Splintered Spirits is a podcast hosted by Gary and his nephew, John Santa of Santa Paranormal, built around one stubborn question: What are spirits, really?
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By talking with parapsychologists, ghost hunters, mediums, academics, and other seekers of the strange, and by putting themselves directly into reportedly haunted situations, the show explores the many ways people explain the paranormal. The goal isn’t to prove anything, but to understand what might be going on and why so many experiences feel uncannily similar.
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John brings years of documenting unexplained phenomena. Gary brings curiosity, skepticism, and a very human level of unease about the whole thing. Together, they take a thoughtful, funny, and occasionally unnerving dive into whatever might be happening just beyond the veil.
Gary
Gary Shapiro is a recovering development executive with 25 years in unscripted programming. He spent nearly a decade as the Head of Development for Discovery Studios’ West Coast branch, cranking out more shows about sharks, little people, and Alaska than he cares to remember. As VP of Fox TV Studios, he launched Inked for A&E, kicking off the tattoo-show genre (you’re welcome), and the hit talent competition R U The Girl with T-Boz and Chilli for UPN. Earlier, at USA Network, he helped launch the first season of Nashville Star. He still plays in the production game, but as the older and closer to death he gets, the more curious he is about whatever the hell his nephew is getting into at cemeteries, ghostly conversations, and the afterlife.
John Santa
John Santa, known online as @santaparanormal, is one of TikTok’s most followed live paranormal creators, reaching a community of over one million followers through real-time spirit box sessions that blend historical knowledge, logic, and sharp humor. Streaming live from abandoned buildings, forgotten cemeteries, and a notoriously haunted apartment complex where he serves as both skeptic and superintendent, John replaces jump scares with curiosity and empathy. His audience doesn’t just watch, they participate, whether it's nightly documentations on haunted roads, daytime headstone cleaning, or rallying support to restore the long-neglected Brown Cemetery. Equal parts storyteller and reluctant bridge between worlds, John challenges paranormal tropes while asking the same question every time he goes live: “Spirits, may we have a conversation?”