Night Vale Presents

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]

Night Vale Presents

Type	Podcast
Country	United States
Availability	Global
Founded	2015
Key people	Joseph Fink Jeffrey Cranor
Former names	Commonplace Books
Official website	www.nightvalepresents.com

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

Title	Seasons	Host/Narrator	Genre	Premiere date	Finale date
Adventures in New America	1	Various	Science fiction, political satire, buddy comedy, Afrofuturism	September 28, 2018	June 14, 2019
Alice Isn't Dead	3	Jasika Nicole Erica Livingston Roberta Colindrez	Mystery, supernatural horror, drama	March 8, 2016	August 28, 2018
Conversations with People who Hate Me	N/A	Dylan Marron	Talk	July 30, 2017	Present
Dreamboy	1	Dane Terry	Musical, mystery	October 9, 2018	March 26, 2019
Good Morning Night Vale	N/A	Meg Bashwiner Symphony Sanders Hal Lublin	Talk, aftershow	June 7, 2018	Present
Harry Potter and the Sacred Text[upper-alpha 1]	7	Vanessa Zoltan Casper Ter Kuile	Talk, Spirituality, Literature	May 19, 2016	Present
I Only Listen to The Mountain Goats	2	Joseph Fink John Darnielle	Talk, Music	September 27, 2017	Present
It Makes a Sound[upper-alpha 2]	1	Jacquelyn Landgraf	Drama, Mystery	September 24, 2017	Present
Our Plague Year	N/A	Joseph Fink	Talk, Current Events[3]	March 13, 2020	Present
Pounded in the Butt By My Own Podcast	N/A	Chuck Tingle	Comedy, erotica	March 13, 2018	December 24, 2018
Random Number Generator Horror Podcast No. 9	N/A	Jeffrey Cranor Cecil Baldwin	Talk, Horror	August 10, 2020	Present
Sleep with Me[upper-alpha 3]	N/A	Drew Ackerman	Comedy, Health and wellness	October 18, 2013	Present
Start With This	N/A	Joseph Fink Jeffrey Cranor	Talk, Literature	March 29, 2019	Present
The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air)	2	Julian Koster Drew Callander	Drama, Surrealism	October 4, 2016	Present
Within the Wires	5	Various	science fiction, surrealism, anthology, epistolary fiction	June 21, 2016	Present
Welcome to Night Vale	9	Cecil Baldwin	Comedy-drama, news satire, surrealism, horror, mystery	June 15, 2012	Present

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]

References

1. "A History of Night Vale Presents". Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods. 2018-08-21. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
2. Google Podcasts https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL2ZlZWRzLm5pZ2h0dmFsZXByZXNlbnRzLmNvbS9pdG1ha2VzYXNvdW5k/episode/cHJ4XzE0NV9mNDRjOTQxNS0wYmJlLTRlMzMtYmUwZC0yNDc1ZDdjZTQ5N2Q?sa=X&ved=0CAUQkfYCahcKEwjQuNTPisnuAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQIA&hl=en. Missing or empty |title= (help)
3. "Our Plague Year". Nightvalepresents.com. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
4. "In 'Conversations With People Who Hate Me' An Activist Calls Up His Worst Critics". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
5. Dudley, Joshua. "Interview: Dylan Marron Of 'Conversations With People Who Hate Me' Talks Cancel Culture And Gamified Conversation". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
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".
7. "Our Methodology". Harry Potter and the Sacred Text. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
8. "Harry Potter as Sacred Text | Joshua Mayo". First Things. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
9. "11 New and Returning Podcasts and Audio Series We Can't Wait to Listen to This Fall". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
10. "I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats". NIGHT VALE PRESENTS.
11. "Podcast Review: IT MAKES A SOUND". Geek Girl Authority. 2017-11-07. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
12. Club, The A. V. "Podmass regrets to inform us that most podcasts are about COVID-19 now". AUX. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
13. Davies, Hannah J.; Verdier, Hannah; Sanderson, Max (2020-03-27). "Dealing with the panic, one day at a time – podcasts of the week". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
14. "Random Number Generator Horror Podcast No. 9". nightvalepresents.com. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
15. Caplan-Bricker, Nora. "The Podcast That Tells Ingeniously Boring Bedtime Stories to Help You Fall Asleep". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
16. Dudley, Joshua. "Night Vale Founders Talk Unlocking Creativity With New Podcast 'Start With This'". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
17. "A History of Night Vale Presents". Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods. 2018-08-21. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
18. The Orbiting Human Circus, OrbitingHumanCircus.com. Retrieved 9/25/16.
19. "The Orbiting Human Circus - Team". WNYC Studios. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
20. "The Orbiting Human Circus: Episodes | WNYC Studios | Podcasts". WNYC Studios. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
21. Night Vale Presents: Within the Wires, NightValePresents.com. Retrieved 9/25/16.
22. Greene, Steve (2017-09-06). "'Within the Wires' Season 2: This Haunting Audio Mystery Shows the Best of What Podcasts Can Be". IndieWire. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
23. "Welcome To Night Vale: Tales From The Cryptids". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
24. Evans, Greg (2017-12-08). "FX To Develop 'Welcome To Night Vale' Podcast For TV; Harper Perennial Orders Two New Books". Deadline. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
25. "Adventures in New America". NIGHT VALE PRESENTS.
26. Hess, Amanda (2018-09-13). "The Best New Social Thriller Is a Podcast". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
27. Verdier, Hannah (2018-09-20). "From The Ratline to Dreamboy: the essential new podcasts this autumn". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
28. Capewell, Jillian (2016-03-09). "Your New Podcast Addiction Is A Fictional Thriller Starring A Truck Driver". HuffPost. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
29. Night Vale Presents: Alice Isn't Dead, NightValePresents.com. Retrieved 9/25/16.
30. "Dreamboy". NIGHT VALE PRESENTS.
31. Dreamboy (2019-12-03). "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. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
32. "Get 'pounded in the butt' by Chuck Tingle's new podcast". The Daily Dot. 2018-02-14. Retrieved 2020-04-24.