Night Vale Presents

Last updated

Night Vale Presents
Type Podcast
Country
United States
AvailabilityGlobal
Founded2015
Key people
Joseph Fink
Jeffrey Cranor
Former names
Commonplace Books
Official website
 nightvalepresents.com

Night Vale Presents, formerly known as Commonplace Books, is a production company and independent podcast network founded in 2015 by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor. In 2016 Night Vale Presents expanded into a network hosting original podcasts other than Welcome to Night Vale . Night Vale Presents is partnered with Public Radio Exchange. [1]

Contents

The network started off with only fiction podcasts, but later expanded to include nonfiction and commentary podcasts as well. Notable podcasts in the network include Welcome to Night Vale, Alice Isn't Dead , and Sleep with Me .

Overview

TitleSeasonsHost/NarratorGenrePremiere dateFinale date
Adventures in New America 1Various Science fiction, political satire, buddy comedy, Afrofuturism September 28, 2018June 14, 2019
Alice Isn't Dead 3 Jasika Nicole
Erica Livingston
Roberta Colindrez 		Mystery, supernatural horror, drama March 8, 2016August 28, 2018
Conversations with People who Hate Me— Dylan Marron Talk July 30, 2017Present
Dreamboy 1Dane Terry Musical, mysteryOctober 9, 2018March 26, 2019
Good Morning Night Vale—Meg Bashwiner
Symphony Sanders
Hal Lublin		Talk, aftershow June 7, 2018Present
Harry Potter and the Sacred Text [upper-alpha 1] 7 Vanessa Zoltan
Casper Ter Kuile		Talk, Spirituality, LiteratureMay 19, 2016Present
I Only Listen to The Mountain Goats2Joseph Fink
John Darnielle 		Talk, MusicSeptember 27, 2017Present
It Makes a Sound [upper-alpha 2] 1Jacquelyn LandgrafDrama, MysterySeptember 24, 2017Present
Our Plague Year—Joseph FinkTalk, Current Events [3] March 13, 2020Present
Pounded in the Butt By My Own Podcast— Chuck Tingle Comedy, erotica March 13, 2018December 24, 2018
Random Number Generator Horror Podcast No. 9—Jeffrey Cranor
Cecil Baldwin		Talk, HorrorAugust 10, 2020Present
Sleep with Me [upper-alpha 3] —Drew AckermanComedy, Health and wellnessOctober 18, 2013Present
Start With This—Joseph Fink
Jeffrey Cranor		Talk, LiteratureMarch 29, 2019Present
The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air) 2 Julian Koster
Drew Callander		Drama, Surrealism October 4, 2016Present
Within the Wires 5Variousscience fiction, surrealism, anthology, epistolary fiction June 21, 2016Present
Welcome to Night Vale 9Cecil Baldwin Comedy drama, news satire, surrealism, horror, mystery June 15, 2012Present
Notes
  1. ↑ The show was added to the Night Vale Present network in January 2019.
  2. ↑ The upcoming second season will not be featured on Night Vale Presents. [2]
  3. ↑ The show was added to the Night Vale Presents network in March 28, 2018

Current shows

Conversations with People Who Hate Me

Night Vale Presents' first non-fiction podcast, Conversations With People Who Hate Me, premiered on July 30, 2017. It is a weekly discussion-based podcast featuring Dylan Marron talking with people who have sent him hateful comments online, or mediating conversations between others who have had arguments online including celebrity guests. [4] [5]

Good Morning Night Vale

Good Morning Night Vale is an aftershow for Welcome to Night Vale featuring Night Vale voice actors Meg Bashwiner, Symphony Sanders, and Hal Lublin breaking down and discussing every episode of the show.

