Posted by Shelby Pope | People | 0 |
Drew Ackerman does his best work in the closet.
Ackerman couldn’t sleep as a kid, so now he tells rambling, sleep-inducing stories on his wildly successful podcast.
Every week, Drew Ackerman goes into his closet, arranges himself around his clothes, and talks into a microphone in an attempt to bore people. To insomniacs across the globe, Ackerman is somewhat of a superhero. During the day, he’s a mild-mannered librarian working for the county of Alameda. But at night, he’s Scooter, narrator of the popular podcastSleep With Me, where he tells bedtime stories designed to lull adults to sleep.
As a kid growing up in Syracuse, N.Y., Ackerman couldn’t sleep. His parents slept well, and didn’t understand. Couldn’t he just stop thinking about whatever was stressing him out? Desperate, he turned to comedy radio programs likeDr. Demento. They didn’t help him sleep, but helped distract him from his anxious thoughts.
In 2013, Ackerman, an Alameda resident, was listening to a lot of podcasts. He thought the format might make a good fit for an offbeat idea: boring bedtime stories. “I just can’t forget what it was like lying there, tossing and turning and not being able to sleep,” he said.
He soon developed a fan base for his distinctive storytelling. Ackerman’s tales, which he performs under the name Scooter, start with a quarter-hour introduction and a greeting to “ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and friends beyond the binary.” Afterward, his voice—creaky, with a slight New York accent—slows down, and he’ll embark on the episode’s lackadaisical story. A simple premise, whether it’s a trip to the barber or a talking Prius, becomes a meandering affair, packed with useless amounts of detail, overly long tangents, and mind-numbing dialogue.
“Most ideas are stuff I come across during the day, like candy apples—what’s the best candied apple? Would you use a Granny Smith? Or is that too tart? Do apples have acne? Because the apple I’m picturing has these little bumps. What that’s called?” Ackerman said. “At some point most listeners [think], OK, I don’t need to keep paying attention. I think even the brain is, like, I don’t have to keep processing this language; I can check out.”
His stories are carefully structured to be engaging enough to distract listeners from their circling thoughts, but soporific and repetitive enough to relax them. It’s a tricky balancing act that Ackerman compares to walking around Alameda: “You could take a lot of different lefts and rights, or walk to the water, but you know you’re not going to get lost.”
The podcast, with its chronicles of nuns in space, or Roberta Claus (Santa’s replacement), is goofy. But Ackerman takes his responsibility to his listeners seriously.
“This podcast is a safe place,” Ackerman said. “I want the podcast to feel like this open environment, because we’re getting into this very divided situation during the day in politics. It’s important to remind people: This is a place where you can let your guard down.”
Last summer, Ackerman started worrying. How was he going to keep up with the 40-hour-a-week time commitment and financial burden that comes with the show, which now comes out three times a week. After a vacation, he came back to grateful fan mail: a listener experiencing the death of a loved one, one dealing with PTSD, and one with cancer. Ackerman was reminded of how far the podcast has come, how his pet project for fellow insomniacs has more than 100,000 listeners per episode, makes frequent appearances on the iTunes Top 50 podcast chart, and is listened to in faraway countries like Brazil and Sweden. (There’s even a dedicated, 2,000-member Facebook group for the podcast’s fans).
“If this is helping these three people going through this really difficult time, who am I to give up because it’s getting hard?” he said. “It hit me on a human level: All right, I’ve got to keep going.”
The podcast has impacted Ackerman, too. He flirted with becoming a writer and always enjoyed storytelling but often felt self-conscious about his long windedness or his delight in small, obsessive, details (during our conversation, he interrupted himself: “I’m putting my dog to sleep; she’s yawning.”) But the podcast has made him see the value in those quirks.
“Maybe I have a boring disposition,” he said with a laugh. Sometimes, during recording, he’ll get self-conscious about his ramblings. He has to remind himself: “We’re just making a podcast for people to sleep. Let’s just take a breath and keep going.”
Sometimes he worries: “What if I’m over-developing my boring side? But if that’s a downside, I guess I could live with it.”
Published March 9, 2017 at 8:00 a.m.
I am an enthusiast with extensive knowledge in the field of podcasts, specifically sleep-inducing content. My expertise stems from a deep understanding of the intricacies involved in crafting engaging yet soporific narratives, similar to the approach employed by Drew Ackerman, also known as Scooter, in his successful podcast "Sleep With Me."
Drew Ackerman's podcast, which originated in 2013, has become a global sensation, amassing over 100,000 listeners per episode and consistently ranking in the iTunes Top 50 podcast chart. I am familiar with the unique storytelling techniques Ackerman employs to create a tranquil environment for his audience. His method involves a careful balance of engaging content, long-winded tangents, and mind-numbing details. This intricate blend serves the dual purpose of distracting listeners from their circling thoughts while inducing a state of relaxation conducive to sleep.
One notable aspect of Ackerman's podcast is the personalized and empathetic connection he establishes with his audience. Recognizing the challenges faced by insomniacs and those dealing with various life difficulties, Ackerman views his podcast as a safe space. His commitment to providing a comforting environment is evident in the fan mail he receives, detailing the positive impact of his podcast on individuals coping with issues like the death of a loved one, PTSD, and cancer.
Furthermore, Ackerman's dedication to maintaining the podcast despite the time commitment and financial burden reflects a profound sense of responsibility toward his listeners. His realization that the podcast serves as a source of solace for people in difficult situations underscores the significance of his work beyond its entertainment value.
As for the creative process behind each episode, Ackerman draws inspiration from everyday experiences, turning mundane topics like candy apples into meandering and seemingly endless bedtime stories. The intentional monotony and repetitiveness in his narratives play a crucial role in facilitating the transition from wakefulness to sleep.
In addition to the storytelling aspect, Ackerman emphasizes the importance of the podcast as an open environment, especially in contrast to the divisive nature of contemporary politics. This insight reveals his awareness of the podcast's role in providing a respite from the tumultuous external world.
Overall, Drew Ackerman's "Sleep With Me" podcast stands as a testament to the power of purposeful, monotonous storytelling in creating a soothing and therapeutic auditory experience for listeners around the globe.
