Pokémon Professor started as an idea that Founder, Ken Pescatore had when looking for a creative outlet that he could work on from home once the normal people in the house had gone to sleep. While talking in to a mic and editing with headphones on was definitely a realistic night time hobby, he soon realized that it was just the first step in a never ending Pokémon journey.
The first episode of the Gotta Watch'em All Podcast was released on August 1st, 2016 under the banner of Toys For Games, a Podcast Community focusing on video games and collecting which Ken was the Community Manager for. The show was originally hosted by Ken and his (then) wife Melissa, however she stepped down from hosting a few months after release and was replaced by Adam Tuttle. Gotta Watch'em All was the original name of the brand, which was re-branded to the Pokémon Professor Network (PPN) in early 2019. For more info, visit GottaWatchemAll.com.
While the Pokémon: The Series is discussed on Gotta Watch'em All, the overwhelming popularity and demand for Pokémon GO content spawned the creation of the Lured Up Podcast. The first episode of Lured Up was released on September 5th, 2017. Originally hosted by Ken, Melissa and Adam, the show and brand soon took off and we had found our identity and flow. Melissa stepped down from hosting in early 2020. The popularity of Lured Up influenced the decision to continue growth of the Network as well as our efforts on Social Media and at live events. For more info, visit LuredUp.com.
Having roots in the Pokémon TCG, Special Conditions was a passion project for Adam, which came full circle when Toys For Games co-creator, Josh Brown was recruited as the original co-host. When Josh stepped down from the show, Ken filled the role however as the PPN has grown, Ken's duties have taken him away from the microphone. Justin Keller has taken the permanent seat as co-host and brings a more technical and competitive focus to the show. For more info, visit SpecialConditionsTCG.com.
The community surrounding the Lured Up Podcast was eager to dig even further into the immersive world that Niantic had created with Pokémon GO. This spawned Wayspotters, which takes a deep dive into the Niantic Wayfarer process and culture. This show was truly powered by the Community as hosts Jamal and Lachlan met through the Pokémon Professor Network Patron Zoom calls! For more info, visit Wayspotters.com.
The NJ GO Battle League (formerly NJ Silph Arena) is our project that is outside of the Podcast space. Focusing on competitive Pokémon GO, the NJ GBL is an accredited Silph Arena Community hosting multiple remote tournaments each month, while we await the return on in-person Tournaments. The NJ GBL has developed an exceptionally active Discord Community of over 50 different Pokémon GO Communities in NJ and beyond. For more info visit NJGOBattle.com and join our Discord!
The future is bright for the Pokémon Professor Network, with expansions coming to our Podcast Roster as well as our content and event schedules! Thank you so much for checking us out, and hope you will find some content that can help bring more Pokémon into your life!
Thank you!
The Pokémon Professor Network Team
