The Saints Come Alive: An Interview with Melissa Dee

What led you to start your podcast?

My husband’s mom grew up listening to records about the saints and has been telling us to do this for years. Once we became parents, we realized just how much stories of virtue, sacrificial love and holiness are needed for kids. We also wanted to offer a source of entertainment without a screen! We truly feel God calling us to this ministry, and it’s been a labor of love and honor to come to know and love the saints more as we create each episode.

What does the collaboration of your creative/production team look like? What unique strengths do you each contribute?

Our team is made up of three people: my husband, Alex, myself and our closest friend, Tanner. My husband is an actor and filmmaker and has a restless artist’s heart, always seeking beauty. We started out in Los Angeles, but once we had our little boy, James in 2020 we had to get out of there. I promised him that I would help him pursue this call on his heart to tell beautiful stories. Enter Saints Alive. To put it simply, it has been a dream fulfilled working together. The hours are long, we’ve never been more exhausted but we know we are following God’s will in this mission and in our marriage.

You describe your podcast as “Radio Theater Stories.” What is radio theater? 

For each episode we have between 12-18 voice actors for all of our characters, and we use dynamic sound effects and beautiful music to draw you into each episode.

Who is your favorite saint and why?

Saint Therese of Liseux! She has guided me in so many different ways, and I love her humble little way of following Christ and doing His will.

What age range is your podcast intended for?

Our vision is to make Saints Alive the “Catholic Pixar” with storytelling that entertains the whole family without dumbing things down. We’re specifically targeting kids ages 5-12 because they’re living in an era of instant gratification, incessant glowing screens and a culture that is hungry to manipulate them.

Have you encountered any challenges as you’ve produced your podcasts?

The biggest challenge has been the amount of time it takes to make each episode. Between writing multiple versions of each script, scheduling and recording voice actors, promoting each episode and editing, it takes a total of 200 hours to put each episode together. We’ve overcome this challenge by diving in and working as a team; we work through every naptime, early mornings, late into the night. It’s always encouraging to know we’re working side-by-side to achieve our goals.

What type of feedback have you received from your listeners?

We launched Saints Alive two months ago and have over 7,500 listens from all 50 states and 29 countries. This ranks us within the top 5% of podcasts. Every day, we receive countless messages from parents and teachers telling us that this is what they’ve been waiting for, that their kids are listening on repeat and begging for more.

What do you hope to accomplish as you share these engaging stories of the saints?

Saints Alive brings stories of heroic virtue into the home, carpool, classroom, and imagination. Our mission is to serve as the catalyst for children seeking holiness and truth. Our stories are historically accurate and engaging. The saints suffered, endured, and persisted in their faith, and our children need their example.

What are your future plans for the Saints Alive Podcast?

Our concept is simple, but this is only the beginning. Our goal is to become a hub for everything about the saints and a powerhouse of contagious Catholic creativity. We have voice actors from all across the country lending their talent to bring each episode to life. We’re also working with two incredible Catholic artists who will contribute artwork for our website and social media platforms starting in March. The more collaboration we can cultivate, the better our production quality. Eventually, we also hope to publish graphic novels of our saint stories! Lastly, we want to serve as an educational platform. We would offer curated lesson plans that would incorporate history, geography, and catechesis through the lives of the saints.

What else about your podcast is helpful for Catholic homeschooling moms?

Each month, we highlight our favorite picture books and resources on the saint of the month and have discussion questions for our episodes. We also have a monthly artwork contest!