This Week in Podcasts is a weekly roundup of the goings-on in podcasting, from highlights to pitfalls to updates and more. Have updates or crowdfunding campaigns you want listed? Check here for directions on how to get in touch.
Highlights
The Amelia Project
“Liquified Marzipan – Sound Design Special”
Release date: 7/12/19
Runtime: 28 minutes
No transcript available
In preparation for their second season, debuting July 19th, 2019, the team behind the delightful fiction podcast The Amelia Project shares an episode focused solely on its music and sound design. The Amelia Project is an ambitious and borderline hedonistic venture when it comes to sound; I believe my first tweet about it said that I had a crush on the sound design, which holds true. In this episode, composer and sound designer Fredrik Skaare Baden breaks down the choices he makes, how he makes them, and how he layers sound for specific effects. Given it’s still an episode of The Amelia Project, though, even this bonus episode is framed as though Baden himself is trying to fake his death. It’s an entertaining listen regardless of your familiarity with the podcast in general and a great excuse to dive into the first season in prep for the second.
A RadioPublic embed of the podcast’s trailer, which can also be found here
Pitfalls
My Brother, My Brother and Me
“MBMBaM 467: Leonardo Di-Zap!-rio”
Release date: 7/8/19
Runtime: 58 minutes
No transcript available
There’s been a general feeling of growing pains in My Brother, My Brother and Me (MBMBaM) lately. It might be that after just about ten years, the McElroy brothers feel tired of their setup. The three have grown up considerably over the course of the podcast, while the podcast itself has not (except to become kinder in its humor). It may be pressure from Maximum Fun to harness their relative celebrity to bring in more listens and, therefore, even more revenue. Either way, MBMBaM has become a somewhat uncomfortable listen. There’s an urgency to abandon jokes quickly, a tendency for more interruption than usual, and an air of frustration that permeates recordings. Usually, episodes still have some moments that are funny enough to stay excited with each release. This week, though, the tension was so thick that a post-prod Griffin McElroy interrupted to explain his own editing due to a confrontation between the other two brothers. The episode then segued into an uncomfortable interview with Jesse Eisenberg, who did not seem to entirely understand the format of the podcast. It didn’t help that while the interview was largely given by Justin McElroy, both Griffin and Travis McElroy tried to interrupt with jokes only to be steamrolled by Justin: “This is such a surreal experience, l to talk to you guys. It feels like one person is interrupting himself,” Eisenberg said at one point.
Updates
Boise State Public Radio and The Mountain West News Bureau Launch New True Crime Podcast LOCKED
LOCKED, a new true crime podcast focused on the incarcerated Adree Edmo, launched on July 8th: “The story describes the experience of transgender inmates and how they’re treated in prisons, and explains the science and procedure of gender confirmation surgery. And finally, the podcast explains Edmo’s legal case and the public controversy surrounding it. Edmo argues that denying her the surgery is cruel and unusual punishment, but the state and its health provider say she doesn’t need it.”
Pineapple Street Media and Gimlet Announce New True Crime Podcast The Clearing
Pineapple Street Media and Gimlet announce their new true crime podcast, The Clearing, premiering July 18th, 2019: “The Clearing is a gripping true crime podcast produced in partnership with Pineapple Street Media about what came after April called a detective in 2009 to tell him about her suspicions — a call that led to her father’s arrest and eventual conviction on multiple murders. Three years ago, April met journalist Josh Dean and formed an unusual partnership. They began to work together to dig back into her childhood, unravel the truth of her father’s life, and overturn a viral online narrative that had turned Edward Wayne Edwards into a kind of serial killer caricature.”
Fiction Podcast Moonbase Theta, Out Returning for Its Second Season
Fiction podcast Moonbase Theta, Out will release the first episode of its second season on August 18th, 2019: “In Season 1, Roger Bragado-Fischer, Communications, reported to management in a series of official weekly broadcasts. In Season 2, we experience the personal side of the same series of events through each character’s voices – their private journal entries, messages sent to one another and those they care for, so far away. And from that distance, we hear at least one voice in reply.”
Actual Play Podcast Ghostpuncher Corps. Returns with a New System
Actual play podcast Ghostpuncher Corps. returned from hiatus on July 10th, 2019, with a new tabletop system and ambitious deviations from their previous structure: “Ghostpuncher Corps is a story and character focused actual-play podcast taking place in the world of the webcomic Ghostpuncher. GPC follows the adventures of three heroes tasked by Lucifer to track down souls that have escaped from Hell to herd them back from the mortal realm or exterminate them by any means necessary. The show is aimed primarily at an LGBT audience, fans of horror, heavy metal and the occult. [. . .] With this new setting Ghostpuncher Corps is experimenting with their format, adopting a new roleplaying system (The Sprawl from Ardens Ludere) after relying on a heavily home-brewed version of Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition for the show previously.”
Campaigns
International Podcast Month Crowdfunding its 2019 Event
Annual event International Podcast Month is crowdfunding for 2019 via IndieGogo. The campaign has a flexible goal of $3500 USD and will be running until July 31st, 2019. The event hopes to “to cross-promote, celebrate each other, and share the love of podcasting with the world. In its inaugural year (2018), [International Podcast Month] crossed 10,000 Downloads and had over 70 different podcasts represented. This year [they are] aiming for larger content variety and even more representation of marginalized creators. For 2019, there will be Audio Drama/Fiction Minisodes, Creator Conversations, Non-Fiction Minisodes, RPG Actual-Play One-Shots, and the month-long blog.”
Fiction Podcast The Van Crowdfunding its First Two Seasons
Fiction podcast The Van is crowdfunding for its first two seasons via IndieGogo. The campaign has a flexible goal of $2500 USD and will be running until August 15th, 2019. The podcast is “an audio fiction series, a coming-of-age story about kids with superpowers. In a van. In the desert. It’s about poetry and emotions and finding your family.”
Fiction Podcast Fall of the House of Sunshine Crowdfunding its Third Season
Fiction podcast Fall of the House of Sunshine is crowdfunding its third season via Kickstarter. The campaign has a goal of $5000 USD and will be running until August 4th, 2019. The podcast is “a totally unique auditory roller coaster ride – a murder mystery whodunnit that quickly unravels into a lovingly crafted world of action, adventure, noir and musical comedy shenanigans. Featuring a cast of Tony- and Emmy- nominated actors and voice actors from Broadway and Prime Time television, immersive audio production, and a fully orchestrated soundtrack with over 110 musical numbers through the first two seasons, Fall of the House of Sunshine has built a singular podcast experience for your singular (doubular?) ears.”
Wil Williams Writes 