A sci-fi comedy about the last human alive

My name is Alex Kingsley and I'm one of the co-founders of Strong Branch Productions. I'm a writer, comedian, and game designer currently based in Madrid. I graduated from Swarthmore College with a degree in theater and media studies, and hoped to find a way to combine those two things in a way that emphasizes inclusivity, accessibility, and friendship. Thus, Strong Branch was born! A new media company, focusing on podcasts and tabletop games. The Stench of Adventure is a sci-fi comedy about Stella Thomas, the last human left alive. Without any reason to live anymore, she lets herself be tricked into taking a job on the Starship Raccoon, an intergalactic garbage ship. Antics ensue. Our listeners vary widely, but they are predominately young queer people (we ARE, after all, a company of young queer people) who love a good laugh and little splash of philosophy.
 

I have wanted to start a podcast ever since I was 15 years old and became hyperfixated on Welcome to Night Vale. This was always a bit of a distant dream of mine (I wrote two seasons of a show during high school that never saw the light of day) until the pandemic. Only then did I get back into podcasts and realize that it would be the perfect way for me to exercise the theaters skills I gained in school, and give my theater friends an opportunity to join a fun project during a time when theater is scarce. I unearthed an old script I'd written in a playwriting workshop with Adriano Shaplin. The assignment for the scene was: write a scene that could be a comedy or a tragedy. So I wrote a scene that very much resembles the first episode of Stenchpod about a woman who finds out her whole life was simulation. The class seemed to like it and laughed a lot, but at the end the professor said, "This was clearly a comedy. We laughed, which is the point of a comedy. So if that's what you wanted, you succeeded. But if not, you failed." I thought to myself, "Challenge accepted." So when I decided to start working on a show, I already had a writing project ready to go, and one that would be an interesting mix of lighthearted and serious. That seemed like exactly what the world could use in a time of extreme strife. I started writing in June 2020 and the first episode was released in April 2021.
 

We are all students or have jobs apart from podcasting, so we schedule recording sessions around everyone's commitments. We only release a season once the entire thing is complete, so we release an episode every week during the season. We are funded via Patreon, game sales on itch.io and merch on Redbubble. You can support us on Patreon here : https://www.patreon.com/strongbranchpro. You can support us on itch.io here: https://alexyquest.itch.io/. You can support us on Redbubble here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/StrongBranchPro/shop. Most of our money is spent on equipment and art commissions, though we hope to soon pay our actors. Currently, they do this only for the joy of the process.
 

I don't make any money off of producing this show. Every cent I make from Patreon, Itch, Redbubble, etc., goes to production. The most valuable thing I gain is the opportunity to get closer to these incredible artists and performers, though I get the added benefit of some writing, directing, and editing experience as well. Plus as a performer myself, I also just like the thrill of having an audience!
 

We record remotely since we are located in different places all over the world, so we use Zencastr. Most of us use Blue microphones, and the show is edited in Reaper. Most of the sound is sourced through freesound.org, and the music is all my original compositions.
 

We predominantly market our show on Twitter and Instagram (@strongbranchpro) though we also post on our Facebook page. You can contact us at contact@strongbranchproductions.com.
 

My biggest piece of advice is this: push yourself to do all that you can, and forgive yourself for not doing what you can't. It takes money to be able to produce a really polished product (mainly when it comes to mic quality) and unless you're insanely wealthy, you're not going to have that money when you're starting a podcast. However, there's a still a lot you CAN do if you're willing to put in the time. Do that scene ONE more time just in case there was background noise. Listen to that episode ONE more time before releasing, in case there is a small mistake. Take the time to find the perfect sound effect, the perfect song, the perfect take. That's not to say your product WILL be perfect-- it won't. And that's the other thing you need to forgive yourself for. As the creator, you will never be completely satisfied with your work. And that's a great thing! Because if you were, you would stop creating. Let that dissatisfaction drive you as opposed to letting it get you down.
 

Website: https://strongbranchproductions.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/StrongBranchPro
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strongbranchpro/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StrongBranchPro/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5JxiFeCSHSKyzq5IVcS6DR?si=4x62Z7XoRZy8yLxYdYQLsg&dl_branch=1
Redbubble: https://www.redbubble.com/people/StrongBranchPro/shop
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/strongbranchpro
Itch: https://alexyquest.itch.io/
Anchor: https://anchor.fm/strong-branch-productions
Bandcamp: https://alexkingsley.bandcamp.com/album/the-stench-of-adventure-original-soundtrack-season-1