Humans love to tell stories. When those stories reveal the dark underside of our basest desires and lead to actual crimes they become truly compelling. In every new episode of the True Crime Obsessed podcast, creator and co-host Patrick Hinds along with Gillian Pensavalle breaks down mysteries surrounding some of the most gruesome and tragic real-life crimes.

Hinds shares why he is a self-confessed true crime junkie and how Patreon has helped his dream of running a podcast full-time come to fruition. “I’m into the mystery, the whodunit, I’m into the what happened, because I’m the kind of person that will spend 18 hours in a Google black hole all night long when I should be sleeping!” It’s this passion that makes the podcast so compelling. Both hosts get incredibly animated and invested in the stories they present. Listeners can’t help but to share in their enthusiasm.

Although Hinds describes his interest in true crime as an obsession it wasn’t his first foray into the world of podcasts. In fact, he was formally the host of the popular Theatre People podcast beginning in 2013.

Making a full-time income from his passions still surprises and delights Hinds who credits Patreon with providing him the opportunity to make it all a reality. “Being able to make a living with our podcast has been magical, which is why I’m the world’s biggest Patreon ambassador!” he says.These are the benefits that Hinds loves about building and connecting with his community through Patreon:

Reaching a New Audience

Patreon helps to build community fan bases. New people can find you through your Patreon account and the relationships you develop with them go far beyond just a “like” on a social media platform. You’re able to make a connection and draw them into the process of how and why you create. The community that you build through your Patreon fan base share your enthusiasm and interest for whatever topic or medium you work with. “I’m just an obsessive personality and true crime, gives me that opportunity to investigate forever but never really know what happened, which for some reason I find very enjoyable,” Hinds says, and it would seem that True Crime Obsessed listeners would agree.

Patreon allows creatives to make authentic relationships with their fans through their shared obsessions. Once you build your community it can actually lead to whole new streams of revenue that you may not have considered before, like the live shows from Hind’s podcast.

Making Your Project Sustainable

The beauty of Patreon is that it allows creators to completely focus on their projects. They can rest assured that their recurring revenue from patrons will keep the lights on while they concentrate on making great content or art. This predictability gives creatives peace of mind and allows them to develop and expand their projects as well as plan for future growth.

Giving Fans What They Want

Hinds has found that the Patreon platform gifts him with better access to fans and the ability to tailor the podcast to their unique interests. That sort of immediate feedback ensures that episodes stay fresh and deeply connect with the listener. “Our audience wanted more of us, we have the perfect opportunity to create more content and to reach our fans in a new way, and maybe even try our podcast in a different way,” he says.

Focus on Your Craft

Hinds is first and foremost a fan. His podcast interests have always blossomed from his passions, obsessions even. “The reason I wanted to get into podcasting was because I was such a fan of podcasts and true crime. I just wanted to be involved in a world that I already loved,” he says.

Building a community of fans on Patreon has allowed him to fund the project which frees up so much creative mental space to focus on the work. The podcasts keep getting better because Hinds and his co-host have the opportunity to practice, hone, and perfect their storytelling and analysis skills, without having to worry about funding. “Patreon has really enabled us to make more and better content and to really spend time focusing on getting better because we don’t have to worry about running to a job. We can really make a podcast a job, which is insane but possible,” he says.