Storytelling Breakdown: Recent Episodes
Ben Clemmer, Caleb Meyer, Stephen Stachofsky, Larissa Whitaker
Storytelling Breakdown is a podcast deep dive into the way our favorite films, shows, books, games, and more reach us in all sorts of ways. Hosts Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer bring you a pop culture audio adventure recorded in Fort Wayne, Indiana. From the terrifying resonance of an eighty year old clown to the entire life of Caesar, from the cutting edge animation of an entire Spider-Verse to a card game from the late nineties that’s so Star Wars it hurts, and from the indelible mark of one of comics’ most creative writers to a museum dedicated to superheroes of all ages, Storytelling Breakdown is place where we can explore everything we love about the stories that make us who we are.
Storytelling Breakdown is recorded in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in association with Wayneshout Productions, LLC. Original music by Kurt Roembke. Artwork by Daniel Church.
As we near the end of summer, the Storytelling Breakdown team decided it was time for Movie Share II: Electric Boogaloo.
The rotation from last time has been reversed. Stephen has Ben, exploring more works of Hayao Miyazaki with Howl’s Moving Castle. Ben has Larissa, and the two opened the episode with a trip back to the 1970’s with Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous. Larissa has Caleb, and she put Derek DelGaudio's In & Of Itself on his radar. Caleb has Stephen, who put on his headphones and sat down for Live, Die, Rep… wait, Edge of Tomorrow.
In The Lord of the Rings: The Scenes of Power our team begins our journey into The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. From Glamdring to an impassable labyrinth of razor-sharp rocks, the conversation starts around the 01:24:03 mark.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Since the beginning of 2022, Storytelling Breakdown has also been hosted by Stephen Stachofsky and Larissa Whitaker. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Film goers of a certain age have grown up with Indiana Jones. For the Storytelling Breakdown team, that meant seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade on VHS, sharing the first viewings with parents and siblings, and probably seeing Temple of Doom a little later in the ol’ childhood. We got Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in 2008 and 15 years ago it looked unlikely that Indiana Jones would go out on top.
Ben, Caleb, Larissa, and Stephen saw Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny together. Just a couple days later, they sat down for a conversation about growing up with the movies, what makes a good Indiana Jones film, and how each sequel fared in following what some consider to be a nearly perfect movie. With Harrison Ford stating that he will not be tempted to make another Indy film, how does Dial of Destiny hold up as this character’s final adventure?
Autumn Schultz joined us for last month’s Spider-Verse episode. She returns for this month’s Spotlight on K-Dramas. The conversation starts around the 01:49:49 mark.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Since the beginning of 2022, Storytelling Breakdown has also been hosted by Stephen Stachofsky and Larissa Whitaker. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
When Storytelling Breakdown debuted in 2020, our first episode dedicated to a single movie was dedicated to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Our guest for that episode was Autumn Schultz. With a new Spider-Verse film capturing the imaginations of audiences worldwide, Caleb and Larissa have invited Autumn back to the podcast to discuss the Web-Head’s latest outing. She is joined by another guest bringing his own Spider-Man expertise to Storytelling Breakdown, Apollo Lymon. The four of them will explore the many elements that set Across the Spider-Verse apart from other animated works, even its predecessor.
This conversation will be SPOILER heavy, so if you haven’t yet, rewatch the first film, put on some Sunflower, and watch Across the Spider-Verse on the biggest screen possible while you have the chance. Then join us for this jam-packed love letter to Spider-Man.
We are returning to our original Spotlight format for this episode. Caleb and Larissa got to hear more from Apollo and Autumn as Ben 10 was discussed. The conversation starts around the 00:57:25 mark.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Since the beginning of 2022, Storytelling Breakdown has also been hosted by Stephen Stachofsky and Larissa Whitaker. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Before the start of Storytelling Breakdown’s third season, our community update episode served as an official welcoming of Stephen Stachofsky and Larissa Whitaker as co-hosts of the podcast. We went down the rabbit hole of everyone’s media histories and Larissa mentioned a show we will cover in depth in this June episode, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Despite sixteen seasons of staying power, Sunny has never received Emmy consideration for anything other than stunts, with three nominations and no wins. Larissa and Caleb come into this episode with a for your consideration campaign as they introduce the show to Sunny newcomers, Ben and Stephen. Does It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia deserve an Emmy for Best Comedy? What are the best episodes to start with if you are introducing the show to someone who's never seen it? How do you win a game of Chardee MacDennis? Grab your toe knife and your headphones, and join us for this latest deep dive from Storytelling Breakdown.
In The Lord of the Rings: The Scenes of Power our team takes one last look (probably) at The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. We’ll be discussing the dynamic between Aragorn and Borimir and the conversation starts around the 01:26:14 mark.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Since the beginning of 2022, Storytelling Breakdown has also been hosted by Stephen Stachofsky and Larissa Whitaker. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
You find yourself cornered in an ancient castle that used to be your school as dark forces close in. Or maybe you find yourself being batted by gusts of wind as the shadow of an enormous red dragon appears overhead. Or wait, how about this? You are just trying to get rid of all of the artichokes.
What’s the best way to deal with any of this? Draw a few cards and hope for the best.
Our gaming focused episodes continue in November. After last month’s epic clash in Fury of Dracula, the Storytelling Breakdown team is discussing deck building card games. Caleb and Ben played the game Young Jedi all the way back in our first season. How can the narratives of familiar intellectual properties, like Star Wars or Harry Potter, come to life at the game table? What are some good deck builders for families and players young and more experienced? How do you find your footing in a deep well of something like Magic: The Gathering when you are just starting to learn to play the game? Join Ben, Caleb, Larissa, and Stephen to find out.
The life and legacy of legendary Batman voice Kevin Conroy is the subject of this episode’s Spotlight. Caleb and Ben’s conversation starts around the 00:53:24 mark.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Since the beginning of 2022, Storytelling Breakdown has also been hosted by Stephen Stachofsky and Larissa Whitaker. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
We’ve made it to our midseason finale episode, bringing back two fighters from previous battles. Today’s episode pits Lucas Gerke against Nicole Rudolph. If you haven’t listened to our other episodes thus far this season, spoilers ahead.
