Live Chat with Nathan Hoobler

Whit's wiping down the counter, Connie's mopping the floor, and the kids are sipping on their milkshakes. If you want to talk about Adventures in Odyssey the radio drama, this is the spot to do just that!
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Bren
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Live Chat with Nathan Hoobler

Post by Bren »

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📷 @snubs

Well folks, it's time for the last Live Chat of our term. It will happen on Tuesday, June 21st at 2:30 PM CST, with AIO fan turned crew member, Nathan Hoobler. Nathan grew up on AIO prior to joining the team in the early 2000s. During that time he has written 70 episodes and produced over 200 episodes. Not to mention the work he has done with The Official Podcast and website.

The chat will take place in our dedicated IRC chat channel, #bchat. For roughly an hour you will get to ask Nathan your hard hitting questions in a relaxed environment.

Time Zone Conversion:
Pacific: 12:30 PM
Mountain: 1:30 PM
Central: 2:30 PM
Eastern: 3:30 PM


We ask that when you join that you are respectful of Nathan's time and don't bombard him with questions all at once. We realize this time might not be ideal for everyone. So, if you have a question you would like to submit, you can post it below. Most importantly, enjoy yourself.

We look forward to seeing you Tuesday, June 21st at 2:30 PM CST.
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Post by bookworm »

Fun! I didn't know there was a third chat planned. :)
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Post by Bren »

I wanted to get at least one more in before the term was over. It was just a matter of lining things up properly, so I kept it pretty quiet in case it fell through.
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Post by Catspaw »

Yay! What a great event. Thanks Bren for arranging another awesome chat with the best AIO fan of them all. :D
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Post by TheDinosaurPlanet »

I'm excited for this one!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TOO!

Other places are okay
And some are fine
But as far as hometowns go
Well, Odyssey is mine
Oh, it's the place to be
I'm sure you will agree
Have you ever been to Odyssey?
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Post by bookworm »

Interested attendees, note the earlier time of this event. (Just making sure it was noticed since the other two were in the evening.)
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Post by Bren »

BREAKING NEWS: Due to a last minute meeting concerning AIO projects tomorrow afternoon, Nathan and myself have pushed back the start time in an effort to get our full hour in. Don't miss this fun time and we hope to see you there at 2:30 CST.
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Post by Catspaw »

I won't be able to be there due to work commitments. I'm sure it will be amazing, Bren!
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Post by bookworm »

Another great event! Thank you for arranging all these chats!
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Post by Bren »

I'm just glad everyone liked them.
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Post by Peachey Keen »

I'm sorry I missed it. Any estimate on when the chat transcript will be up?
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Post by Bren »

Whenever @bookworm can get to it.
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Post by Catspaw »

Looking forward to the transcript! Thanks for doing that for those of us who couldn't make it, bookworm.
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Post by bookworm »

Here's the transcript!

In addition to great information about various things AiO, we also got some insight into our own history here on The ToO with a bit of discussion about Nathan's relationship with Shadowpaw and memories of an old event they used to run here.

