Jeff Belanger lives a life of adventure. Not only has he has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and Machu Picchu, but his professional life revolves around ghosts and legends.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He had his first personal encounter with a ghost in Paris, and since then, has authored a dozen books about the paranormal. He is also a researcher for the Travel Channel\u2019s <\/span>Ghost Adventures<\/span><\/i> (14 years) and <\/span>Paranormal Challenge and Aftershocks<\/span><\/i>, and for <\/span>Amish Haunting<\/span><\/i> on Destination America.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2009, Tony Dunne, a PBS producer, was working on his documentary, <\/span>Things That Go Bump in the Night: Tales of Haunted New England<\/span><\/i>. Jeff and Tony met during the filming, and they quickly realized that they shared an interest in legends. Coincidently, they also discovered that they were born in the same city, at the same hospital, just one year apart. They kept in contact over the next three years, and then, Jeff was inspired to ask Tony if he would be interested in starting a new television series exploring New England legends.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

New England Legends<\/span><\/i> began airing in 2013, and by early 2014, \u201cThe Spooky Berkshires\u201d episode was nominated for a Boston\/New England Emmy in the Magazine Program\/Special category.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In terms of creativity, they were both happy with the show, but they also felt that there might be more.\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Jeff shares, <\/span>\u201cTV production takes a long time. And it’s expensive and so labor-intensive. Tony and I were always complaining\u2014it was like,<\/span><\/i> \u2018Man, I wish we could do hundreds of these stories.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jeff had been a guest on numerous radio shows and podcasts, and a seed was beginning to germinate. He recalls, <\/span>\u201cI’ve always been interested in podcasting, and I thought the podcast medium would remove many of the limitations of television, filming permits, and insurance crews, including incredible associated costs and things like that. And we could get the stories out there more regularly.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

So, Jeff began considering who he might want to co-host the podcast with him, and radio<\/span> personality Ray Auger came to mind. Jeff had been a guest on Ray\u2019s show a few times, and they had become friendly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jeff, who jokes that he <\/span>“bought enough beers to get Ray to say <\/span><\/i>\u2018yes,\u2019\u201d explained his vision to Ray:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe episodes will be short and concise. We’re not going to go on and on, like,<\/span><\/i> \u2018Hey, man, how was your weekend?\u2019 <\/span>They will be scripted and succinct stories.\u201d<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Ray thought it was a fantastic idea, and they agreed to give it a try. The first episode of the <\/span>New England Legends<\/span><\/i> podcast\u2014which has been voted number two on <\/span>Podcast Magazine<\/span><\/i>\u2019s Top 50 Dads in Podcasting listicle this year\u2014debuted in 2017, and they are proud of the fact that they haven\u2019t missed a single week since its inception (that\u2019s 247 weeks and counting, for those who are curious).<\/span><\/p>\n

Ray\u2019s interest in joining the podcast stems from personal experience. <\/span>\u201cI grew up in New England,\u201d<\/span><\/i> he shares, <\/span>\u201cwhich means I grew up with the history. My family traveled throughout the region and learned about different legends, like Bigfoot, which can be a northeastern phenomenon. I think I’ve always been fascinated by these stories. And beyond New England, there\u2019s the Loch Ness monster, and all those fun legends and stories about ghosts, goblins, and vampires. I’ve always been a fan of horror, and I do believe in the supernatural. Meeting Jeff wasn’t just by luck. I think it was fate. By inviting me to join the podcast, he gave me an opportunity to explore my love of the unknown a bit more.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Prior to meeting Jeff, Ray had a paranormal experience in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He recalls, <\/span>\u201cI had a morning show in Portsmouth with two other people. We spent a night locked in at the Portsmouth Music Hall on Halloween Eve. We would record a little bit, asking a question, and then we\u2019d wait for an answer from a ghost. We actually caught an EVP<\/span><\/i> [electronic voice phenomenon] <\/span>on tape. It was really exciting. So yes, I’ve always been a fan, but a very amateur fan.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Jeff\u2019s interest in the paranormal also began at a young age. He remembers, <\/span>\u201cI was born in Massachusetts, but mainly grew up in Sandy Hook, Connecticut. I had friends from a young age who said their homes were haunted. One lived in a house that was built in 1760. One day, in a very matter-of-fact manner, he said,<\/span><\/i> \u2018My house is haunted, but don’t tell your parents.\u2019 <\/span>I thought that was amazing! I also grew up in the town next to Ed and Lorraine Warren, who’ve been featured in all the <\/span><\/i>Conjuring<\/span> movies. I knew them since I was 13. I’d been to the museum, and I would watch their presentations around Halloween.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

