Tony Sweet

By Alexander Rodriguez

Over the last few years, the paranormal world has become less stigmatic, and dare we say even cool. From the first UFO sightings that people were afraid to report in fear of being labeled crazy to the grainy footage of bigfoot sightings to the gothic ghost stories of yesterday, they have evolved to aliens now being figured into our civilization’s history, financially funded scientific bigfoot research, and University degrees for ghost hunting. How far the paranormal world has come. One of the figures at the forefront is from our very own community. Using his power in podcasting, Tony Sweet has become a celeb in the paranormal world bringing some mainstream media flair to the industry.

Born and raised in a small town (literally his town had 200 people and one stoplight) in Kansas, he did every odd job he could to raise money to build his brand. He became the 5th ranked All-American collegiate track athlete as well as a consummate singer, earning a runner-up win for Gospel Dream on the Gospel Music Channel. His popularity led to his first radio show, then to internet radio, and now dominating the filmed podcast market. Always a step ahead in the industry, he started podcasting before it was popular at the famed Sunset Gower Studios, the place where Golden Girls, Saved by The Bell, Funny Girl, Six Feet Under, Scandal, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?, and so many more were filmed. Now, under UBNGO Studios, Tony oversees 70 podcasts garnering over 1 million downloads per month at his high-tech office of studios in Burbank, across from Warner Bros & Disney. Always ahead of the industry, he has been doing filmed podcasts for over a decade, something that is just now booming in the podcast market. He hosted his own show, On Air With Tony Sweet, which gained him a massive following as listeners tuned in to hear his provocative interviews with notable guests like Melissa Etheridge, Mo’Nique, Debbie Reynolds, and many more. His most recent endeavor is establishing LGBTQiGO Studios, a spinoff of his network, featuring a bevy of LGBTQ podcasts for and by the community.

Throughout his successful career, the world of the paranormal has always been on his mind. From his early experiences in his youth to his avid research into the genre, he has always been fascinated. He shifted focus from his entertainment talk show to his newest show, Truth Be Told, which seeks answers from the world’s leading experts in the field of UFO investigations, abductions, the Paranormal, secret societies, and historical moments and figures in history. The show has become a leading pioneer for the paranormal as a podcast and on WebTV with a total of 10 million downloads to date. Some of his interesting topics so far? People who live their lives as vampires, activating your healing power, cloning of ancient animals, the identity of angels, and of course the usual mix of ghost, bigfoot, and UFO chats. That’s not even scratching the surface of his topics.

Last month, he successfully debuted Parapod Festival – a twoday series of workshops, fan gatherings, meditation, ghost hunts, psychic sessions, vendor booths, and an awards show. Even in its first year, it was a nearly sold-out success, featuring some of the top names from the paranormal world. He ran all of this with his small team and his husband. Though there were eccentric personalities as speakers and attendees, the crowd also featured very mainstream folk that were along for a ride, proving that this genre is not just for nerds anymore.

Tony’s plans are to incorporate more of the LGBTQ community into his paranormal world, with an LGBTQ-focused paranormal pod, and more presence from our group at next year’s Parapod Festival. We were able to catch up with Tony in between podcasts for a quick chat about the paranormal, podcasting, and of course, our community.

When did your fascination with the paranormal begin?

It all started when I was young and experienced some paranormal events. When I was around 6 or 7 years old, I grew up in a house that was haunted. That is where I saw my first ghost - an old man that we think built the house back in the early 1900s. I can tell you that there is nothing like being visited by a spirit at that young age. It was terrifying and equally exciting. Around the same time my mom, sisters, brother, and I encountered a UFO that was hovering over a lake outside my hometown. We know from UFO history that UFOs love small towns, and my town certainly fits the MO. Experiencing these events at such an early age, I wasn’t affected by the attitude towards stuff like that. I was open-minded and fully accepting. Ever since then, the paranormal has just been a normal part of my life. I’ve always been in tune with the oddities around me.

Why do you think the genre has had such a boom in recent years?

Well, I believe due to shows such as Ancient Aliens and Ghost Hunters have made it mainstream and more people are open to talking about their own encounters and don’t feel like they are the only ones. I feel that the stigma of the paranormal was brought up by the fear of the unknown. Now we have science backing up a number of occurrences from this genre. With social media and even TV jumping on the bandwagon, it is something less to be fearful of and more to be fascinated by. Paranormal experiences can also bring people of all types together, sharing common stories no matter where they are from, their class, ethnicity, or even sexuality.

We haven’t seen a lot of LGBTQ personalities in the paranormal world…why do you think that is? Is that changing?