Lucas defeated Ben in game three, winning convincingly with the help of Cthulhu factions. While his combination for this game will be different, old, giant creatures or just creatures in general is a good way to describe his combo. Lucas will be going back to the original Smash Up set to unleash the power of the Dinosaurs. Hold onto your butts. He’ll pair the Dinosaurs with a familiar looking faction from the Big in Japan expansion, the Itty Critters. Nicole lost game two to Jacob Ganser. She comes into this game with one faction that first entered the world of Smash Up at Gen Con in 2019, the Penguins. They will be paired with one of the most disruptive factions we’ve seen in this tournament. Nicole has her Permit to Kill thanks to the Super Spies. One faction looks like it's wearing a tuxedo. The other one actually is. There’s an added bit of intrigue with this battle. Our team is pretty sure this is the only time Lucas and Nicole have played Smash Up against one another. How well can you counter an opponent you have no history of fighting? We shall see.
Dinosaurs & Itty Critters vs. Penguins & Super Spies. Lucas vs. Nicole. Our midseason finale features an epic clash and only one will be victorious!
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about our regular episodes, campaign diaries, and RPG Decades at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown’s RPG Decades is hosted by Caleb Meyer and produced by Ben Clemmer. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. The theme music for RPG Decades season one is The Great Wave by Our Name Is Taken. The Storytelling Breakdown logo is by Daniel Church. The logo for RPG Decades season one is by Michael Ganser. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Throughout this season of RPG Decades, Ben and Caleb have been comparing Smash Up to Magic: The Gathering. One possible comparison comes in the form of bases in Smash Up and lands in Magic: The Gathering. Now, bases in Smash Up are put in play at the start of the game and swapped out when they reach their break points. Lands are put in play by the players in Magic. At first, this might not seem like a good comparison, but think about how land cards can prevent you from winning a game of Magic. It might not matter how well your deck is constructed if your opponent spends almost the entire game with twice as many lands in play as you. In Smash Up, you could have a perfectly good faction combo, maybe one that’s far stronger than average, but the combination of bases in play can break things wide open.
This is one of those games.
Kitty Cats & Kung-Fu Fighters vs. Rock Stars & Vampires. Caleb vs. Jacob. Who will win? And will we set a record for scoring plays in a Smash Up game?
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about our regular episodes, campaign diaries, and RPG Decades at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown’s RPG Decades is hosted by Caleb Meyer and produced by Ben Clemmer. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. The theme music for RPG Decades season one is The Great Wave by Our Name Is Taken. The Storytelling Breakdown logo is by Daniel Church. The logo for RPG Decades season one is by Michael Ganser. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
With two games played, there’s only one more competitor to add to the mix. Lucas Gerke returns to the podcast. You can see him represented on our logo in the likeness of the Bear Cavalry faction.
Magic: The Gathering experience is helpful in playing Smash Up. Caleb and Lucas have been playing for years. That is the obstacle Ben will have to overcome as he and Lucas field their team. Lucas is unleashing eldritch horror, combining factions from the Obligatory Cthulhu Set, the Elder Things and the Minions of Cthulhu. Ben’s answer will be the Robots and the Time Travelers, cycling through small minions that can swarm bases quickly.
Elder Things & Minions of Cthulhu vs. Robots & Time Travelers. Lucas vs. Ben. Who will win? Will our world survive? The answer is unknown or least unpronounceable.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about our regular episodes, campaign diaries, and RPG Decades at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown’s RPG Decades is hosted by Caleb Meyer and produced by Ben Clemmer. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. The theme music for RPG Decades season one is The Great Wave by Our Name Is Taken. The Storytelling Breakdown logo is by Daniel Church. The logo for RPG Decades season one is by Michael Ganser. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
We are one game in and already we are experiencing total chaos. Ben and Caleb have played Smash Up more times than they can count and this next episode will match up two common opponents.
We are welcoming Jacob Ganser back to the podcast after his turn as Dr. Seward for our Halloween episode and his Spotlight on RWBY last year. Nicole Rudolph, another dear friend from our team’s college days (when many a Smash Up game was played), will be his opponent. The Ninja faction inspired Jacob’s look on the RPG Decades logo. They spill a lot of blood, so who better to pair them with than the Sharks? Both of those factions are destructive and opportunistic. Nicole’s factions lean more into utility and building up power. It’s time to throw down at Grandma’s house as Nicole pairs the Grannies with the Mad Scientists. Perhaps that old family recipe requires a jolt of electricity and some überserum.
Grannies & Mad Scientists vs. Ninjas & Sharks. Nicole vs. Jacob. Who will win? Give this battle a listen and find out.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about our regular episodes, campaign diaries, and RPG Decades at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown’s RPG Decades is hosted by Caleb Meyer and produced by Ben Clemmer. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. The theme music for RPG Decades season one is The Great Wave by Our Name Is Taken. The Storytelling Breakdown logo is by Daniel Church. The logo for RPG Decades season one is by Michael Ganser. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
While the first episode of Storytelling Breakdown debuted in September of 2020, the podcast’s origins go back to late winter of 2019. Ben and Caleb sat at the dining room table in Ben’s old apartment and as the first conversations about starting a podcast were happening, Ben and Caleb were playing Smash Up, the shuffle building game of total awesomeness!
RPG Decades is a miniseries under the Storytelling Breakdown banner. Each season will consist of ten episodes centered around the same game and story. In the future, this could mean Dungeons & Dragons, Fate Core, Mutants & Masterminds or Monster of the Week. This debut season is all about Smash Up. Each player chooses two factions, such as Dinosaurs, Pirates, Robots, Super Spies, or Zombies, and shuffles the two faction decks together to create their team. From there, whoever can earn 15 victory points first wins the game, unless there’s some Madness involved. Ben and Caleb will explain the rules in more detail.
Ben and Caleb have also welcomed three of their friends to join them for a round robin tournament. Each competitor will face each other once as Ben, Caleb, Jacob Ganser, Lucas Gerke, and Nicole Rudolph attempt to earn the most wins overall. Our battle for this episode starts with the two Storytelling Breakdown hosts. Caleb’s factions come from Europe, as he’ll lean on the tenacity of the Musketeers and rain fire from Olympus thanks to the Mythic Greeks. Ben will turn to horror as he unleashes a pack of Werewolves. The pack has allied itself with arcane spell casters, Wizards whose magic could turn the tide.
