Escape Artists to Become Nonprofit
Escape Artists (EA) has announced that they will become a 501 (3) (c) nonprofit, effective January 1, 2023. Escape Artists produces genre podcasts Catscast, Cast of Wonders, Escape Pod, Podcastle, and Pseudopod.
Marguerite Kenner, EA’s co-owner, announced:
Since taking the helm in 2014, we’ve brought EA into the forefront of genre publications…. Two new shows joined the original trio, and we’ve been honored with major award wins and nominations including the Ignyte, Hugo, World Fantasy, British Fantasy, Aurora, and Academy of Podcasters awards. Our supporters and audience have been there for us at every step.
But genre magazines are precarious. For all our millions of annual streams and downloads, only about 2% of our audience are donors, a number that hasn’t significantly changed in ten years. Most years, EA barely brokes even. Over the last three years even that has been the exception rather than the rule, with outside investment being required. And we aren’t alone; it’s been heartbreaking to see fellow publications struggle with the same issues, or shutter completely.
So we asked a different question – what could we do to set EA up for the greatest chance at long term success without compromising our values? We refused to consider dropping our pay rates, or abandoning our commitment to pay every single member of our crew, from editors to community moderators. We talked to experts in both the genre publishing and podcasting spaces, and decided that becoming a nonprofit was the best next step.
Further details will be announced, including a new FAQ section on their website, and a metacast planned for mid to late January. For more, see (or hear) their announcement.
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