Who's who? Mods, editors, and other staff edition

[eytanz]

So, a forum member recently asked if there was a thread for the moderators and editors and other EA staff to introduce themselves. And I figured, with new members coming in and not all of us having entirely transparent user names, that's a pretty fine idea. So, here's the thread. It's not locked, since not all EA staff on the forums can post in locked threads, but please only post in this thread if you're actually a forum mod or EA staff member. Other posts will be deleted.

So, I'll start. My name is Eytan Zweig, and I am the moderator for the Escape Pod boards. In the real world I teach linguistics at the University of York, but around here, my job consists of posting Escape Pod episode threads, running Escape Pod contests, and generally trying to keep the Escape Pod part of the forums well organised. I also take part in the general mod jobs of keeping the forums civil, and deleting spam and spambots. Lots, and lots of spambots.

I'm also a slush reader for Escape Pod, which means I get to read the stories submitted to Escape Pod and bang my head against the wall every time the twist is that the aliens were human all along.

[Scattercat]

My name is Nathaniel Lee, and I'm the Assistant Editor for Escape Pod.  That means I get to see the stories that didn't cause Eytan and the other slush-readers to kill themselves, out of which I pick one out of every ten or twenty or so to send to Norm (previously Mur).  Eventually some of those appear in the feed, after which I cull the forum threads for comments and read the feedback every week.

I'm technically also a moderator, or at least have moderator powers, but I am far too lazy to ever actually use them.

[kibitzer]

I'm Graeme Dunlop, The Kibitzer. I'm the audio producer for Pseudopod and I frequently narrate for PodCastle (and other fine podcasts). I have narrated for all three Escape Artists 'casts but I'm most frequently heard on PC.

[Bdoomed]

Introductions?! Blasphemy.  Well, I became a moderator here way back when the forum was first created, been bumbling my way about ever since.  I was only 17 at the time too, so I've done my fair share of growing up around here.  Best place to do so, in my opinion.

I'm responsible for posting Pseudopod episodes every week and generally keeping the Pseudopod section nice and tidy.  I also occasionally host flash fiction contests and 'best of' contests and such.  I've also done a few narrations here and there, some for PC and one for PP.  Hoping to go three for three sometime!

I am a graduate of the University of Florida with a B.A. in English, meaning I have not yet decided what career I would like to pursue, nor can I pursue any career because no one hires English majors.  I'm thinking of going into publishing, which doesn't seem like an easy industry to break into.

[Talia]

I'm the evil overlord co-moderator (with the valiant Sir Ocicat) of the PodCastle discussion boards. My co-moderation skills are legendary across the continents. In fact, there are several statues of me erected in various fantasy realms, or so I hear.

Also, I fight crime.

No, mostly I just post the story threads, update the reader/author listings, etc. I'd love, love to do audio work someday but I simply don't have adequate equipment at this time.

I'm terribly boring in real life.

[Alasdair5000]

Hello, I'm Alasdair. I host Pseudopod, co-host Escape Pod with Captain Sherman and do the odd fill in at Podcastle. I believe I have moderator powers but have never used them for fear of causing Akira levels of damage.

In the real world I'm a freelance writer and journalist. I blog regularly at sfx.co.uk and Bleeding Cool, work for The Guardian from time to time and write roleplaying modules. Most recently, a couple for the official Primeval roleplaying game which I'm hoping will see print shortly.

Oh also I bake. And cook. And fight. And climb. And do yoga. But never all at the same time. So far.

[DKT]

Hi, I'm Dave Thompson. I host and co-edit PodCastle, and occasionally read stories for all three podcasts. I LOVE getting to do PodCastle - it's one of my favorite things.

I also read audiobooks, and I write a little bit of fiction myself. I've got two kids with a third coming VERY SOON, and live in Southern California.

If you ever need to get a hold of me, feel free to shoot me a PM. I'm on these boards more often than I'm not, it seems

[matweller]

I love audio performance. I was on a pirate radio station turned legit in a Pittsburgh suburb when I was in high school. I performed on and ran my college station. I co-created, co-hosted, co-everythinged a pretty popular dick-and-fart-joke podcast under an alias from 2006-2010. Now I produce for EP, which is awesome because it lets me work with a lot of new media pioneers that I adore, while working for a group that puts out an amazingly high-quality product.

I'll probably move on to doing my own show again, once I decide what I want that to be. For now producing, narrating and doing amateur audio drama is sating my need to perform and do worthwhile work.