Musketeers & Mythic Greeks vs. Werewolves & Wizards. Caleb vs. Ben. Let’s find out who wins.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about our regular episodes, campaign diaries, and RPG Decades at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown’s RPG Decades is hosted by Caleb Meyer and produced by Ben Clemmer. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. The theme music for RPG Decades season one is The Great Wave by Our Name Is Taken. The Storytelling Breakdown logo is by Daniel Church. The logo for RPG Decades season one is by Michael Ganser. The Curse of Strahd logo is by Jeremy Stroup. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
How is fall damage calculated again? A question that passes through everyone’s minds when the party goes airborne, which is where our adventurers find themselves after last episode. Ada, Delilah, Gorg, Nerine, and Siv are about to board an airship bound for a major city. Unfortunately, saboteurs have other plans for the voyage. How did this play out?
Ben welcomes Megan Bracker back to the podcast to discuss everything from striking fear into the party, to navigating surprising twists and turns, and finding a way to get a custom subclass into the ongoing narrative. Also, it’s a given that when an extremely cute animal is dropped in front of the party, they will adopt him. Hence the hell hound puppy on the art for this series.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about our regular episodes and campaign diaries at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown Campaign Diaries are hosted by Ben Clemmer and Stephen Stachofsky. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. The Storytelling Breakdown logo is by Daniel Church. The Adventurers Assemble logo is by Michael Ganser. The Curse of Strahd logo is by Jeremy Stroup. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
The story of Dracula is an epic. It is with that in mind, the Storytelling Breakdown team is bringing you the biggest episode we’ve ever produced.
Our four hosts stepped into the roles of Dracula and three of the hunters pursuing the vampire for this Halloween episode. The game is an ongoing tabletop cat and mouse dynamic. Stephen played Count Dracula, evading the hunters at every opportunity, while leaving destruction in his wake. Caleb played Lord Godalming or Arthur Holmwood, whose resources were used to their fullest potential taking the fight to the vampire’s deadliest lairs. Jacob Ganser is back on the podcast, this time taking on the role of Dr. John Seward, attempting to crack the psychology of the dreaded undead before he can make more cracks in the psyches of the hunters. Ben played Dr. Abraham Van Helsing, Dracula’s feared nemesis, providing the hunters with the knowledge and tools necessary to stand resolute against evil. Last, Larissa played Mina Harker, whose quest to destroy Dracula is also a quest to regain her agency, from the count, the game design, and the original source material provided by Bram Stoker. Will the intrepid hunters succeed in destroying Dracula before his machinations corrupt all of Europe? There is only one way to find out.
Interview with the Vampire (2022) and Only Lovers Left Alive (2013) are the subjects of this episode’s Spotlight. Caleb and Ben do a Spotlight each year and their conversation starts around the 02:47:01 mark.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Since the beginning of 2022, Storytelling Breakdown has also been hosted by Stephen Stachofsky and Larissa Whitaker. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Strahd is the land. While Barovia is synonymous with the dread lord that rules it, this episode will provide an opportunity to get perspective from the characters of our party.
We’ve gotten a bit of a sense of how Ben operates when playing Jagger, the half-elf rogue. He and Stephen talk about the character design, how and when a player’s kit can be modified over time, and how one key race ability can upend a potentially dangerous combat encounter. Assassins, especially half-elves, can excel at operating in the dark. “I’m so hungry!” A voice cries from the undercroft and our team of warriors descend to battle their first vampire.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about our regular episodes and campaign diaries at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown Campaign Diaries are hosted by Ben Clemmer and Stephen Stachofsky. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. The Storytelling Breakdown logo is by Daniel Church. The Adventurers Assemble logo is by Michael Ganser. The Curse of Strahd logo is by Jeremy Stroup. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
The Dungeon Master has the luxury of seeing how the world is connected, what plot threads intersect, and the different places the story could possibly go. We thought it was time to get a perspective from someone experiencing the world firsthand.
Ben and Stephen are welcoming Megan Bracker back to the podcast. She plays Ada Ifindow, the half-elf artificer. The first several sessions were a whirlwind for Ada. Now, back on her feet and armed with a new gauntlet, we’ll hear how Megan built the character and how Ada saw the party’s path from one mission to the next. With the door closed on the Shrine of the Emperor of Bones, Ada and her four companions investigate a robbery, attend a party at a casino, and ready to take to the skies.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about our regular episodes and campaign diaries at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown Campaign Diaries are hosted by Ben Clemmer and Stephen Stachofsky. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. The Storytelling Breakdown logo is by Daniel Church. The Adventurers Assemble logo is by Michael Ganser. The Curse of Strahd logo is by Jeremy Stroup. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
C’mon, it’s episode #27.
The first ever episode of Storytelling Breakdown was a dive into the world of Batman. We return to that well today to celebrate 30 years since Batman: The Animated Series first aired on this date in 1992. For this conversation we are joined by Todd Espeland, executive and artistic director at Fort Wayne Youtheatre.
Batman: The Animated Series has a lasting legacy in part because of its unique art style, blending old and new to create a timeless feel set against backdrops drawn on black paper. The character designs are iconic, pulling inspiration from the comic book source material and creating new stories that would find their way into all sorts of media. The show’s largest footprint now may be the creation of the definitive Mr. Freeze origin story and the addition of Harley Quinn to the world of Batman.
The voice acting performances are brilliant. The show won multiple Emmy awards for sound design, music, and writing. Original animation cels from the show hang in the Hall of Heroes, where Ben and Caleb visited in 2019 for our season one finale. Todd Espeland was the one who originally recommended the trip. Now, Todd and our team are going to look back at some of the most iconic episodes and dive deep into a show that more than holds up 30 years later.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer is the subject of this episode’s Spotlight. We’ll focus on two lovable characters, Willow and Spike. Our guest is Maria Ward. She is introduced around the 01:07:17 mark.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Since the beginning of 2022, Storytelling Breakdown has also been hosted by Stephen Stachofsky and Larissa Whitaker. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Half of the conversations amongst our team start with, “Hey, you should watch…”
This was one of those times.
Caleb encouraged our team to watch Nine, the 2009 musical starring Daniel Day-Lewis. With Nine putting so much focus on the production of a film and the cast, crew, and coordination necessary to pull it off, as well as the protagonist’s doomed relationship with a character played by Marion Cotillard, Ben struck up a familiar conversation, “Hey, you should watch Inception.”
This episode is brought to you by comparative analysis as Ben, Caleb, and Larissa discuss Nine and Inception. The title of this episode comes from Larissa after watching Nine, “there’s so much movie in this movie.”
