Where have I heard HBM before?
Lots of places. Host Jeff Emtman has been on This American Life, RISK, and performed at a Moth grand slam. Also, HBM's been featured on other shows like:
Who makes Here Be Monsters?
Jeff Emtman started the show in 2012 and continues to produce and edit the episodes. Bethany Denton co-produced Seasons 4 through 8. Lots of other people make episodes for us too. Read about them on our Contributors page.
Do you accept episode pitches?
Yes! Mail us a pitch. We look for fleshed out ideas about any topic touching on fear or the unknown. Concept trumps format. Weird and heartfelt are our bread and butter. Also, we especially want pitches from producers who have access to communities, identities and perspectives which we do not have. If we make an episode together, we will pay you.
Is Here Be Monsters "explicit"?
Sometimes. If we think an episode is especially rough on the ears, we'll give a verbal note at the beginning of the show.
What Equipment/Software/Hosting Do You Use?
Jeff started the show with a cheap recorder, a pair of headphones, and a copy of Reaper. Since then, the equipment's grown considerably. But the long and short of it is that good sound doesn’t have to cost much. Prices listed below are in USD and are highly approximate.
How much is the RX7 Advanced?
RX7 Advanced by Izotope ($1,200 retail, but received a license in exchange for doing work for the company)
Is the Roland R-05 discontinued?
Roland r-05 handheld recorder (this is the recorder we send people for audio diaries. It’s discontinued, but you can still find them for cheap or use the similar later models)
From KCRW
Here Be Monsters is a growing community of radio producers, artists, and listeners who are interested in pursuing their fears and facing the unknown.
HBM Continues as an Independent Podcast
August 13, 2020 • However, moving forward, HBM will continue as an independent production, and no longer be distributed through the KCRW feed.
HBM140: The New Black Wall Street
June 24, 2020 • Black Tulsans record a rap album in a house that once belonged to a famous Klansman.
HBM139: Acceptable Pains
June 10, 2020 • Is volunteering for pain an unnecessary cruelty? Or is it a fundamental part of being human?
HBM138: Did Neanderthals Bury their Dead?
May 27, 2020 • New research suggests that Neanderthals did many of the things once thought to be exclusively "human."
HBM137: Superhappiness
May 13, 2020 • David Pearce thinks it's possible to end suffering. He's a philosopher* who studies "hedonic zero", the state of being which is completely neutral--neither good nor bad. He believes that, despite our momentary joys and sadnesses, most of us have a set point we tend to return to.
HBM136: Jacob's Lost Biography
April 29, 2020 • In 2012, Jacob Lemanski started writing his autobiography a few words at a time when he signed his name on the digital card readers at the grocery store. He read somewhere that the credit card companies keep the signatures on file for seven years.
HBM148: Early Attempts at Summoning Dream Beings
Jeff tries to become the world’s first slumbering podcast advice columnist.
HBM144: Keeping A Place
Capturing the sonic fingerprints of important places before they’re gone forever.
HBM142: The Vastness of the Universe
The effort to find intelligent extraterrestrial life is hampered by the slowness of light, the bigness of space, and some humans who don’t follow the rules.
HBM Continues as an Independent Podcast
Here Be Monsters will continue production as an independent podcast, no longer associated with KCRW.
HBM140: The New Black Wall Street
Black Tulsans record a rap album in a house that once belonged to a famous Klansman.
HBM139: Acceptable Pains
Is volunteering for pain an unnecessary cruelty? Or is it a fundamental part of being human?
HBM138: Did Neanderthals Bury their Dead?
New research suggests that Neanderthals did many of the things once thought to be exclusively “human.”
