New show, Season 2 status, Apollo Showcase and more (2022 Update)

September 21, 2022·11 min·1 clip

Esther Ellis reveals how her personal transition shaped Station Blue's transgender themes across three seasons.

The episode is a long-form update from Station Blue's sole creator, now going by Esther Ellis, after a multi-year hiatus between seasons. The host opens with a personal disclosure: during the pandemic, while working from home and writing, they recognized a need to transition gender, a process that has been ongoing for over a year. The name change to Esther is noted, with a promise to update season one credits after season two launches. The host reassures listeners that this change does not affect the existing character Matthew, who they will continue to voice. Career context is provided: after a bookstore layoff during the pandemic, the host worked full-time in podcast production, including three seasons of Story Break for Maximum Fun and involvement with Dungeons and Daddies from the Rocket Jump crew. They also completed a large sound design project called Hit the Bricks, described as similar in tone to the cartoon Over the Garden Wall. The host attributes accumulated production skills to these other projects and says they will carry into Season 2. The pandemic caused four separate multi-month recording delays in Los Angeles, each triggered by rising infection rates. Between those windows, the host also experienced major personal life changes and travel between coasts. Despite the delays, the host says the entire team is now aligned and ready to proceed. Season 2 is described as featuring a full cast, more intricate sound design, and more episodes than Season 1. Patrons will receive weekly releases while non-patrons get two episodes every three weeks. The host reports positive responses from people who have read the Season 2 scripts and describes the season as a natural follow-up that will also surprise listeners. Season 3 is already outlined with a known beginning, end, and required episodes, with room to add more. The host draws an analogy between audio drama and book publishing, noting that some authors produce work annually while others take five years, and expresses a goal of reaching an eighteen-month release cadence. The Apollo app is introduced as a fiction-specific podcast discovery platform with human-curated lists rather than algorithmic ones. The host participated in an Apollo showcase by producing Whale Song, a 20-minute standalone episode that serves as a production test for Season 2. Over 20 actors were involved in Whale Song, giving the host experience managing a large cast. The story and characters are unrelated to Station Blue but share its themes, mood, and world-building approach. The Goblet Wire, a separate project launched during a frustrated recording gap, is described as a surreal microfiction series in the Station Blue universe where characters call a phone line and enter a strange game. Collaborators from Great Chameleon War, Caravan, and Far Meridian have contributed. A Season 2 trailer recorded some time ago is expected to drop within a week. The host closes by thanking patrons for continued financial support and provides their Twitter handle, Esther the Esper, for questions.

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