The Black Mirror is the subject of this episode’s Spotlight. Our guest is Chad Chenowith. He is introduced around the 53:16 mark.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Since the beginning of 2022, Storytelling Breakdown has also been hosted by Stephen Stachofsky and Larissa Whitaker. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Knowledge of the past to aid the present: Look for a wizard's tower on a lake. Let the wizard's name and servant guide you to that which you seek.
Holy symbol of great hope: Look to the west. Find a pool blessed by the light of the white sun.
The Sunsword: I see a sleeping prince, a servant of light and the brother of Darkness. This treasure lies with him.
An ally to aid you in your quest: A vistana wanders this land alone, searching for her mentor. She doesn't stay in one place for long. Seek her out at Saint Markovias Abbey, near the mists.
The final confrontation: He dwells with one whose blood sealed his doom, a brother of light snuffed out too soon.
With these prophecies foretold by Madam Eva, the party enters the Village of Barovia. What horrors will they find? Perhaps a body in need of burying, a reincarnated spirit in a woman unaware of her past life while so many others walk around as soulless husks, or perhaps even price gouging? Only time will tell.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about our regular episodes and campaign diaries at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown Campaign Diaries are hosted by Ben Clemmer and Stephen Stachofsky. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. The Storytelling Breakdown logo is by Daniel Church. The Adventurers Assemble logo is by Michael Ganser. The Curse of Strahd logo is by Jeremy Stroup. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Sometimes so go the dice, so goes the story. We pick back up with our quintet of adventurers in the city of Murktown. Ada, Delilah, Gorg, Nerine, and Siv have successfully defeated the Emperor of Bones. What comes next?
When trying to bring flowers to someone recovering from injuries, you roll a 20 and get a bouquet bigger than you are. Sometimes when you are trying to investigate corrupt city guards while wearing a disguise, you roll a 1 and fall quite awkwardly. Our adventurers brave caverns they know to be dangerous, risk discovery even while invisible, and fight a particularly nasty set of furniture in a magic shop.
Join Ben and Stephen for this third installment of the Adventurers Assemble campaign. The two discuss getting to know a party when there are few obvious quest hooks, discovering items that might be best left behind, and navigating this final session of level one play.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about our regular episodes and campaign diaries at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown Campaign Diaries are hosted by Ben Clemmer and Stephen Stachofsky. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. The Storytelling Breakdown logo is by Daniel Church. The Adventurers Assemble logo is by Michael Ganser. The Curse of Strahd logo is by Jeremy Stroup. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
There are four qualifications for a movie to be a legacy sequel. The movie takes place further down the timeline in an already established universe’s continuity. It focuses on new characters, but still has original characters present in the plot.
Does this episode count? We talked about legacy sequels for the first time a few months ago. Now, we’re picking up in the same continuity and Stephen’s experience will drive a significant portion of the early part of this episode, while Caleb, Larissa, and Ben remain present in the conversation as well. Maybe this episode does count as a legacy sequel. Either way, this month’s episode was an excuse for the team to watch a bunch of really good movies. We explored three decades of classics with Rocky, Ghostbusters, and Jumanji. Then we tackled their legacy sequels that have all come out in the last decade, Creed, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.
Jurassic Park is the subject of this episode’s Spotlight. Our guest is Bill Silkworth. You can find his YouTube channel Mr Movie Lover here, which includes his own video on Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Bill is introduced around the 57:16 mark.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Since the beginning of 2022, Storytelling Breakdown has also been hosted by Stephen Stachofsky and Larissa Whitaker. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
It doesn’t get much more classic than Ravenloft and Barovia, two of D&D’s most beloved settings. Come along with Stephen and Ben as the former takes you further down the rabbit hole of his run of Curse of Strahd. Curse of Strahd is one of the most popular modules built for 5th Edition of Dungeons & Dragons and has roots going back to the beginnings of the game. Each run of the module is different, so even if you have played it before, you’ve never played it like this.
In the first episode, Stephen walked us through the preparation and the first real sessions. Now it is time to descend to the heart of darkness as the players take their first steps into the twisted landscape of Barovia. Beginning with a brief adventure on the Sword Coast and ending with an ominous prophecy, this episode will have you wondering does anything good happen in Barovia?
All in due time.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about our regular episodes and campaign diaries at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown Campaign Diaries are hosted by Ben Clemmer and Stephen Stachofsky. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. The Storytelling Breakdown logo is by Daniel Church. The Adventurers Assemble logo is by Michael Ganser. The Curse of Strahd logo is by Jeremy Stroup. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Adventurer down! We’re being vague here so we don’t spoil what happened in the first episode if you haven’t gotten to listen to it yet. SB Hosts Ben Clemmer and Stephen Stachofsky are bringing you campaign diaries, inviting you to hear the tales of their Dungeons & Dragons games as told by the Dungeon Masters. Welcome to the second session of Adventurers Assemble.
When we last saw our heroes, they were exploring the Shrine of the Emperor of Bones, dangerous ground for any adventurers, but especially a group of level one characters. The clock is ticking as the party splits up to rescue a fallen comrade, while also recruiting the help they need to get through the shrine and rescue the children trapped underground. There’s skeletons, zombies, illusions, hideouts, betrayal, and a particularly dangerous set of chairs in this chapter of our story.
Ben and Stephen discuss adjusting plotlines on the fly, reskinning characters who appear in multiple campaigns, and how this group of five is going to survive, or risk becoming a group of four or less very quickly.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about our regular episodes and campaign diaries at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown Campaign Diaries are hosted by Ben Clemmer and Stephen Stachofsky. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. The Storytelling Breakdown logo is by Daniel Church. The Adventurers Assemble logo is by Michael Ganser. The Curse of Strahd logo is by Jeremy Stroup. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
The idea of “show, don’t tell” allows creators to communicate ideas to those experiencing their stories through sensory details. You can learn a lot about a character and their world by watching how they interact in a given space. You’ll likely learn even more in watching them fight.
Combat is an element of so many significant pieces of media we have and haven’t covered yet on Storytelling Breakdown. From Marvel to Star Wars or from The Witcher to The Princess Bride, we can learn so much about characters from watching them contend with an opponent. The openings not taken, using an enemy’s tactics against them, and the preparation that can go sideways in an instant make this deep dive with Casey Stombaugh a blast for all involved.