Like most any genre, it has been predominantly white, older men. But yes, it is slowly changing, and LGBTQ people are being represented in the paranormal genre mostly in the psychic world. Still, most are not comfortable about being out to the mainstream for fear of being rejected. From my own experience, people are changing and more accepting, we just have to be brave and take the chance. We are also finding a number of pioneers in the paranormal world actually come from the LGBTQ community, we just didn’t know it. And again, to share that the paranormal world doesn’t care about sexuality, we are all one in these phenomena. We are also seeing younger and younger generations getting involved in the genre, these generations are unaffected by the bigotry our community has received prior. There are many gender non-conforming and fluid ideas brought up in the world of psychic experience, other dimensions, as well as witchcraft. And ghosts aren’t really telling us their sexuality just yet. Wink, wink.

What are some of the biggest misconceptions people have about paranormal fans?

I giggle because a lot of people think if they share their experiences, they will be considered weird, odd, or crazy. We are the ones who are normal because most science is considered impossible until proven possible. Yes, there are always those extreme personalities within our faction –just like any fan base – but when you spend time with each other, like at my Parapod festival, you find we aren’t all that different.

From the paranormal world, what do you most believe in?

I do believe in the spirit world. When my mother passed away, she told me her mother and other beings started visiting her a few weeks before she died, and I knew they were coming to celebrate her entrance to the new realm. Having experienced spiritual visitations myself, I know they are real. Most of us are shut off from receiving spiritual energy because of the business of our lives or our inability to take a moment and hear the world that is going on around us. Put your phones down, try some meditation, and you will be surprised how attuned you can become to what’s just beyond your reach.

From the world of UFOs, I do believe the 1947 crash at Roswell was a military/government coverup. I believe that aliens have been coming here since the beginning of humanity. One of the reasons I believe this is true is because after the 1947 crash, our technology increased extremely fast with the help of unknown technology before this event.

What from the paranormal world do you NOT believe in?

Flat earthers. I mean, come on.

Your podcast, Truth Be Told, has become a big hit. What do your listeners love most about your show?

Most feedback I get from listeners is that I have topics from all paranormal topics, not just focused on one topic, and people seem to love it. There’s so much more to the paranormal world than ghosts, UFOs, and bigfoot. Much more. I also find listeners feel comfort in knowing others are out there that have the same beliefs, they are not alone. Plus, we cover some very interesting ground with some undeniable facts that would be thrilling for even a non-believer to eavesdrop on.

What has been one of the most surprising things you’ve learned from one of your guests?

That bigfoot might be more of an interdimensional being instead of an ancient primate. It’s an interesting theory that makes sense. We aren’t just regulated to the grainy videos of bigfoot from decades ago. There have been scientific studies and more proof collected. It is truly fascinating to think visitors to our Earth are not just from the sky.

Congrats on putting together the first-ever ParaPod Festival! What were some of the biggest challenges in producing the event?

Well, the biggest challenge is proving your event to convince people to attend and show that you bring something different to the table. The paranormal family is very loyal to their trusted brands. Because of the increase in popularity in paranormal-related content, there are some people out there that are just trying to make a buck from the community that are not part of it and don’t know how to provide quality content. Though I knew we put together a great event, I was humbled and pleasantly surprised with the guests that we were able to book and the number of attendees that came in from all over the nation. In addition to Truth Be Told, it is an honor to be accepted into the realm of live paranormal festivals. Can’t wait for next year! If you are part of the paranormal world or have a show or podcast, you’d like to pitch, let me know!

Who from the paranormal world would you love to meet the most, and what would you ask them?

I am honored to say that I have interviewed most of the main players in the paranormal world, but I think if I could ask one person a question, I would ask the late Edgar Casey if Atlantis was real, and what could we learn from their faults to save our own future. For those who don’t know, Edgar Casey is believed to be America’s greatest 20th-century psychic who gave more than 14,000 readings and drew on some of those readings, placed within the context of reincarnation, to offer evidence of the civilization of Atlantis.

What do you think the future of podcasting will look like? How do you successfully highlight a podcast when there are so many out there?

Between social media and podcasting, it will take over as the #1 source of entertainment even though it will get over-saturated. The ones that stick with it and create amazing, consistent content will have remarkable success. My advice is to find your uniqueness and not try to replicate someone else. Find your passion and bring it to the world and don’t hesitate and don’t alter it because someone gives you negative remarks. Just be yourself and do it!

UBNGO has an LGBTQ wing on the network called LGBTQiGO. What is your message to the LGBTQ community for this Pride season?

I ask you to be strong. Be you and don’t let your activism go idle. There is still much work to be done and, as you can see, there are still people that want to take away rights from us that have already been given to us. I don’t know about you but that ain’t gonna happen! We won’t allow it. Happy Pride Season!

Check out more about Parapod Festival at www.Parapodfestival.com

Check out Tony’s Truth Be Told show at www.truthbetoldparanormal.com