By Gary S. Angelo/Tribune Correspondent
Jackie Chin, resident of Warren, Ohio, hosts the Internet radio show, Zombie Palooza Radio, which is associated with the online radio network Ztalkradio. Com. Chin’s show Zombie Palooza airs every Friday from 8 PM to 1 AM Eastern time. Chin said her show, Zombie Palooza Radio delves into the subject of zombies and various kinds of Zombies that no one can hear about anywhere else.
“ I bring the most talented graphic artists , authors, actors, film producers, special effects creators, musicians, Lego builders, and even a race car from Zombie Response Racing Team. They have teamed up with Zombiepalooza Radio and Z Talk Radio in a big way by, placing us on their race car. Most of all, I bring a voice to those who have felt on the outside of normal,” Jackie Chin said.
Chin said that the topic of zombies can help individuals find answers to the dark mysteries and uncertainties of the world.
“Zombies are not pretty, or fancy creatures. They are not cuddly, nor eloquent in their speech, but they can and often do resemble many of the everyday real terrors of the world. If in fact, a real world apocalypse were to occur ,it may result in the causation of zombies. Would the threat come from social aspects, governmental controls, an ‘accidental’ bio threat, a physical earth event, or a threat from outer space? Then once the threat was observed how would we as a species react? Would we survive and thrive, exist with only a whisper of hope for renewal, or go the way of the dinosaur? All of these aspects are covered in books, movies, TV shows, and organizations on Zombie Palooza radio with the intention to educate, bring humor, and solace to those who are hurting, lonely or just seeking some down time,” Jackie Chin said.
Chin discovered that the topic of zombies appealed to the military audience, as well as those who have had experience with a trauma.
“I found as I continued creating more shows, that the world of zombies appealed greatly to military and first responders, those of whom deal most often with emotional and physical trauma. I began to ask them why, since to me it would make sense to find anything that would not resemble trauma in any manner. The answer was more than not the same. There are known vectors: the good guys, the bad guys, the jerk who created the mess, the whiners, and then the innocents. The manner in which the zombie is created varies, but for the most part, the motive is to destroy the zombie and get the ones who were initially responsible. They enjoy the show because it brings a lot of variants to the zombie genre and allows them to inter-relate with others who are like minded,”Jackie Chin said.
Chin also said that another group who enjoys the topic of zombies are children and adolescent demographic, those who are in the 17 year and younger age group. Chin also created a program for this demographic called Junior Zombie Squad.
“ Many of the adults who enjoy zombies have children who also love zombies and this is when Junior Zombie Squad was created. I went on a zombie hunt for authors, fun activities and other creative people to fulfill the need. I often have authors come on the first hour from 8-9 pm Eastern Standard Time and talk about the concept, production and distribution of their book. Once the details are satisfied, they then read aloud their creation. The children love it and the parents are reminded of an old fashioned radio time, where it brings a bit of nostalgia to the show,” Jackie Chin said.
Chin’s objective is to have a creative aspect to the show, to display an eclectic side to the zombie genre.
“My goal for this aspect of the show is to create a mentorship program where those from the adult side of things pair up with a parent to help their child learn about the creative process involving zombies. If they want to learn how to draw, make a short film, create a zombie special effect, write apocalypse stories, create a zombie event, then they will be able to do so with guidance and support. Programs that instill creativity, confidence and a drive for advancement are what children need today,” Jackie Chin said.
Chin’s show has included guest ranging from actors, authors, expert movie makeup artists, and many other fans of the topic of zombies. Chin has had actors that have played roles of zombie walkers from the AMC Series, “The Walking Dead,” including Michael Jaegers, Jeremy Ambler, Danielle Canterbury and William Hart. She has had famous guests from George Romero’s horror film, “Dawn of the Dead” such as the actor and producer, Jim Krut, who played the famous Helicopter Zombie and Mike Christopher, who played the Hare Krishna Zombie. Chin has also had guests on her show from the reality TV series “Face Off” including Roy Wooley, Sarah Elizabeth, Rj Haddy, Tommy Peitch and Eric Fox.
Chin started the show, Zombie Palooza as an instrument to help her husband, Ken Chin, who is a retired army veteran, to overcome a post-traumatic stress syndrome related event six months ago.
“In September 2012, my world as I knew it would change dramatically, while adopting a Siberian husky from a local shelter. My husband's hands were severely injured as the dog attacked without provocation. As he and I were driven to the ER, I knew then and there that this would be a turning point in my husband’s life. After about 3 days, I noticed that he was beginning to be withdrawn, and that depression was starting to set in quickly. He was no longer feeling capable of handling whatever life threw at him and this was beginning to worry me, and the children. So I began to think of a way to help him become more focused on something, anything positive. This is where I stepped out of my comfort zone and sought out his friends on Facebook,” Jackie Chin said.
Chin at first had a show called Practical Paranormal on Blogtalk Radio. She said that her show, Practical Paranormal was how Ztalkradio was interested in her work, Today, Jackie Chin, along with her co-host, James Barker host the show, Zombie Palooza Radio, on Ztalkradio.com.
