PotterCast

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PotterCast
"Harry Potter on the Air"
Host(s)	Melissa Anelli John Noe Sue Upton
Website	http://www.pottercast.com/
Update Schedule	Weekly
RSS	feed://feeds.feedburner.com/potter-cast
Launch Date	August 22, 2005
End Date	Ongoing
Genre	Harry Potter

PotterCast is the official podcast of Harry Potter fansite The Leaky Cauldron. This weekly hour-long podcast incorporates book and film discussion as well as fan feedback and interaction pertaining to the larger Potter experience. It's noted for its interviews with people involved in making the Potter films, books, and video games. Launched on August 22, 2005, PotterCast regularly hosts contests, and has presented theme shows, such as a special Wizard Rock video edition and one for Banned Books Week 2005, in which staff interviewed representatives from the American Library Association. It also covers breaking news, such as the press conference hosted by Warner Brothers before the release of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

1 Segments
2 Current Hosts
3 Notable Interviews and Appearances
4 The LeakyMug
5 Live Shows
6 Audience
7 Awards, Nominations, & Rankings
8 External links

[edit] Segments

Intro - Originally just Melissa Anelli, but features the whole PotterCast Trio. Pre-recorded intro by Matthew David Lewis, followed by a rundown of what you'll hear in that week's show.
Sue's News - Quick wrapup of the hot Potter news that has occurred in the last week.
Leaky Lowdown - Analysis and discussion of the latest film, book, and world Harry Potter news items.
In the Fan Corner - One-on-one interview with a fan who has an interesting perspective on the Harry Potter series, usually having used the books as personal inspiration (such as for art or music), or to inspire others (such as in the classroom or in their community).
In the Know - One-on-one interview with an individual that has NOT been involved in creating the books and films, but has expertise in these or related industries.
Extendable Ears - Interviews with filmmakers, editors, actors, etc. who have been directly involved in the Harry Potter industry.
Canon Conundrums - Began April 2006. Picks apart one unanswered question from the Harry Potter series each week, such as "How does the Fidelius Charm work?"
Modcast - Discontinued as of August 2006. In-depth discussion of one character or theme from the Harry Potter books.
Mailbag - Occasional segment answering listener voicemails.
Scribby 5 - Began March 2007. A five-minute discussion on a recent essay or two that have been submitted by Leaky Cauldron readers. Hosted by a different threesome of Scribbulus (essay project) editors each week. May also include discussion about the essays of www.harrypotterseven.com.
Wrapup - The PotterCast Trio ties up the show, closing off loose ends and fooling around. Includes announcements of upcoming events, shout-outs to those who have blogged about the podcast, and a "listener challenge" for the next week (usually asking for fans to create videos, filks, blogs, or voicemails on a certain topic).
Bloopers - Occasional short segment played after the credits roll. Funny outtakes from the recording of that week's episode.

[edit] Current Hosts

Main Hosts, aka "The PotterCast Trio":

Melissa Anelli - Webmistress of The Leaky Cauldron
John Noe - Creative director for The Leaky Cauldron websites
Sue Upton - Senior news editor for The Leaky Cauldron

Regular Hosts:

Steve VanderArk - From The Harry Potter Lexicon, leads discussion for the Canon Conundrums segment
Kristin Brown - Mailbag
Jason Edwards - Canon Conundrums
Kimmy Blair - In the Fan Corner, website editor
Doris Herrmann - In the Fan Corner

Other staff participants includes audio editors, transcription "elves," Scribbulus editors, and moderators from The Leaky Cauldron's forums who've occasionally joined Canon Conundrums and the old Modcast.

