The NoSleep Podcast is an anthology horror fiction podcast hosted by David Cummings. It originally released on June 13, 2011 and updates on a weekly basis.
History overview
NoSleep began as a subreddit, or forum, on Reddit where people can post fictional scary stories, while others can join in to the experience, by pretending they have happened, or are happening, to their creator. With the popularity of NoSleep, a member named Matt Hansen proposed the idea of creating a podcast where the top stories from the NoSleep subreddit would be narrated in an audiobook style. The idea was well received and a few months later a small group of members released the first episode of The NoSleep Podcast. During their first two seasons, David Cummings assumed the role of host and producer, working with volunteer Redditors to help narrate and produce content for the show.
The popularity of The NoSleep Podcast rapidly grew as the production quality became more professional. Regular voices on the show who provide narration for its stories include David Cummings, Jessica McEvoy, Peter Lewis, Nikolle Doolin, Nichole Goodnight, David Ault, Jeff Clement, Erika Sanderson, Addison Peacock, Mike DelGaudio, Atticus Jackson, Dan Zappulla, James Cleveland, Elie Hirschman, Kyle Akers, Alexis Bristowe, Wafiyyah White, Jesse Cornett, Mick Wingert, and Erin Lillis. Despite horror arguably being a traditionally male-dominated genre, many of the narrators and authors of stories featured on the show, and also half of its 2 million regular monthly listeners are female.
Self-taught composer Brandon Boone, who joined The NoSleep Podcast in 2013, became responsible for the majority of the show's music by Season 5. The NoSleep Podcast theme was written by David Cummings and has evolved with each season of the show. The show also works with a number of artists to create original illustrations for each episode. New episodes typically air every Sunday and contain five or six stories per episode, not including bonus releases. Every year the show also produces a new collection of the flash stories in their "Suddenly Shocking" series and a retro radio drama series, "Old Time Radio". In 2015, the podcast was downloaded 600,000 times.
The NoSleep Podcast has also featured stories from authors who have gone on to publish their works, including the "Penpal" series from Dathan Auerbach, "99 Brief Scenes from the End of the World" by T.W. Grim, "What Happens When the Stars Go Out" by Jesse Clark, and "Psychosis" by Matt Dymerski. The NoSleep Podcast is also one of the few podcasts in its genre that pays its creative contributors.
Special guests that have appeared on the podcast include Mike Flanagan, Kate Siegel, Samantha Sloyan, Elijah Wood, and Kurtis Conner.
Season Pass program The NoSleep Podcast began as a volunteer endeavor, with all expenses being paid for out of pocket by its core team. As the quality of the show increased, expanding from a 30-minute format to over two hours per episode, the show announced that it had become unsustainable without outside funding. Just before the release of its 3rd Season The NoSleep Podcast unveiled the Season Pass Program, whereby listeners pay a one-time subscription fee each season to have access to 25 full length episodes, in addition to a selection of subscriber-exclusive bonus episodes. This is unique in that fans of the show (referred to as the "Sleepless") who are not a part of the program still receive free access to shorter versions of each episode, generally consisting of the first one or two stories, as they're released. The Season Pass Program has been successful in not only sustaining the show, but also in allowing David Cummings to focus full-time on production. It also allowed the show to expand releases to a weekly schedule.
Seasons of the NoSleep Podcast contain at least 25 episodes which each run for approximately one hour. Season Pass membership includes bonus stories in each episode, increasing each episode's typical length to over two hours. As a bonus, Season Pass members are also awarded three additional episodes throughout the season. The NoSleep Podcast is supported by most podcast apps available for iPhone, Android, iOS, and Windows. The season pass is also available to stream from most podcast apps, though it is slightly more limited (Spotify currently does not support the NoSleep Podcast's season pass).