15:25 NathanHoobler joined #bchat
15:25 <NathanHoobler>: Hello. I think I'm in the right place.
15:26 <bookworm>: You are, good afternoon!
15:26 <Bren>: And the guest of honor has arrived!
15:26 <NathanHoobler>: It's been awhile since I've done an online chat.
15:26 ASmouseInTheHouse joined #bchat
15:26 <NathanHoobler>: And I cut my finger with scissors about an hour ago (yes, really) so my typing may be slower than usual! Sorry about that.
15:27 <AREM>: ouch
15:27 <NathanHoobler>: At least I wasn't running with them.
15:27 LauraIngalls joined #bchat
15:28 <Bren>: Better that hurting yourself with a stapler. I hear those are scary
15:28 <NathanHoobler>: Only to Connie
15:28 <AREM>: Only to connie
15:28 <AREM>: nice
15:28 baysimp joined #bchat
15:28 Top_Awareness_Bot joined #bchat
15:29 <Bren>: I'll give folks a minute or 2 to filter in and then we'll jump right in
15:29 <NathanHoobler>: Sounds good. Will you be moderating, Bren?
15:29 Muppetgeek joined #bchat
15:29 <Muppetgeek>: Hi everyone
15:30 <baysimp>: greetings and salutations!
15:30 <Top_Awareness_Bot>: Hello everyone, I hope you're aware.
15:30 <Guest5019>: Nice to meet you greetings from Germany
15:31 <Bren>: For the last 2 chats, we kinda went with a relaxed feel. It'll be basically just a relaxed chat
15:31 Danieladmin joined #bchat
15:31 <Top_Awareness_Bot>: Well, I for one am amped up and on pins and needles.
15:31 <NathanHoobler>: Sounds good to me.
15:31 Ashley joined #bchat
15:33 <Top_Awareness_Bot>: Wait
15:33 <Top_Awareness_Bot>: This isn't a Q&A with Hoobastank?
15:34 <J>: Well, it should be a Q&A with Nathan Hoobler, momentarily.
15:34 Top_Awareness_Bot checks notes
15:34 <bookworm>: Thanks Top, I laughed out loud
15:34 <NathanHoobler>: I'm ready for a Q & A - I just need some Qs. :-)
15:34 <Bren>: Now, Nathan has a limited window of time since he has a meeting soon and I appreciate him carving out some time for us this afternoon. So, I'd like to get the ball rolling. The big question everyone wants to know, where do we stand as far as a release date with the club
15:34 Riley joined #bchat
15:34 <NathanHoobler>: Actually, that was going to be my meeting this afternoon. That meeting has been cancelled.
15:35 <NathanHoobler>: In fact, I don't have a release date to - er - release, but I can say "coming soon."
15:35 <NathanHoobler>: We believed that it would be out by now - even months ago. But we've still got a few bugs to work out. I'm hoping we'll have a date to tell everyone - even within the next couple of weeks.
15:36 <Riley>: Release date referring to new club?
15:36 <NathanHoobler>: (The date of release, that is. The site itself won't release in the next couple of weeks.)
15:36 <J>: When it launches, is it going to convert radio waves to brain waves? ;-)
15:36 <Danieladmin>: NathanHoobler How long have you been with AIO??
15:36 <NathanHoobler>: I have been working with Odyssey for just over 22 years now. I've been LISTENING since almost the beginning.
15:36 <Ashley>: Oh wow
15:37 <NathanHoobler>: Back on the Club website, though, I very much hope it will be worth the wait. :)
15:37 <LauraIngalls>: What is different about the new club?
15:37 <Bren>: I'm looking forward to the Jumpstart feature
15:37 <bookworm>: I did read you were an AiO fan before joining the team, what was your personal history with the show like and how did you then come to be involved professionally?
15:37 <NathanHoobler>: I'm still an AIO fan! :-) But I know what you mean. I listened to the show growing up and started a fan website about the show when I was in college.
15:37 <Ashley>: Aww that’s really cool
15:38 <bookworm>: AIOHQ?
15:38 <NathanHoobler>: Some of the creators of the show noticed the website and contacted me - which was very cool. Mark Drury (sound designer at the time) suggested that I come out to Focus for an internship. I said, "Why, yes, that would be a great idea." ;-)
15:38 <Danieladmin>: cool
15:38 <Guest5019>: Cool, what was the website's name?
15:38 <NathanHoobler>: That was summer of 2000 - and I was hired from that internship.
15:38 <NathanHoobler>: The website is AIOHQ.com. It's still there, but it hasn't been updated in years.
15:39 <NathanHoobler>: As for features of the new site, can you remind of anything that's been announced publicly?
15:39 <Top_Awareness_Bot>: Were you around Focus when that weird, scary Corey Van Der Laan guy was there?
15:39 Polehaus53 joined #bchat
15:39 <NathanHoobler>: Top, I'm wondering about your identity IRL. But yes, I was here with Corey was here as an intern.
15:40 <baysimp>: jumpstart was mentioned publicly, some other stuff was mentioned in the club
15:40 <NathanHoobler>: Different ways of organizing the episodes is a big feature.
15:40 <NathanHoobler>: Like making your own playlists.
15:41 <Muppetgeek>: I recall hearing about the playlists
15:41 <NathanHoobler>: We'll be announcing another new feature on the podcast next week.
