The truth is out there
Sydney man investigates mysterious stories on popular podcast
As a child, Jordan Bonaparte’s favourite activity was to head into the woods at night with a flashlight in hand in hopes of a scary experience.
He may be all grown up now with a spouse, a child, a full-time job in the insurance industry, and a mortgage, but the Sydney native, who now resides in Halifax, is still searching for things that go bump in the night.
“It all started when I was a kid watching Unsolved Mysteries on television,” recalled Bonaparte, who is now in his mid-30s.
“I’ve been into true crime, mysteries and paranormal stories from as far back as I can remember, probably at an age young enough to concern my parents, and I’ve never grown out of it.”
Bonaparte is, in fact, more into it now than he’s ever been. And, from the comfort of his basement studio, he singlehandedly researches, writes and hosts a twice-monthly online audio broadcast called The Night Time Podcast.
His first episode, uploaded to the web in October of last year, told the story of the UFO sighting his grandparents experienced in 1986 over Munro Point, located across St. Anns Harbour from Englishtown.
By the end of 2015, he had produced six more podcasts, including one episode dedicated to exploring claims of a Sasquatch sighting in Pictou County.
Bonaparte, whose podcasts often feature guest experts, has now uploaded 21 episodes and by summer’s end he expects his shows will have had more than one million downloads, a milestone he credits to hard work and diligent preparation.
“I drill deep into a topic,” he said. “I love to do the research and I pride myself on having well-researched topics and since I started everything’s got better.”
Along with UFO and Bigfoot sightings, his podcast topics have also included suspicious disappearances, unexplained mysteries, paranormal activities, and retrospectives of true crime stories.
So what is it that compels a man, who is admittedly a logical and sceptical person, to pursue stories about aliens, ghosts and other legendary mysteries?
“Today’s world can be seen as monotonous, a little dull and maybe a little too safe, so what’s driving me to pursue these mysteries is my search for whatever little bit of magic or mystery the world has left in it,” said Bonaparte, who is a former member of the Cape Breton-based band Airport.
“Sometimes it’s hard not to just feel like a number in this big plastic machine full of fake wood panelling everywhere, so to me the idea that there are mysteries and unexplainable events happening makes the world a more exciting place than it appears to be on the surface.”
Bonaparte is presently negotiating with a potential online advertiser, but he said his hobby is driven by passion and not by money.
“I’d love to make money at it, but that’s not my motivation - I just find it a lot of fun and I’d be happy to do it forever without making a cent,” he said.
“This is a great way to connect with like-minded people and I’m motivated to share these stories with other people as a way of wrapping myself around the mysteries – it gives me an excuse to climb down the rabbit hole.”
Bonaparte said there is no shortage of mysteries to pursue and that he’s only ticked off four topics from his original list of more than 50 ideas.
“I haven’t even scratched the surface of the stories I want to cover,” he declared.
All of the show’s episodes can be downloaded at www. nightimepodcast.com. And, for like-minded wanting to meet the man behind the microphone, Bonaparte is hosting a listener gathering on Aug. 18 in Halifax.