Podcast UFO

Bryce Zabel and Brent Friedman, creators of NBC’s Dark Skies, join Podcast UFO to discuss the strange real-life event that sparked their new investigative podcast, Sound, Light & Frequency. They share how their personal interest in UFOs began (including Bryce’s childhood discovery of the McMinnville “Trent Farm” photos, and Brent’s startling “aliens are real” disclosure from a Reagan-era family friend), plus Brent’s more recent UFO-style sighting during the Perseid meteor shower on Vancouver Island, tiny star-like lights moving erratically and seeming to drop into the ocean. The conversation turns to why witnesses stay silent, including stories Bryce heard from strangers after Dark Skies aired, schoolyard sightings with dozens of witnesses that never made the news, followed by families insisting: “don’t ever talk about it.” From there, Bryce and Brent explain the premise of Sound, Light & Frequency: an active investigation into whether Hollywood has been part of a long “chicken-and-egg” feedback loop with UFO culture, did filmmakers invent ideas that later entered ufology, or were real narratives quietly fed into film and TV? They preview their central claim: a mysterious “Man in Black”-type figure crashed their Dark Skies premiere party in the 1990s, claimed ties to the Office of Naval Intelligence, and allegedly offered a “deal” connected to a slow-drip disclosure program, truth inserted into fiction. They won’t fully reveal the details here (they insist listeners start with Episode 1), but they confirm follow-up meetings occurred and that the encounter never stopped haunting them. They also reveal how Dark Skies was sold with an elaborate “top secret” style series bible mapping a multi-season timeline, then the eerie twist: the exact “cover of fiction to tell truth” concept they pitched to networks later appeared to boomerang back on them in real life. The episode closes with their plan to examine iconic UFO films and series (Close Encounters, Contact, The Abyss, The X-Files, V, and more), vet tips from insiders, and look for patterns, without claiming they already have the answers.
SHOW NOTES

THIS WEEK'S BLOG BY CHARLES LEAR: MR X

by UFO History Buff & Author, Charles Lear 
Brazil has a history of official UFO investigation almost as long as that of the United States. However, it has an official policy on disclosure that predates the U.S.’s by more than a decade. In 1954, the Brazilian Air Force started The First Confidential Inquiry into Unidentified Aerial Objects in response to the first major flap in that country. In 1969, the Sistema de Investigação de Objetos Aéreos Não Identificados (SIOANI) was established, and nearly 100 detailed case files were accumulated up until its termination in 1972. After this, in 1977, in response to reports of injuries and deaths as a result of UFO encounters in the area of Pará (mainly in Colores) Operação Prato was authorized by Colonel Protásio Lopes de Oliveira. This resulted in more than 2000 photos, 16 hours of film, and a 179-page report. The First Confidential Inquiry, SIOANI and Operação Prato files were classified for decades, but thanks to a freedom of information campaign begun in April of 2004 by the Brazilian UFOlogist and publisher of UFO Revista, Ademar José Gavaerd, many of the files were shown to him and other UFOlogists in 2005 as a prelude to releasing them to the general public. Then, in 2010, Brazil issued Ordinance 551/GC3, requiring every branch of the military and aviation sectors to collect and transfer all UFO reports to the Aerospace Defence Command in Brasilia along with any material proof by way of photos or video on a yearly basis. There, it is to be catalogued and made available to the public. Along with this, since 2012, the Air Force has periodically released declassified files through the Brazilian National Archives, and recently released 893 reports in May of this year. In this blog, we’ll look at the history of the Air Force investigation, the efforts of Gevaerd and other UFOlogists to gain access to the case files, and some of the most interesting (at least to us) cases (translated files can be found here) found within them. Read more →
*Note: audioblogs are now a cloned AI version of Martin’s voice.

Did Barack Obama slip — and then walk it back? In a recent interview with political commentator Brian Tyler Cohen, Obama was asked point-blank: Are aliens real? His response: “They’re real… but I haven’t seen them.” He followed with laughter, referencing conspiracy theories about extraterrestrials being hidden at Area 51, suggesting such a secret would be impossible to conceal — even from a president. Later, he clarified that he framed part of his answer humorously. But was that clarification damage control? Tonight, Martin and UFO Jack go deeper. We revisit Obama’s earlier appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where he was pressed on the same topic — and we review the exceptional breakdown by investigator Ben Hansen, who analyzed Obama’s phrasing, timing, increased respiration, and body language frame by frame. Are we witnessing: Political humor? Strategic ambiguity? Or a carefully managed narrative? Two interviews. Two different contexts. One unanswered question. We’ll compare tone, wording, micro-expressions, and consistency — and let you decide whether this was just a joke… or something more.

During the show, and authentic post on social media was posted:

Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump Based on the tremendous interest shown, I will be directing the Secretary of War, and other relevant Departments and Agencies, to begin the process of identifying and releasing Government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs), and any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters. GOD BLESS AMERICA!  LINK

by UFO History Buff & Author, Charles Lear The first feature-length UFO documentary was titled, appropriately, Unidentified Flying Objects with the subtitle, The True Story of Flying Saucers. It was produced by Clarence Greene and released in 1956. Researcher Robert Barrow devoted a blogspot.com site to it titled UFO: The True Story of Flying Saucers and posted from June 2008 until July 2025. In his June 12, 2008, post, “The Driving Force: Clarence Greene,” Barrow includes a statement “signed” by Greene, but he tells the reader that he found it on the web “uncredited.”According to Greene in his July 26, 1967, statement titled, “UFO: Why I Made Unidentified Flying Objects,” one night in August of 1952, a friend called his attention to something in the sky Greene describes as “a sphere of light.” They watched it for about five minutes as it moved, stopped, made turns, and then moved off over the horizon. He later learned that members of the Ground Observation Corps had also observed it. Read more →

*Note: audioblogs are now a cloned AI version of Martin’s voice.

For fun, Martin has a direct conversation with Grok about UFOs, Elon Musk, and Starlink. We examine Musk’s claim that with thousands of Starlink satellites in orbit, none have ever had to dodge an alien craft — and whether that actually proves anything given the vastness of space.

The discussion moves into some of the most compelling UFO cases on record, including the 2004 Nimitz encounter, the Phoenix Lights, and the 1994 Ariel School incident in Zimbabwe. Another great Grok opinion: "Maybe those kids got a backstage pass to something bigger!"

We explore pilot testimony, mass sightings, centuries-old reports, and why certain cases continue to stand out decades later. The conversation also touches on government technology, drones, long-standing historical accounts, and whether humanity may simply be missing part of the bigger picture. A thoughtful, candid exchange blending AI analysis with research and opinions.