Meet Melissa Sweazy | co-creator and co-host of You Can See Me in the Dark, a true ghost story podcast

We had the good fortune of connecting with Melissa Sweazy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Melissa, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I work at a video production company as writer/director and I would often chat with my friend, the audio engineer, Nate Reisman on set, and one day we started trading ghost stories. This was back in 2018 when podcasts were starting to really explode in popularity, and we decided wouldn’t it be great if we started one? Our skillsets perfectly complimented each other, so as a lark, we started telling friends that we were hosting a ghost podcast and the stories started coming in. Six years later, we tell ghost stories from around the world with over 2 million downloads.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I declared myself a writer when I was eight, and honestly I’ve just been trying to work my way back to the bravery and foolishness of that little kid. I hit my creative stride in the 2010s, writing and directing short films, music videos and documentaries that have screened around the world. My first novel has yet to see the light of the day, but I’m hopeful 2025 will be a banner year for storytelling. While my podcast focuses on ghost stories (and honestly as do most of my screenplays and fiction), I think the connective thread between all of my work is the belief that magic is real; perhaps we just need to better understand what it looks like when we encounter it.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Memphis is my hometown and just like anyone/anything you love deeply, you are more than aware of its shortcomings and its ugliness. But it’s got a lot of beauty. Memphis is a city that exists because of the Mississippi River, so taking in the river is a requirement, whether riding your bike on Big River Crossing or strolling the RiverBelt by Mud Island. Grabbing a snack at Cordelia’s, a meal at Cocozza at Mud Island, or a coffee soda from Comeback Coffee would be a bonus. Another spot downtown is Victorian Village, a block of perfectly preserved mansions from the 1800s that now function as museums and a beautiful spot for ghosthunting. Booking a ghost or history tour with Backbeat is a pro move as is grabbing breakfast or lunch from Sunrise around the corner. The River created Memphis, but music is what put it on the map. A pilgrimage to Stax Records in Soulsville is a must as well as a tour of Sun Studios. Typically the only reason you’ll see me on Beale St these days is because I’m headed to a Grizzlies game at the Forum, but its history as the birthplace of blues music and its lesser known history as the epicenter of Root magic makes it a compelling stop for the first time visitor. And to round out the ghost theme here, Elmwood Cemetery might sound like a strange spot to visit, but it’s truly one of the most beautiful places in the city. If you time your visit right, you can take the Soul of the City tour and learn from costumed actors about some of the more notorious citizens of Memphis who make Elmwood their final resting place.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have two shout outs: obviously to my podcasting partner Nate Reisman who really should have his own show where people can hear how hilarious he is. And the second shout out is to the Bell Witch, the urban legend from middle Tennessee who I learned about when I was 10 years old. She was my gateway ghost to the supernatural.

Website: https://www.youcanseemeinthedark.com

Instagram: @youcanseemeinthedark

Twitter: @MelissaSweazy

Image Credits
artwork by Von Muren