Realm Media
Realm, formerly Serial Box,[1] is an American audio entertainment company that creates original fiction podcasts and audiobook series, which include continuations of TV series. Realm's podcasts feature an array of production styles depending on the story, some with full casts, others with single voice narration.[2] NPR described Realm as intending to serve as an "HBO for readers".[3]
 Logo of Realm Media | |
| Founded | September 2015 |
|---|---|
| Founders | Julian Yap & Molly Barton |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Headquarters location | New York City |
| Publication types | Serialized fiction; audio dramas; podcasts |
| Official website | https://www.realm.fm/ |
History
In September 2015, Julian Yap and Molly Barton launched Serial Box.[4] The first production was Bookburners, created by Max Gladstone.[5] The writing process was based on television serials rather than novels.[3] Founder Yap realized that he was reading fewer novels due to time constraints from work. Both Yap and Barton believe that serialized fiction will make reading more accessible and social.[4]
In April 2021, Serial Box changed its name to Realm and released its productions globally as podcasts.[2] The productions can be listened to for free with advertising, or with a subscription.
Process
Realm hires a lead author, or showrunner, write a pilot episode and a "show bible" which will outline the plot for each season. After this, Realm brings together a team of writers who will contribute ideas in a manner similar to a television writers' room. At the end of this period, each author is assigned episodes to write. Whereas a novel generally takes 2–3 years to be written and published, a Realm production can be completed 6 months from the start date. Because the first episode is published before the season is completed, the authors can tailor the ending of the season to the audience's reactions.[6] It is the responsibility of the showrunner to ensure that all episodes maintain a consistent writing style despite the involvement of multiple authors.[7]
Awards
Molly Barton, Jeff Li, James Stuart, and Julian Yap were nominated for the 2019 World Fantasy Professional Award for their work with Serial Box.[8]
Productions
| Title[9] | Number of seasons | Showrunner | Other authors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alternis | 1 | N/A | Maurice Broaddus, Jacqueline Koyanagi, E.C. Myers, and Andrea Phillips |
| Bookburners | 5 | Max Gladstone | Margaret Dunlap, Amal El-Mohtar, Mur Lafferty, Brian Francis Slattery, and Andrea Phillips |
| Born to the Blade | 1 | Michael R. Underwood | Marie Brennan, Cassandra Khaw, and Malka Older |
| Bullet Catcher | 3 | Joaquin Lowe | None |
| Dark Heights | 1 | CD Miller | None |
| Dead Air | 1 | Gwenda Bond | Rachel Caine and Carrie Ryan |
| Exquisite Corpse | 1 | N/A (prompts provided by Dread Central) | Richard Chizmar, Paul Cornell, Christopher Golden, Brian Keene, Cassandra Khaw, Stephen Kozeniewski, Nick Mamatas, Sisters of Slaughter (Michelle Garza and Melissa Lason), Paul Tremblay, and Alyssa Wong |
| False Idols | 1 | N/A | Lisa Klink, Patrick Lohier, Diana Renn, and Robert K. Wittman |
| First Street | 1 | Catherine McKenzie | Catherine McKenzie, Jasmine Guillory, Elyssa Friedland, Shawn Klomparens, Randy Susan Meyers, Kermit Roosevelt III |
| Geek Actually | 1 | N/A | Cathy Yardley, Melissa Blue, Rachel Stuhler, and Cecilia Tan |
| Gods and Lies | 1 | Elizabeth Vail | None |
| Knox | 1 | N/A | K Arsenault Rivera, Brooke Bolander, Gabino Iglesias, and Sunny Moraine |
| Machina | 1 | Fran Wilde | Fran Wilde, Malka Older, and Curtis C. Chen, with Martha Wells |
| Marvel's Black Panther: Sins of the King | 1 | N/A | Steven Barnes, Ira Madison III, Tananarive Due, Geoffrey Thorne, and Mohale Mashigo |
| Marvel's Black Widow: Bad Blood | 1 | N/A | Lindsay Smith, Margaret Dunlap, Mikki Kendall, L.L. McKinney, and Taylor Stevens |
| Marvel's Jessica Jones: Playing With Fire | 1 | N/A | Lauren Beukes, Vita Ayala, Sam Beckbessinger, Zoe Quinn, and Elsa Sjunneson |
| Marvel's Thor: Metal Gods | 1 | N/A | Aaron Stewart-Ahn, Jay Edidin, Brian Keene, and Yoon Ha Lee |
| A Most Dangerous Woman | 1 | Brenda Clough | None |
| Ninth Step Station | 2 | Malka Older | Curtis C. Chen, Jacqueline Koyanagi, and Fran Wilde |
| Orphan Black: The Next Chapter | 2 | Malka Older | Madeline Ashby, Mishell Baker, Heli Kennedy, E. C. Myers and Lindsay Smith |
| Outliers | 1 | Dave Beazley | Casey Wells. Voiced by Rory Culkin. |
| ReMade | 2 | Matthew Cody | Gwenda Bond, Amy Rose Capetta, Carrie Harris, E.C. Myers, Andrea Phillips, and Kiersten White |
| Silverwood: The Door | 1 | Brian Keene | Brian Keene, Richard Chizmar, Stephen Kozeniewski, Sisters of Slaughter (Michelle Garza and Melissa Lason) |
| Spider King | 1 | Justin C. Key | None |
| Tremontaine | 4 | Ellen Kushner | Liz Duffy Adams, Patty Bryant, Joel Derfner, Tessa Gratton, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Malinda Lo, Karen Lord, Racheline Maltese, Mary Anne Mohanraj, Delia Sherman, and Pat Witcover. |
| The Triangle | 1 | Dan Koboldt | Mindy McGinnis and Sylvia Spruck Wrigley |
| The Vela | 2 | Yoon Ha Lee | Becky Chambers, SL Huang, and Rivers Solomon |
| Whitehall | 2 | Liz Duffy Adams | Mary Robinette Kowal, Madeleine Robins, Barbara Samuel, and Delia Sherman |
| The Witch Who Came in from the Cold | 2 | Max Gladstone and Lindsay Smith | Cassandra Rose Clarke, Michael Swanwick, Ian Tregillis, and Fran Wilde |
References
- Spangler, Todd (2021-04-02). "Serial Box Renames Itself Realm, Launches Free Podcast Strategy (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
- "Serial Box Relaunches as Realm, Releasing Dozens of Its Most Popular Shows for the First Time Everywhere Podcasts Are Available". www.businesswire.com. 2021-04-02. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
- Neary, Lynn (26 July 2016). "Can Serialized Fiction Convert Binge Watchers Into Binge Readers?". NPR. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- Dawn, Randee (28 September 2015). "'HBO for reading': Serial Box delivers new fiction to your phone in TV-style episodes". Today. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- Reid, Calvin (18 September 2015). "Startup Serial Box Wants To Be the 'HBO for Readers'". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- Locke, Charley (14 September 2016). "THIS EBOOK PUBLISHER DOESN'T HAVE AUTHORS. IT HAS WRITERS' ROOMS". Wired. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- Grady, Constance (6 August 2018). "Meet a new kind of book, designed for the age of Peak TV". Vox. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- "World Fantasy Awards 2019". SFADB. Retrieved 1 Aug 2019.
- "All Serials". Serial Box.