15:41 <NathanHoobler>: Something...visual.
15:41 <Muppetgeek>: Oooh...
15:42 <Muppetgeek>: Sounds interesting
15:42 <NathanHoobler>: The site will also feature higher audio quality for the episodes.
15:42 <Bren>: Just a reminder, let's remember not to overwhelm Nathan with multiple questions at once. While this is a great time to chat with someone directly tied to present day AIO, let's conduct this conversation in an orderly fashion
15:42 <bookworm>: Since you're speaking on the Club, do you have any information about the availability of the Eugene Sings album? Several people here have recently expressed sadness that it's not in the streaming library.
15:42 <Bren>: You took the words right out of my mouth bookworm
15:43 <NathanHoobler>: Bookworm, we'd love to feature the Eugene Sings album as well! The Will Ryan estate actually owns the streaming rights to those songs, so we'd need to work it out with them. It's something that we are looking into.
15:43 <bookworm>: Excellent, thank you for the information!
15:43 <bookworm>: We assumed it was a rights issue but hoped to find someone who could confirm if it was being looked into or not
15:43 <NathanHoobler>: I think it's one of the few Odyssey products that are technically not available in the Club. I know there are several others.
15:43 <AREM>: NathanHoobler What do you think of this? https://catein-edits.netlify.app/edits/ ... itRoll.mp3
15:43 Jay joined #bchat
15:44 Doll joined #bchat
15:44 <bookworm>: AREM, I'm not sure if that's the worst or best thing I've ever heard...
15:45 <Ashley>: it’s absolutely the best thing 😂
15:45 <Nini>: It's the best thing xD
15:45 <J>: This is a niche feature, but has there ever been any discussion about being able to choose between the radio and album/extended versions of episodes in the Club? Sometimes there are significant differences between the two, like in "A Thankstaking Story", and it'd be nice to be able to compare them.
15:46 <NathanHoobler>: J, that's a good idea. I'd love to make the radio versions of the episodes available for Club members - especially the broadcast versions of the first few years that feature those Chris sketches.
15:46 <NathanHoobler>: It won't be there at launch, but it's another fun potential "someday" feature.
15:46 <NathanHoobler>: Note that you WILL be able to listen to the radio versions at launch - just as you can on the current "free" site.
15:46 <Jay>: How often do you and the rest of the AIO team read AIO blogs and listen to podcasts? Have you listened to any episodes of the WODFAMCHOCPOD? What blogs/podcasts do you reference most frequently to see what the fan content creators are saying about recent episodes?
15:47 <NathanHoobler>: Years ago, I tried to keep up with all of the AIO fan blogs and podcasts. Now that I have a family and there are so many wonderful AIO fan creations out there, I haven't been able to read/listen to them all. I do try to read all I can.
15:48 <NathanHoobler>: I have heard some episodes of the WODFAMCHOCPOD. It certainly has my vote for most creative AIO podcast name.
15:48 Mrscdc joined #bchat
15:48 <NathanHoobler>: I do enjoy seeing what fans have to say about the latest stories - and even stories from years back
15:48 <Bren>: I would love to hear the wrap around from one of the early thanksgiving episodes where Chris visits different departments of AIO
15:48 Riley quit
15:49 <NathanHoobler>: Bren, if I remember correctly, that was the first anniversary episode.
15:49 <NathanHoobler>: They sing "Happy Anniversary" at the end of it.
15:49 PunRyan joined #bchat
15:49 <Jay>: I mention the WODFAMCHOCPOD because they’ve mentioned that they think that the AIO team would strongly dislike their podcast for their criticisms and different viewpoints on many aspects of Christianity and overall worldview.
15:50 <NathanHoobler>: I appreciate hearing sincere criticism of the show from any direction. It's always interesting to hear different perspectives, even if I disagree.
15:50 <NathanHoobler>: So I wouldn't say that I strongly dislike any AIO podcast.
15:51 <Ashley>: Have you ever heard/read anything from Adventures in Opinions?
15:51 <NathanHoobler>: Hm - I can't recall. If you send me a link, I'll take a look though.
15:51 <NathanHoobler>: Website or podcast? (Or both?)
15:51 <AREM>: https://adventuresinopinions.com/
15:51 <Bren>: You have your hand in so many projects these days. What is your current job title?
15:51 <NathanHoobler>: My job title is: Line Producer.
15:51 <NathanHoobler>: It basically means I do what needs to be done. :))
15:51 <NathanHoobler>: So as you mention, I have my hand in a lot of different things. I like it that way because I don't get bored.
15:51 <Mrscdc>: My daughter wants to know if other characters are going to get the amount of air time Penny and wooten have lately
15:52 <Guest5019>: I think it would be great to have some episodes in French for kids from Quebec. Or my family will learn French this way
15:52 <Ashley>: Ooh interesting
15:52 <Jay>: That’s a good idea, like the Spanish episodes!
15:52 <Danieladmin>: NathanHoobler What was the first episode you worked on?
15:52 <NathanHoobler>: Mrscdc, curiously, I don't feel like Wooton and Penny have had as much air time in the last few years.
15:53 <NathanHoobler>: We heard a lot more from them when they were dating and getting married. These days, the focus has been more on some other characters and storylines.
15:53 <NathanHoobler>: So, overall, I think we've heard more from characters like Buck and Jules in the last couple of years.
15:54 <Jay>: Yep
15:54 <NathanHoobler>: It's always a balancing act to make sure that all of our characters get enough screen time.
15:54 <Ashley>: Is there anything you wish you’d done differently as far as new characters, storyline, etc.?
15:54 <NathanHoobler>: The first episode that I worked on in any capacity was "The Big Deal." But I got here a week before it was recorded, so my impact was fairly minimal.
15:54 Guest4556 joined #bchat
15:55 <NathanHoobler>: I've probably has something to do with every episode since then. Some episodes it's been more impact than others. :-)
15:55 Stephen joined #bchat
15:55 <Polehaus53>: NathanHoobler As we anticipate the upcoming Alum 73, can you give any hints about what Album 74 will will hold? Is there a title for it?
15:55 <Danieladmin>: NathanHoobler :]
15:55 <NathanHoobler>: Pretty much every episode, there's something that I wish I'd done differently. That's the curse of being a creative person - you're always second-guessing yourself.
15:55 <Ashley>: haha that’s true
15:56 <Mrscdc>: My daughter said her favorite episode is broken armed and dangerous. What was your impact on that one?
15:56 <NathanHoobler>: The last big project I finished was the Will Ryan tribute podcast - and I'm already thinking of things I could have changed.
15:56 <Top_Awareness_Bot>: You could always George Lucas old episodes and edit in tons of changes. And CGI droids.
15:56 <Jay>: Haha I relate to that as well
15:56 <Jay>: Great job on the tribute podcast, by the way!
15:56 <NathanHoobler>: We hope to have a final title for Album 74 next week. We do have all the episodes recorded (as of last Thursday)!
15:57 <NathanHoobler>: No announcement on the title - maybe we should do that on the podcast before it leaks out through other sources.
15:57 <NathanHoobler>: For Broken Armed and Dangerous, I made notes on various drafts of the script. I was at the studio for the recording. I think I may have parked cars for a few actors, actually. Not sure how much that impacted the show, though!
15:57 <Guest4556>: was eugene ever played by another actor? in a pinch or something like that. I remember hearing an episode where they did that with rodney
15:58 <J>: (Technically, child Eugene was played by the same actor who did Everett, but that's probably not what you're looking for.)
15:58 <NathanHoobler>: Eugene was never played by another actor - at least as an adult. Other actors played him as a kid.
15:58 Polehaus53 quit
15:58 <Guest4556>: thats a good answer I haven't heard the episode when he was little yet but look forward too it. I was always catching it one the radio, but now i'm catching up in the club thank God its so encouraging and entertaining
15:58 <Bren>: I know you like interacting with fans. So, how was it having Katie in town last week?
15:59 <NathanHoobler>: It was great having Katie in town last week. I don't know if this was publicized but Robby Bruce was here too. It's always great being with the actors. We get to see them only occasionally.
15:59 <baysimp>: At what point did the team decide that Wooton was the creator of Powerboy?
16:00 <NathanHoobler>: baysimp, that was there from the beginning. When Torry Martin created the character, that was part of his bio.
16:00 <PunRyan>: As you look back on early episodes you had a hand in, are there things you see that show how you've grown in your skills? I know when I look at a lot of my old content, I see how overall I've improved in pacing/editing smoothness.
16:00 <Top_Awareness_Bot>: For good reason, Will Ryan/Eugene is on the forefront of everyone's mind, but is there any chance of Bart Rathbone ever returning with the right VA? Sleazy con/businessmen have become all the rage in evangelical circles as of late.
16:00 <NathanHoobler>: PunRyan, it's probably up to others to answer how I've improved. As a writer, there's never been a point where I feel like I have it figured out. Writing is a lifelong learning process.
16:01 <NathanHoobler>: Top, I wouldn't rule out any particular character returning. Other than the characters who have passed away, that is. We don't have any plans for Bart (and we're not looking for another actor), but I would never say never.
