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Podcast Palooza 2020

​The following are the HEAR Now Festival Podcast Palooza 2020 Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze Listening Programs. 
The Festival's panel of judges found each to be interesting in its own way and wanted to include these works in the podcast program.

Platinum

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​Hidden Sounds of Coastal Arcades

​Through a series of binaural recordings, interviews and musical composition, sound artist Frazer Merrick explores the infectious energy of Walton Pier in North Essex, England, and uncovers its hidden sounds, including those of the people, the place and even the electromagnetic fields produced by the machines. 
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​We're Alive: Goldrush

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Written, directed and produced by Kc Wayland, Goldrush dives back into the series with an adventure that spans the time of the series. Four soldiers (Puck, Muldoon, Robbins, and Carl) stumble across clues to a hidden gold heist stash. Since gold retains value even after the apocalypse, they plot to track down the prize for themselves. The “goldrush” is a fever of greed, that could ultimately consume and destroy them. The values of camaraderie and companionship are tested as they embark on a secret adventure to become ultra-rich in this spaghetti-western tale of humor, horror and heartbreak.
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​The Call of the Void

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​The Call of the Void is a science-fiction/mystery audio drama exploring a supernatural presence in the swamps of New Orleans. When Topher’s father succumbs to a mysterious condition, he partners with a young psychic named Etsy to confront an evil that longs to bring the world into perfect stillness.
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​"Waiting to Die in a Tent, A Few Thoughts on Valhalla"

​When the old viking warrior Einarr is mortally wounded, Mikel sets out to locate Einarr’s estranged daughter Kára for a final father-daughter reunion. But before they can return, a mysterious figure finds Einarr alone-- and about to breathe his last. An episode of the anthology fiction podcast Strange/Love.
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​Cryptids

Trevor, a conspiracy radio show host, and Eve go in search of an afterlife. Instead, they find a truth beyond their wildest nightmares.
Writer: Alexander V. Thompson. Director: Devin Shepherd. Producers: Nora Unkel, Gabriel Rosenstein. Starring: Alexander V. Thompson, Marianna McClellan, William McNulty, Jenna Krasowski. Sound designer: Gina Zdanowicz.
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​The Sharpshooter Blues

Synopsis: In the backwater bayous of the Mississippi, the gruesome deaths of two outsiders unearth a small town’s longing for redemption.
Directed/Edited by Todd Sandler. Screenplay by Todd Sandler & Alexa Gilker. Produced by Todd Sandler & Becca Nelson.
CAST: Chris Coy, Todd Lowe, Kevin Alejandro, Ronnie Blevins, D.B. Woodside, Kaden Alejandro, Paul McCarthy-Boyington, Stella Maeve, and Michael Graziadei
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​I Didn't Say Nothin'

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​A pair of mobsters learn the consequences of talking when they shouldn't in this dark comedy.
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​To The Manor Borne By Robots

​In the 25th century, a monster is destroying the world. The only thing that calms it is stories. Each episode features the on-going battle to kill the Beast, plus the story told to it, all acted by a stellar cast in lavishly produced soundscapes.  
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​SON of the STORM

​It was a time of turbulence.  It is 1946, but we are propelled back to 28 September 1913, Germany.  Science is the new religion, artistic passion the driving force, God the enemy of knowledge.  It is night, violent screams of lightning creating moments of brilliant daylight which again surrender to the dark and swirling storm.
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​The White Vault

​Explore the far reaches of the world’s horrors in the audio drama podcast The White Vault. Follow the collected records of a repair team sent to Outpost Fristed in the vast white wastes of Svalbard and unravel what lies waiting in the ice below.
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​Soundstage: "Gather" by Robert O'Hara

​Soundstage is where podcasting meets America's best storytellers. Produced by Playwrights Horizons, Soundstage brings you free, stand-alone episodes of scripted new plays and musicals — now, theater is wherever you are. Soundstage's second episode, "Gather" by Robert O'Hara, is a high-stakes spy thriller, a suspenseful and hilarious tale of mysterious disappearances.
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​Phantom Limb Episode One: Autopilot

​Phantom Limb is an eight-episode horror anthology podcast that will be released in 2020. The project features professional sound design and editing, original music, and new stories from five Virginia writers to terrify and delight that maladapted squirrel’s nest of competing modules you call a brain.

Gold

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​Red Ice

​It's winter 2020, and a documentary team follows a crew surveying for oil in Alaska that has innovated technology that promises to be more protective of the environment. But things are not as they seem, and lurking just beyond are forces that want revenge for the destruction of the tundra.
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​Escape From Planet Death!

