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by Scott Danielson
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I would describe Escape Pod as an audio science fiction magazine. Is
that a fair description? How do you describe it to people?
It certainly is all those things. What kind of content should people expect when they subscribe?
Our style of fiction selects for fun over language or literary depth. We pick SF, fantasy or horror stories that are
strongly plotted, with good pacing and engaging characters. A lot of people listen to us while they're driving; we'd rather
give them energy than have them fall asleep at the wheel.
So each weekly edition of Escape Pod features a full length story? Who writes these stories?
You mentioned "fun" as a criteria for selection -- how do you, as editor, decide what to record?
On the technical side: where do you record the stories?
That's just my setup, of course. We have other narrators, and everybody's got their own way of doing it. I don't even ask,
as long as the end result is good.
How do you edit the finished product?
How did you get into podcasting in the first place? Do you have broadcasting background, or was it a healthy interest in this
particular medium?
Then I stumbled across podcasting early this year, and I started listening to a number of them. I knew immediately it was
something I wanted to do. When I started casting around for ideas that weren't already being done, short fiction seemed
like an obvious one. I put up a Web site, sent a few e-mails to friends for the initial stories, and since then,
everything's fallen into place beautifully.
How about from the science fiction side of things?
Podcasting is growing at an amazing rate. Large companies like NBC News are jumping in, Audible.com is making some of their
stuff available as podcasts -- how do you see the future? What will constitute a successful podcast?
For someone who isn't already doing a podcast, I think the best approach is to pick a focus, a subject you're passionate
about, and stick to that. There are enough "random thoughts" podcasts already that a new one will have trouble making a
mark. And there are certainly too many podcasts about podcasting. But if your goal is to produce the world's best podcast
about medieval combat recreation, say, or filk music, or whatever your unique passions are -- that would find
listeners. Those listeners will be people who care about the same things you do, and they will appreciate you deeply.
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Scott discovered the world of SF audio years ago, when he spent hours a day in his car. His commute has since shortened considerably, but his love for audio remains. By trade, he's an control engineer for a manufacturing plant. Aside from reading and writing science fiction, his hobbies include community theater, where he can often be found behind the soundboard or (much less often) on the stage. Scott can also be found at SFFAudio. |
Stephen Eley is a software developer, writer, and the podcaster behind Escape Pod. He
lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife
Anna, their infant son Alex, and a Welsh Corgi named Yuna who's really the brains of the operation.
It's a great description. Our own tag line is "The science fiction podcast magazine." People have certain expectations of a
magazine -- that it comes out on a regular schedule, that it's professional, that it has a consistent format -- and we do our
best to meet those expectations. And we call it "THE" podcast magazine because so far as I know, nobody else is doing what we are.
Do you ever find stories that you like, but don't seem to "work" when read aloud?
 
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