[edit] Notable Interviews and Appearances

Arthur Levine - Editor of the American editions of the Harry Potter books and the person widely credited with bringing Potter to America.
Cheryl Klein - Continuity editor of the American editions of the Harry Potter books. (Appeared as a co-host, participating in all segments of the show.)
Matthew David Lewis - Actor who plays Neville Longbottom. (Matt has appeared twice, for extended interviews that have been spread over three weeks each time. He also spoke to fans via call-in.)
Jamie Waylett - Actor who plays Vincent Crabbe. (Appeared as a co-host of the show, spending the entire hour with the PotterCasters.)
Bonnie Wright - Actress who plays Ginny Weasley.
Evanna Lynch - Actress who plays Luna Lovegood. (Participated in a call-in discussion show purely as a fan.)
Christopher Columbus - Director of the first two Potter films.
Alfonso Cuarón - Director of the third Potter film.
Mike Newell - Director of the fourth Potter film.
Stuart Craig - Art director on all Potter films
Chris Rankin - Actor who plays Percy Weasley. Chris is a semi-regular on the show; he has hosted their game show as well as appeared as a live call-in guest.
M. Night Shyamalan - Director of "The Sixth Sense," and "Unbreakable." Discussed, amongst other things, what he would do if offered the chance to direct a Potter film.
Matt Birch and Justin Manning - Producers for the Order of the Phoenix computer game from EA Games.
Danny Bilson - Producer, writer, and director. Worked on the initial creation of the Harry Potter video games.

[edit] The LeakyMug

PotterCast and its friendly rival, MuggleCast, often co-produce a podcast called The Leaky Mug for special events. These are primarily live podcasts, with the occasional "traditional" pre-recorded LeakyMugs used to get the word out about the upcoming live LeakyMugs.

[edit] Live Shows

October 9, 2005 - Salem, Massachusetts. Coincided with "The Witching Hour" Harry Potter symposium. Actor Chris Rankin and Jeff Guillame from HPANA appeared as guests.
November 12, 2005 - New York City, Union Square Barnes & Noble. LeakyMug co-produced with MuggleCast. Coincided with the movie premiere of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which the hosts had the opportunity to attend. Melissa Anelli's mother, who was at the premiere after-party, called in with various Harry Potter cast members on the phone: Emma Watson, Katie Leung, Robert Pattinson, and Matthew Lewis.
July 29, 2006 - Las Vegas, Nevada, JW Marriott Hotel. LeakyMug co-produced with MuggleCast. This was a special event in association with "Lumos 2006," a Harry Potter symposium. Around 1000 attended.
August 2, 2006 - New York City, Union Square Barnes & Noble. LeakyMug co-produced with MuggleCast. The show focused on JK Rowling's August 2006 visit to New York.
September 28, 2006 - Los Angeles, California, Borders Bookstore of Westwood. LeakyMug co-produced with MuggleCast the evening before the 2006 Podcast Awards.
March 3, 2007 - London, England, Borders Bookstore at Charing Cross Road. Melissa Anelli and John Noe hosted. Discussed theatre shows running on the West End starring Harry Potter actors, as well as theories for the upcoming Harry Potter book, "The Deathly Hallows".
May 17, 2007 - New Orleans, Louisianna at the Phoenix Rising symposium.

[edit] Audience

The show has spawned several fan groups - SQUEE (Sue's Quite Unnervingly Excitable Enthusiasts), The John Noe Fan Club, MAFIA (Melissa Anelli's Fans In Action), Guru's Fans, and PCAA (PotterCast Addicts Anomynous). It has also inspired the creation of a few wizard rock bands, including Sue and the Hufflepuffs and MC Dawlish. Listeners frequently create elaborate videos and filks for PotterCast contests and fan challenges.

[edit] Awards, Nominations, & Rankings

2006 DragonCon's Parsec Awards - Nominee for "Best Fan Podcast"
2006 Podcast Awards - Winner of Best Entertainment Podcast
2006 Podcast Awards - Nominee for Podcast of the Year (People's Choice)
iTunes - Around August 24, 2005 it held the number one position on the list of highest rated podcasts. As of March 12, 2007 it is #10 on the list of top Arts podcasts.
Podcast Alley - Consistently ranked in the top 10 each month.