The online home of the most listened to Harry Potter podcast online
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About the Show
MuggleNet.com's podcast, appropriately titled "MuggleCast," is an informative talk show dedicated to everything Harry Potter.
The idea of creating a podcast surrounding Harry Potter was spawned back in April of 2005, when MuggleNet staff member Sarah tossed the idea around in our staff forum. The idea was met with a mixed reaction from the staff, but over the three months it was in development, MuggleCast grew as an idea. Originally, MuggleCast was only going to be a weekly news round-up with discussion of the latest news stories. The format quickly changed, though, as we began coming up with new ideas. By early August we had created with a great format for the internet's first ever Harry Potter talk show.
The show's premiere in mid-August was met with great reviews from visitors of MuggleNet. Now in its fourth full year online, MuggleCast continues to reach thousands of listeners with news, theories, analysis, and much more. For more information about the show and its hosts, read on!
The Show Today
One of the most common questions we get asked is, "How can you still talk about Harry Potter when all the books are released now?"
We're proud to say that even though all the books are out, the Harry Potter fandom is still alive and thriving. We've developed several fun segments that will last many many years. "Make the Music Connection", "Micah's Fireside Chats", and "Chicken Soup for the MuggleCast Soul" are examples of segments that don't necessarily require material from the books but still connect to Harry Potter in a way listeners look forward to with every new show.
MuggleCast will continue to release new episodes for years to come!
About the Hosts
 Andrew Sims, age 20, is the lead host and will guide the group of co-hosts through the show. He hails from South Jersey and attended Shawnee High School where he produced several shows for their television studio. He is now enjoying the warm weather of the West Coast. Find him on Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook.
 Laura Thompson is often described as the voice of reason on MuggleCast, and adds some much-needed estrogen to the show. She's a 20-year-old sophomore at McDaniel College in Maryland. Laura also co-runs a charity.
 Micah Tannenbaum, age 26, is a Syracuse University graduate and the show's weekly anchorman from the greater New York City area. For each episode he has provided a round-up of the top Harry Potter news stories, and is recognized for his "What's Buggin' Micah" segment.
 Matt Britton, age 23, hails from San Diego. He is currently studying at San Diego University and uses his wits to bring lots of sarcasm and humor to the show. Matt has been a MuggleCast transcriber for nearly 2 years now and continues to enjoy both of his show duties.
 Eric Scull, often called "the Spieler," is a 20-year-old high school graduate from Pennsylvania. Known for his very long rants on the show, Eric never fails to entertain the audience and annoy the hosts with all of his knowledge.
 Ben Schoen is a 20 year-old high school student from Kansas. One of the more out-spoken hosts on the show, Ben's never afraid of to lay the smack down on the other hosts, or the audience. He gets this hosting style from his past debate experience. He currently attends Notre Dame.
 Jamie Lawrence is the resident Brit on the podcast, always adding his intelligent analysis and witty humor on each show. Jamie's a 22-year-old graduate of Durham University and is adored by fans for his British accent.
 Elysa Montfort, age 21, originally from the Washington D.C. area, is spent this past semester studying at Oxford University. Elysa is known for her intellectual contributions and keeping the other hosts on their toes with accurate information.
 Mikey Bouchereau is a 24-year-old alum of Cal State Fullerton who currently resides in Kentucky. He joined the cast when we were in desperate need of a sub co-host one week, and fit in with the rest of us like a glove. Now he is a semi-regular on the show.
 Kevin Steck is known as the nerdiest one in the group, a graduate of the University of Connecticut at the age of 23. Kevin was one of the original three co-hosts who founded the show, but unfortunately is no longer a part of the team.
FAQs (even more here)
- What is a podcast? Originating from the words "iPod" and "broadcast," a podcast is designed to be listened to online, on your
computer or on the road with your MP3 or CD player. Podcasts can be anything from talk shows to comedic skits--the possibilities are endless.
Typically, a listener will subscribe to a podcast via their podcasting catcher. There are several applications to do this: iTunes, Juice, and Odeo are just a few.
Once downloaded, you can listen and enjoy them as much as you want! An in-depth description of podcasting can be found at Wikipedia.
- Podcasting catcher? Yep. If you don't use iTunes, we recommend Juice. The software is free and is available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. Get it here!
- Do I need an iPod to listen? No! Listen to the show on any CD player, any computer, or any MP3 player.
- What is MuggleNet's podcast feature? Our podcast is a wrap-up of everything Harry Potter. News, theories, discussion
and much more can and will be covered. The upcoming Half-Blood Prince film is one of our main subjects right now. Four to five MuggleNet staffers co-host each show.
- How much does this cost? It's free!
- How would I go about downloading one of your podcasts? You can download our show by subscribing in iTunes.
If you subscribe through iTunes and you own an iPod, it will automatically download and put MuggleCast on your iPod whenever a new one is released. This requires the latest iTunes and iPod software, and you might have to modify settings for the automatic sending.
- What if I'm not able to use a podcasting client, or I don't want to? While we highly recommend you use the iTunes button above to subscribe, you can directly download each episode via
this page.
Quick Facts
- Now through four full years, MuggleCast continues to maintain a listenerbase of over 50,000 downloads per episode.
- We use Skype, an internet telephony, to talk to one another in order to record the show.
- Each show usually lasts for 90-120 minutes unedited.
- Our post-recording process typically takes 6-8 hours per show (this includes editing, encoding, and ID3 tagging).
- We were #1 on iTunes' Top Podcasts list for 2 weeks in August '05 when the show premiered. It reached the coveted top spot for the second time shortly after Deathly Hallows was released.
- Today, MuggleCast consistently remains one of the Top 100 podcasts on iTunes, and has been featured by Apple on numerous occasions.
- Recipient of the 2006 People's Choice Award and 2008 Entertainment Award at the annual Podcast Awards.
Press Scrapbook and Reviews
Reviews on iTunes
More Questions?
Find them at this link!
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