Things that go bump in the night will be honored at the first ParaPod Awards, set for Saturday, April 1 as part of the ParaPod Festival in Santa Clarita, Calif.
The awards honor the influencers and content creators who work in the paranormal genre.
“As a content producer and host myself, being able to create a platform to celebrate the paranormal genre and those content creators who are working in it has been a long-time goal,” says ParaPod founder Tony Sweet. “Influencers, podcasters, documentary filmmakers, television producers, and hosts who dare to cover topics like UFOs or Bigfoot often get overlooked by mainstream awards shows, and I want to change that.”
Podcasters whose content covered the paranormal were asked to submit their work in various categories via the ParaPod Festival website. A committee of listeners rated the podcasts in their selected categories to create a list of finalists. The finalist podcasts were then listened to and rated by a second committee to determine the nominees.
The podcast nominees for the ParaPod Awards are:
In the category of Best UFO Podcast:
- Strange Darkness Radio
- UFO Chronicles
- Paranormal Almanac
In the category of Best True Crime Podcast:
- Hollyweird Paranormal
- Heart Starts Pounding
- Ghost Town
In the category of Best Ghost Podcast:
- Ghost Town
- Mega Strange
- The Haunted Happy Hour
In the category of Best Spiritual/Psychic Podcast:
- The Witching Hour
- The Colby Rebel Show
- Paranormal Almanac
In the category of Best Podcast Host(s):
- Jason Horton & Rebecca Leib
- Derrick Acosta & Johnny Weiss
- Kaelyn Moore
In the category of Podcast of the Year:
- Heart Starts Pounding
- Ghost Town
- Mega Strange
Documentary filmmakers worldwide submitted their short-form and feature-length paranormal films via FilmFreeway.com to be viewed and rated by a viewing committee, who determined which films would be official selections. A panel of judges rated the films to determine the finalists in each category for the ParaPod Awards.
The finalists for Best Short Paranormal Documentary are:
- (After)Life, directed by Ben Goldman (USA)
- Close Encounters Interview with Preston Dennett, directed by Matt Schwartz (USA)
- The Conspiratologist, directed by Stephen Bradford and Justin Jay Jones (USA)
The finalists for Best Feature Paranormal Documentary are:
- Contemplation: On the Psychedelic Experience, directed by Julian Austin Palmer (AUS)
- Accidental Truth – UFO Revelations, directed by Ron James (USA)
- Black Knight Satellite: Beyond the Signal, directed by Melissa Tittl (USA)
Additionally, the ParaPod Festival social media team launched an online series of audience polls to determine the nominees and winners of the ParaPod Audience Favorites Awards for mainstream, paranormal television series. The nominees for the ParaPod Awards are:
In the category of Best UFO Series:
- A Tear in the Sky
- Ancient Aliens
- Truth Declassified
In the category of Best Non-fiction Ghost Series:
- Ghost Adventures
- Destination Fear
- Kindred Spirits
In the category of Best Cryptid Investigation Series:
- The UnXplained
- Mountain Monsters
- Destination Truth
In the category of Best TV Psychic Medium:
- Chip Coffey
- Tyler Henry
- Patti Negri
In the category of Best Paranormal Host:
- Ben Hansen
- Zak Bagans
- Giorgio Tsoukalos.
The content of podcast nominees and film festival finalists can be viewed online at www.parapodfestival.com in the Podcast Awards Listening Room and the Film Festival Screening Room.
The ParaPod Awards will begin just after the festival events on Saturday, April 1 at 7:00 PM at the Hyatt Regency Valencia.
Podcast Host(s):
- Jason Horton & Rebecca Leib
- Derrick Acosta & Johnny Weiss
- Kaelyn Moore
In the category of Podcast of the Year:
- Heart Starts Pounding
- Ghost Town
- Mega Strange
Documentary filmmakers worldwide submitted their short-form and feature-length paranormal films via FilmFreeway.com to be viewed and rated by a viewing committee, who determined which films would be official selections. Then, a panel of judges rated the films to determine the finalists in each category for the ParaPod Awards.
The finalists for Best Short Paranormal Documentary are:
- (After)Life, directed by Ben Goldman (USA)
- Close Encounters Interview with Preston Dennett, directed by Matt Schwartz (USA)
- The Conspiratologist, directed by Stephen Bradford and Justin Jay Jones (USA)
The finalists for Best Feature Paranormal Documentary are:
- Contemplation: On the Psychedelic Experience, directed by Julian Austin Palmer (AUS)
- Accidental Truth – UFO Revelations, directed by Ron James (USA)
- Black Knight Satellite: Beyond the Signal, directed by Melissa Tittl (USA)
Additionally, the ParaPod Festival social media team launched an online series of audience polls to determine the nominees and winners of the ParaPod Audience Favorites Awards for mainstream, paranormal television series. The nominees for the ParaPod Awards are:
In the category of Best UFO Series:
- A Tear in the Sky
- Ancient Aliens
- Truth Declassified
In the category of Best Non-fiction Ghost Series:
- Ghost Adventures
- Destination Fear
- Kindred Spirits
In the category of Best Cryptid Investigation Series:
- The UnXplained
- Mountain Monsters
- Destination Truth
In the category of Best TV Psychic Medium:
- Chip Coffey
- Tyler Henry
- Patti Negri
In the category of Best Paranormal Host:
- Ben Hansen
- Zak Bagans
- Giorgio Tsoukalos.
The content of podcast nominees and film festival finalists can be viewed online at www.parapodfestival.com in the Podcast Awards Listening Room and the Film Festival Screening Room.
The ParaPod Awards will begin just after the festival events on Saturday, April 1 at 7:00 PM at the Hyatt Regency Valencia. The awards ceremony is open to speakers, invited guests, VIP ticket holders only. VIP Weekend passes are available online at www.parapodfestival.com.
