Inside the winning podcast that explores the mysteries of daily life

As a seasoned radio announcer of four decades, Sean Craig Murphy wanted more than to intro the new Taylor Swift song.

Mena Soliman, his former student and mentee, wanted to rediscover the joy of his short-lived days on air.

And so, their podcast Everyday Conspiracy Theories was born.

As Mena explains to Radio Today “A year ago we had this thought bubble over breakfast: is there a project we could work on together?”

“Months of brainstorms later led us to Everyday Conspiracy Theories.”

Six months after making its debut, Everyday Conspiracy Theories was a winner in the Indie category for Podcast Presenters of the Year at the 2024 Radio Today Podcast Awards.

It was also acknowledged as a finalist for Best Society and Culture Podcast.

Sean (pictured above) says they’re thrilled with the industry recognition.

“There was a flurry of excited text messages between us when the awards were announced,” he tells Radio Today. “I even remember getting out of my chair and walking around in small circles.”

“We entered the awards because we just wanted to get some more ears and eyes on our podcast, especially the ears of our peers.”

“Mena’s a creative genius and I’ve been looking for a way to ride his coat-tails for ages.”

Everyday Conspiracy Theories explores the curious little mysteries of daily life and asks why. These aren’t hardcore conspiracies – like fake moon landings or flat earth – but fun conversation starters people can cheerfully bring up around the dinner table.

Are pharmacists making us wait unnecessarily for our scripts so we shop for unnecessary things?  Are baristas deliberately misspelling names on coffee cups as part of a calculated marketing strategy?

The show seeks creative explanations as to why these things occur.

“Our episodes are compact, brisk and purposely brief,” Sean explains. “We guarantee that no episode will ever exceed 15 minutes – the perfect soundtrack for a small chore, school run, or sorry excuse for cardio.”

To maximise every minute of this punchy format, Sean says he and Mena (pictured above) spent months workshopping topics, panel testing their demos and refining their chemistry.

“We are motivated to create thought provoking content, and to prove to ourselves that we can get listeners smiling.”

And listeners aren’t the only ones left with smiles on their faces.

Mena says “Sean has been my professional mentor for years, so to work with him and win this award with him is beyond my wildest imaginings.”

“I always say that creating something from scratch is its own reward. This award is just a wonderful bonus. It’s really heartening to know that what we’re working on resonates and has found an audience.”

Here’s a sample for you to enjoy: