By Scott Murray

Sometimes you never know where a story is going to take you, including when you're writing one.  I knew producing a fiction podcast would be a big undertaking, and I thought a key to success would be to keep things really simple.  That meant keeping the main cast around three (with supporting characters) and focus the story around them.  By the time the series was done, there were SIX main characters.  Three of them are different generations of strong women.  

JENNA TRAN
Once I realized Wyatt and Reggie would be covering The Crimson Crane's adventures, I realized they couldn't do everything on their own.  For example, what if they needed to film a chase scene?  It would be extremely difficult to record and provide commentary.  Plus, you'd have to be watching the road!

Jenna is a sassy thrill driver.  She's someone you'd want at the wheel if bad guys are chasing you on the road.  We meet her in the first episode while she's working for an Uber-type company and gives Wyatt a wild ride to work.  While experiencing that mad dash with them, it's apparent that she's skilled, focused and mentally tough.  Yet, neither one of them realizes there's a bigger purpose to their short meeting.

REBECCA ROSS
It would be a very difficult challenge to create a superhero persona and try to make it work in the real world.  However, Rebecca is one of the few people that can actually pull it off.  She's a mature woman who has seen and been through a lot.  Her experiences have made her tougher, and that compliments a family history of soldiers, police officers, secret services members and other badasses.  

The circumstances that lead her to become The Crimson Crane could've had a different impact.  She could've disappeared and started a new life.  Instead, she decided to take a bigger risk because she believes in her fight and won't let the bad guys call the shots.

There are times in the show were you hear just an everyday person who could easily be your friend next door.  It's just that she can also flip a switch and become the hero that Fort Henson needs.

GRANDMA JEANIE
Jeanie is Rebecca's Grandmother, and her home serves as The Crane's hideout.  If you're a fan of Batman, you could say she's part Aunt Harriet from the 1966 series mixed with Alfred from the Gotham TV series.  Jeanie a member of that family tree that consists of many badasses, and she too has a switch.  She can be the sweet Grandma that everybody adores, or she can be that tough lady that can dish out some serious disciplinary action.

The Crimson Files debuts her and on other podcast hubs on August 24th.​

By Scott Murray

As I worked on the central storyline for The Crimson Files, I didn't want to throw together a stereotypical superhero origin story and plot.  I felt that would come off unoriginal and kind of gutsy.  So, I started to think about a central character that could be connected to the hero and tell their story.

I thought about how reporters have been a prominent part of comic book/superhero history.  Obviously, in the earlier days, that meant newspaper.  I actually thought about going "old school" and creating a reporter that sought out the truth about the hero while most of the newsroom spun their stories into negatives about her.  However, I didn't know if it would really come off "classic style" or if it would just sound like I wasn't aware that there are other forms of media in 2018.

So, if it wasn't newspaper, the next obvious choice was internet.  However, I still didn't feel like a reporter for an internet news site was interesting enough.  So, I turned to the YouTuber and internet celebrity side of things.  I felt that really showcased today's media - how anyone can generate engaging or viral content and become famous.

In the first audio trailer for the show, you hear Wyatt and his friend Reggie attempting to create a scary ghost hunting video.  We find out that the internet had a field day making fun of it.  Then, we learn that it's an accidental video recording that ends up changing his luck for the better.