Send us a text Embark with us and fandom studies expert Jonathan Gray as we explore the importance of paratexts in transmedia storytelling! Jonathan is a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and author of Show Sold Separately. His work examines how media entertainment and its audiences interact and examines how and where value and meaning are created. A principal part of this research is found exploring paratexts; the secondary and tertiary texts produced ...

Embark with us and transmedia producer Chris Masson as we explore transmedia lessons learned from the rise and fall of the Unknown 9 story world! Chris was the Transmedia Architect of Reflector Entertainment’s Unknown 9 story world up until the world’s cancelation with less-then-ideal reception of the video game, Unknown 9: Awakening. Unknown 9 was a pure transmedia franchise, with stories expanding from novels to podcasts. Chris’s responsibilities where that of a lore master, ow...

Embark with us and transmedia producers, storytellers, artists and creators Nick Jones, Richard Durham, and Bo Paterson as we explore the haunting, dark deco world of Farbodies! Farbodies: https://www.farbodies.com/ Urban Folkcore: https://www.farbodies.com/store/p/urbanfolkcorephysical We are not safe. Farbodies is a pure transmedia franchise with a timelining beginning in antiquity and spanning to where the Novelle, Urban Folkcore, starts in the city of Ghostward, 1996. Authorit...

Embark with us and manga artist and creator Rizky Arrydesta as we explore the fantastical medieval empire of Indonesia through his comic book, Candala! Candala: https://toontube.co/project/candala Candala is a riveting, vicious, and bloody manga taking place in the 13th century Majapahit Empire, where the Epic Ramayana is a part of real life. Following our protagonist Ayu, a young girl from the caste of Sudra (merchant) and her quest to avenge her sister. While traveling on a rout...

Embark with us and transmedia producer Maxwell Allen Duncan as we explore his story world The Time Realm through the first piece of transmedia content, the Knights of Mydista trading card game! Knights of Mydista: https://madaboutthis.media/knights-of-mydista/ This isn't your average trading card game; it's a portal to the world of Daer Lurra, where your victories the write history of a country named Mydista, and the characters you champion become the heroes of an ever-unfolding saga. D...

Join us and Author & Senior Narrative Designer Nick Jones as we discuss his book, The Player & the Pentacle! Nick Jones is the Senior Narrative Designer at Shark Mob Games and expert infusing folklore in to story to develop vibrant and "lived-in" story worlds. Buy the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Player-Pentacle-Folkloric-Motifs-Narrative-ebook/dp/B09Q8G5CJY/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2X496WSY2ZSA4&keywords=player+and+the+pentacle&qid=1688595733&s=books&sprefix=player...

Join us and photographer Chris Guillen as we explore his story world of Modern Rosie! Modern Rosie is based on the character of Rosie the Riveter, who was created for a recruitment campaign during WWII to attract women into the workforce. See the project here: https://chrisguillencreative.com/rosie Watch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_hUYd5vzjpw Modern Rosies are female leaders from various backgrounds who are tireless ambassadors for their communities and industries...

Join us and transmedia producer Houston Howard as we explore the ever-expanding world of NFTs! This is the second time we’ve had Houston on the podcast talking about transmedia and story worlds from an educational standpoint. As it becomes more and more apparent that NFTs are becoming a new and exciting way to expand story worlds of all sizes, we felt we had to get an expert on to talk about it, and talk we did! Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Os8o7fAgDTg From the metaverse to ...

Join us, writer/creator Justin Burns, and actress Ireon Roach as we explore their story world of The Come Up! Winner of best dramatic pilot and best dramatic actress at Catalyst Content Festival, The Come Up is a unique limited series following three Chicago high schoolers who use slam poetry to navigate their increasingly complicated lives. Inspired by the creator and cast's time going to high school together in Chicago Public Schools, this inspiring character study offers a glimpse in...

Join us and transmedia producer, Jeff Gomez as we explore the story world of Ultraman! An IP that has existed since the 1960’s, Ultraman has gone through 3 generations with 16 total Ultraman reincarnations. Ultraman is the Japanese Superman, hailing from Nebula M78, who defend humanity against a legion of destructive giant monsters and scheming aliens called Kaiju. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/akL0hZCHhvc While we spoke on some of the lore and current storylines of Ul...