16:02 <Top_Awareness_Bot>: I know it was sort of tried and collective everyone didn't like the new Bart, I thought he did as good as anyone other than Walker could do.
16:02 <Guest4556>: how old was eugene when he first started on the show, if he was in his 30's he would be about 60 now maybe lol
16:02 <Mrscdc>: My daughter wants to know how many people are friends or couples in real life
16:02 <NathanHoobler>: I think Eugene was intended to be around 20 years old in the early days of the show. But we all know that Odyssey time is not real time. Otherwise, Connie would be in her 50s - and no one wants that.
16:03 <Guest4556>: lol 50s thats crazy
16:03 <Ashley>: Connie doesn't look a day over 18 😂
16:04 <Guest4556>: do an episode where they are all old lol
16:04 <baysimp>: they did that in one of the live shows
16:04 <NathanHoobler>: The live episode from 2002 featured a scene with a bunch of the characters as old people.
16:04 <J>: Do the responses from the "Avery Awards" votes (which episodes/actors win, etc) have a significant impact on how y'all develop the show, or is it just a fun thing for the fans?
16:04 <NathanHoobler>: Responses to the Averys definitely influence the direction of the show - all fan responses influence what we do on the program. Listeners are why we create the show!
16:04 <NathanHoobler>: Of course, we can't always give fans what they want - especially because fans often don't agree! :-)
16:04 <Bren>: When will 28 Hours hit the club?
16:05 <NathanHoobler>: Bren, I don't remember the exact date, but Part 1 should release toward the end of July - and then weekly after that.
16:05 <Stephen>: One thing I've always wondered...how do you maintain continuity among so many writers, sound designers, directors, and the like? Do you keep detailed notes on everything or mostly rely on the long-term involvement of key players?
16:05 <NathanHoobler>: Stephen, we do keep pretty detailed notes. We have a "writer's bible." But long-term involvement of the team is a hallmark of Odyssey. So many who work on the show have worked on it for a very long time.
16:05 <NathanHoobler>: Of course, we need new blood too!
16:05 <Mrscdc>: How did Connie's mom die?
16:05 <Guest4556>: aw man spoiler alert
16:05 <Guest4556>: didn't know she past
16:06 <baysimp>: that was in Life Expectancy, album 57
16:06 <NathanHoobler>: Connie's mom had heart issues.
16:07 <Guest4556>: where would aspiring actor send in there portfolio's?
16:07 <Bren>: I'm looking forward to hearing what Kathy came up with for 73. Everyone on the team seems to be blown away by it
16:07 <Jay>: ^
16:07 <NathanHoobler>: Guest4556, we get this question a lot - and with good reason.
16:08 <NathanHoobler>: There are three requirements to be an Odyssey actor. 1) You have to be a good voice actor. 2) You have to live in Southern California. 3) You have to be a member of the VoiceOver union - AFTRA.
16:08 <NathanHoobler>: If you meet those three requirements, please do send us your demo reel!
16:08 <Guest4556>: I live in arizona just like phil ha
16:08 <Mrscdc>: When is the next live show?
16:09 <NathanHoobler>: Mrscdc, no plans for the next live show. We are talking about doing some sort of event for the 1000th episode. But no details to announce yet. What do you think we should do for a live show?
16:09 <Ashley>: I don't really expect much of an answer to this but are there any stories behind things that have been hinted at in episodes? Like Wooton's family history ("Because...well just because."), Xavier's back story, theWashingtons' "snowflake" story, etc.
16:09 <bookworm>: Good question Ashley
16:09 <Jay>: ^
16:09 <bookworm>: I've also wondered if there are actual ideas behind those or if they were just throw away lines
16:09 <Ashley>: I've always been curious about those things 😅
16:09 <baysimp>: or the wiffle bat incident?
16:09 <NathanHoobler>: Ashely, often there are stories behind the hints. We have found out a lot more about Wooton's backstory in episodes which (hopefully) somewhat explain his hints.
16:10 <NathanHoobler>: With other stories - like the snowflake story - the intention was for it to be a joke that we never really explained in the show.
16:10 <NathanHoobler>: There wasn't a hidden explanation, though we did address that once on the podcast.
16:10 <baysimp>: but that explanation isn't accuate
16:11 <baysimp>: I have issues with it XD
16:11 <Stephen>: When approaching new episodes, how do you choose your primary composer and when to depart from the more traditional orchestration? There have been numerous times where there were very clear, intentional departures from the norm separate from just imagination station adventures or historical episodes (things like "The Rydell Revelations"), but I'm curious what impacts that decisionmaking and if it's done at the director level or the composer level.
