopter side of the world has been slow to come into the world of world of podcasts , so I think this is this is going to be good for for the industry .

I'm just saying , oh , but the guys that come on , it's real emotions and they're , they're living through whatever they went through again and it's it's , it's , it's . I love that part of it . It's different than reading a book , because when you start reading the book or reading the story , reading the magazine , you're putting in your own emotion to it .

This way , you're listening to their emotion and it's , it's so fun for me for that part of it . So I dig it . Thanks , Mike .

So many of my listeners have reached out and my podcast has become kind of a platform where people can come and not listen to , not just listen to cool stories and hear other people's experiences , but they can draw from that and take something away . You know whether it's what school should you go to if you're , if you're in that beginning stages .

Just recently had a had a gentleman on that had color vision issues and getting a medical and kind of that process and we ended up , you know , hearing that that actually was able to help some people further their medical process that they were going through .

So I think to be able to not only connect with awesome people within this industry that we all love so much , but just the the side of education in which you know we're inspiring other people to kind of do what we're doing and we're giving them that pathway . And that's what I love about this age of content is everyone has a connection .

You know you're able to connect , whether it's on podcasts or videos or whatnot , and I personally feel that podcasts is an intimate way to be able to , you know , really connect with people within this industry and learn from it . So I'm super excited .

You guys have created amazing podcasts and , mike , obviously amazing platform with Vertical , and so I'm just grateful to be a part of this and looking really forward to producing some awesome content on the on my podcast , but also working with you guys collectively to inspire the next generation of helicopter people .

You know we're a small market collectively the institutional memory stuff that we're instituting , you know talking about safety and you know trying to prevent accidents and things from occurring that have happened traditionally in the past . Hopefully those are things that will apply to our current aviators , inspiring the next generation of aviators .

That's big , and you know recruitment and retention within public safety is a big deal . So to inspire this next generation of folks to come in behind us is important . So I feel like we're tackling that through that .

as a whole is very short of people and I don't think the industry is doing a good enough job to attract people to the industry .

But it's through , you know , avenues like this with podcasts or the magazines and social media channels that you can try to help in , you know , help inspire , you know , younger generation to get interested into the , into the helicopter industry . You know it was one of the reasons why we went on to TikTok .

You know , initially we went on that everyone said , well , tiktoks for kids . I said , yeah , and that's where it starts . So I think for all of us it started when we were , when we were younger . You know , Halsey and Quinny , I mean , how old were you when you started thinking about ?

You know , I want to be a rescue swimmer , I want to be a helicopter pilot .

You know it's , it starts when you're you're a kid , so that's , that's all part and parcel is that we all have to a role to play in helping to attract people to the industry as well , besides telling those stories if it's from a safety perspective or or telling those different experiences .

Because I think one of the things that you find in if you take an aviation in the broader scope like bringing in the fixed wing side of things as well is that people don't realize how much that the helicopter industry really touches our daily lives .

You have no idea as far as from a power utility perspective , from an offshore oil and gas perspective , from a search and rescue perspective , you know agricultural perspective , like you think of all these different sectors , and a helicopter touched that at one point . So that's the .

That's what I find is going to be fascinating about this is that as we continue to tell those stories , all in a different you know , pun intended vertical , as far as you know what sectors we're covering , I think it's going to be perfect .

You know that we we have all these different segments and they all kind of pull on those interests for those different sectors , for people .

No one in my family , you know you got to get my dad has to have , you know , five bloody Marys before he's comfortable getting on a plane , you know so you know no one is excited , or no one had that passion that I had in Mike , you're right , I had that passion as just a little guy and but it's daunting and so many people may think that obtaining a

flight , whether it's rotor wing or fixed wing is unachievable , specifically in the civilian world . And so it's really cool to be able to talk to other first gen aviators and hear how they kind of navigated that path and I think that we're creating that new pathway for others to follow .

And you know , I think it's super awesome to be able to kind of pave that way to get more people , because we need more people , you know , both on the maintenance side , the pilot side . So it's been really neat to see that .

develop a story in a written format that will go into the magazine or will go online . Average viewership on vertical for an issue is about 180,000 views that we get on a magazine . We've reached just over 200,000 views on a magazine .

So to be able to put that in a written format for people to read , I think that's again just expanding that access for people in the industry that , hey , I don't have time to listen to it or I'm going to read it on a plane or whatever .

I mean we get a lot of that where , when I'm flying between wherever , I'm reading your magazine on my iPad or on my phone or whatever it is . So I think bringing it over to the , to the written site and vice versa . I mean , john , we've already experienced that . We went and did a story with SR3 , with Riverside County .

I think that was a really good example where you were on the ground , dan Magna was on the ground and in the air photos and story , and then that came out in a previous issue of Valor .

So that's a good example of how we're able to bring that together , and I just see that , as we continue to grow this , there's going to be some things that we didn't realize , that we can play off of each other , and I think that's . We've had some ideas , john , that we talked about doing interviews from the cockpit .

I think that's going to be the next step for what we're going to be able to do or sorry , quinny , I just said from the cabin for your side , quinny , I need some of what he asked . I'm sorry , I'm sorry . So , and here's where we're also going to see it .