“In August of 2012, I was picked up by Ztalkradio.com with my show, Practical Paranormal. I had begun to move up towards a higher listener audience and now had a full two hour live radio show. The experience was daunting to say the least. Blogtalk radio was extremely easy to produce ,as it was merely a few clicks on the page and off I went to do a show. With Ztalkradio.com, it was a whole brand new experience. I had to scout for talent, learn a lot of programing, make sure that everything was in working order, understand how to fix technical problems, and produce everything to make it look effortless while on air,” Jackie Chin said.
Chin also works as a paranormal investigator and also has written a book on the Japanese alternative healing therapy, Reiki called, “The Light Within: A Reiki Handbook,” which was published in 2004.
“I am a paranormalist and I am also a clairvoyant. I work with families who have children who see paranormal activity. My husband and I look at various properties with paranormal activity and work as a medium,” Jackie Chin said.
Chin’s co-host, James Barker, has played a role of a zombie walker on the last two episodes of season three of the AMC Series, “The Walking Dead.” Barker is also a spokesperson for Jackie Chin’s campaign, Through The Voice of Zombies. Chin said that Through The Voice of Zombies is a campaign to promote a charity, and to help spotlight a group and organization who needs help with promotions over the air. She promotes these organizations on Zombie Palooza Radio. Barker is based out of Blairsville, Georgia and Chin and Barker use the program Skype to record the show.
“I feel that Chin and I bounce off each other well. We show that zombies are not that bad. On our show, we help people prepare for natural disasters. We link zombies with natural disasters because those events, like zombies can be unstoppable. This forces you to prepare yourself for these events, making sure that you have enough food and supplies. Zombies are like these events and they pretty much take over everything,” Barker said.
For Chin, the Zombie Palooza Radio show is a continuously growing operation.
“I have 250 thousand listeners and the show to me is about the guests and what they bring to the show. I tell my guests to treat the show like a job interview and being well on target with what you are talking about. I am currently trying to get my radio show moved on XM Radio. I have friends trying to move me in that direction. ,” Jackie Chin said
The show Zombie Palooza, has also helped changed people’s perspectives of zombies. Ken Chin, Jackie Chin’s husband, talks about the study of zombies from a military veteran’s perspective.
“For the military and LEO audience, using zombies as a foil for tactical and disaster response helps them better plan and predict their responses to fast moving events. Through our discussions, we’ve established certain protocols about zombies, all gleaned from watching innumerable zombie films. What other people would consider to be the laws of ‘zombie biology’ or ‘zombiology’ as we like to call it, takes a certain amount of the sting from dealing with truly ugly scenarios, which allows them to plan better and with greater accuracy,” Ken Chin said.
Jackie Chin said that the topic of zombies is popular with the military and veteran audience. Ken Chin discusses this.
“For those of us who are retired or ex-military, zombie and zombie apocalypse movies allow us to have a form of entertainment, involving all manner of combatives, which are safe. Among other things is the fun we can find by pointing out the difference between ‘Hollywoodisms’ and what we would do in real life. We may not be able to watch ‘Apocalypse Now,’ ‘Saving Private Ryan’ or ‘Windtalkers,’ but we can watch the ‘Resident Evil’ franchise, ‘Zombie Apocalypse 2012’ and others safely. Anyone who thinks that we believe that zombies might actually show up , we know better, and we’re just having fun,” Ken Chin said.
Jackie Chin enjoys doing the show Zombie Palooza Radio and her enthusiasm helps others to connect with their passions.
“For me the show is uplifting and I help my guests on the show get to the next level with their profession in zombie knowledge. The language on our show is PG-Rated and we follow regular FM Radio rules. With my guests, I want to get their creativity out there and on my show they get to promote themselves in a beautiful way. The reason why my show is so popular, is because I listen to my guests and the passion for their book, film, or product. I take the time to listen to my guests and it’s not about making money off their product, but it’s about giving them assistance and cheering them on,” Jackie Chin said.
Wyzae Crankfield, (aka Zombie Zae The Zombie G of Rap) is a zombie actor, zombie rap artist and writer. Chin plays and promotes Crankfield’s music on Zombie Palooza Radio. She said that his music is reaching a larger audience on her show. Crankfield is also one of Chin’s sponsors and brings in celebrity guests to her show such as Mike Mundy, Sonya Thompson and Big Tiny from “The Walking Dead” plus numerous hip hop Artists and graphic artists. Crankfield’s music by definition is Horror Core rap, but more positive. He is based out of Balitmore, Maryland, and is a touring rapper. His latest album is titled “Momento Mori.”
“I rap about positive aspects such as love, unity and some of our passions as humans, but all from a zombie perspective. My music is like a good horror film that you can watch with your children and family. My music is more of an educated way of expression instead of a scare tactic. I am called ‘Zombie G’ because of my moral outlook on life. I do not like the bad name that other horror core rappers have given the genre and I am trying to be different within that genre, by not rapping about violent topics. It took me a year to put together ‘Momento Mori,’ because I wanted to think about what I was writing about,” Crankfield said.
Crankfield is beneficial in helping Jackie Chin further enhance her show. Through the show, Chin and Crankfield promote each other.
“I have brought authors, artists, and directors in the horror industry on Zombie Palooza Radio Show. Jackie Chin has also brought me more fans through playing my music on her show. Every week she has played my songs in one form or another. I am not on the show every week, but I help her come up with ideas and ideas for guests,” Crankfield said.
~tribtoday.com
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