Superfans

There are many stories that stick with us, long after we've left the theatre or closed the book. There are people who fall in love with stories and devote their time to making those stories come alive in new ways. This episode is dedicated to the superfans of popular media who take their devotion further by making art inspired by their favorite franchises. Stories included in this episode: At the Movies with The Raiders Guys In 1982, in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, Chris Strompolos, eleven, and Eric Zala, twelve, proceeded to make a shot-for-shot remake of the Indiana Jones movies, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Every shot, every line of dialogue, every stunt. They borrowed and collected costumes, convinced neighborhood kids to wear grass skirts and play natives, cast a fifteen-year-old as Indys love interest, rounded up seven thousand snakes (sort of), built the Ark, the Idol, the huge boulder, found a desert in Mississippi, and melted the bad guys faces off. Chris Strompolos and Eric Zala have garnered legions of fans around the world, received worldwide press and praise from the film industry for remaking Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, a 20 million dollar Hollywood classic for a mere $5,000 when they were teenagers. Their fan film is now considered a cult classic. Learn more by visiting www.raidersguys.com The Wizarding World with Makena, Deidrene, and Harry & the Potters Makena and Deidrene are unabashely passionate Harry Potter fans, and were excited to have the chance to go to a Wizard Rock concert in November at the Orem Public Library. The very first folks to produce what is now called “Wizard Rock” were two brothers named Joe and Paul DeGeorge. They are the primary members of Harry & the Potters, a musical project in which thye both perform and write songs in the persona of Harry Potter. Since 2002, these guys have released full-length albums, EPs, singles and have toured the nation and the globe sharing wizard rock with enthusiastic fans, have been the subject of two documentaries, and co-founded the charity organization The Harry Potter Alliance (which uses real love and charity inspired by fictional characters to promote literacy and make activism accessible through the power of story.) Their music is catchy, literary, and has a distinctly do it yourself attitude. To learn more about Harry & the Potters visit harryandthepotters.com Galaxies Far and Near with Janine Spendlove Janine K. Spendlove is a KC-130 pilot in the United States Marine Corps. In the writing world she is an award winning author primarily known for her War of the Seasons fantasy series. She has several short stories published in various speculative fiction anthologies, to include the Star Wars tie-in story “Inbrief.” Janine is also a member of Women in Aerospace (WIA), BroadUniverse (BU), Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), and is a co-founder of GeekGirlsRun (GGR), a community for geek girls (and guys) who just want to run, share, have fun, and encourage each other. A graduate of Brigham Young University, Janine loves pugs, enjoys knitting, making costumes, playing Beatles tunes on her guitar, and spending time with her family. Learn more about this fan turned creator at www.ailionora.com