In Defense of Fandom

It’s always struck me as odd, how many convention attendees inevitably become volunteers or part time workers for conventions they previously attended. Why make the jump to long hours during what might be your break from your 9-to-5? I spoke with fellow Supernatural fan convention goer-turned-creation-team-member Ellen to hear why she made the jump. She shared her early experiences working the con...

If you noticed that I was supposed to publish a new episode last week…. No you didn’t. I am excited to bring you this post-con conversation between myself and head distiller and founder of Chicago Cane Cooperative, Daniel Regueira, all about our DragonCon experience this past Labor Day weekend! Links: DragonCon https://www.dragoncon.org/ Chicago Cane Coop https://www.chicagocane.com/ & https://sho...

As someone who has never seen The Vampire Diaries or The Originals, despite my otherwise extensive genre fandom credentials, I really appreciated hearing about what this event means for fans and how it brings them into a completely immersive experience. Thankfully, Tammie Buchignani was willing to overlook my fandom ignorance and tell me all about The Original Experience. Links: The Original...

Founded in 1971 by Gary Berman and Adam Malin, two young teenage sci-fi fans in New York, Creation Entertainment continues a 53 year tradition of producing the world's leading fan conventions for followers of genre television and film. In this episode, I interview Gary about how they got started, what it’s like to put on a small but impactful event, and where they are headed to next! Links: Creati...

How well do you know Eric Kripke's two biggest hits: Supernatural and The Boys? Can you name all the shared actors between the two shows? Did you catch every clever homage shared between the shows? Do you think one pulled off its finale better than the other? Host Sadie Witkowski (host of In Defense of Fandom podcast) pits Geekscape podcasters Matt Kelly (Weird Al-gorithm and One Hit Thunder podca...

Started in 1987, Atlanta Georgia’s Dragon Con is the largest multi-media, popular culture convention focusing on science fiction & fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film in the universe. At least, that’s according to their official website. For this episode, I sat down with Science Track Director Matt Jarrett and the science track second-in-command Vaughan James to get the insid...

This season, we're changing up formats! Conventions are all about the in-person experiences and the conversations you have with others. This season, we'll bring that interview format to life with minimally edited conversations between Sadie and a range of guests. Have a guest you'd love to hear from? Or maybe a question you've always had about convention-planning? Let us know and you may hear your...

Welcome to the series finale of Supernatural Music Extravaganza! In this episode, the Denim Wrapped Nightmares and In Defense of Fandom crews tackle the eternal question: "Why does my Supernatural sound different on {insert name of streaming platform}?!" Spoiler alert: blame capitalism! The hosts explain the wild world of music licensing, from the show's early "oops, we only bought DVD rights" day...

Welcome back to another installment of the Denim-wrapped Nightmares and In Defense of Fandom collaboration, Supernatural Music Extravaganza! What happens when two powerhouse voices (who spent years thinking they weren't good enough) finally find their people? Pure magic, that's what. Briana Buckmaster and Lisa Berry take us back to a fateful train ride from a Stage West audition where they bonded...

Our collaboration special between Denim-wrapped Nightmares and In Defense of Fandom continues with hosts Sadie, LA, and Berly exploring the world of Supernatural-inspired music—because apparently, watching two gorgeous brothers hunt monsters for 15 seasons wasn't enough. Opening its doors in 2018, Family Business Beer Company was a Texas hill country retreat where visitors could drink craft brews,...

Ever wonder what happens when a TV show's crew forms a band? We got answers from two members of The Impalas - Supernatural's incredibly talented crew band that rocked wrap parties and even appeared as the Roadhouse band in an actual episode. Jim Michaels (Producer) reveals that crew bands are a TV tradition, explains The Impalas' "full-time crew members only" rule, and shares how their drummer was...

Welcome to episode two of the Denim Wrapped Nightmares and In Defensive Fandom crossover! This episode dives deep into the sonic soul of Supernatural—from the classic rock that made us fall in love with the show to the music keeping the fandom alive today. Billy Moran - Guitarist for Louden Swain, Billy was actually a Supernatural fan BEFORE he joined Rob Benedict's band. Discover how a Flash webs...