​An incompetent crew of bureaucrats, traveling to the distant planet Genesis in an attempt to save the inhabitants of planet Earth, must confront a massive rogue robot that threatens to destroy humanity.
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​Nikola Tesla: Mysterious Genius

We dramatize Tesla's life. Celeb Host Rachel Reenstra reveals new facts about this eccentric and visionary whose inventions we take for granted today. Every Now and Then Theatre is Ventura County, California's select troupe for radio drama broadcasts since 1990. Casts allowed one rehearsal then perform. Shows benefit foster kids.
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Muffy Drake

​A Frenchman and American walk into a bar... They exhaustively explore the shallowness of human existence, only to realize they are out of their depth and that the fine line between the meaning of life and absurdity is Muffy Drake. 
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Curious Matter Anthology Presents Philip K. Dick's Second Variety

Set during a globally catastrophic nuclear war, Second Variety follows Major Rebecca Hendricks as she leads a mission into enemy territory during a mysterious communications blackout.
This adaptation, while staying true to Philip K. Dick's original vision, explores modern culture's tumultuous relationship with our growing reliance on Artificial Intelligence.
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The Not-So-Dark Incontinent

​Lyssa has a surprise encounter with a member of Trump's cabinet (hint: she makes passes at the Texan in smart glasses). Jake infiltrates the White House to prevent a nuclear temper tantrum. VP Pence tries to lecture Africans about abstinence. It goes about as well as you might expect.
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​In Her Dreams

Sally attends a meeting at a very weird place and takes pictures of it with her cell phone and sends them to her husband.  Then the alarm clock goes off.  Oh, it was a dream.  Later, her husband asks her about the pictures that she sent him.  Wait...what?
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​Terrific Park

Meet Buzz and Neil, the two loneliest men alive. Far from Earth, the astronauts’ mission is to discover the edge of the universe. Such a long voyage begins to feel a bit absurd. Like when they encounter a planet where no planet could be.
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Bioshock: After Midnight

​Following the events of my previous audio drama, "Twelve Days to Midnight", Andrew Ryan’s underwater city of Rapture has plunged into civil war. Atlas and Ada Johnson join forces in the offensive, while Sonny Jacobs and Nina Thompson do their best to flee the falling city. 
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​Alphabet

Made originally for the Drift and Ramble podcast, Alphabet was written by Leslie McMurtry and read by Sarah Golding with original music by Katharine Seaton.  It was mixed by Leslie McMurtry and Katharine Seaton. Please the link for full SFX credits.  A 2019 Lesser of 2 Weevils Production.
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VAST Horizon

​Nolira is an agronomist tasked with establishing agriculture in a new solar system, but when she wakes up on a now-empty colony ship, the whole of her plan disappears. The ship has been set adrift, with numerous mission-critical problems requiring immediate attendance outside of her area of expertise.
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​Dark Dice

​Dark Dice is a horror actual-play D&D podcast that uses immersive soundscapes to create an added layer of immersion. Six travelers embark on a journey into the ruinous domain of the nameless god. They will never be the same again.
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Liberty: Happiness

​An experience of a lifetime goes awry when one Expo goer encounters what it means to experience another’s Happiness...
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The Wild Hunt

​ In the late 17th century, a small Prussian town hides from The Huntsman who lives in the woods.  A soldier and a tavern girl go into the woods in search of him, and both get more than they bargained for.  Written by Jim McDoniel.
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Wing Beats

 Katya comes from a poor village in a poor country. When she is sent abroad to live with her Aunt Xenia, she hopes to find a better life and help her family she left behind – but instead finds a different set of hardships to endure.  Written by K.S. Dearsley.
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The Ernie Pyle Experiment
​Episode 1 - The Bourgeois Standard

The Ernie Pyle Experiment! was created from the Lilly Library archives. It is a thirteen-episode podcast chronicling Ernie Pyle’s pre-war articles. Episode 1: As pressure mounts from the home office, Ernie is forced to use a voice recorder. Though he and his wife Jerry find a different use for it—recording themselves.
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Back Issues - Episode 2 - Tales of the Unexpected

​Back Issues Series: When Sara, a young business graduate, inherits Cape & Cowl Comics from her uncle, she soon finds herself out of her depth. 
Episode 2:The Cape & Cowl team discover the distributor has shipped them damaged comics. Their only  option: to steal and replace the comics from their rival, the Phantom Zone.
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​Poe Theatre on the Air

​Part radio drama, part podcast, and all Edgar Allan Poe.  A new spine-tingling play for your ears every month, adapted from America’s most famous horror and suspense writer.  Gothic frights, by The National Edgar Allan Poe Theatre.
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​Crum - The Novel

​Lee Maynard's cult classic "Crum" is finally an audio drama turning up the heat on an outrageous coming-of-age story. This tattered gang of misfits is sure to steal your hubcaps and your heart. We hope you enjoy the show... Mountain Whispers Audiobooks...Ross Ballard - Producer/Narrator