While Jeff is proud of all his accomplishments, the podcast is top of his list and brings him endless excitement. <\/span>\u201cPeople pay me to go look for ghosts and monsters all over the world. And that’s so great!<\/span><\/i> But<\/span><\/i> New England Legends <\/span>is ours. We answer to nobody except each other and our audience. It’s so liberating. We don\u2019t need to worry about focus groups. It\u2019s our creative work, and it’s just so satisfying.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Jeff says their podcast works as well as it does largely in part because of the structure and the way they have chosen to record their episodes. <\/span>\u201cI write most of the episodes and craft how they will go. I try to think about them as a visual documentary. I knew right from the get-go that we would use voice actors. If we get an old quote from a newspaper from<\/span><\/i> 1880, for example, we\u2019re not just going to read it. We\u2019ll have a voice actor and add sound effects to really bring people into the story.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cThe podcast medium is so intimate\u2014it\u2019s just you and your listeners, in their earphones, in their cars, wherever they’re listening. And Ray isn’t just a radio guy; he’s also a sound engineer. He knows this stuff inside and out. I don’t. And so very naturally, the two roles were obvious. I always defer to Ray on the audio, and he defers to me on the story. As he explained earlier, he’s newer to this, so he also represents the audience, asking questions they\u2019d likely ask, too. I’m more of a guide.\u201d<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ray proudly adds, <\/span>\u201cWe did win the Sound Bites Award in November from the Massachusetts Broadcasters Association, which was pretty awesome. I know that Jeff respects my role, and I respect his. I only wrote one episode, which I’m very proud of, but by the end of it, it was very clear that Jeff is the writer.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cNeither of us overstep. It’s important to have roles, I think. We don’t want to blur the lines, because that can cause inconsistencies. Jeff\u2019s specific method of writing is why people have fallen in love with this podcast. He\u2019s also known as being the expert in the unknown. People know him, have bought his books, and watched the show on Amazon. What we both bring together is the personality. And I think that is hard to find in a podcast. I’m not trying to toot our own horns, here, but we are somewhat voice actors ourselves, reading Jeff’s script. We act. If a story is set in Connecticut in 1822, and there’s a vampire chasing us, we are completely in that moment, and it makes a big difference.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

To add even more fun into the mix for their fans, Jeff and Ray have a complementary app for their show. <\/span>\u201cThere’s literally a pin for every episode we’ve done,\u201d<\/span><\/i> Jeff explains. \u201c<\/span>You click on the pin, and not only can you hear the story, but you can also get driving directions. These stories don’t just connect us with our history and our communities. They connect us with each other when we share them. And that’s the best part. The app allows listeners to become part of the story with us. If you want, you can just listen, but you can also get in your car and go visit the very places we\u2019re talking about. We also have a Facebook group you can join and share your own stories. It\u2019s all part of celebrating the weirdness that makes New England like no other region.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Recently, <\/span>New England Legends<\/span><\/i> won its first Communicator Award for Episode 214: \u201cThe Leaping Lumberjacks of Central Maine,\u201d in the Individual Episodes – Documentary for Podcasts category.<\/span><\/p>\n

With over four million downloads and counting, the future looks bright for the hosts of this impressive podcast.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 2022 Issue<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jeff Belanger lives a life of adventure. Not only has he has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and Machu Picchu, but his professional life revolves around ghosts and legends.\u00a0 He had his first personal encounter with a ghost in Paris, and since then, has authored a dozen books about the paranormal. He is also a researcher for the Travel Channel\u2019s Ghost Adventures (14 years) and Paranormal Challenge and Aftershocks, and for Amish Haunting on Destination America. In 2009, Tony Dunne, a PBS producer, was working on his documentary, Things That Go Bump in the Night: Tales of Haunted New England. Jeff and<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":12740,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[220,3244,3243,3239,3242,3241,3245,350,219,3240],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n