Sadie, along with Denim-wrapped Nightmare's Berly and LA, kick off their massive 10-episode collaboration celebrating the 20th anniversary of Supernatural by diving into the show's iconic musical legacy. And yes, they interviewed over 20 people for this series because apparently they're all insane. The episode opens with a power move: Sadie asking Jared and Jensen about Supernatural's music at a c...

A Mixtape 20 years in the making In a multi-part Supernatural 20th anniversary special, we’re collaborating with Denim-Wrapped Nightmares to explore music that made the show, music inspired by the show, and music from the show's cast, writers, and crew. We interviewed musicians, crew, and cast members to hear directly from them how important music was (and is!) to the SPN family. Make sure you sub...

Here's another bonus episode while I work on the next season! A conversation with writer of television, animation, comics, and audio: Meghan Fitzmartin. And for my fellow SPN family out there, you will recognize her name as first a writers assistant for Supernatural to a staffed writer in the final season, penning the episodes Piece of Mind and Drag Me Away (From You). More on Meghan and her upcom...

This conversation with fellow Geekscapists is a post-San Diego Comic Con(versation) covering press passes to running activation booths to attending as a panelist! Check out the other Geekscape Podcasts & Projects: Jonathan London: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/geekscapeforever/hero-of-the-prophecy-1-a-pro-wrestling-comedic-fantasy Christian Bladt: https://www.weirdalgorithmpodcast.com/ Tess...

While I’m still working on creating both a special collaboration mini series and mapping out season 4, I wanted to provide you listeners with a special treat! This episode is an interview with Supernatural's production designer, producer, and occasional director: Jerry Wanek! We talk about his experience working on Supernatural, how the show reflected timeless styles from the iconic motel rooms to...

With season 3 wrapped, we wanted to see what lingering questions you have about parasocial relationships. Editor Anna Funk joins Sadie on the mic to answer some listener questions and reflect on the season as a whole. Editorial Support by Dr. Anna Funk: @itsdrfunk.bsky.social Music written & performed by Chris Scott: @Chrispscott Cover art by Liz Hand: @__ellie See full episode transcript at www.s...

In this final installment of the season, we wrap up final thoughts on the state of celebrity worship, fame, and parasociality. We’ll also hear a bit more about the positive things that we can get out of parasocial relationships, some of the risks to watch out for, and discuss the future of parasociality. Editorial Support by Dr. Anna Funk: @itsdrfunk.bsky.social Music written & performed by Chris...

We’ve talked about parasocial relationships as a one-way street, but can that ever change? Is there a way for a parasocial bond to become just a regular friendship? What would that even look like? Hear examples of how parasocial relationships became something more reciprocal, and learn whether that’s likely to be a rare event or something more commonplace. Editorial Support by Dr. Anna Funk: @itsd...

Has the internet made us all worse at relationships, including the parasocial ones? We’ll talk about the celebrity attitude scale, which measures how intensely an audience member feels about a celebrity, how the internet has changed our media diets, and how online relationships are a blessing and a curse. Editorial Support by Dr. Anna Funk: @itsdrfunk.bsky.social Music written & performed by Chris...

What’s it like to be in-between a celebrity and their fans? What’s it like to have a real relationship with a famous person—and have fans think you might be an access point to that person? Editorial Support by Dr. Anna Funk: @itsdrfunk.bsky.social Music written & performed by Chris Scott: @Chrispscott And new music written & performed by August Hotel: @augusthotel Cover art by Liz Hand: @__ellie S...

I'm so sorry for the delay, but I promise you will have a brand-spanking-new episode in your feed in 2 weeks. In the meantime, support NPR/PBS! Support local journalism! And find ways to give back to your community around you, because this is the only way we're going to make it through. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore how parasocial relationships may, or may not, differ across mediums. I speak with creators in music, podcasting, youtube, and musical threater spaces to hear how each of their experiences are different and yet so similar! Editorial Support by Dr. Anna Funk: @itsdrfunk.bsky.social Music written & performed by Chris Scott: @Chrispscott And new music written & performed by August Hotel: @augu...

What happens when our minds fixate on an actor or band member or podcaster and we start to see things that aren’t there? When a fan feels so much closer to their idolized famous person than they really are? AKA, What’s the deal with parasocial relationships? Editorial Support by Dr. Anna Funk: @DrAnnaFunk Music written & performed by Chris Scott: @Chrispscott Cover art by Liz Hand: @__ellie See fu...