Harry Potter and the Sacred Text

Night Vale Presents announced in January 2019 that they had added the podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text , previously presented by Panoply, to the network's roster. [6] Hosted by Vanessa Zoltan and Casper Ter Kuile since its inception in May 2016, the podcast attempts to read the Harry Potter books as a sacred text, exploring the characters and context of one chapter per episode through a different central theme. [7] [8]

I Only Listen to The Mountain Goats

I Only Listen To The Mountain Goats, features conversations between Joseph Fink and musician John Darnielle of the band The Mountain Goats. [9] Each episode features a new cover of a Mountain Goats song by a different artist. The first season, focusing on the band's album All Hail West Texas, aired from September 27, 2017, to April 5, 2018. An album featuring all the covers from the first season was released the day after the finale digitally and on vinyl. Season two, focusing on the band's then-upcoming album In League with Dragons premiered on April 4, 2019. [10]

It Makes A Sound

It Makes A Sound aired from September 2017 to January 2018 and detailed an amateur radio host's love of a local musician named Wim Faros and her hopes of revitalizing her hometown. [11] The podcast was created, written, and narrated by Jacquelyn Landgraf. A soundtrack album based on the first season was released called Win Faros: The Attic Tapes was released on January 30, 2019.

Our Plague Year

On March 13, 2020, a new weekly podcast created by Joseph Fink called Our Plague Year was launched with the intent to help assuage anxieties during the COVID-19 pandemic. [12] [13]

Random Number Generator Horror Podcast No. 9

Random Number Generator Horror Podcast No. 9 is a horror podcast hosted by Jeffrey Cranor and Cecil Baldwin. The duo spend each episode talking about a specific horror film chosen via random dice roll. It premiered on August 10, 2020. [14]

Sleep with Me

On March 28, 2018, Night Vale Presents added Sleep with Me to their network. The show was previously presented by "Dearest Scooter" from 2013 to 2017, and by Feral Audio from 2017 to 2018. It is a storytelling and health-based podcast hosted by creator Drew Ackerman, designed to help listeners fall asleep. [15]

Start with This

Start With This, a non-fiction podcast by Night Vale co-creators Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor, premiered on March 22, 2019. It features the duo sharing writing tips and prompts for listeners to sharpen their own writing skills. There is a forum Patreon supporters for the series in which people can share and receive feedback on their writing. [16]

The Orbiting Human Circus

A third NVP network podcast, The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air) , was released in collaboration with WNYC Studios, and the first Night Vale Presents podcast to be produced by somebody other than Joseph Fink or Jeffrey Cranor. [17] This radio drama podcast is written by and stars musician Julian Koster, [18] It depicts Koster as a shy janitor named Julian working in the Eiffel Tower, where his favorite show entitled The Orbiting Human Circus is performed. His frequent attempts to appear on the show often end in embarrassment and depression for Julian. Drew Callander voices the narrator inside Julian's head, and John Cameron Mitchell voices John Cameron, the host of The Orbiting Human Circus. [19] The first season ran from October 2016 to May 2018. The second season ran from November 6, 2019, to March 18, 2020. [20]

Within the Wires

The second NVP network podcast is Within the Wires is an anthology series of found audio tapes, written by Night Vale cowriter Jeffrey Cranor, as well as and Janina Matthewson. Season one is narrated by Matthewson and told as a series of relaxation tapes prepared for a patient in a mysterious medical center known as "The Institute." As the story unfolds, it became clear that the narrator of the tapes had a connection to the patient, and may have had a secret agenda. The first season of 10 episodes was released between June and November 2016. [21] The second season, narrated by Rima Te Wiata, is presented as a series of museum audio guides and aired from September 2017, to January 2018. [22] The third season, narrated by Lee LeBreton, is a political thriller set in 1950s Chicago told through letters from a bureaucrat to his secretary. It aired from September 2018, to January 2019. The fourth season ran from September to December 2019 and is about a mother, voiced by Mona Greene, who records audio notes to her daughter while leading an anti-government commune called The Cradle with music by Mary Epworth.

Welcome to Night Vale

Welcome to Night Vale is a twice monthly podcast in the form of community radio broadcasts for a fictional desert town, the eponymous Night Vale, where strange and supernatural occurrences are normal. Cecil Gershwin Palmer, the host and narrator, is voiced by Cecil Baldwin. [23] The series was created in 2012 by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor, first published by Commonplace Books. The podcast has been published by Night Vale Presents since its inception March 15, 2015. [17] The series is also being adapted for television. [17] [24]