John , we saw this at Apsconn when we were in Orlando this summer where we had the Hangers E podcast at the Vertical Valor booth , and that was awesome , and you saw everyone from that law enforcement community coming up . When you saw MD come up and they did the takeover on the podcast , I mean , there's some things there .

You just don't realize what's going to happen until we get into full motion with this . But the fact that we can also have podcasts at trade shows and as you know we do . We do a lot of trade events .

We're coming into trade show season now , so we have four different helicopter shows by the end of the year , so and I know the podcast will factor into a couple of these , so so again , it's just providing that , that other avenue that they can piggyback off of each other .

So you have , you know , basically a fully encompassed way of consuming this information . So for me , as a consumer , to be able to understand those on those different levels is really cool . So , yeah , love , love that idea .

I was sitting around with my buddy one day and we were talking about podcasts and he said , dude , you would be a good host . And I was like , okay , that's cool . And then my wife , after a year of saying , hey , I got an idea , she's like , do it .

So the podcast was born and it was born with the idea of taking guys' stories from what they've done in the field their rescues and bringing it to light what really happened .

So , as a matter of fact , let me throw in , because I actually had a guy that was interviewed by Vertical Magazine by the name of Lane Abshire and he was in the helicopter during a Medevac . They took off and the pilot ended up having a stroke in the helicopter . Single pilot ended up landing the helicopter somehow . I'm not gonna tell you all the details .

You gotta go listen to the podcast , all right , but Orgo , read the article and I got you . Come on , mike , I got you .

And it just has blossomed into so much more than I could have ever imagined , Specifically just all the feedback from how individuals have listened to the podcast and they've literally changed what they're doing in their life to go back and pursue helicopter flight school .

So it's just , you know , such is life , right , you start something thinking it's going to be one way and then it kind of veers off into this other direction . So I think we're at almost about 50 episodes , coming up on 50th here soon , and my podcast is really centered around connecting with the individuals within the industry , all different sectors .

I also will produce some solo podcast where I just have something I want to talk about and so I talk about it , and so it's kind of a mix of interview style , sometimes solo , also looking to do kind of more panel and discussion , like John said earlier , with safety and talking about incidents and accidents . I think it's vital .

I think us as a collective podcast group can actually make a difference when it comes to safety , and so I'm really looking forward to collaborating with you guys on that . I don't have as much energy as Quinny . I'll try . I don't . Do you take a B12 shot in the morning or something what's ?

So super , super fun things to come for sure .

Thank you , and , like you said , I'm really excited to see how we can all synergize and , you know , collectively elevate the quality of podcasts and the impact we're having on the industry . You know , so Helicast will definitely do that . For those that aren't familiar , if you're listening on on Quinnier Halsey's network , I'm John Gray .

I'm the host of the hangers E podcast . Just retired from Ontario Police Department in California , it was in public safety for 25 years started with I did things backwards . Usually people they become a fireman in this day . I became a fireman and I left the fire service and went to law enforcement .

Something's wrong with me , I don't know what , but I left after seven years .

Started with San Diego PD , a Wintown , Ontario PD , where I got the opportunity to go to aviation and pursue a dream of becoming a pilot , and that happened in 2020 , just like everyone else , covid struck and looking for ways to kind of entertain myself outside of work and being a consumer of podcasts , I listened to a podcast that interviewed LA County Sheriff's

pilot flying the super Puma . I thought it was really interesting . So after I heard that podcast I'm like where could I find more of this ? I looked and looked and there was nothing . So I remember on a flight with my partner I'm like , hey , what do you think if I started podcast and thought he'd laugh me out of the helicopter ?

And he's like , no , I think it'd be really cool . So we did . And yeah , it's now , three years later , we just actually today released our 100th episode . Yeah , we're , we're very excited and you know again , just just honored to be in a position where we can work with you all and and contribute to the community that we're part of .

So that's , that's the hangers eat , podcast and promote the personal equipment behind the missions of public safety aviation . So that's all , it's all been good .

So we're just going to try and expand that network , but the fact that you can get it through the vertical daily news or Valor weekly that way will , every time there's new podcasts comes out we'll be sending out that way .

It's a free subscription , they know we can sign up or you continue to listen to to the podcasts on your on your favorite podcast network .

So , mike , thank you for your , your leadership , your vision to create such a such a cool platform for us all to you know , not just as podcasters to synergize , but , you know , for the audience that's going to listen to these .

You know , I really think it's going to benefit them as we you know , synergize and improve the quality of these podcasts as we go forward . So , in closing , anybody have anything like the throughout just excited , you know , into our rescue .

Help us get our word out , because you know , I think that there's some really cool things on the horizon . And so , you know , help us build this , because without you guys , the podcast isn't much . So we appreciate everyone that that listens now and will continue to listen and just keep liking , keep sharing and come with ideas .

You know how we can improve or other thoughts of gas or things like that . You know we want to make sure that we're dialed into what our listeners want , so excited into my fellow podcasters here . You guys are great . Quinny , you're nuts , but in a good way . Mike , thanks for putting us together .

. If anybody like , if you're looking to come on a podcast , if you got stories you want to tell , if you've got information you want to drop , let us know . I mean , we're always looking for people to come on to share their stories and share their experiences , so give us a holler Love to have you .