Hook is the subject of this episode’s Spotlight. Our guest is Ben Murphy and he is introduced around the 01:23:20 mark.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Since the beginning of 2022, Storytelling Breakdown has also been hosted by Stephen Stachofsky and Larissa Whitaker. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
This was a long time coming. Dungeons & Dragons has surged in popularity so much in the last decade. All four of Storytelling Breakdown’s hosts currently actively play or DM in at least one campaign. After blogs and episodes dedicated to RPGs, SB Hosts Ben Clemmer and Stephen Stachofsky host a series of campaign diaries, inviting you to take a seat at their tables and experience the tales told by the Dungeon Masters.
It doesn’t get much more classic than Ravenloft and Barovia, two of D&D’s most beloved settings. Come along with Stephen as he takes you through the set up and first sessions of his run of Curse of Strahd. Curse of Strahd is one of the most popular modules built for 5th Edition of Dungeons & Dragons and has roots going back to the beginnings of the game. Each run of the module is different, so even if you have played it before, you’ve never played it like this.
Our first session begins with getting players to the table, and trying to survive the “Death House”. Will our heroes survive the swirling mists of Barovia, or are they going to be something, or someone’s dinner?
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about our regular episodes and campaign diaries at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown Campaign Diaries are hosted by Ben Clemmer and Stephen Stachofsky. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. The Storytelling Breakdown logo is by Daniel Church. The Adventurers Assemble logo is by Michael Ganser. The Curse of Strahd logo is by Jeremy Stroup. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
This was a long time coming. Dungeons & Dragons has surged in popularity so much in the last decade. All four of Storytelling Breakdown’s hosts currently actively play or DM in at least one campaign. After blogs and episodes dedicated to RPGs, SB Hosts Ben Clemmer and Stephen Stachofsky host a series of campaign diaries, inviting you to take a seat at their tables and experience the tales told by the Dungeon Masters.
Our story begins in Murktown, a location Ben borrowed from a homebrew module. Murktown is an old village in the Fairknot Region of the continent of Omeria. For ages it has served as a trading post. There hasn’t been an attack on Murktown in hundreds of years, but there hasn’t been a noble living in the keep to call for aid for even longer. There is a river that flows through the town to the bay and three bridges connecting the two largest neighborhoods, Monarchy and Wastefall. The town is old, kind of dirty, and sees travelers of all kinds.
On this day, we look to the interior of the Loaded Buckler, a tavern near the center of Murktown. Upstairs are simple sleeping quarters that can be rented for a night. The main room of the tavern is lit by a pair of fireplaces and torches mounted throughout in brackets on the wall and support columns. Tables and bar seating remain available. A young, redheaded half-elf has just seated a strange group of travelers, five in total and that is where we start our first session.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about our regular episodes and campaign diaries at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown Campaign Diaries are hosted by Ben Clemmer and Stephen Stachofsky. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. The Storytelling Breakdown logo is by Daniel Church. The Adventurers Assemble logo is by Michael Ganser. The Curse of Strahd logo is by Jeremy Stroup. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
How did it take us this long to get here?
Pirates have had an up and down cinematic history. While classic pirate images come to mind from the earliest days of Hollywood filmmaking, the genre was considered cursed for several decades before a movie with “Curse” in the title brought the genre into a renaissance. And it is a genre we are finally discussing.
Our Flag Means Death takes this genre to fascinating depths with the craft of one of the most creative directors working today cough Taika Waititi. Rhys Darby turns in a phenomenal performance as Stede Bonnet. Historic pirates get new takes in a story that sees clashes with the Royal Navy, shows the transformative powerful of authentic relationships, and explores the terrible expectations of toxic masculinity.
Peacemaker is the subject of this episode’s Spotlight. Our guest is Caleb Linnemeier and he is introduced around the 01:08:32 mark.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Since the beginning of 2022, Storytelling Breakdown has also been hosted by Stephen Stachofsky and Larissa Whitaker. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
“I believe in America.”
After Cinematic Icons: A Meeting of the Five Families and Boardwalk Blinders & The Roaring Twenties, our gangster episodes have become a trilogy. That said, this conversation stands alone, much as The Godfather does 50 years after its release. The Storytelling Breakdown team reflects on our first viewings of the film, the numerous production hurdles that could have made for a very different movie, and how this classic is viewed today.
Fringe is the subject of this episode’s Spotlight. Our guest is Georgia Stachofsky and she is introduced around the 01:00:15 mark.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Since the beginning of 2022, Storytelling Breakdown has also been hosted by Stephen Stachofsky and Larissa Whitaker. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
When we last saw our heroes, it was years, maybe even decades ago. Now they are back, older and wearier, but we are thrilled to see them again. They have new allies. Our story follows a new hero or several figuring out their place in a universe.
If you’ve seen a story like this recently, it was probably a legacy sequel. The popularity of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Creed, and other films sets up this conversation between Ben, Caleb, and Larissa as we take our own journey into the world of continuations, years after the last film in a franchise featured a hero we know and love.
The live action Scooby-Doo films are the subject of this episode’s Spotlight. Our guest is Brittany Smith and she is introduced around the 01:02:25 mark.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Since the beginning of 2022, Storytelling Breakdown has also been hosted by Stephen Stachofsky and Larissa Whitaker. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
“I’m Mary Poppins, y’all!”
When we think of quotes that came out of the horribly beautiful mind of James Gunn, this one might be one of the most recognizable. That said, there’s a couple recent quotes from interviews with James Gunn that inform our conversation in our season three premier.
“I love making movies and telling stories. But, there was part of it I was using to try to fill a whole in me that didn’t feel loved by other people… I felt like everything in my life had been taken from me at one time, but in that moment all of a sudden all of these people loved me--in a moment when I thought my career was over. I felt loved for the first time in my life, and it was an incredibly empowering experience.”
Storytelling Breakdown Host Larissa Whitaker leads the conversation, and joined Ben, Caleb, and Stephen in the studio to discuss The James Gunn Love Bomb Spectacular.
Baseball is the subject of this episode’s Spotlight, though it is more specifically about the Chicago Cubs, and even more specifically about MLB: The Show. Our guest is Steve Mullaney and he is introduced around the 01:00:53 mark.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Since the beginning of 2022, Storytelling Breakdown has also been hosted by Stephen Stachofsky and Larissa Whitaker. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
In an effort to avoid false advertising, our team does have to confess that this episode has almost nothing to do with Avatar: The Last Airbender.
This month we are bringing you our annual community update. Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer were joined in the studio by Storytelling Breakdown’s newest hosts Stephen Stachofsky and Larissa Whitaker. We’ll reflect on our last season, look ahead to some of what’s coming up, and all four hosts discussed their year in media for 2021.
