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Thank You, Friends, for VAST Horizon (Patreon)

Published:
2019-10-02 19:17:41
Imported:
2026-09
Tags:

Content

Friends,

It feels like only a few days ago that Kaitlin and I sat down to discuss a new idea that she had for a science fiction story about a woman adrift in space.

We were afraid to launch a new podcast. We were afraid to leave our safe space (horror). We were incredibly nervous about including so much Mandarin and finding NEW cast members to bring our story to life. We were nervous about how much non-verbal action (crawling, falling, climbing, running) needed to happen in each episode, and we were terrified of putting an entire season on the shoulders of one actor who, we not only didn't know, but who we hadn't cast and hadn't yet found. Also, she had to be fluently bilingual in two of the most difficult languages. We were also scared of tackling such a large world;  a cast of over 30 people tasked to bring our new world to life.

Somehow, some way, we pushed forward and built our story. We cautiously pushed the edges of what we were comfortable sharing; a story that included themes of violence, loss (both very personal and large-scale), terrorism (requiring hours of heart-straining research to portray realistically), betrayal, and some very intense moments of personal vulnerability.

Completing the work, sending out each Entry to the internet, every episode releasing on schedule every two weeks (with episode specific promo and art) for 20 weeks is a large achievement for a two person production team, and it would not have been possible without our cast, and the emotional support & motivation from you, our listeners, fans, and friends.

2019 has been many things, but it has not been an easy year to launch a new podcast. 

A mix of saturation (there are a LOT of new shows, some of which are great), with the fact that science fiction is a harder genre within the audio fiction space made for a rough start, and despite getting over 20,000 downloads on Entry 1 in the first 48 hours (across multiple podcast feeds), transitioning many of those people into long-term listeners/subscribers proved to be a serious challenge. It was disheartening to see more than half of our listeners vanish by Entry 2, but we kept face, and did everything in our power to turn the tide in our favor - we attended a half dozen conventions around the country, we were on social media around the clock, and we reached out to the community to promote on other shows and through interviews. 

While we have grown over the last 20 weeks (our first season) we still have yet to reach the numbers from our first two days of downloads (downloads being the core metric by which podcasts are defined by in the business world - i.e. sponsors, etc). To validate the show's success in other metrics, we have created a powerful story that has been listened to by thousands, praised by many (4.5 stars out of 283 reviews on iTunes - despite some really sexist/racist one star reviews), and nominated for numerous awards in writing, acting, and sound design. We've made people cry (Entries 3, 5, & 9), we've made people literally yell out loud (Entry 8), and we've done a very effective job of telling the story of one woman surviving the vast void of space.

All this to say thank you for having faith in us and thank you for listening. We appreciate you and the lives you give us. We hope you enjoyed VAST Horizon, through the laughs, tears, heartbreak, and adventure.

If you've not listened yet, the first season is completed, and you can find it however you listen to podcasts, here on the Patreon, or on our Libsyn.

VAST Horizon will return for its second season in May 2020. 

For Science!Travis and KaitlinFool & Scholar Productions

Files

Comments

Ross Evans

Well done I have to say it’s a brilliant podcast and I loved it.

The new Honda Prolapse EV

Thanks so much for all your hard work! The story was so engaging and the sound design made me feel like I was right there, I always knew what was happening. I was totally one of those that yelped at the end of episode eight😅 I can't wait to get back into the White Vault!

Teri Woolley

In my opinion Vast Horizon is probably one of the best shows out there right now. I admit when I listened to the first episode I thought "oh no it's one person narrating their activities and feelings." But as the story unfolded I was drawn into the world and I genuinely came to care for the main character. I was hooked by the end and listened a couple more times because I wanted to make sure I caught every nuance (because that's what Kaitlin does in her stories). And during the crawling scenes the sound design by Travis was awesome. In my head I had very strong images of a person crawling along through some very dangerous access tunnels. So when episode 2 came out I was super excited and that excitement grew with each and every episode. As a production team you have accomplished something truly wonderful and should be patting yourselves on the back. Not only did you create one incredible show in "The White Vault" you followed that success with another equally wonderful one in a different genre. So in this long post I'm saying this...be proud...be happy...and keep creating because I, for one, will listen to whatever you put out there because I KNOW it will be high quality and I will be transported into a magical and sometimes scary world.

Fool & Scholar Productions

Haha, thanks Michael :) We're excited to see where the story takes us next season... and to return to the white vault soon!

Fool & Scholar Productions

Thanks Teri! It's validating to hear that we're breaking the mold on VAST, and that you'll listen to our next new story, when we cross that bridge :) Also, if you stick around to the very end of episode 10 we included your name in the special thanks.

Stephanie Sasaki

**Slight Spoiler Alert** I'll admit that I put off listening to VAST Horizon for two reasons which is in no way reflective of the production. I know if you guys are producing it...it's going to be great. So here were my reasons: 1) I prefer horror (shout out to Kaitlin for loving horror and video games...we seriously need to talk lol). I'm not that into Sci-Fi, but as soon as Alli mentioned something following the Nolira...I was hooked (although I really wanted it to be either a gerbil or a creature of some sort). Reason 2) I have an irrational fear of being stranded and alone in space. It's not like I'll ever be in that position, but even the thought makes me cringe so to hear someone so realistically going through it is difficult. I re-listened to the first two episodes to see if I could figure out why people may have dropped - specifically after Ep 2. I really can’t find anything. I’ll admit that I was a little confused about Nolira’s legs at first, so the end of Ep 2 came across as more confusing than urgent for me, but it wasn’t enough to make me stop listening. Once I realized her situation, it made the situation even more tense for me. I was afraid that it may be overly narrative, but Alli plays such a part of the dynamic that it’s not, which was a plus for me. Have you polled people on Reddit? It’s hard to know what people will turn on to, but it’s an A+ in my book.

Fool & Scholar Productions

This is extremely insightful for us! Thank you for taking the time to share it such detail... -Also, I was also hoping for someone's gerbil.

Red

I’m currently on episode 9, and I have been enjoying this show immensely! It did take me a couple goes to get into it, but then I’ll admit I had the same initial reaction the The White Vault, and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve listened to that show (also the musical.) It is hard to find this level of story anywhere else, you guys do such a great job building worlds and characters and making me love them, and fear for them.

shipperslist

If I remember correctly, you mentioned at some point how some listeners felt Nolira was too whiny. I have to admit that there were times when I got frustrated and just wanted to shake her—and then I realized it: people want her to be a hero but she’s not. She’s human, just like us. And humans get tired, overwhelmed, anxious, and yes, sometimes whiny. I mean, I can’t be the only one whose mind went to Alien when talking about a lonely woman against the vastness on space, but Nolira isn’t Ripley. And I have a feeling that most of us wouldn’t be either. Anyhoo, massive thanks to Kaitlin for the story and Travis for creating the space (Ha! See what I did there?) where it happened. Your work is always such a treat. 🤗

Fool & Scholar Productions

I crack up every time I hear someone mention the musical... its like I've forgotten that it actually exists. I'm generally the same way with a new show, and it can take 2-3 episodes to really get into it.