[Ocicat]

I'm the other co-moderator of Podcastle - I post the episodes when Talia doesn't beat me to it, and make sure people play nice with each other.  Which thankfully they usually do.

I also occasionally read slush for Escape Pod, when I have time to dredge through the frequently disappointing stories to find the occasional gem.  Sadly of late I've been too busy to donate too much time to that side of the Escape Artists house, but hopefully that will change before too long.  It really is quite entertaining, even (or especially) when the stories aren't of publishable quality.

Oh, I should note about myself - I live in Seattle and break software for a living.  That's probably where my sadistic sense of humor comes from.   

[Sgarre1]

I'm Shawn Garrett, ye olde editor of Pseudopod...

I read and buy stories for Pseudopod, and track down rights for non-submitted stories for Pseudopod, and - despite having been quite active in college radio - it is unlikely you will ever hear my voice on the podcast.

I live in Maryland and have recently been told I will be evicted from my home of the last 5 years.  In real life, I push an enormous boulder up a hill every day, only to have it roll downhill by next morning.  For this I am paid a pittance.  Sometimes, the water rises to my chin but no higher... sometimes, the fruit hangs just... so... but no lower...  Sometimes life is no good...

I might have been spied recently in a local Peruvian restaurant, drinking margaritas and editing public domain translations of 19th century Fantastique texts while listening to live music.  Sometimes, life is not bad....

I am currently re-listening to a three year run (1957-1960) of Peg Lynch's daily radio CBS comedy series (15 minutes an episode) - THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR - and marveling once again at the deft comedy writing and voicework.

I know much... too much... about horror fiction and movies, which only serves to remind me how little I actually know.  Someday, when I've read everything, I won't know anything, anymore...

My personal heroes include Carl Kolchak, Brother Theodore, Rod Serling, The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, Vivian Stanshall, Ken Nordine, Dr. Shock (Philadelphia) and Coyle & Sharpe, amongst others.

I wish you... a good night.

[Fenrix]

I'm one of the slush readers for PseudoPod. I did the intro for The Prophet's Daughters if you want to hear more about my problems. I'm in Atlanta, and have been friends with Ben Phillips since before the dreams of a podcast kept him sleepless.

I'm looking forward to cobbling together another couple endcaps for stories this year.

...I've done my fair share of growing up around here.  Best place to do so, in my opinion.

I couldn't agree more.

[Umbrageofsnow]

I'm the third member of the Escape Pod Slush Reading Trifecta.  Eytanz, Ocicat, and I combine to form a giant robot capable of defeating rejecting your 9000 word "sci-fi humor" masterpiece and defending Scattercat's brain.  I have no other powers.

In the real world, I have a degree in Microbiology that I'm constantly unable to put to good use.  I recently got done a stint teaching high school science for a few months. I've worked in politics and non-profit fundraising and am currently doing generic, boring office work.

I aim to write things professionally one day, having (for now) given up my dream of actually doing science.  To date my only published "work" is a single drabble on the drabblecast.

[P.C. Haring]

Greetings!  I'm Paul Haring... AKA P.C. Haring.  I'm your resident money monkey (accountant) and front office manager (publisher). 

In the real world, I work as a corporate accountant and am currently an Illinois CPA candidate.  In my spare time (considerably less now with the CPA in my face), I do a fair amount of writing and podcasting of said writing. 

[Anarkey]

I'm Anna Schwind, and not terribly interesting.  I co-edit PodCastle with Dave.  I hardly ever come onto the forums because I have complete faith in our fabulous moderators and have a job that keeps me off the internet most of the time.

[SoJoeWrote]

Can we get an update or new thread for this information? It would be great to know that these mods are still those who we need to speak with. Thank you.

[SpareInch]

You know, I had no idea this thread was here...

If you need to ID a mod or editor, the quick way is to look for the Moderator or Editor tag on their posts, but I don't mind resurrecting this thread, so here goes.

I'm Emma Smailes, and I've been one of the slush readers on Cast of Wonders for a little over a year now. That means that while some shows get zombie snuff porn or the above mentioned, 'They were human all along,' twist, I get to read all the cute, adorable stories from authors who don't know the difference between YA, Middle Grade, and Children's fiction.

In real life, I spend my time baby sitting an inactive bank account for my local transgender support group, and educating taxi drivers on the difference between gender and sexuality. And don't get paid for either.