We’ve got Babylon Berlin, Barbaren, Bo Burnham: Inside, Castlevania, CJ The X, D&D, Get Back, King of Staten Island, Marvel Phase 4, Mass Effect, Matthew Colville, Mike Birbiglia’s Working It Out, Monster of the Week, Mythic Quest, No Time to Die, Overly Sarcastic Productions, Secret Base, Succession, Ted Lasso, Vincenzo, The Witcher and The Young Pope. We probably forgot to list a few things.
The 2017 videogame Night in the Woods is the subject of this episode’s Spotlight. Our guest is Megan Bracker and she is introduced around the 01:10:34 mark.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Since the beginning of 2022, Storytelling Breakdown has also been hosted by Stephen Stachofsky and Larissa Whitaker. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
“Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.”
When Ben, Caleb, and Stephen joined the Deus Vult podcast for a crossover episode in November, this quote came up. It’s from Nucky Thompson, the main character in HBO’s Boardwalk Empire. While recent dramas set in the roaring twenties, such as Boardwalk Empire and Peaky Blinders, have taken liberties with historical events, they tell really good stories and feature fascinating characters.
Caleb and Ben welcome their friend Carolynn Stouder into the studio to talk about both of these shows, performances that stand out, comparisons that can be made, and what issues their stories address. We’ve got flappers, bookies, bootleggers, band leaders, rebels, clay kickers, and corrupt officials navigating the chaos for this look at Boardwalk, Blinders & The Roaring Twenties.
The 2009 film The Secret of Kells is the subject of this episode’s Spotlight. Our guest is Jeremy Stroup and he is introduced around the 01:15:49 mark.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Stephen Stachofsky joins us as a producer, writer, and editor. Our social media coordinator is Ella Abbott. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
Starting in 2022, the Storytelling Breakdown team will be expanding. We’ll be adding co-hosts with Stephen Stachofsky and Larissa Whitaker stepping into the roles.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
A tried and true pop culture staple is the top five list. Another tried and true pop culture staple is the gangster movie. In an attempt to reach the length of gangster epics of the past, Ben, Caleb, and Stephen have recorded our longest episode to date. If these movies, scenes, directors, actors, and characters are in themselves a meeting of the five families, who gets a seat at the table? Who’s in the room even if they just missed out on one of the five seats?
This is the third and final entry in the Cinematic Icons series for Storytelling Breakdown’s second season. After previous discussions of Hitchcock and Spielberg, plus our Halloween favorites, this episode looks at the works of Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, James Cagney, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, and so many others who have appeared in legendary gangster films. Fuggedaboutit.
The 2020 film One Night in Miami... is the subject of this episode’s Spotlight. Our guest is Kibwe Cooper, host of the EmpowerYou podcast and he is introduced around the 01:30:25 mark.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Stephen Stachofsky joins us as a producer, writer, and editor. Our social media coordinator is Ella Abbott. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
Starting in 2022, the Storytelling Breakdown team will be expanding. We’ll be adding co-hosts and we can announce that one of them will be a dear friend of the show, Larissa Whitaker. She was first heard on the program for the first Spotlight of Fake Doctors, Real Dramedies, speaking about Black Panther around the 01:19:12 mark.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Maybe it starts with a special delivery. Perhaps the first thing you see is the exterior of the New York Public Library. Or maybe we begin in the present with everything shrouded in black and white at an auction in an abandoned, old opera house, before the chandelier is lit and we go back in time. Halloween looks a little different for everyone and for this episode, Stephen, Ben, and Caleb discuss their go-to Halloween movies.
Some of our early conversations about movies focused on more recent releases. Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, Zack Snyder’s Justice League, and the Planet of the Apes trilogy of the last decade only go back as far as 2011. For our Cinematic Icons, we go back a little further. Stephen’s pick gives us a chance to explore the iconic latter-day appearances of Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney Jr. For Ben’s pick, we enjoy everything the original Ghostbusters film gave us, as we anticipate a sequel. Finally for Caleb’s pick, we consider the brilliant pairing of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s music and Joel Schumacher’s visuals. Spend a part of your spooky season with your favorite Halloween movie and the Storytelling Breakdown team.
The Apple TV+ series Mythic Quest is the subject of this episode’s Spotlight. Our guest is our social media coordinator Ella Abbott and she is introduced around the 57:14 mark.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Stephen Stachofsky joins us as a producer, writer, and editor. Our social media coordinator is Ella Abbott. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
Starting in 2022, the Storytelling Breakdown team will be expanding. We’ll be adding co-hosts and we can announce that one of them will be our dear friend and collaborator, Stephen Stachofsky.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Storytelling Breakdown has now been around for a year!
One topic that has always resonated with the Storytelling Breakdown team is voice acting, going all the way back to our first episode in September of 2020 when we highlighted Mark Hamil’s Joker. How do voice actors create such memorable performances so radically different from their own? What can be done to help these virtuosos of voice understand their instruments better? Dr. Colette Feehan is the first doctor to come on Storytelling Breakdown and voice acting is something of a *cue sassy Obi-Wan voice… speciality. We talked with Colette about her research at IU, the amazing connections she made at comic cons, and the final chapters of earning her doctorate.
For the first time since our first two episodes, Caleb and Ben each did Spotlights for this one. They start at the 54:21 mark. Caleb explores some of his favorite aspects of Downton Abbey after a quarantine watch and Ben highlights an epic battle royale from Critical Role.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Stephen Stachofsky joins us as a producer, writer, and editor. Our social media coordinator is Ella Abbott. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
This podcast exists because for all of us on our team, someone fueled our passion for movies. Connections can be drawn between actors, writers, and in the case of this episode, directors like Alfred Hitchcock and Steven Spielberg.
We have two guests in the studio for this episode. Ben Clemmer’s brother Don is a lifelong cinephile and provided an early influence for interests like comics, Star Wars, Batman, and The Lord of the Rings. Don is also the seventh guest to appear on Storytelling Breakdown who was once a student of Jane Martin. Jane is a professor of communication at the University of Saint Francis and this episode was a welcome throwback to her Film as Art class.
The award winning episode of Batman: The Animated Series, Heart of Ice is the subject of this episode’s Spotlight. Our guest is Bryant Rozier and he is introduced around the 48:13 mark.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Stephen Stachofsky joins us as a producer, writer, and editor. Our social media coordinator is Ella Abbott. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Our team has a great love of comic books. The stories include, but are not limited to superheroes. Some we couldn’t put down as children. Others enthrall us as adult readers. Plus, there is so much major media available today that is based on stories told in the pages of comic books. We’re continuing our series of crossover shows with a full Breakdown featuring Albert Wiltfong, Austin Shinn, and Zephyr Ostrowski from The Omniplex Podcast.
