And now the podcast is about to hit the small display screen: It was not too long ago licensed for tv.
“We’ve been procuring it round for just a little bit,” says Roberts. The podcast was hitting some necessary numbers — greater than 1.5 million downloads and counting for the primary season, “so we had been on the lookout for the fitting associate.” That associate turned out to be a Toronto firm referred to as Raven Banner Leisure, which does lots of work within the “horror-thriller-fun-genre stuff,” Roberts says.
“We’ve truly been working with them for about six months,” he provides, “and we’re asserting now as a result of we’re completed with all of the pitch packaging and beginning to store it to networks and streamers.”
Given the state of TV at present, Roberts and Howorun agree that they’re open to no matter outlet is all for Escaping Denver, however they suppose it might do greatest on a streaming service. “It simply appears to suit higher,” explains Howorun. “Our content material doesn’t comply with conventional narrative. Having to place in advert beats modifications the construction of the story. In the event you’re getting back from business and having to remind viewers that we left off being chased by a chupacabra, that’s a unique mode of storytelling than simply being within the second.”
Will the TV present be filmed a minimum of partly proper right here in Denver? Mile Excessive hope springs everlasting.
Followers of the podcast needn’t fear that the addition of a TV presence will indirectly degrade the audio-only model that they’ve come to like. “We’re nonetheless on monitor for our five-season arc,” says Howorun. “We’re amping issues up season by season; issues will get just a little extra ludicrous, just a little extra loopy as we dive deeper beneath Denver Worldwide Airport.”
Actually, the one change that followers will see is a optimistic one. “We’ll be popping out weekly this season,” Howorun guarantees. “It’s why there was a bigger hole between the seasons. We needed to have every part completed by the point it premieres so we will be sure you carry on that schedule.”
Particulars on the upcoming season of Escaping Denver are being saved beneath wraps for now, aside from an estimated launch date in late September. However a number of visitor stars for season three have been introduced, together with Sachin Sahel (The 100), Paul Lazenby (Doomsday from Superman & Lois) and Chelsea Inexperienced and Lance Storm (each from the WWE).
Whereas the podcast’s storyline will proceed to give attention to Noah and Sara, the TV manufacturing gained’t simply regurgitate the identical story. “We at all times stated from the onset of this addition of the TV present that we didn’t need to punish our current podcast viewers,” Howorun insists. “We needed to reward followers of the podcast with a extra fulfilling expertise, however didn’t need to inform them the very same story. We needed the 2 tales to work in tandem.”
Howorun beams as he talks concerning the setup for the TV narrative: “It’s going to give attention to a motley crew of followers of the podcast from round North America — this various group of Goonies who break into Denver Worldwide Airport to get to the power that Noah and Sarah have been trapped in. They really use the podcast as certainly one of their many assets to dive into the conspiracy theories surrounding [DIA]. In the event you’re a listener of the podcast, wow, you’re going to seek out Easter eggs everywhere. However on the similar time, you don’t want the podcast with the intention to perceive what you’ll see on TV.” Fairly, every storyline will function the opposite’s bonus content material.
The flip to TV will likely be a really completely different expertise for Roberts and Howorun on a manufacturing degree, as effectively. “We come from a movie background,” says Howorun. “Our manufacturing companions are at all times nice in telling us, ‘Hey, this scene is nice visually, however how do you propose to do it within the audio fashion?’ It’s been this glorious studying expertise. I feel we’ve undoubtedly discovered our rhythm.”
A lot in order that Howorun claims that he’s identified among the many crew for pushing a stage adaptation of the present sooner or later, as effectively — taking Escaping Denver to theaters in main cities, doing what quantities to an old-time radio manufacturing on stage. “Brady and Matthew are burdened by how typically I carry it up,” laughs Howorun. “We’d love to try this. In some unspecified time in the future, that may come from us if everybody will indulge me.”
When final we talked with Roberts and Howorun, regardless of the recognition of Escaping Denver, neither one had but visited both the Mile Excessive Metropolis or DIA itself. That’s since modified: Each had been company at FAN EXPO Denver final 12 months. “We received to satisfy lots of our Denver followers, which was incredible,” says Howorun. They received to see DIA as they handed by way of on their inbound and outbound flights, however didn’t get a tour, as they needed.
“They’ve since reached out on Instagram, and we’re making an attempt to plan some kind of tour. They’ve provided to indicate us a minimum of a part of the power,” Howorun says with a sly smile. “As you may think…we’re extremely skeptical. It looks as if the world’s most blatant entice.”
Escaping Denver is launching the third season of its podcast in late September and will likely be coming to TV screens within the close to future.
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