Silver

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The Optimist

​The Optimist is a play for those who think college professors a little odd.  Well maybe more than a little.  Here you'll find one professor who believes logic will solve all the world's problems. There is also another who believes he is the modern day Henry VIII.  Of course that means you'll also find a modern day Anne Boleyn as well.  Mix well and see what comes out.
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​Flash Blind

Flash Blind is a neo-noir thriller about a man who is temporarily blinded during an attempt on his life. How can he evade his unknown assailant, and who can be trusted? This play by poet Al Basile is also in blank verse - but it doesn't sound anything like Shakespeare!
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WGTD Radio Theater
Hercule Poirot Murder on the Mounds

The WGTD Radio Theater, now in its 15th season is showcasing the 91.1 Players in “Hercule Poirot: Murder on the Mounds,” an original murder mystery based on the famous Belgian detective series created by Agatha Christie 100 years ago.
This original story, written by co-executive producers and writers, Steven Brown and Michael Ullstrup, is based loosely on the early 20th century discoveries of Indian mounds found in the Delavan area.
​In this drama, Inspector Poirot visits Delavan and Lake Lawn Resort to help solve a murder.
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​WGTD Radio Theater
​"The Kane Shadow: Send in the Clowns"

THE KANE SHADOW: “Send in the Clowns.”
 
 In this show, Orson Welles, as the Kane Shadow, investigates the rumors of a local, hidden colony of escaped circus folk stalking a damsel-in-distress.  We hear the story of Haunchyville, its little people, and its “protector”.  Orson goes to Delavan, Wisconsin to figure out just who this mysterious stalker is.
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​WGTD Radio Theater
​"The Dean Martin 2019 Holiday Show"

The WGTD Radio Theater “Dean Martin 2019 Holiday Show Extravaganza.” 
This Holiday Show features the singing voice Joe Van Hulle (as Dean Martin), whose stage name is Joey Van.  Joey Van has worked every facet of the entertainment world, from concerts, conventions, to top supper clubs. His television credits include national networks shows including the “The Merv Griffin Show.”
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​Seeking Sal: A Sci-fi Mini Podcast

Trapped in 2091 Singapore, where government implants called Viders block out even the ones you love the most, Livia's audio tapes are the only remaining means of communicating safely with her brother... wherever he is.
Livia: Sung Yushin
Music: Sean Lee, Jana Choa, Lee Su Min 
Writer + Editor: Megan Teo
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A Point In Time: Peonage

​The first of the episodic series, A Point In Time: Peonage, takes an in-depth look at sharecropping in America's deep south during the early 1940's. Following the Tompkins family through their struggles on the Grady Cotton Farm, Peonage provides a dramatic and realistic look into America's past in rural Mississippi.
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A Hard Head Is Good To Lose

​Based loosely on a short story by Flannery O'Connor, Scott Turner's piece makes "Southern Gothic" seem like a chain gang at an amusement park.  Just listen, Grandma will explain it all.
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​"Detective Stories and Who-Dunits?"!! "The WGTD Radio Theater: The 15th Season

​Detective stories including: "Hercule Poirot: Murder on the Indian Mounds of Delevan, Wisconsin;" "Orson Welles as 'The Kane Shadow,' in Send in the Clowns;" “The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: The Murder of Professor Jeremy Clarkson;" A Detective Double-Header! The Thin Man! And Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar!
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What Big Tech Doesn't Know 

​Big Power.  Big Tech.  A vision to change the world and egos to match.  What can possibly go wrong?  A pair of Tech Executives arrive in Washington only to discuss that it wasn't what they expected.  And that they weren't what Washington expected.  
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Codename Blank: Episode 6

In a world filled with talking animals, cartoon-y villains, and crime, two detectives must solve the crimes no one else can. Detective Howard Blank, an amnesiac, is trying to solve the mystery of his past, and his partner, dinosaur Johnny Taco, is the only one who can put up with him long enough to save the day.
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Harmony Laine and the Case of the Sinister Pseudonym

​A deadly un-serious thriller from the creators of BS de Résistance. Harmony Laine wants to be a mystery writer. A chance encounter with a Texas bookstore owner leads to a job as a ghost writer. And to murders. Lots of murders. Join in the fun, but watch your back!
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​DATO

After an accident onboard Artie and Lara Glenn’s ship costs DATO, the company they work for, millions, the married duo puts their plans for a much-needed vacation on hold. Instead, Artie and Lara embark on a twenty-six-day journey back to Earth to repay their debt. But when another devastating accident cripples their ship beyond repair, the five-man crew discovers this journey will be nothing like the others. This time they may not make it home. An unknown horror stalks the abandoned hallways of their ship, and the crew must maintain hope and use their wits to survive.
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Flashback to Never