16:11 <NathanHoobler>: The sound designer chooses the composer. So many episodes are composed by John Campbell, though we do have several other excellent composers as well.
16:11 <NathanHoobler>: Generally the sound designer and composer discuss the kind of music they want for the program.
16:11 <NathanHoobler>: Usually, the director doesn't have much to say about the music - unless it's a musical.
16:11 <Bren>: I'd love it if the next event could be streamed much like GITS
16:11 <Jay>: I’d really like it to be streamed too, as I live in Thailand (or just do it in Thailand!).
16:12 Top_Awareness_Bot quit
16:12 <NathanHoobler>: I like the idea of streaming the live show, too. Although there's certainly nothing like the experience of being there.
16:12 <Bren>: I loved the music Aaron Fullan did for Always Home
16:13 <Jay>: Yea, I’d definitely prefer to attend in person—just for people who cannot.
16:13 <Guest4556>: rememeber when whit was trapped in the elevator with cryin brian, I was wonding about it cause it was a lot like an episode of the twilight zone called the obsolete man. what are some other of your favorite shows they derive from?
16:13 <NathanHoobler>: Guest4556, I don't know if the Twilight Zone was an influence on "Real Time." It's possible. I know that an episode of the TV show M*A*S*H inspired that story.
16:14 <NathanHoobler>: I don't think I've seen as much TV as many of the other writers. There have been Odyssey plot points inspired by LOST since many of us watched that show. But I don't think any whole episodes were.
16:14 <Guest4556>: yeah that was real time the only difference between the obsolete man was basically they changed it to a stinkbomb
16:14 <ASmouseInTheHouse>: From what I recall was discussed in podcasts, AIO episodes don’t tend to focus on pets because of the sound design. But I was wondering if there are any more plans for the Riley-Clemens farm and their horses or Buck and Sparky because I really enjoyed Angels in Horsehair and Badges of Honor.
16:15 <NathanHoobler>: I'm sure that Sparky will return in another episode - much to the chagrin of the sound designers. :-) No current plans to see the horses out at the farm, but I'm pretty sure we'll be back there at some point.
16:15 <Guest4556>: and that real time mash episode was really good too, the obsolete man is a classic. do you have to look up title or do you just remember them so well? it would kinda be hard to keep track of that many. did we ever find out what happened to james dobson? i guess he had to exit an imaginary place via the imagination station. has any character entered the real world via exit imagination station? the thought just crossed my mind but then again i'm still catching up on the episodes maybe it's already been done
16:15 <J>: Are there any episodes that you (or the AIO team as a whole) used to not like, that you've since warmed up to?
16:16 <NathanHoobler>: You'd have to ask the other writers about their favorite/unfavorite shows. Since I've been listening for basically 35 years, I've certainly warmed to some episodes and cooled to others.
16:16 <NathanHoobler>: I remember really disliking "Gloobers" when I first heard it - now I think it's a great show.
16:16 Jay quit
16:17 <NathanHoobler>: I know that reaction to "Darkness Before Dawn" was somewhat mixed on the team during it's production. Now it's regarded as one of the highlights of the series (and rightfully so).
16:17 <Bren>: I personally always had this idea in the back of my head of Eugene and Buck visiting the farm together as Eugene fodly recalls events from Ice Fishing and Flash Flood
16:17 <Mrscdc>: Was Campbell County community College named for someone related to the show?
16:17 <NathanHoobler>: Campbell comes from Phil Lollar's family, I believe.
16:17 <baysimp>: Like Campbell Freed
16:17 <Guest5019>: I always like the emotional episodes like toy, a lamb's tale
16:17 <bookworm>: I have a few questions about something from quite a while ago, it might be an obscure thing to bring up but I've been researching it recently and I'm curious.
16:17 <bookworm>: Can you fill in some information about the End of Season Awards that AIOHQ used to do? Was that event recognized in any way by the actual AiO team, or just something you did on your own through your fansite?
16:17 <bookworm>: And I'd like to hear how the coordination came about to transition in 2005 from doing them on your site to teaming with Corey to hold the voting on thetoo.com
16:17 <bookworm>: Also, related, can you elaborate on the "Golden Dixie Cups"?
16:18 <NathanHoobler>: Bookworm, the AIOHQ awards were done somewhat unofficially, though for many of them I was working at Focus.
16:18 <NathanHoobler>: We wanted to do something more official - and make it part of the AIO podcast. Thus the Averys.
16:19 <NathanHoobler>: I believe the phrase "Golden Dixie Cups" came from Rob Jorgensen. We changed that because "Dixie" is trademarked. So we couldn't use it.