Join us and creators Dominique Jenssen, Sara Jumper, and Sarah White as we explore their story world, 1332 and the Lake Effect Collab! 1332 isn’t an obscure reference to the medieval times, but of the amazing depth of the largest freshwater lake in the world, Lake Superior as well as the collab’s first film project. The group are all dancers for the Duluth Ballet, and the connection Duluthians have with the lake is deep. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3XprxudBIcI A combination...

Join us and creator Anthony E. Williams in exploring his story world of F.A.M.! F.A.M. stands for family always matters. It’s a touching show centered around fatherhood and co-parenting in today's ever-changing times. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/TigKK68XE7Q Closely based off of Anthony’s own life, F.A.M. explores the themes of being a father to a daughter questioning her sexuality, the difficulties of parenting in a blended family, and the toughness of being a steppa...

Join us and creator Zack Morrison as we explore his story world, Canusa Street! Canusa Street is a 30-minute comedy series written specifically for network tv, much like a Parks and Rec. The story takes place in an absurd small town cut in half by the Vermont/Quebec border following a jaded US Border Patrol attempts to solve local cases while maintaining a fierce rivalry with her twin sister in the Canadian Mounties. This pilot explores the absurdity of the small town which is split in ...

Join us and creator Kimon Lycos as we dive into his story world, Forever Has Fallen! Forever Has Fallen is an action-thriller podcast series, that sends you into an immersive story world full of online escape rooms, character interaction, fun challenges and digital rewards. You’re a bounty hunter, looking for the truth behind a murder and escalating crimes against humanity. The prime suspect is tech billionaire Karl-Axel Mattiasson, whose global empire The Forever Social, delivered digi...

Join us and founder Hilary Adams as we dive into her business transmedia story world, Story and Horse! Story and Horse is a life coaching business that supports creative people like you thriving in your life through one-to-one coaching, group experiences, and animal-partnered healing. They offer the unique option to work with animals as partners in your journey, including horses as co-coaches, virtually or in person. This story world is all about rediscovering your connectio...

Welcome to the story world of The Iron Leech! Join us and Iron Leech creators Neal & Chad as we transport back to the 19th century, where superstations were the foundation of the unexplained and whaling was all the rage. This stop-motion feature film is coming to a screen near you, and luckily it seems won’t stop there! We discussed the world of The Iron Leech, new transmedia ideas to immerse and grow their audience for years to come, and even sand some sea chanties. Gr...

This week’s guest is our new friend, Houston Howard! Houston Howard is an entrepreneur, creator, producer, professor, author, speaker and thought-leader in the space of multiplatform, transmediated entertainment — or what he simply calls, Super Story. Driven by a passion and desire to build generational IP that leverages both narrative velocity and brand scalability, Houston has created Super Story IP and multiplatform strategy for the likes of Fox, CBS, Mattel, Disney Imagineerin...

This week’s guest is our new friend, Ty Hanson, and his story world, Millennium Exile! Ty describes himself as an average Aussie guy, looking to collaborate with licensing companies and Japanese Anime studios to produce an authentic Anime hit! Millennium Exile is a story world in a fantasy universe steeped in lore and magic. Our main character, Vincent, is a short-tempered orphan, blessed with a super-human strength and living on the streets of the Ryuuga Ghettos. One fateful day, he is...

This week’s guests are our new friends Jake Sorgen & Matt Bowdren! Jake is a Composer-Poet and Musician based in Chicago. Jake has released 7 albums of lyrical songs and interdisciplinary music/spoken word pieces. Matt is a theatre artist based in Chicago, IL. Matt is a founder and Governing Ensemble member of The Story Theatre, and an Artistic Associate for the Rogue Theatre. Together, they started Small Giants. Small Giants is a Chicago-based interdisciplinary ensemble that...

This week’s guest is our new friend, Christian L. Nommay! Christian is the founder of the indie RPG publishing company, Knight Errant Media, and the creator of the tabletop RPG and StoryWorld, Titan Effect. Titan Effect is an espionage and Sc-Fi tabletop role-playing game and transmedia project, set in a near-future where spies gifted with psychic powers clash with genetically enhanced soldiers, in a secret war in which the fate of human evolution is at stake. We dove into the lor...