Weekly movie discussion podcast The Evolution of Horror may be launching an accompanying card game soon, according to the podcast’s host and creator Mike Muncer.
Muncer told PodPod in his appearance on the latest episode of the podcast that the game is part of a wider plan to continue extending the podcast’s brand beyond the audio format. The game, which Muncer is hoping to launch on Kickstarter soon, is being developed in collaboration with a friend and fan of the podcast “who is a very, very talented gamer, and he’s really got the brain for it”.
“I would love for [The Evolution of Horror] to one day be as big an outlet as something like Empire, I suppose. I guess my ultimate aim would be for it to almost run itself,” said Muncer; “to be able to afford to hire people to do different elements of it, to branch out to different kind of offshoots of the podcast - almost to have a network of podcasts.”
“Not to sound like an awful corporate type, but anything that can expand the brand I suppose and like to make it more of a thing is important.”
Muncer has already experimented with incorporating live events for The Evolution of Horror fans, hosting screenings at independent cinemas around London such as Regent Street Cinema and the Genesis Cinema, and partnering with entertainment company PictureHouse Cinema to host screenings of classic horror movies around the country.
Muncer said that he would also like to expand the world of The Evolution of Horror by translating it into different formats such as its own magazine, YouTube Channel, and more. Additionally, Muncer hopes to expand the brand into its own podcast network with different offshoots of the podcast taking on the same format and featuring different voices of talents he has met and worked with in the past.
“At this point I've met so many amazing people and worked with so many amazing people, from critics to writers, to actors and journalists and filmmakers and artists, graphic designers and composers, and all these amazing people,” said Muncer. “The producer in me is like, I want to use all of these people to make my own empire, right?”
Muncer is currently a full-time podcaster with his series The Evolution of Horror acting as his main source of income, since launching a Patreon subscription service which ranges from £3 to £17 monthly and includes access to livestreams, bonus episodes, shout-outs on the podcast, and more.
According to Muncer, his Patreon page feels like his own “informal personal community” which allows him more room to be more creative with the bonus episodes of the podcast, rather than focusing on the production values.
“Sometimes I won't edit out as many fumbles, or something goes wrong and we'll start laughing because something's gone wrong,” said Muncer. “That would be something I would maybe cut from the main podcast, but I would keep in Patreon - because I think there is that feeling of almost like giving people a little exclusive look behind the curtain or something.”
“As long as the quality of the conversation and the actual podcast episode is still good, I think that the production side can be a little bit more relaxed, and I think people quite enjoy that element of it.”