Completed shows

Adventures in New America

Adventures in New America is a fiction podcast created by Stephen Winter and Tristan Cowen which premiered on September 28, 2018. [25] It is described as "the first sci-fi, political satire, Afrofuturistic buddy comedy" podcast. It followed two African-New-American friends, the lonely curmudgeon IA, and lesbian thief Simon Carr as they partake in a series of high-stakes heists to get quick cash to pay for IA's medical treatment. [26] It stars an ensemble cast featuring Paige Gilbert, Bryan Webster, Pernell Walker, Starlee Kine, and Stephen Winter. [27]

Alice Isn't Dead

The first NVP network podcast, Alice Isn't Dead , is written by Night Vale cowriter Joseph Fink, and was performed by Jasika Nicole, who played Dana on Night Vale. The story is presented as monologues broadcast over a trucker CB radio, as a woman named Keisha drives a truck across America, looking for her missing wife. [28] The first season of 10 episodes was released between March and July 2016, and a second season began airing in April 2017 to August 2017. The third and final season aired from April 2018 to August 2018. [29] A novel based on the series was released on October 30, 2018. The series is also being adapted for television. [17]

Dreamboy

Dreamboy is a fiction podcast created by and starring musician Dane Terry. The first season aired from October 2018, to March 2019. The musical mystery podcast is about a "spun-out musician" and zoo employee named Dane living in Cleveland, Ohio as he attempts to solve the mystery of mysterious flickering lights across town, as well as a murderous zebra. [30] On December 3, 2019, it was announced that there would not be another season of the podcast. [31]

Pounded in the Butt by My Own Podcast

Pounded In The Butt By My Own Podcast premiered on March 13, 2018, and features various celebrity guests performing short stories by erotic comedy writer Chuck Tingle. It concluded on December 24, 2018 [32]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WNYC</span> AM and FM radio stations in New York City

WNYC is the trademark and a set of call letters shared by WNYC (AM) and WNYC-FM, a pair of nonprofit, noncommercial, public radio stations located in New York City. WNYC is owned by New York Public Radio (NYPR), a nonprofit organization that did business as "WNYC RADIO" until March 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julian Koster</span> American musician (born 1972)

Julian Koster is an American multidisciplinary artist. As a musician, he is a member of the Elephant 6 Collective, the leader of The Music Tapes, and a member of Neutral Milk Hotel. He is known for writing, directing, and acting in audio fiction The Orbiting Human Circus , and for performing with the theatrical troupe of the same name. He is also known for his heavy use of the musical saw in recordings, even releasing The Singing Saw at Christmastime, his only solo album released under his own name, in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janet Varney</span> American actress

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<i>Radiolab</i> American radio program

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Cameron Mitchell</span> American film director (born 1963)

John Cameron Mitchell is an American actor, playwright, screenwriter, singer, songwriter, producer and director. He is known as the writer, director and star of the 2001 film Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which is based on the musical of the same name that he wrote the book for and also starred. He also portrayed the role of Joe Exotic in the Peacock limited series Joe vs. Carole in 2022.

<i>Welcome to Night Vale</i> Science fiction podcast

Welcome to Night Vale is a fiction podcast presented as a radio show for the fictional town of Night Vale, reporting on the strange events that occur within it. The series was created in 2012 by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor. Published by Night Vale Presents since March 15, 2015, the podcast was previously published by Commonplace Books. Cecil Gershwin Palmer—the host, main character, and narrator—is voiced by Cecil Baldwin, while secondary characters are sometimes voiced by guest stars or recurring guests—such as Dylan Marron, who voices Carlos the Scientist. The podcast typically airs on the first and fifteenth of every month, and consists of "news, announcements and advertisements" from the desert town, located "somewhere in the Southwestern United States." In an interview with NPR, Joseph Fink said that he "came up with this idea of a town in that desert where all conspiracy theories were real, and we would just go from there with that understood."

<i>Heres the Thing</i> Podcast by Alec Baldwin

Here's the Thing is a public radio show and podcast hosted by actor Alec Baldwin. On October 24, 2011, New York City's WNYC released the first episode of Baldwin's podcast, a series of interviews with public figures including artists, policy makers and performers. Here's the Thing was developed for Baldwin by Lu Olkowski, Trey Kay, Kathy Russo and Emily Botein. Baldwin stated that the show's title derived from a phrase that Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels speaks "30 times a day."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dylan Marron</span> American actor and writer

Dylan Marron is an American actor, writer and activist known for his voice work as Carlos in the podcast Welcome to Night Vale and his video series Every Single Word, an art and data visualization project which compiles all the words spoken by people of color in major motion pictures. He is a writer on the third season of Ted Lasso.

