Branden Morgan on Podcasting, True Crime, and the 'X Marks the Spot' Treasure Hunt

From Acting to Podcasting

• 🎭 Branden Morgan began his career in acting and transitioned to writing primarily about 15 years ago, a path he shares with the interviewer.
• ✍️ A pivotal moment was a horror film shoot in Romania, which led to a writing partnership and subsequent opportunities, including selling a show to Sony Television.
• 💡 Despite initial success in Hollywood, career setbacks led him to explore podcasting, initially by accident.

The Genesis of 'The Devil Within'

• 🎙️ Morgan's first true crime podcast, 'The Devil Within,' stemmed from a personal childhood experience and was created without prior knowledge of podcasting conventions.
• ⚠️ The podcast blended true crime elements with a Jersey Devil cryptid origin story, alienating some true crime purists but attracting a supernatural and horror audience.
• 🚀 This success led to him being tasked with building a podcast network, learning the ropes of production and management on the job.

The 'X Marks the Spot' Phenomenon

• 🗺️ 'X Marks the Spot' chronicles the story of Forrest Fenn, who hid a treasure chest and published a memoir with clues to its location.
• 💰 Fenn, a decorated pilot with no formal art education, built a successful art gallery by breaking industry norms and catering to celebrities.
• 💀 Fenn's plan to die with his treasure led to a massive treasure hunt after he recovered from cancer, attracting over a million searchers, tragically resulting in several deaths.
• 🌲 The podcast explored the strange community surrounding the hunt, the eventual discovery of the treasure, and Fenn's death shortly after, which preserved the mystery of the treasure's exact location.

'The Devil Within' Podcast and TV Series

• 🔪 The podcast 'The Devil Within' delves into a 1980s murder case in Jersey where a seemingly perfect 14-year-old boy murdered his mother and himself, with evidence suggesting satanic cult involvement.
• 🧠 Morgan posits that the boy likely experienced a severe mental health crisis, exacerbated by immense pressure and a lack of support, rather than demonic possession.
• 🔍 The investigation faced challenges, including compromised crime scenes, missing records, and the Catholic Archdiocese's swift declaration of demonic possession, which closed the case prematurely.
• 📺 The story has been adapted into a TV series, currently in production, which Morgan notes is largely fictionalized in its later episodes.

Podcasting as a Career and Creative Outlet

• 🛠️ Morgan emphasizes the hard work and long-term commitment required for podcasting, often involving learning multiple skills like editing, marketing, and production.
• 📈 He now runs his own media company, retaining IP ownership, and co-owns a podcast network that supports creators by allowing them to keep ownership of their shows.
• 🎤 The experience has taught him the importance of creative control and the need for hosts to be better presenters to simplify the editing process.