What/Why/How

I started writing Ovid's Flea in 2006. At first it was a short story, dealing with Jesse's dilemma, then it expanded to include Viola & Kimberly. In 2009, having expanded it to more characters and a 100+ pages, I started to seek out an agent or publisher. After an initial, favorable response and discussion with a west coast publisher, they went "radio silent" and after a year of inquiries they told me my submission had been lost. During that time the global economy collapsed, and my own life was unraveling, so I gave up.

Fast forward to 2015...Podcasting, among other things, is on the scene and I realize the power is now with artists. I am a marketer, a theatre producer, writer and director; who better to tell a story I created than me, in my own way?

I gathered advisors and started to work.

I knew I wanted to create a fiction podcast, something akin to an old-fashioned radio play. With seven characters moving the narrative along, I needed to hire seven actors... and that costs money. In addition, I needed sound equipment, etc. Upon advisement, I launched a KICKSTARTER Campaign that was fully funded in two days! By closing, over 200% of the original goal was raised (see list of sponsors, a.k.a. "Beautiful Backers").

Recordings started in May of 2016 when my sister and her family, with whom I live, went away one weekend and I turned their den into a recording studio. Recordings continued throughout the summer, mainly in another makeshift studio in a friend's standup shower, covered in blankets, and in the den of one of the actor/co-producers. Recordings were completed in July 2016.

The original plan was to launch in the fall of 2016, but as the U.S. presidential election progressed, I knew we would not garner much attention, and it was decided to launch Ovid's Flea in April of 2017. The goal is to launch the final episode to coincide with New York City's Gay Pride parade, to echo the climax of the story.

Stay in touch so you can be part of the world of Ovid's Flea.

Thank you for your support.