In Another Room takes the haunted house to a different level. There may only be 86 murders in the house on Harvard Boulevard in comparison to Disney’s mansion packed with 999, but In Another Room house forgoes gentle creepy-but-fun ambiance for terror. Wendy Morrow has researched every murder committed on the grounds, and she aims to spend a night in this obscenely haunted place. A house so haunted, each room has its own story to tell. 

Violet Hour Media had an interactive theater experience by E3W to work with about a haunted house with a different ghost story per room; now, it’s a fully sound-designed horror podcast. There’s a hefty serving of the popular horror trope of a woman protagonist getting constantly traumatized, so be prepared for that. Otherwise, the sound design really delivers the setting. In Morrow’s first encounter she plays voyeur to a murder, listening to the ghost of a man cower in fear beneath a bed as he hides from a mob hitman. Morrow comments on how she’s witnessing a recording of the past, a memory of trauma. Scary, but not dangerous. That is, until the ghost starts begging for her help.

(Editor’s note: This paragraph has been slightly edited to clarify that the theater production was by E3W Productions, not Violet Hour Media, 5/11/21).

We were fortunate to talk with Cassie Jozefov, CEO of Violet Hour Media, about the podcast, how they differentiate from other podcasts, and their future plans in podcasting. See below for our full Q&A.

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DISCOVER PODS: How’d you get into podcasting?

JOZEFOV: I followed a non-traditional path into the podcasting world, as I come from the business side of the entertainment industry. After graduating with my MBA from Harvard Business School, I spent several years at Warner Bros. as a Strategy & Development executive. In that role, I led studio-wide efforts for acquisition, investment, and development of strategic priorities. I wound up managing both Warner Bros.’ podcast market entry strategy and Warner Bros.’ horror franchise strategy – basically a dream job since I’ve always been an avid podcast consumer and a deeply devoted horror fan. While making inroads into podcasting for WB, I began realizing how powerful and freeing audio can be as a medium to tell stories. The market was also starting to realize that podcasting will be a valuable part of entertainment’s future, with massive growth in new podcast ventures and a few notable acquisitions. As much as I loved thinking through these opportunities for Warner Bros., when I got the chance to co-found a horror podcast tech startup with legendary genre filmmakers Eli Roth and Roger Birnbaum I chose to roll the dice and go all in on podcasting. While that startup only lasted for a few months, it served as a valuable proof-of-concept that there is a vibrant demand for high-quality, scary fiction podcasting.

Violet Hour Media (VHM), a premium horror fiction podcast network, was born shortly thereafter. As of May 2021, we have four shows in the market, each of which appeals to a distinct demographic of horror fandom – In Another Room (ghost story), The Elmwood Strain (modern body horror), Between the Devil (historical/nautical), and The Gloom (Serial meets The Ring). Further, as a female founder, it was critically important for VHM to prioritize diversity and inclusion – we’re proud to have the majority of our content coming from underrepresented creators. After all, horror fans are overwhelmingly female and diverse, so why shouldn’t the content they consume come from people who look and think like them? 

DISCOVER PODS: In your own words, why should listeners tune in to In Another Room?

JOZEFOV: In Another Room is gaining a reputation among reviewers and podcast fans as being the scariest podcast of 2020. I’d posit that the show’s popularity stems from its perfect blend of old and new: we’re telling a familiar story – a woman gets trapped inside a haunted house – but the narrative unfolds in a completely innovative way. In Another Room bends time and memories to create a patchwork of elegiac, interrelated ghost stories. Each episode of the podcast gets Wendy a little bit closer to solving the mystery surrounding the notorious house on Harvard Blvd., while transporting listeners back in time to get a snapshot of a former inhabitant’s grisly demise. Some stories are shocking, some are heartbreaking, but they all deliver a riveting audio experience.

Another key differentiating factor is our extremely talented and diverse cast. In Another Room was originally a live immersive show, by E3W Productions, that was performed in a few different iterations over several years. We’re lucky that E3W, who co-produced, wrote, and directed the podcast, were able to convince many of the original actors from the show to lend their voice for the podcast adaptation. Many of the actors were able to draw on their previous experiences embodying those characters, which I believe lends a sense of authenticity to the show. 

Finally, In Another Room is a great example of VHM providing cinematic quality production value in a podcast. We want our listeners to feel as though they’re listening to an audio-only Hollywood horror movie. The cutting-edge, binaural sound design for In Another Room was done by the inimitable CJ Drumeller. If you put on a good pair of headphones and turn off the lights, you might just find yourself checking under your bed or looking over your shoulder as you listen. 

DISCOVER PODS: What kind of feedback have you heard from your listeners?

JOZEFOV: Our listeners are the best and we love hearing feedback from them! The most popular comment we get is, “It was too life-like and scary, so I had to turn it off” or some version of that. I have several friends that have sheepishly admitted they’re too afraid to make it through episode 1. Oddly, in the business of horror, that’s just about the best compliment you can get. We’ve also heard that listener discretion warnings may be useful, so we’ve added those in the text description for each episode of In Another Room.

DISCOVER PODS: Describe your recording set up? What equipment are you using?

JOZEFOV: One of the few bright spots of actively producing podcasts during the pandemic has been the proliferation of remote recording capabilities. Advances in technology have allowed us to capture voice performances from all over the world.

DISCOVER PODS: What’s the biggest challenge you face as an indie podcaster?

JOZEFOV: As an indie podcast network, without the resources that big podcast studios or media companies have, we struggle with discoverability. With over 2 million podcasts available to the public, it’s hard to stand out and build a devoted following among a crowded field. However, we have seen an incredibly high listener engagement rate and low churn rate – meaning, for example, that a listener who has found In Another Room will likely listen to the entire season and is likely to listen to another Violet Hour Media podcast as well. It’s a slower, flatter growth curve than other shows that may have big talent or big marketing budgets, but we’re happy to be building something meaningful that will stand the test of time.

DISCOVER PODS: Where do you want to take your podcast?

JOZEFOV: I would love for In Another Room to become a staple in the horror podcast genre that is listened to by millions of people. I imagine it standing alongside shows like The Horror of Dolores Roach by Gimlet or Limetown by Two-Up Productions. Similar to Dolores Roach and Limetown, I believe that In Another Room would translate to an incredible television show. We’re currently exploring options for an adaptation and it’s really exciting.

DISCOVER PODS: What other podcasts are you listening to now?

JOZEFOV: I always have a few things in rotation. Right now, I’m really enjoying In Strange Woods by Atypical Artists. In Strange Woods is a true crime musical, with stunning performances, and delivers an overall refreshing take on fiction podcasting. For non fiction podcasts, I just finished I’m Not a Monster from the BBC. It’s a gripping piece of journalism where the narrative unfolds in a compelling, yet unexpected way.

DISCOVER PODS: Anything else you’d like to add?

JOZEFOV: If you want to listen to In Another Room, click here. To learn more about any of Violet Hour Media’s horror fiction podcasts, visit https://www.violethourmedia.com/. You can also follow us on Instagram or Twitter @violethourmedia. Thanks so much for speaking with me and supporting independent podcasters!

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