Directors Notes: 190 - Listeners (Patreon)

When Joseph and I first started hanging out regularly, back in 2010, we bonded over a few things - books, theater, a similar sense of humor - but the thing we talked the most about was podcasts. 

In retrospect, the world of podcasts in 2010 seems impossibly small, but at the time, it felt huge. There seemed to be a podcast for everything imaginable, and we found and shared our favorites with each other: WTF with Marc Maron, 99% Invisible, My Brother My Brother and Me, Comedy Bang Bang (or Comedy Death Ray Radio as it was known then). 

There were so many more in there, too. And in late 2011, Joseph suggested we make a podcast of our own. There just weren't any fiction podcasts out there, and it would be fun to make something no one else was doing. We didn't have the radio journalist experience of a Brook Gladstone or Roman Mars. We didn't have the improv comedy talents of a Scott Aukerman, nor the interview skills of a Marc Maron. But we did know how to write weird humor. 

Welcome to Night Vale was born out of a love of writing together, of telling strange stories, and of wanting to make a podcast. Since we launched our show on this day nine years ago, thousands of new podcasts have come into existence, and our love of this medium continues, unabated. The Dollop, Hidden Brain, Hello from the Magic Tavern, The Allusionist, etc., were all shows one or both of us fell in love with. 

Even shows that came along after Night Vale, we feel deserve credit for Night Vale's existence. I know that doesn't make sense in the linear timeline we all assume we live in, but the continued excellence of other podcasters perpetuates our love of podcasting. It's still an exciting field to make work in, and an equally satisfying form to be a fan of. And for that reason, we continue to make our show, because everyday, new people arrive to hear the amazing stories being told, whether it's Maintenance Phase debunking Dr. Oz, or Tim and Guy of The Worst Idea of All Time watching Grown-Ups 2 for the 50th time.

This episode was so much fun to make, and I literally had tears each time one of these podcasts sent us their audio. Thank you so much, not only for supporting Night Vale, but also for loving podcasts. Us too. For more than a decade, podcasts have been our love and passion, and we're so happy to have so many people who want to hear all these stories. 

-Jeffrey Cranor
June 15, 2021