Meet Cameron Jay | Creator, Host, Writer, at Classic City Crime Podcast

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

Hi Cameron, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
When I started Classic City Crime Podcast, I always wanted it to be more than “just another true crime podcast.” I desired not only to create community and conversations surrounding the events of our city’s past as it relates to crime, but to also give victims a voice in the genre.

What I found was that people were looking for something to be a part of, and that members of the community had long been looking for an outlet to seek justice in the 40 unsolved homicides in Athens-Clarke County. Because of the thousands of listeners who have supported me and our podcast, we’ve been able to not only tell the stories of victims to people around the world, but have been able to re-invest our time and our money to uplift others.

After covering the 21 year unsolved murder of Tara Louise Baker for over a year and a half, I knew that the best way for our podcast to honor Tara was to emulate her belief in being the “champion of the underdog.” With the help of Tara’s friends, our podcast was able to award a UGA Law Student a scholarship in her honor- a law school Tara was attending at the time of her murder.

Our work also exposed one truth about our justice system: there exists few avenues and rights for the unsolved homicide victims’ families. Tara’s family and countless other families across Georgia often feel they have no where to turn after decades have passed without answers, communication, investigative support, and resources to bring closure to their families. Having identified this problem and with Tara’s spirit in mind, we launched an initiative to bring about a historic piece of legislation that would for the very first time extend victim’s rights to include victims’ families. The bill was drafted in a partnership with the family of Rhonda Sue Coleman, who was murdered in South Georgia. Our efforts have now led to the bill’s introduction into a house study committee in the Georgia General Assembly with bi-partisan support.

We firmly believe that once the issue is researched in this committee, that Georgia can lead the nation in bringing answers and resources to these families. That’s the power of a podcast– that’s the power of community.

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 created Classic City Crime Podcast at the start of the pandemic, needing a new creative outlet that combined my love for people and my passion for justice. Having had a few different careers- ranging from apprentice funeral director to a marketing director- I decided I wanted to finally focus on writing and using my voice to tell stories.

It most certainly was not an easy decision to leave my full time job (with great benefits!) to totally devote my time to podcasting. More importantly, my time was committed to the family of Tara Louise Baker who was murdered in 2001 and whose story is the subject of Season 1 of the podcast. Through our work together, we were able to reach hundreds of thousands of people with Tara’s story, to revive public interest in her case, and to generate a few new thought provoking leads along the way.

As you can imagine, there are certainly roadblocks in asking questions about unsolved murders. There are some folks who think the past should stay in the past. Others don’t always agree with your methods or your choice of words (and yes, there are certainly things I’d do differently!). Some question your motives and others question your expertise. There’s the pushback from police who understandably question an outsider trying to help in a new, creative way.

However, every time I felt like giving up or every time I considered quitting, I remembered Tara’s mother and the fact that for 21 years she has had little answers about what happened to her little girl. It was her mother’s love that reminded me that it was never about me or about anyone listening- it was about Tara and justice for her family.

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?
I absolutely love everything there is to do in Athens- it really is the “Classic City” we all call it! After sleeping in from what was surely a late night out on the town having drinks at World Famous, We’d definitely have to find time to catch a show at the Georgia theatre, to walk the historic campus of the University of Georgia and to stop for a photo at Sanford Stadium. I’d highly recommend everyone visit Memorial Park and Ben Burton Park for beautiful walking trails and scenes of tranquility! No Athens trip would be complete, however, without a stop at Mama’s boy for brunch complete with mimosas and gravy-covered biscuits! It truly is an Athens favorite!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I could not begin to recognize one single person or group for contributing to the success of this podcast. Families have been brave to tell their stories. Witnesses have been bold enough to share their truths, even when difficult. Listeners have offered support, words of encouragement, donations, and have actively joined in fighting for justice and answers. Each of them has played an integral role in my success.

Website: www.classiccitycrime.com

Instagram: @classiccitycrime

Twitter: twitter.com/cccrimepodcast

Facebook: facebook.com/classiccitycrime

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL0gQoxvqgWhSPPbKj_rtdg

Other: All links found at https://linktr.ee/classiccitycrime

Image Credits
I own rights to images. Provided by Cameron Jay / Classic City Crime