Meet the Pokémon Professor Team

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 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. For more info, visit Wayspotters.com.

The roster of Pokémon podcasts on the network has grown significantly in the last year to bring on new shows and projects. The Purified Podcast is a weekly streamed show about Pokémon GO while Good Morning Johto is a bit sized, daily show that gives you all of your Pokémon GO news and info in a short form audio package. Our two newest editions bring very diverse offerings. Sleep It Off beings Pokémon Sleep to the podcast sphere after seeing the Community be so hungry for Sleep info in our Discord. After Darkrai was a long running show that had previously been on hiatus, that now has a new home on the network. This show brings uncensored comedy to remind us that Pokémon is all about having fun with your friends.

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 has roots in hosting more than 100 IRL Silph Arena tournaments, which later turned to remote. With the sunset of the Silph Arena, the NJGBL now serves as a hub for Battlers, while utilizing resources like Challonge and Dracoviz to host 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!

Finally, Trainers Doing Good is the network's way of giving back to the Community. Through community led initiatives like fund raising merchandise sales and food drives, TDG helps the Pokémon Community connect with the local communities around them. Supporting individuals and charities, the power of Pokémon can be harnessed for good.

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