In the ever-changing landscape of internet multimedia, podcasts have been on the cutting edge for a few years now. For those of you who may not know, a podcast is something like a radio broadcast, only it’s on the internet. Like the old-time radio programs, a podcast typically comes out in episode form, monthly, weekly, or even daily. Anyone with some basic recording equipment and some free time can create a podcast, and if people like it, they will listen in. You can listen on your computer, download them to an audio player, or subscribe and have them automatically sent to your compatible cell phone or other device. I confess that I have pretty limited experience with podcasts. However, I recently found out what I’ve been missing.
We’re Alive is a podcast created, written, and produced by K C Wayland. It tells the story of a world turned upside-down when a majority of the population suddenly become ravening beasts, and about a handful of survivors trying to cope with it. We’re Alive is very reminiscent of the old-time radio programs, with a full cast of voice actors, sound effects, and music. And it has absolutely taken the internet by storm, with downloads in the millions.
We’re Alive is currently in its third season, and the first two seasons are now available on Cd from Blackstone Audio, which is where I discovered it. Well, better late than never. After listening to season 1, I was really intrigued by the whole thing, and decided to ask Mr. Wayland some questions about it.
AUDIOBOOK HEAVEN: KC, How long ago did you get the idea for We’re Alive, and when did the first episode go online?
K C WAYLAND: The idea for We’re Alive came about around 3 months before the first episode aired, which was May of 2009. I hard charged an outline of the story and continued development after that.
AH: It looks like you, along with millions of others, enjoy zombie stories, what books or movies do you feel were important influences on you?
KC: I've watched and enjoyed tons of zombie stories, from 28 days later to dawn of the dead, and so on and so forth. Little things gave way to ideas and small bits of inspiration, but I'd say the most influential were not zombie movies, but rather character stories such as Lost and Harry Potter. Not to say that I agree with all the ways Lost told their story, but it did influence me in the way I told a story and how it was character-central.
AH: Why did you decide to do a podcast, as opposed to, say, writing the story as a novel?
KC: The reason I did a podcast rather than a novel is because it was to be designed as an audio drama. Part of what makes this story unique in the audio world is that it is written and developed as an audio production instead of something adapted later. On numerous occasions we use sounds and clues unique to the audio only, something that would be impossible if it was just in a written form. In other words, it's easier to hide clues in the vast spectrum of sound.
AH: Is it true that you create many of your own sound effects?
KC: We do. It's a mix of stock sound effects and foley work and maintaining the quality level to make them match. It's difficult to foley gun sounds and other heavy explosions, so that's one area we have to use stock sfx. A good chunk of the rest come from working on the foley stage and pre-recording a lot of what we do. I wouldn't want the limits of sound fx libraries to hinder what we want to create.
AH: Do you have a background in audio or video production?
KC: I do. My bachelors was in Film Writing and Directing, and I have two broadcast engineering certifications from my time in the military. I did a large amount of sound design for films and brought that love of sound into this medium.
AH: You mentioned that you were in the military, do you identify yourself with your main character, Michael Crosss at all?
KC: I do, somewhat. I put pieces of myself into every character, but Michael holds the most. But, that being said, I have gone to great lengths to make Michael unique and someone that can stand on his own.
AH: Is there a definite end in sight, or do you plan to keep writing We’re Alive as long as the demand remains high?
KC: The story that is being told in "We’re Alive" has a definite ending. The story outline has already been written, but minor details and some information and side stories are modified along the way. Whether or not there will be any other series in the world of "We’re Alive" remains to be seen.
AH: How many seasons do you anticipate it will take to reach the end of the We’re Alive story?
KC: It'll be 3 to 4. I've gone back and forth a few times, but there's a set number of events that need to take place for the story to end, and just how long it takes me to get there can be a little flexible.
AH: Do you have any more projects in the works?
KC: At the moment, I don't have anything in production, but I have a multitude of other stories waiting till after We’re Alive is over.
AH: Are there any upcoming plot developments you’d like to foreshadow?
KC: Not really. I try to keep a tight lid on what will happen in the next season.
AH: What do you feel has been your biggest challenge, either in the studio or in the editing room, in producing We’re Alive?
KC: There are a lot of challenges to produce We’re Alive. It just takes so much time to produce. In the end it's a good bet to say a minute of final product equals about 2 hours of work. So a 15 minutes episode equals around 30 hours of work. Sometimes more, sometimes less. Since this is a part-time gig, it makes it difficult at times to try and balance it out. During the production season, I don't have weekends, period. The week off we take between chapters is spent writing, and every other weekend is spent editing. BUT we haven't missed a deadline and have been there on time every time.
AH: So this is not a full-time job for you?
KC: No, but I hope one day it will open up possibilities for it to become fulltime. I have a full time 8 to 5 job M-F. The off time, is spent on We’re Alive.
AH: We’re Alive episodes are available for download at www.zombiepodcast.com, how many downloads have you clocked so far?
KC: 5.3 Million at the date of this interview.
AH: I'm curious about the Blackstone Audio connection. How did that come about?
KC: Blackstone was a shot in the dark that ended up going very well. I'm very much behind the quality of my show and knew that a distribution deal was something entirely possible, but finding the right partner to take us there wasn't easy. A lot of publishers don't like taking submissions directly from writers or producers, and require literary agents to do the legwork. That being said, I wrote up and drafted letters to various publishers, blindly, and received a friendly response from them and started working on the details from there.
AH: You have achieved what I would guess is the dream of every podcaster out there, do you have any advice for others?
KC: I think that being published is a great stepping stone, but by no means the last destination on what we'd like to do. There are so many more mediums we could go to and other areas left unexplored. That being said, that's my advice, is to not stop dreaming no matter how high or how far you can imagine. In order to achieve that goal, put absolutely everything you have into it. If there's any area you see you can improve, do it, explore it, find a way to make things happen and don't let anything stop you.
AH: Some pretty sound advice for all of us, no matter where your interests lie. KC, thank you for taking some time to answer my questions, and all the best to you in your present and future endeavors.
For more information about KC Wayland and We’re Alive, visit www.ZombiePodcast.com. There’s tons of information about the story, cast, and crew, plus you can download all of the past and current episodes. Seasons 1 and 2 are also on sale in CD format at www.BlackstoneAudio.com.
You can also read my audiobook review for “We’re Alive, Season 1.
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