16:19 <bookworm>: They were actually given out in real life though?
16:19 <bookworm>: I saw some old posts where images used to be linked, but they're not online anymore so I couldn't piece together all the details.
16:19 Polehaus53 joined #bchat
16:19 <Stephen>: As someone who works in cybersecurity...I've always been impressed with the level of depth you all go into with some very technical terminology and details. Many of them end up being pretty important plot points in some of the mysteries. Is this something that you bring extra help in for as you're writing or do you just have a wide range of experience on the writing team already?
16:20 <NathanHoobler>: I'm trying to remember about moving the voting from my site to theTOO. I think it was simply a desire to make it bigger - to make it feel more significant.
16:20 <bookworm>: Did that come about because you knew Corey from at Focus, or was that before that?
16:21 <NathanHoobler>: Stephen, the techno details usually come from us doing research for our episodes. I remember some plot points for "The Labyrinth" coming from a long article in Wired magazine about a virus created by the Israeli government.
16:21 <baysimp>: that episode was awesome!
16:21 <Stephen>: Indeed
16:22 <NathanHoobler>: Answering the question about the Golden Dixie cups, yes, we handed out actual awards.
16:22 <NathanHoobler>: I knew Corey before Focus. He came to Focus through our friendship - if I'm remembering correctly.
16:22 <NathanHoobler>: We knew each other from the late 90s or early 2000s.
16:22 <bookworm>: Thank you! :)
16:22 <bookworm>: I've always wondered how that came to be, because moving the vote to The ToO was how I found that message board. There was a link to the 2006 poll on whitsend.org one day.
16:22 <NathanHoobler>: With our official channels, I like linking to fan websites occasionally so we can encourage listeners to get involved in the fan community.
16:23 <Guest4556>: also the episode where the knight came out of the imagination station, that kinda caught me by surprise was not expecting that. apparently it was because eugene wired it a certain different way
16:23 <baysimp>: no, that was a false ending
16:23 <J>: (Guest4556 - actually, that whole sequence was an Imagination Station adventure.)
16:23 <J>: (Similar to "Further from the Truth".)
16:23 <NathanHoobler>: The technology of the Imagination Station is ever-evolving. In fact, it's been tweaked quite a bit in recent years.
16:23 <Bren>: I probaby shouldn't open this can of worms. But, as fan first and foremost, where do you land on issues fans have with Whit in Rydell Revelations?
16:24 <NathanHoobler>: Bren, I've seen a lot of thoughts about Whit in "Rydell Revelations" and other shows. And their discussion mirrors some of the discussion we've had internally.
16:25 <NathanHoobler>: I doubt we've heard the last of it - either in fan discussion or on the show. There's more to come.
16:25 Guest6598 joined #bchat
16:26 <Polehaus53>: NathanHoobler on the latest Q and A Podcast, you revealed that Renee Carter will be making appearances in mainstream albums. Is the upcoming episode "Renee Renewed" a Club episode or will it be in an album?
16:26 <NathanHoobler>: Renee Renewed will be part of Album 74.
16:26 <Guest4556>: how much time is left in this chat?
16:27 <AREM>: Until the master brain sucks all your time
16:27 <Ashley>: that was great 😂
16:27 <NathanHoobler>: I have a few more minutes for questions. Did I miss any?
16:28 <Bren>: Initially, my plan was to go an hr. so we might wrap up soon. I don't wanna take too much of @NathanHoobler's time
16:28 <AREM>: Can you add dark mode to the new club?
16:28 <AREM>: please
16:28 <Muppetgeek>: I don't really have any questions. I just came to observe and learn.
16:28 <NathanHoobler>: No dark mode in the new Club yet. But perhaps for Phase 2?
16:28 <NathanHoobler>: Or would that be Phase 3?
16:28 <baysimp>: the screenshare from the JumpStart podcast did seem like it might be darker overall
16:29 <J>: If Renee is going to start showing up up in regular albums, are there any plans to release some of her Club episodes to the general public?
16:29 <NathanHoobler>: Renee will appear in other episodes in the regular albums, yes.
16:29 <NathanHoobler>: No current plans to release the Club episodes to the non-Club. But I guess anything could change.
16:30 <Danieladmin>: NathanHoobler Wad-Fam-Choc-Sod or Loc-Kno-Stra-Mal???
16:30 <NathanHoobler>: I like chocolate better than strawberry.
16:30 <Guest6598>: WODFAMCHOCSOD
16:30 <AREM>: What is the recipe for raspberry ripple?
16:30 <Guest6598>: 👀
16:30 <baysimp>: are you a Whittaker?
16:31 <Ashley>: oooh 👀
16:31 <AREM>: .... yes
16:31 <NathanHoobler>: The Loc-Knon-Straw-Mal hasn't made it onto the menu at Whit's End in Colorado Springs yet.
16:31 <Danieladmin>: NathanHoobler Good choice