Albert, Austin, and Zephyr are avid comic book fans who recently interviewed J.M. DeMatteis on their podcast. That conversation sparked an idea that led to a trip to the proverbial aquarium.
The card game Intel is the subject of this episode’s Spotlight. Our guests are the creators, John Jehl, Ethan Sternke, and Alex Shinn, and they are introduced around the 01:13:47 mark.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Stephen Stachofsky joins us as a producer, writer, and editor. Our social media coordinator is Ella Abbott. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Welcome to this episode. Have a look around. Anything that brain of yours can think of can be found...
We’re still processing the emotions we felt when watching Bo Burnham: Inside. The pandemic has been hard on our team’s mental health and Caleb and Ben watched the special for the fourth and second time before recording this month’s episode. From the songs, to the lighting, to the feelings, this is Bo Burnham Breakdown.
The American anime-influenced, adult computer-animated web series, RWBY is the subject of this episode’s Spotlight. Our guest is Jacob Ganser and he is introduced around the 01:17:00 mark.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Stephen Stachofsky joins us as a producer, writer, and editor. Our social media coordinator is Ella Abbott. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been praised for its interconnected film and television spanning stories, which have remained largely consistent in tone and continuity since Iron Man came out in 2008. DC films have been… well, not that.
After Caleb and Ben saw Zack Snyder’s Justice League, they invited Lucas Gerke to return to the podcast for a deep dive into how we got here. In addition to studying film and directing for years, Lucas has actively followed the events that led to the 2021 release of the “Snyder Cut” on HBO Max. The entire experience was different, especially if you are a fan of Cyborg, the Flash, and villains that aren’t flat.
You get the idea.
We’ll also wrap up by digging into an alternate timeline proposed by Ben in the Storytelling Breakdown blog. Here’s the links to parts one, two, and three.
The different aspects of playing a character in an RPG is the subject of this episode’s Spotlight portion and we’ll hear more from Casey Stombaugh as he’s interviewed by Stephen Stachofsky.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Stephen Stachofsky joins us as a producer, writer, and editor. Our social media coordinator is Ella Abbott. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions. Special thanks to John for recording the majority of this episode in his studio space.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
When Storytelling Breakdown Writer, Editor, and Producer Stephen Stachofsky wrote a a blog for SB this week, he included this quote from George Lucas, "after Star Wars was released, it became apparent that my story—however many films it took to tell—was only one of thousands that could be told about the characters who inhabit its galaxy. But these were not stories that I was destined to tell. Instead, they would spring from the imagination of other writers, inspired by the glimpse of a galaxy that Star Wars provided.”
Today on Storytelling Breakdown, we’ll hear how SB’s Ben Clemmer and Stephen Stachofsky combined forces to create an RPG campaign in the Star Wars universe. The crew of misfits was prone to bad luck and unpredictable, and things were pretty interesting for the characters too.
This is Rogue Producers: A Star Wars Story.
The Jedi Code is the subject of this episode’s Spotlight portion and we’ll hear more from the Deus Vult Podcast. The creators, Fr. Stephen Felicichia and Deacon Dan Koehl, are both Catholic clerics in the Fort Wayne area. Their section of our show begins at the 59:19 mark. You can find their podcast at their website or wherever podcasts are found and learn more from their Facebook and Instagram pages.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Stephen Stachofsky joins us as a producer, writer, and editor. Our social media coordinator is Ella Abbott. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions. Special thanks to John for recording the majority of this episode in his studio space.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
You can hear the choppers in the distance. A slight tilt of the head and looking off screen, and you’re in a fantasy. The realities of facing death every single day collide with some of the best comedy and writing of their eras. Storytelling Breakdown’s Caleb Meyer grew up watching MAS*H. Ben Clemmer grew up watching Scrubs. In this episode the pair discuss the connections and parallels between the two.
The stories feature fake doctors, but real dramedy.
Once you’ve done everything you can to get yourself kicked out of the army and finished your last overnight shift at Sacred Heart, you’ll be able to hear from a variety of team members and friends of the show for our Spotlight portion.
Hope Arthur and Kurt Roembke are both halves of the duo, Silbo Gomero. This episode features their new song called Whale Fall. The track features percussion recorded in a session with Nick Broste at the Shape Shoppe in Chicago, Illinois. The music video was written and directed by Kurt Roembke with puppets designed and constructed by Lyssa Troemel. Lyssa Troemel and Tara Olivero performed as puppeteers.
Our first Spotlight in this episode comes from Larissa Whitaker and focuses on the contributions from two female characters in Black Panther. She is introduced around the 01:19:12 mark.
Our second Spotlight features Rob Martinez, who has his own show called The Movie Music Spotlight, and he has a followup to our main topic from last episode. You can hear his insights into the filming of The Blues Brothers at the 01:29:38 mark.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Stephen Stachofsky joins us as a producer, writer, and editor. Our social media coordinator is Ella Abbott. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions. Special thanks to John for recording the majority of this episode in his studio space.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Many movies are endlessly quotable. You can hear one quote, like the title of this episode, and images from the movie immediately appear inside your head. But they don’t all spawn from Saturday Night Live. They don’t all set a record for the most cars wrecked in a single film production. They don’t all feature cameos and performances from music icons. They don’t all feature bands assembled from diverse pockets of American music. They don’t all feature a musically inclined duo willing to break speed laws, take it to the nazies, and organize a sold out show just to save an orphanage.
They aren’t The Blues Brothers.
Caleb Meyer and Ben Clemmer dig into a classic comedy and musical that has lived, thrived, and survived in the public consciousness for over forty years. An SNL skit inspired a three hundred page script, edited down and directed by John Landis, that featured so many stars, talents, and weird stories, we couldn’t think of a better way to begin Storytelling Breakdown’s second season!
The beginning of Baby Driver is the subject of this episode’s Spotlight portion and we’ll hear more from Lucas Gerke.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Stephen Stachofsky joins us as a producer, writer, and editor. Our social media coordinator is Ella Abbott. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions. Special thanks to John for recording the majority of this episode in his studio space.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
You find yourself in a frozen wasteland. You shield your face as chilled winds pull at your cloak. Your feet are numb in your worn boots that are no longer holding up in the elements you’ve been trudging through for... hours? Days? Against the whiteout surrounding you, you can barely perceive a structure ahead along with two, possibly three others approaching you. Are they friend or foe? Will the small holdfast on the horizon bring warmth or even greater danger? There’s only one way to find out.
