Firefly Talk

The Podcast Crew

Eric Olsen, Head Honcho	Eric lives outside Washington, DC, and has been a sci-fi fan since seeing Star Wars in 1977. Obsessive reading soon led to a student teaching position in an 8th grade sci-fi class, creating tests and grading papers on the great works of Heinlein, Clarke, and Asimov. (Why his teacher was paid is not obvious). His other favorite TV sci-fi includes the new Galactica, ST:TNG, Farscape, and X-Files. Rumors that he owns most of the props from Serenity may be greatly exaggerated; but for him, 2005 (the year he found Firefly) was 1977 again. Only better. Eric also teaches classical piano and has a private practice to help people with pain and addiction issues. Favorite episode: Out Of Gas Favorite character: Either Mal or Book
Miranda Thomas, Co-host, Trivia Queen	Miranda lives just south of Cincinnati, Ohio, in the northernmost part of Kentucky. She is a single white female looking for.. oh wait.. wrong kind of profile! Only a Firefly fan at first, she has been introduced rather quickly into the rest of what sci-fiction genre has to offer through her interaction with other Browncoats. Okay, so she watched Quantum Leap, Sliders and Enterprise (but two out of three of those was because of Scott Bakula). Other than Firefly though, she likes to read, a lot, mostly stories with a happily ever after and spends most of her free time writing or waiting anxiously for the next episode of her favorite television shows. You can also hear her on The Signal, and The 9th - Heroescast. Favorite Ep - Safe Favorite Character - Simon
Kevin Bachelder, Voice Talent, Newshound	Kevin lives just south of Boston, MA in the USA. He first became interested in sci-fi by watching the original Star Trek series in reruns during the early 70's. Along with Firefly the other popular sci-fi and fantasy topics he enjoys are Farscape, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, The Matrix and The X-Files. He also works on two other sci-fi podcasts - The Signal and The ScapeCast. Kevin has worked as a computer network support engineer for many years. Between his strong interest in sci-fi and computers Kevin says he is a "true geek". When he isn't watching sci-fi DVDs, dealing with computer issues or posting on his techie blog Kevin enjoys spending time with his lovely wife and two daughters. Favorite ep - Out of Gas Favorite character - All of them! That makes watching each episode more fun.
Barbara Jungbauer, News Maverick, Voice Talent (seen here working at the Heart of Gold)	Among Barbara's many interests are: reading from all genres, writing sci-fi and horror, singing bawdy songs, belly dancing and screaming at hockey games. She's active in local public service; recording text books for the blind and assisting in adult education programs through Toastmasters International. With two cats, two dogs and one handsome husband, she's busy all the time. Friends phone her when they need a sawzall or someone to take their kids to choir practice. She's been a Firefly fan since the moment the show opened and ain't about to abandon ship even if it is out of gas. Favorite character: Book Fave episode: Out of Gas
John Blosser, Voice Talent	John currently lives in a small town in South Carolina, though he still thinks of Indiana as home. As a young 'un, he recorded original Star Trek episodes and the animated series on audio cassette tapes, then acted out scenes with his sisters. He even made some pointed ears out of modeling clay, and is thankful (now!) that Elmer's Glue doesn't stick to human flesh. He read every Asimov, Heinlein juvenile and Jonathan Swift series book he could find in three local libraries, and tried to talk his Elementary School librarian into starting a Sci Fi section (it didn't happen!). He watched and taped Firefly from "The Train Job" on, but it was almost having a panic attack after failing to tape "Ariel" that made him realise just how much he loved the show. He doesn't have a prop warehouse like Eric, but he does have a Serenity poster autographed by Summer from a Chicago pre-screening. Nowadays, John enjoys spending "quality time" (going to scary movies!) with his son, and reading science fiction and theology, though it's fortunate for him that heretics are no longer burned at the stake. His current TV show schedule includes the new Galactica, the Stargates, Veronica Mars, the new Dr Who, and as guilty pleasures Bones and Supernatural. "Wonderfalls" and "The Inside" were favorites too, while they lasted. At DragonCon or Eastern-coast shindigs, look for the guy in a Firefly-related T-shirt whose video camera is sporting a tiny Jayne hat. That will be him! Favorite Episodes: Our Mrs Reynolds and Objects In Space Favorite Characters: Kaylee and Jayne
Naomi Starsiak, Forum Recap Maven	Naomi is from Utica, NY. She has memories of her father getting robot books for her when she was young, but it was Star Trek: The Next Generation, followed quickly by a weekend viewing of the Start Wars trilogy that really got her hooked on Sci-Fi. This has been balanced by a love of all things Jane Austin and English Regency. Naomi found "Firefly" while channel surfing one night and was hooked after five minutes. "At the commercial I ran to find the newspaper so I could know what the show was." When she isn't spending way to much time surfing the forums, Naomi can be found working at the ballet studio she owns, at theater productions around the Mohawk Valley, in both on and off stage roles, or running movie day for her local library. Favorite episode: Shindig Favorite character: It would be Simon, but Miranda says he belongs to her.
