The Bright Sessions and The Black Tapes Added to PodCon Guests

Update: In a livestream, it was confirmed that several members of the cast and crew for The Bright Sessions–including podcasting virtuoso Mischa Stanton–will be attending PodCon, regardless of their status as “guests.” While some of the cast will not be able to attend, it was suggested that most will.

With about four months until PodCon, a handful of audio drama creators have been added to the convention’s list of guests. The list had previously only included nonfiction podcasts, other than founders Joseph Fink’s and Jeffrey Cranor’s Welcome to Night Vale and Alice Isn’t Dead.

The lack of non-founder audio dramas until this week has been worrying; traditionally, only nonfiction podcasts have been taken seriously by the press, which is something podcast fans have rallied against. With PodCon approaching, it seemed as though the convention might follow the same trend with the exception of the founders’ own shows.

This week, though, The Bright Session‘s Lauren Shippen and The Black Tapes‘s Paul Bae have both been confirmed as guests of the convention. As discussed in a planning meeting livestream with the runners of PodCon, more potential guests are still being contacted, which could mean more audio drama producers added to the lineup. It should also be noted that many audio drama producers might still attend the convention and/or host panels and workshops, even if they aren’t listed as guests. PodCon’s website also includes an “Also Featuring” section with podcast producers who will be attending, even if they aren’t considered “guests.”

PodCon’s current lineup of guests is:

• Gaby Dunn, Bad With Money
• Dylan Marron, Welcome to Night Vale and Conversation With People Who Hate Me
• Phoebe Judge and Lauren Spohrer, Criminal
• Rod and Karen Morrow, The Black Guy Who Tips
• Roman Mars, 99% Invisible
• Franchesca Ramsey, Last Name Basis
• Aaron Mahnke, Lore
• Kevin T. Porter, Gilmore Guys
• Hank and John Green, Dear Hank and John
• Dr. Sydnee McElroy, Sawbones
• The McElroy Brothers, My Brother, My Brother and Me and several others
• Joseph Fink, Jasika Nicole, Cecil Baldwin, Jeffrey Cranor, Meg Bashwiner, and Hal Lublin for Night Vale Presents
• Paul Bae, The Black Tapes
• Ashley Ahearn, Terrestrial
• Lauren Shippen, The Bright Sessions

You can find the full list, as well as more information, on the PodCon website.