Illustration by Zachary Ghaderi
Cincinnati native Christine Schiefer has made a name for herself since leaving the Queen City for the West Coast in 2015. The 28-year-old Los Angeleno is a full-time podcaster behind the paranormal true-crime comedy show And That’s Why We Drink with cohost Em Schulz. We chatted with Schiefer about her Cincinnati roots, breaking into the podcasting biz, her show’s unique mash-up genre, and the highlight of her career so far.
You’re from Cincinnati, right?
I grew up in Clifton. My parents are both from Germany so it’s not like there are deep roots [in Cincinnati]. We somehow created them for ourselves.
What made you get into podcasting?
I was temping in L.A., but I told Em all about podcasts. We started listening to them, and one day Em said, “Well, we always stay up until 3 a.m. talking about creepy stuff anyway. Why don’t we try recording it?” We spent basically all our savings on audio equipment.
Why the mix of true crime and the paranormal?
Em used to work as a paranormal investigator. When we met, I was drawn to that because that’s something I’ve loved since I was a kid; I grew up with a Ouija board under my bed. So without being too creepy, I tried to chat with them about their work as an investigator. Then when we started hanging out more and talked about that incessantly.
Why do you think people are drawn to true crime?
I think part of the reason women in particular are drawn to true crime is that, over the span of existence, we have always been victimized more than men. As much as it’s a morbid fascination on one hand, it’s also a matter of taking control back. I think it’s important not to hide the darkness that exists in the world.
What has been the most surreal moment since you started the podcast?
I think the biggest one was definitely winning the Webby Award. That was just one of those moments where we thought, Are we really here? It was incredible.
The And That’s Why We Drink podcast will appear at Bogart’s on May 16, the last stop of its Spring 2020 Tour.
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