<i>Welcome to Night Vale</i> (novel) 2015 novel by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor

Welcome to Night Vale is a 2015 novel written by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor, based on their popular Welcome to Night Vale podcast. The book was first released on October 20, 2015, through Harper Perennial in the United States and Orbit Books in the United Kingdom.

WNYC Studios is a producer and distributor of podcasts and on-demand and broadcast audio. WNYC Studios is a subsidiary of New York Public Radio and is headquartered in New York City.

Vanessa Zoltan is a humanist chaplain who describes herself as an "atheist chaplain". She is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, and holds a BA in English and writing from Washington University in St. Louis, and a MS in nonprofit management from the University of Pennsylvania. She has been called one of "few" feminist humanist chaplains in the world.

<i>Alice Isnt Dead</i> Horror fiction podcast

Alice Isn't Dead is a podcast presented as a series of audio diaries by a truck driver in her search across America for the wife she had long assumed was dead. In the course of her search, she encounters not-quite-human serial murderers, towns literally lost in time, and a conspiracy that goes way beyond her missing wife. The series was created in 2016 by Joseph Fink, and it has been published by Night Vale Presents since March 8, 2016. The main character and narrator, whose name is only mentioned as being Keisha on the last episode of the first season, is voiced by Jasika Nicole. During its run, the podcast typically aired on alternating Tuesdays. The first season ended on July 12, 2016, with a second season premiering on April 4, 2017, which concluded on August 8, 2017. Fink stated that the third season would be the final season; it began airing on April 24, 2018, and concluded in August 2018.

<i>The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air)</i> Radio drama podcast

The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air) is a fictional radio drama podcast written and created by Julian Koster, and published by Night Vale Presents. It is the fourth podcast to be released under the Night Vale Presents name. The podcast stars Koster as Julian the janitor, a shy, sensitive employee of the Eiffel Tower who dreams of joining the fictional radio show also titled The Orbiting Human Circus of the Air, which is broadcast from a large ballroom at the top of the tower. Listeners of the podcast hear Julian the janitor's inner thoughts as he discusses his situations with The Narrator, played by Drew Callander, an imaginary voice only Julian can hear. In addition to the conversations in his head, Julian interacts with the staff and talent of The Orbiting Human Circus of the Air, notably voiced by actors such as John Cameron Mitchell, Cecil Baldwin, Tim Robbins, Charlie Day, and Mary Elizabeth Ellis. One of the most prominent themes of the podcast is the pain of loneliness. The first season of the podcasts comprised eight episodes as well as a bonus question and answer episode in which Koster answers questions submitted by fans.

<i>Within the Wires</i> Science fiction podcast

Within the Wires is a dramatic anthology podcast in the style of epistolary fiction. In the first season, the listener, a medical inmate at a place called the institute, receives guidance from the mysterious narrator of instructional relaxation cassettes. In the second season, an artist named Roimata Mangakāhia communicates with the listener through a series of museum audio guides. The third season, "a political thriller set in 1950s Chicago", is narrated by the bureaucrat Michael Witten; listeners access letters and notes dictated to his secretary.

<i>More Perfect</i> Podcast about American history and politics

More Perfect is a podcast about American history and politics provided by WNYC Studios. Its first three seasons were hosted by Jad Abumrad. In July 2022, WNYC Studios announced it would return in 2023.

Dreamboy is a podcast produced by Night Vale Presents.

Adventures In New America is an afrofuturist podcast produced by Night Vale Presents and created by Stephen Winter and Tristan Cowen that premiered on September 28, 2018.