There’s nothing quite like the storytelling of Role Playing Games, or RPGs. Caleb and Ben are both fans of Dungeons & Dragons, Fate Core, and other games that you can play with family and friends for… hours… days… They are also perhaps more mainstream than ever before. Look no further than Marisha Ray and Matthew Mercer from “Critical Role” being interviewed on NPR this week. RPGs have helped to keep our team sane during the pandemic and they offer endless opportunities to explore worlds beyond our own.
This episode marks our first community update. When we wrapped production on our first season, many parts of our community and identity were just getting started. We’ll tell you more about those and then go through games we’ve played, sessions we’ve organized, and all the places we still want to travel.
The beginning of Phone Booth is the subject of this episode’s Spotlight portion and we’ll hear more from Lucas Gerke.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram.
Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Stephen Stachofsky joins us as a producer, writer, and editor. Our social media coordinator is Ella Abbott (you can find her podcast, Coffee & Cryptids, here). Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins (you can find his podcast, Oh Shoot... REBOOT, here) and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Road Trip.
Caleb Meyer and Ben Clemmer journeyed to Elkhart, Indiana to experience the Hall of Heroes Superhero Museum. The largest collection of superhero memorabilia in the world is also home to over 65,000 comic books, including first appearances, alongside props, toys, costumes, and so many other permutations of super heroic history.
Be dwarfed a lifesize statue of the Incredible Hulk. The Hall has many statues of iconic heroes. Be awed by the unusual legacies of superhero lore. The Incredible Hulk was also almost purple. Yeah, seriously. And place your buttocks where Nicolas Cage once placed his. Ghost Rider’s bike has found a home in the Hall of Heroes. If you haven’t been to the Hall of Heroes, put it on the calendar or the bucket list, and go.
And thank you for listening to the season one finale of Storytelling Breakdown.
The Center For Puppetry Arts is the subject of this episode’s Spotlight portion and we’ll hear more from John Dawkins.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon.
Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Stephen Stachofsky joins us as a producer and writer. Our social media coordinator is Ella Abbott. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
If you were creating a Mount Rushmore of Batman comic book writers, Denny O’Neil’s face would be carved in stone. He’d arguably earn a spot in the pantheon of comic book writers in general. Writer and editor Dennis O’Neil passed away on June 11, 2020. He was 81 years old.
Join us for an episode Caleb and Ben wrote to remember the writer who brought us Green Lantern John Stewart, Ra’s and Talia Al Ghul, Azrael, Bane, Dr. Leslie Thompkins, Lady Deathstrike, and so many more.
Inside is the subject of this episode’s Spotlight portion and we’ll hear more from Kurt Roembke.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon.
Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Stephen Stachofsky joins us as a producer and writer. Our social media coordinator is Ella Abbott. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…”
Multiple generations have now had their lives impacted by the Star Wars saga. The cultural resonance of the franchise feels like a modern mythology and the characters and worlds have been explored in so many different mediums like toys, games, and other merchandise. For this episode, we’ll take a trip back to 1999 with John Kaufeld. The master gains two apprentices as Caleb and Ben are taught to play Young Jedi.
Star Wars: Battlefront II (the 2005 version) is the subject of this episode’s Spotlight portion and we’ll hear more from Stephen Stachofsky.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon.
Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Stephen Stachofsky joins us as a producer and writer. Our social media coordinator is Ella Abbott. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
With great power, comes great responsibility. Yep, this is a Spider-Man episode. The big screen version of the character has gotten a lot of mileage with three lead actors taking on the role for ten films from Sony and Marvel so far, but it might be Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, a 2018 animated feature, that stands out as the most groundbreaking take on the character(s).
There’s a lot of reasons for that. Many of them are because of the animation, so we invited Autumn Schultz, an animation expert and good friend, to help with the breakdown. You can check out her artwork on her website and on Instagram.
This episode’s Spotlight portion is an interview with Melissa Thomas. Melissa is an artist from South Bend who has had her work put on licenced Star Trek and Star Wars merchandise. You can find her artwork on her website and Instagram.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon.
Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Stephen Stachofsky joins us as a producer and writer. Our social media coordinator is Ella Abbott. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Welcome to Storytelling Breakdown, a pop culture deep dive podcast leaving no story untold. Our lives are defined by the stories that are poured into us. That can be (comic) books we read, shows we binge, games we can spend hours playing, or movies we can’t stop talking about. There’s so much to storytelling in so many mediums and our exploration continues.
Motion capture. Just those two words might cause a series of images to appear in your head. An actor, maybe a British one, wearing a skintight suit and standing up (or crawling around pretending to be a dragon. I see you, Cumberbatch) backed by a green screen as cameras and computers capture every movement and even facial expressions thanks to a series of markers on the face. This technology has rapidly increased in capability and we’ll discuss how it can impact an audience in our second episode.
The season one premier of Boardwalk Empire is the subject of this episode’s Spotlight portion and we’ll hear more from Ben Clemmer.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon.
Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Stephen Stachofsky joins us as a producer and writer. Our social media coordinator is Ella Abbott. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Welcome to the first episode of Storytelling Breakdown. Without any further delay, our team would like to welcome you to our pop culture deep dive podcast leaving no story untold. Our lives are defined by the stories that are poured into us. That can be (comic) books we read, shows we binge, games we can spend hours playing, and movies we can’t stop talking about. There’s so much to storytelling in so many mediums and our exploration starts now.
We’ll begin with one of fiction’s greatest villains, who often speaks to an audience like he’s the star of his own show. The white face, colorful suit, and terrifying grin of the Joker have stood up to eighty years of interpretation and our deep dive serves as a belated happy birthday.
The Banner Saga is the subject of this episode’s Spotlight portion and we’ll hear more from Caleb Meyer.
Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon.
Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Stephen Stachofsky joins us as a producer and writer. Our social media coordinator is Ella Abbott. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Here's what the world can expect from season 1 of Storytelling Breakdown, Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer's pop culture deep dive into their favorite movies, comics, gaming and books. Ben and Caleb take on the best of nerd culture and even invite special guests into their studio. Storytelling Breakdown is recorded in Fort Wayne Indiana in association with Wayneshout Productions.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★