K. A. Statz

K. A. Statz
BornKaitlin Statz
Pen nameK.A. Statz, Kaitlin Statz
LanguageEnglish
Alma materUniversity of Oxford
GenreHorror, paranormal, short stories, post-apocalyptic, adventure, drama, comedy
Years active2014–present
Spouse
​
(m. 2016)​
[1]
Website
www.statzink.com

Kaitlin Statz is an American science fiction and horror writer and podcaster, publishing works as K. A. Statz. She is known for her work on the podcasts The White Vault, VAST Horizon, Liberty, Don't Mind, The Boar Knight, and Dark Dice.[2]

Career and works

Podcasting career

Statz started creating fiction podcasts with Travis Vengroff in 2015, with the premiere of the audio drama series Liberty: Critical Research.[3] Statz co-founded Fool & Scholar Productions with Vengroff. The duo were Parsec Awards finalists in 2016 under the category of 'Best New Speculative Fiction Team', and Critical Research was an Audio Verse Award finalist in 2016 for writing and acting.[4][5] Later the same year, Statz and Vengroff expanded the Liberty podcast to include Tales from the Tower, an anthology horror series set in the same world as the other Liberty stories.[6]

In October 2017, Statz created the found footage horror fiction audio drama The White Vault.[7] The podcast has received positive critical reviews,[8][9][10] and appeared on the top 10 chart for The Arts and Performing Arts on iTunes, and the top 50 chart for 'All of iTunes' in the US.[11][12] The White Vault has won 2018 Mark Time Award,[13] two Webby Honorees,[14] and twenty-three Audio Verse Awards.[15][16] In addition to the core show, Statz created and wrote multiple White Vault miniseries including Artifact, Imperial, Iluka, and Avrum.

In 2018 Statz & Vengroff released Liberty: Vigilance, a play audio drama podcast featuring Wayne June from Darkest Dungeon, Ashly Burch, Sainty & Eric Nelsen, Dave Fennoy, Lani Minella, and George Lowe.[17]

In late 2018, the duo also released Dark Dice, a horror actual play podcast, which was featured on various iTunes Top 10 charts for the US, UK, and Canada.[18] Additionally, Statz also won the Audio Drama Hub (ADPP) Scriptwriting Competition, and her work Selling Ledford Manor was performed in front of a live audience in London.[19]

In 2019, Statz premiered VAST Horizon, a science fiction audio drama featuring strong female protagonists and no narration. VAST Horizon has received critical praise for its sound design and writing, winning 7 Audio Verse Awards,[20] and a 2020 W3 Silver Award.[21] Statz is one of the founding members of the Audio Drama Coalition, the founding member of the Audio Drama Roundtable, a member of the Audio Drama Hub. Statz has given lectures and panels at New York Comic Con, The Austin Film Festival, Podfest, Podtales, Podcon, and Emerald City Comic Con.[22] Statz became a full time podcaster in 2019.[23]

Written works

Statz was a contributor to the Russian magazine Mir Fantastiki from 2016 to 2018, interviewing artists and covering events for film and television.[24] Statz has also released a number of supplemental Liberty stories and books.[25]

Awards and honors

Year Award Category Citation
2016 The Parsec Awards Best New Speculative Fiction Podcaster/Team (2016)
2018 Mark Time Award Silver Award, The Ogle For Horror (The White Vault) [26]
2018 Audio Verse Award Finalist
  • Best Writing (The White Vault)
 [27]
2018 Audio Drama Hub (ADPP) Scriptwriting Competition
  • Best Writing (Selling Ledford Manor)
2018-2020 HEAR Now: Audio Fiction and Arts Festival
  • The Gold Listening Showcase Official Selection 2018 (Liberty: Tales from the Tower, "Excuse Me")
  • The Gold Listening Showcase Official Selection 2018 (The White Vault)
  • The Gold Listening Showcase Official Selection 2020 (VAST Horizon, Dark Dice, Liberty: Tales from the Tower "Happiness")
  • The Platinum Listening Showcase Official Selection 2020 (The White Vault)
 [28][29]
2019 Discover Pod Award Finalist
  • (Best Fiction Podcast)
 [30]
2020 The W3 Awards Silver Award - Best Fiction Podcast (VAST Horizon)
2019 & 2020 Audio Verse Awards
  • Best Writing of a New Audio Play Production (The White Vault: Imperial - 2019)
  • Best Writing of a New Audio Play Production (VAST Horizon, 2019)
  • Best New Audio Play Production (The White Vault: Imperial, 2019)
  • Best Audio Play Production (The White Vault, 2019)
  • Best Writing of a New Audio Play Production (The White Vault: Iluka, 2020)
  • Best Writing of an Audio Play Production (The White Vault, 2020)
  • Best Writing of an Audio Play Production (VAST Horizon, 2020)
  • Best New Audio Play Production (The White Vault: Iluka, 2020)
  • Best Audio Play Production (The White Vault, 2020)
 [31][32][33][34]
2021 New Jersey Web Fest Outstanding Horror/Thriller - Winner (The White Vault) [35]
2021 Webby Award People's Voice Award Winner for Scripted Fiction Podcast [36]

References

  1. ^ "Podchaser Interview with K.A. Statz & Travis Vengroff". Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  2. ^ "Willamette Week - Authenticity of Fool and Scholar Productions". Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  3. ^ "How Content creators find success". Retrieved October 17, 2019.
  4. ^ "Parsec Award 2016 Nominees". Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  5. ^ "Audio Verse Award 2016 Nominees". Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  6. ^ "All Comics Considered Interview with Travis Vengroff". Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  7. ^ "HorrorWriters.com Interviews K.A. Statz". Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  8. ^ "Top 5 Fiction Podcasts of 2017 News". December 21, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  9. ^ "The Comeback's Best Audio Dramas of 2017". December 21, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  10. ^ "Vox Special on Modern Radio Drama". October 27, 2018. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  11. ^ "The White Vault on Page 22 - Top Podcast Recommendations by Pod Bible" (PDF). Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  12. ^ "The White Vault Opens to Rave Reviews". Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  13. ^ "Mark Time Awards 2018". Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  14. ^ "Webbie Awards 2019". Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  15. ^ "Audio Verse Awards 2019 Forbes Article". Forbes. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  16. ^ "Audio Verse Awards 2020 Website". Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  17. ^ "Vigilance IMDB". IMDb. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  18. ^ "Playing with Strangers". January 17, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  19. ^ "Selling Ledford Manor". July 5, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  20. ^ "Podcast Engineering School". August 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  21. ^ "W3 Winners Announced". Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  22. ^ "List of Speaking Events". Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  23. ^ "BBC Interview with K.A. Statz, Vengroff, and Neil Gaiman". Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  24. ^ "Cars 3 Article by Statz". June 10, 2017. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  25. ^ "MF: US Comic Book Creation". March 2, 2016. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  26. ^ "Mark Time Awards 2018". Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  27. ^ "Audio Verse Award Finalists". Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  28. ^ "Hear Now Festival Listing". Archived from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  29. ^ "Hear Now Festival Listing". Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  30. ^ "Discover Pod Award Finalists". Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  31. ^ "Audio Verse Awards 2019 Forbes Article". Forbes. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  32. ^ "Audio Verse Awards 2019". Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  33. ^ "Audio Verse Awards 2019 Yahoo News Writeup". Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  34. ^ "Audio Verse Awards 2020 Website". Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  35. ^ "NJ Web Fest 2021". Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  36. ^ "Webbie Awards 2021". Retrieved May 15, 2021.