“Your Own Backyard” podcast creator Chris Lambert teaches fans how to start their own podcast
SANTA MARIA, Calif. -- "Your Own Backyard" podcast creator Chris Lambert taught fans how to create their own podcast at the Santa Maria Library today.
His podcast that was released in 2019 dived into the missing case of Kristin Smart, who went missing in 1996. Your Own Backyard has been streamed globally 30 million times.
Fans of Lambert like Cal Poly student Shabella Oliver, said the podcast changed their life for the best.
“I also lived in the red bricks I lived, which is right next to one of the buildings where, you know, it happened. So I felt very connected to the podcast but also the situation itself," said Oliver.
Lambert said he asked the Smart family if he could tell their daughters story. He never imagined it would re-open the Smart case and bring justice to her memory.
“The sheriff's department finally called me and said, we're willing to sit down for an interview with you, because they had heard the episodes I had put out and they thought, okay, like we're ready to talk. That was the moment where I thought, okay, I've really affected something here. Like there was some impact," said Lambert.
Cal Poly employees, parents and students were in attendance along with other members of the community. Many people expressed their appreciation for the podcast that brought closure to a whole community.
“It’s still a very emotional topic for a lot of us Cal Poly Students," said Oliver.
Lambert said his motives were questioned during trial but he reminded himself why he began his podcast, to find Kristin Smart.
“It was said a lot in court. He made a podcast with the intention of convicting this man. That was why he put the podcast out. And I kept thinking, Wait, I put the podcast out because someone's missing and I want to find her. It had nothing to do with who did it. It was just that everything kept pointing back to this guy. That's the story. And so the moment that the judge told him to his face, how she felt, it was like, okay, I'm not crazy and I'm not mistaken. This is, this was a good way to spend my time," said Lambert.
He showed guests how he records and edits his podcast and also expressed the emotional investment this case brought into his own life.
“I just cried a lot. The moment in sentencing where the judge directly addressed Paul Flores And she said, Mr. Flores, you're a cancer to society and you deserve to spend every day you have left behind bars. It was like the most validating moment of my life probably," said Lambert.
Lambert said, Your Own Backyard is not over, and will return as the Smart case continues. He said there is developing information that cannot be released at this time.