References

  1. ↑ "A History of Night Vale Presents". Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods. August 21, 2018. Archived from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  2. ↑ "It Makes a Sound – It Makes a Sound Special Announcement!". Google Podcasts. Archived from the original on February 9, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Our Plague Year". Nightvalepresents.com. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  4. ↑ "In 'Conversations With People Who Hate Me' An Activist Calls Up His Worst Critics". NPR.org. Archived from the original on February 15, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  5. ↑ Dudley, Joshua. "Interview: Dylan Marron Of 'Conversations With People Who Hate Me' Talks Cancel Culture And Gamified Conversation". Forbes. Archived from the original on January 30, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  6. ↑ Night Vale Presents (January 3, 2019). "We're excited to announce that Harry Potter and the Sacred Text (@hpsacredtext) is joining Night Vale Presents! It's the English class you didn't know you missed – start listening today and join the conversation". Archived from the original on June 3, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Our Methodology". Harry Potter and the Sacred Text. Archived from the original on January 26, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Harry Potter as Sacred Text | Joshua Mayo". First Things. Archived from the original on August 24, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  9. ↑ "11 New and Returning Podcasts and Audio Series We Can't Wait to Listen to This Fall". Entertainment Tonight. Archived from the original on March 8, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  10. ↑ "I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats". NIGHT VALE PRESENTS. Archived from the original on April 26, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Podcast Review: IT MAKES A SOUND". Geek Girl Authority. November 7, 2017. Archived from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  12. ↑ Club, The A. V. (March 30, 2020). "Podmass regrets to inform us that most podcasts are about COVID-19 now". AUX. Archived from the original on April 7, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  13. ↑ Davies, Hannah J.; Verdier, Hannah; Sanderson, Max (March 27, 2020). "Dealing with the panic, one day at a time – podcasts of the week". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on April 23, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Random Number Generator Horror Podcast No. 9". nightvalepresents.com. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  15. ↑ Caplan-Bricker, Nora. "The Podcast That Tells Ingeniously Boring Bedtime Stories to Help You Fall Asleep". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on January 18, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  16. ↑ Dudley, Joshua. "Night Vale Founders Talk Unlocking Creativity With New Podcast 'Start With This'". Forbes. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  17. 1 2 3 4 "A History of Night Vale Presents". Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods. August 21, 2018. Archived from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  18. ↑ The Orbiting Human Circus Archived June 7, 2019, at the Wayback Machine , OrbitingHumanCircus.com. Retrieved 9/25/16.
  19. ↑ "The Orbiting Human Circus – Team". WNYC Studios. Archived from the original on February 15, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  20. ↑ "The Orbiting Human Circus: Episodes | WNYC Studios | Podcasts". WNYC Studios. Archived from the original on February 15, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  21. ↑ Night Vale Presents: Within the Wires Archived March 22, 2019, at the Wayback Machine , NightValePresents.com. Retrieved 9/25/16.
  22. ↑ Greene, Steve (September 6, 2017). "'Within the Wires' Season 2: This Haunting Audio Mystery Shows the Best of What Podcasts Can Be". IndieWire. Archived from the original on January 3, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Welcome To Night Vale: Tales From The Cryptids". NPR.org. Archived from the original on July 22, 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  24. ↑ Evans, Greg (December 8, 2017). "FX To Develop 'Welcome To Night Vale' Podcast For TV; Harper Perennial Orders Two New Books". Deadline. Archived from the original on December 11, 2017. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  25. ↑ "Adventures in New America". NIGHT VALE PRESENTS. Archived from the original on April 21, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  26. ↑ Hess, Amanda (September 13, 2018). "The Best New Social Thriller Is a Podcast". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 16, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  27. ↑ Verdier, Hannah (September 20, 2018). "From The Ratline to Dreamboy: the essential new podcasts this autumn". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on December 7, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  28. ↑ Capewell, Jillian (March 9, 2016). "Your New Podcast Addiction Is A Fictional Thriller Starring A Truck Driver". HuffPost. Archived from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  29. ↑ Night Vale Presents: Alice Isn't Dead Archived April 24, 2020, at the Wayback Machine , NightValePresents.com. Retrieved 9/25/16.
  30. ↑ "Dreamboy". NIGHT VALE PRESENTS. Archived from the original on April 15, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  31. ↑ Dreamboy (December 3, 2019). "Yea kittens. It's true. Dreamboy will not have a season 2. Y'all have no clue how much your love and support has meant to us. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. The podcast will stay up tho so please go back and visit, and please keep sharing it with people who need it". @DreamboyPodcast. Archived from the original on December 3, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  32. ↑ "Get 'pounded in the butt' by Chuck Tingle's new podcast". The Daily Dot. February 14, 2018. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
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