16:31 <NathanHoobler>: Jason hasn't told me the Raspberry Ripple recipe.
16:31 <Guest6598>: How often do you get food or drink at Whit’s End?
16:32 <NathanHoobler>: Guest6598, not often, I'm afraid. I don't usually eat out for lunch.
16:32 <NathanHoobler>: I do wander over there occasionally to see what's new.
16:32 <NathanHoobler>: I love seeing AIO listeners in the Welcome Center.
16:32 <Polehaus53>: NathanHoobler Will there be a process for Renee moving to the mainstream albums? A large amount of fans who don't have the Club won't know her story and repeating it in the mainstream albums seems a bit unconventional.
16:32 <NathanHoobler>: The first episode - Renee Renewed - is designed to get people up to speed on her story.
16:32 <AREM>: Have you played the official adventures in odyssey game?
16:33 <NathanHoobler>: AREM, if you mean the video game from years ago, yes, I've played it.
16:33 <baysimp>: Does Jillian having a J name increase the danger of her becoming a Whittaker?
16:33 <Ashley>: nooo
16:33 <Guest6598>: Oh no 😅
16:33 <NathanHoobler>: baysimp - ha! I had never thought of that. I know that wasn't the reason that Kathy used the name "Jillian."
16:33 <Guest6598>: Danger is definitely the right word there haha
16:34 <Ashley>: yess 😂
16:34 <J>: (Monty doesn't have a J name that we know of. ;-) Technically "Jenny" - Guinevere - doesn't either, although her nickname does.)
16:34 <AREM>: Is the spiderman page from the club comments on the old site going to be preserved on the new site?
16:34 <Bren>: Since we brought up WE in CO, as a kid in the early 200s I visited Focus. At the time they had shirts with the soda shoppe logo. Since you guys update the design, if there any chance of it making it onto a shirt again for sale?
16:35 <Guest6598>: Same with the older AIO logo shirts, that didn’t have the characters popping out on top.
16:35 <NathanHoobler>: There are various AIO T-shirts for sale at the bookstore. I'm sure if there's a Whit's End one around these days.
16:35 <Bren>: I woulld love to see the color splash resurface
16:36 <Bren>: Those shirts were great
16:36 <NathanHoobler>: I like the idea of making a few new T-shirts though. We're always updating the designs.
16:36 <Bren>: There's only one shirt online these days
16:36 <NathanHoobler>: Well, I don't want to miss any questions. Anything else before I go?
16:37 <Stephen>: No more questions from me at this point...but thank you so much for your time and for everything that you all have been doing. Your work has been a tremendous blessing to me and I've greatly appreciated how high-quality it is. May God bless you and your team as you continue His work!
16:37 <Stephen>: Hope to get up there to Colorado Springs at some point to check out the real thing. ;)
16:37 <AREM>: Are you going to archive the old clubs coments?
16:37 <NathanHoobler>: I'm working on notes on a script currently titled "Girls' Night." We'll be recording next month - though the title may change.
16:37 <baysimp>: Connie, Penny, and Katrina???
16:37 <LauraIngalls>: Thanks, Nathan!
16:37 <NathanHoobler>: AREM, we'll be making an announcement on the Club comments when we have a release date to announce. I don't want to steal the thunder here, but there will be some changes going forward.
16:37 <Guest6598>: Oh, one more question! Does Kevin McCreary edit most of the podcast episodes or just the Averies?
16:38 <Bren>: Thank you so much for your time this afternoon
16:38 <Bren>: It's greatly appreciated
16:38 <Guest6598>: Yes, thank you very much for doing this!
16:38 <NathanHoobler>: Kevin has edited many podcasts over the years and he's worked on most of the Averys. In fact, he's written many (most?) of the Avery scripts.
16:39 <NathanHoobler>: Thank you all for the questions. I always enjoy doing these.
16:39 <Ashley>: Thanks so much, these are always fun!
16:39 <J>: It was great seeing you; take care!
16:39 <NathanHoobler>: See you soon.
16:39 <ASmouseInTheHouse>: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us! I really appreciate it.
16:39 <baysimp>: thank you so much!
16:39 <Mrscdc>: Thank you for answering so many questions today
16:39 <Guest6598>: ^
16:39 <Muppetgeek>: Thanks!
16:39 <Polehaus53>: Thanks for doing this, NathanHoobler, it is much appreciated!
16:39 <AREM>: Thanks!
16:39 NathanHoobler quit
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snubs
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Post by snubs »

That was a fun read! Even though I’m not a part of the Club, I’m excited for the updates. You all asked some great questions!
snubs is not dumb as he really is very smart. — Bmuntz
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Post by Catspaw »

Awesome, thanks bookworm. That was very interesting and informative. I'm so glad that Bren arranged the chat and that Nathan Hoobler gave so much time to answer so many questions. :D
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