Back Issues Series: When Sara, a young business graduate, inherits Cape & Cowl Comics from her uncle, she soon finds herself out of her depth. 
Episode 2: The Cape & Cowl team discover the distributor has shipped them damaged comics. Their only option: to steal and replace the comics from their rival, the Phantom Zone.
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​“Brahmsian Piano Technique: A Talk by Pianist Nada”

Hungarian-Lebanese-born Pianist Nada published an article on Johannes Brahms’ piano composition technique in the renowned publication International Piano July 2019 issue. A 21-minute “reading” of this same article--with many music examples performed by Pianist Nada--can be “heard” on “Brahmsian Piano Technique: A Talk by Pianist Nada.”
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​Obvly

​Emily thought parenting was tough. Then her daughter traveled back in time for a visit.

Bronze

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​The WGTD Radio Theater: The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson:The Murder of Professor Jeremy Clarkson

​“The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: The Murder of Professor Jeremy Clarkson," will transport the listening audience through an intricate, well designed web of clues. This roadmap of clues will be drawn by Sherlock, the dangerous and unpredictable Professor James Moriarty, and Dr. John Watson.
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​Ask Answergirl 

​“By day, Zina Roberts is The Pathfinder’s advice columnist Answergirl, but by night -- actually she turns in pretty early, because during the day she’s also Compass Point State University’s secret weapon against cheating and honor code violations. What will she expose this week? Why don’t we Ask Answergirl…”
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Henry

​Every red-blooded man wants to teach his son how to be a man and how to hunt, doesn't he? And every red-blooded son want to learn, too. Applying the lessons can be hard; for the teacher as well as the pupil.
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The Broker

​Everyone knows that if you pray you will get an answer.  It might be yes; it might be no.  It might be negotiated.  And who does the negotiation?  Don Foote leaves us wondering who the angelic actually represents.
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​Three Shorts

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​Rory Rammer, Space Marshal: The Asteroid of Love

​Come to the far-off, future days of 1985 AD for the adventures of Rory Rammer, Space Marshal, and his sidekick, Skip Sagan! In this episode, Rory and Skip are transporting the robotic Android Sisters to a USO show. But is there more to them than meets the eye?
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​The Most Dangerous Game (A Star Wars Story)

​While on an exotic moon in the Mid Rim, the infamous mercenary Johhar Kessen accepts the hospitality of an alien kindred spirit who offers him the chance to hunt the most dangerous game. This Star Wars fan production is from the creative minds of producers Randy Parker and Sharon Menefee.
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​"The Tell-Tale Heart" by Weird Darkness

​Weird Darkness host Darren Marlar brings true stories of the paranormal, supernatural, legends, lore, crime, conspiracy, mysterious, macabre, unsolved and unexplained.  Named one of the “Best Storytellers in Podcasting” for 2019 by Podcast Business Journal, and a finalist for the “Storyteller-Drama” award for the “People’s Choice Podcast Awards” in 2019.
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​“Grace Schulman: Poems of Praise, Part I”

“Grace Schulman: Poems of Praise, Part I” is the third series of poems recorded with label MEII Enterprises by award-winning poet Grace Schulman. A 2019 inductee into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Dr. Schulman received the Frost Medal from the Poetry Society of America in 2016. 
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Harbor

​Sam reluctantly returns to his backwoods town, Harbor. Thankfully Al is there to welcome her little brother back, but the arrival reveals perplexing neighbors she’s secretly worked alongside for years - monstrous Cryptids with a host of problems. The two are pulled into fetid feuds as Harbor stirs from its sleep… 
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​Childish: The Podcast Musical

​Dante, a college student in NYC, becomes an RA to follow in the footsteps of his hero, Childish Gambino. While he hopes this will help him toward becoming a famous rapper, his delusions of grandeur are shattered when he realizes his dweebish co-workers are hellbent on making his life miserable.
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​HELENA

​Friendship is a story that tells itself. When a woman receives forgotten recordings of her friend’s dreams, she recounts how the two met and grew apart. Helena explores women’s friendship through the emotional parallels between what is dreamt, what is real, and what is imagined.
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​2 minute celebrity movie talk

​This 8 part web series is an insightful discussion between me and several celebrity personalities. The topic range widely, covering different subjects in the field of entertainment. From directorial styles, to themes of different genres. 
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​Mia Betts: Now That's the Ticket!

​After Mia’s best friend is kidnapped right before her eyes, Mia knows she has to be the one to find her friend. But when the campus police, an elderly professor, and an obscene amount of parking fines are thrown into the mix, Mia’s rescue plan gets a lot more complicated.
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HEAR Now: The Audio Fiction and Arts Festival  |  ​June 11th - 14th, 2020  |  Website by  J2 Design NYC
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  • PODCAST PALOOZA
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