The Origins of Hail and Well Met...

For years I’ve looked* for a creative outlet that would let me put something out into the world.

*By looked I mean of course, thought about, but never actively done anything about it, then proceed to get annoyed at myself for not doing anything, spiraling into a self-defeating cycle of never ever getting anything done.

It was a couple of years ago that I pressed the (newly forced upon me - thanks Apple) app of “podcasts” on my aging iPhone. I, like all n00b listeners, looked at the list of popular podcasts and subscribe to Stuff You Should Know, Stuff You Missed in History Class, Stuff You… etc. and the NPR Ted podcast shows. Dedicated to the cause of podcasts, I listened to the first shows and went from there… It took me an embarrassingly long time for me to consider that this medium could be used for not just “fact” ba

sed informational podcasts, but also fictional audio dramas, like the radio shows of yesteryear. And so, I journeyed into the realm of fiction, typing D&D into the search field, I started listening to The Adventure Zone (#thezonecast) and fell in love with the idea of a live play game being recorded and turned into an almost interactive experience. A friend put me onto Welcome to Nightvale and I moved sideways into the gap filler episodes of Alice Isn’t Dead and Within the Wires. I found The Leviathan Chronicles next (Christof, you're an amazing guy, sorry for your loss, and we look forward to what's around the corner!) and was immersed in hour long episodes of full blown productions (that I’ve only just

started to truly appreciate the effort involved in creating this masterpiece). Having some interest in the unique and absurd, I was put onto Astonishing Legends, two amazing guys who tell us all about the various conspiracy theory's, cryptid, alienesque and deep down scary stuff that makes you stay up at night, they are the perfect example of an idea of a podcast brought to life. Their recommendation of Tanis brought me back to fiction and it was around this time that I jokingly spoke to my now co-producer about how we too could be a part of this revolutionary medium that gave voice to whoever wanted to speak.

We envisaged scores of productions with millions of listeners, names in lights around the globe - and then we came back to reality and decided to start simpler. Already DMing a game of D&D, I thought that we could mimic the approach of many and put together a small group and throw our lot into the mix.

We wanted to not just record a live game, but to turn it into an audio drama, something that hearkened back to the radio dramas of old, with audio and effects that helped set the tone and tell the story.

And so the writing commenced, with a goal in mind, a time frame (albeit flexible) set, I had something to write for, something that needed my creative input, something that might fall completely flat on its face and fail in a most spectacular manner (and still could!).

So here we are, many months later, having written a lot, having gathered our voices, having recording some episodes, and having put them out into the world at large. As of today, we have two episodes out there, with more than 200 listens (so far!). There’s a fair way to go before we’re a household name, but I am extremely proud of what we have done so far!

Check out the start of what will hopefully be an amazing adventure, with more stories and audio dramas to be added as time goes on here at Hail and Well Met.