Tabitha Smith, Fanfic Review Specialist	Tabitha Grace Smith has been in love with Firefly ever since her friend John nagged her into watching the series. Her favorite character is Zoe, but everyone who knows her well compares her to Inara. She's the host of Strangely Literal, a fanfic podcast for all of Joss Whedon's works as well as a crew member on Tales from the Verse and After Serenity as well as the producer of Buffy Between the Lines, a podcast audio drama. When she's not podcasting she enjoys going to the beach, browsing through old bookstores or taking pictures. Favorite episode: Zoe Favorite character: Safe
Brad Bowyer, Voice Talent	Brad lives in Louisville, KY in the USA. He's been a sci-fi geek pretty much since birth, having grown up with reruns of Star Trek (original series) the classic version of Battlestar Galactica and cartoons like Battle of the Planets. In addition to Firefly he's become hooked on shows like Stargate (SG1 and Atlantis), the new Battlestar Galactica, and the most recent addition to the addictions: Doctor Who. Brad is also a co-host on another podcast, PodCulture. He is also an editor for two other Farpoint Media podcasts: Kick-Ass Mystic Ninjas and The Babylon Podcast. When he's not geeking out about the latest cool sci-fi or comics, he enjoys reading, playing with his two niece, and spending time with his girlfriend Christina, and their ever-growing collection of DVDs Favorite Episode: Our Mrs. Reynolds & Trash Favorite Character: Wash
Ally Cisotto, Voice Talent	Ally lives in Glasgow, Scotland though she was born and raised in Connecticut then attended High School in the ever sunny Corpus Christi, Texas. She is currently studying for her MA in English Literature and Comparative Literature at the University of Glasgow. She was doomed to be a sci-fi geek. Her parents were sci-fi enthusiasts and she spent her childhood being dragged to comic shops (her brother's name is Logan…yeah…parents…freaks). She spent all her allowance on X-men comics and Star Trek TNG VHS episodes. Since then she hasn't looked back. Her destiny to become a Firefly fan was sealed when she watched, and loved, a cheesy film titled 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer'. Eventually a TV show was made along with a spin-off called Angel. Obsession grew. News of a new series reached her ears and she was one of the few who watched 'Firefly' on FOX faithfully. Also a huge baseball fan she did not mind waiting for after the games. Now she helps moderate a yahoo group for adult Harry Potter fans, devours all things Battlestar Galactica, Lost, X-files, Farscape, Stargate, the Marvel Universe, and Robert Jordan books. Favourite Episodes: 'The Message' and 'Objects in Space' Favourite Character: Jayne Cobb
Rachel Shelton, Crew chatter, Forum Ambassador	Rachel lives in South Lake Tahoe, California after leaving the 'city life' of the S.F. Bay Area for skiing in the mountains over 20 years ago. She's been a confirmed sci-fi & fantasy geek since watching original Star Trek & Twilight Zone reruns as a kid, and reading all the classic scifi authors. Then, along came Star Wars, and the rest is history! She still owns a large collection of original Star Wars memorabilia. Her other TV sci-fi/fantasy favorites include the new Battlestar Galactica series, and too many movies to list, as she mostly utilizes her television as a monitor for dvd viewing when not immersing herself in her large library of books. She started watching Firefly from "Day One" in 2002 after seeing a promo, and has been a Browncoat ever since, converting her family and many friends over the years. She also discovered her love for podcasting through Firefly last fall, when SciFiDig began Firefly episode reviews and she heard a promo for The Signal. An English major, photographer, editor & Macintosh enthusiast, she contributes book and movie reviews to the SciFiDig podcast as well as occasionally writing for Firefly Talk and participating in our crew chats. Fave ep - Out of Gas Fave character - Mal
Amy Yergen, Former Fan-fiction Diva, Voice Talent	Formerly of Silver Spring, MD, but now in southern California, Amy's loved SciFi since she started watching Star Trek: The Next Generation with her dad at the age of 5 leading her to fall in love with Star Trek: Voyager, The X-Files, Star Wars, The Chronicles of Riddick, and all the glorious creations of Joss Whedon (whom she worships devotedly). Amy enjoys her addiction to such TV shows as Gilmore Girls, House, and Boston Legal; reading Fantasy Lit, writing creatively, shopping compulsively with her friends, and updating her blog on Live Journal. Favorite Episode: Jayne's Town Favorite Character: Mal or Book or Wash (sorry I'll stop now)
Mindy Marlatt, Voice Talent	Mindy grew up on a small Island off the coast of Galway, Ireland and as a youngster moved with her family to Southern California where her family owned a cinema. As a youngster, she fell in love with science fiction, fantasy and horror, spending countless hours watching the many memorable films that played there. Sharing her father's love of film, and seeing that the job of Princess Leia had already been filled, Mindy studied the art of Special Effects Make up and graduated from the prestigious Joe Blasco School where she studied under some of Hollywood's most notable make up professionals. Since 2000, Mindy has been working in the film and television industry as a professional special effects make up artist. Favorite Firefly episode: Heart of Gold Favorite Character: Kaylee