Episodes
Season 1 Season & EpisodeStory #StoryAuthorSummaryVoice actor(s)ProducerRelease dateS01E011"The Stairs and the Doorway"Eric DoddA night watchman at a college discovers something horrifying in the basement of the campus science building.David CummingsDavid CummingsJune 13, 20112"The Midnight Man"V. RusanovskyA man who doubts the existence of an elusive creature known as "The Midnight Man" learns that it's more real than he originally thought.Alex BealDavid CummingsJune 13, 2011S01E021"My First House"Author UnknownA man inherits an abandoned house from his grandparents, learning soon afterwards the terrifying reason they left it.David CummingsDavid CummingsJune 26, 20112"By the Light of the Firefly"Luke WellerA young boy follows a firefly into the woods late one night and finds himself lost in a strange area of the forest.David CummingsDavid CummingsJune 26, 20113"I Still Don't Know What to Think"Jason BairdA strange late-night occurrence involving her disabled stepfather leaves a girl unsure what to make of the whole incident.Allison SteinDavid CummingsJune 26, 20114"The Basement" Matt DymerskiA young man receives an unwelcome visit from a mysterious stranger while home alone.David CummingsDavid CummingsJune 26, 2011S01E031"Don't Ever Turn it Off"Jimmy C. Broadhead, Jr.A couple moves into an apartment building with a strange feature built into the wall of the basement: a faucet that never seems to run out of water.Alex BealDavid
CummingsOctober 7, 20112"The Cornfield"Karina YoungTwo girls dare each other to enter a corn field in the middle of the night, but things quickly go awry.Jinny SandersDavid
CummingsOctober 7, 20113"The Thing in the Fields"Joseph BakerA man finally decides to put an end to a horrifying creature that has been terrorizing him his entire life.David CummingsDavid
CummingsOctober 7, 2011S01E041"Jack's Back" Linda GrothA man thinks something is wrong with his landlord after strange occurrences begin to happen late at night.David
CummingsDavid
CummingsOctober 7, 20112"This is My House"Erika BlairA young woman complains about the specter of a girl that seems to haunt her house, but everything is not as it appears to be.Isla SchanuelDavid
CummingsOctober 7, 20113"There's Something Wrong"Joshua GilesA woman wakes up in the early hours of the morning after a wild house party to discover that she's not alone.Wade ThorsonDavid
CummingsOctober 7, 20114"Stinson Beach"Walter SmithIncreasingly bizarre and horrific events begin happening to two friends after they find and watch a disturbing video tape.David
CummingsDavid
CummingsOctober 7, 2011S01 Bonus Episode 011"Butcherface"A.J. GarlisiTwo friends set out to find the reason behind the creation of a set of disturbing tapes involving a man committing horrendous acts of violence.David CummingsDavid CummingsJanuary 8, 2011S01E051"Tales of a New York Subway"Colin ThomsonA young woman boards a subway to take a late-night ride home, but is disturbed by her fellow passengers... especially a man who keeps coming closer to her.Jinny SandersDavid CummingsOctober 8, 20112"A Game of Flashlight Tag"William DalphinA man recalls the chilling events that transpired one fateful night of his youth when the children of his neighborhood all got together to play.Drew CummingsDavid CummingsOctober 8, 20113"I Couldn't Resist You"Chris CoffmanA chance encounter between a man and a young woman quickly spirals into something dangerous.David CummingsDavid CummingsOctober 8, 20114"Safe"Makana McDonaldA man home alone thinks he is safe from a strange woman outside his apartment window... a claim which is quickly proven false.Matt HansenDavid CummingsOctober 8, 20115"The Smell of Gasoline"Chris HollandA firefighter is haunted by his failure to save a young woman from a burning car.Chris HollandDavid CummingsOctober 8, 2011S01E061"Kenneth"Huxley AdamsA clerk at a photo development center recalls his most mysterious and sinister customer.Christopher MaustDavid CummingsAugust 21, 20112"First Time at the Movies"Kaye HazeltonA woman remembers a disturbing event that occurred the first time her mother let her and a friend go to the movies alone.Wendy CorriganDavid CummingsAugust 21, 20113"Why I Refuse to Work Late"William DalphinA website developer explains the reason why he quit his job at a dilapidated office building.Reece SelbyDavid CummingsAugust 21, 20114"Daddy, Are You Awake?"Scott WeaverA man wakes up one night to see a dark figure standing in the hallway, staring into his daughter's room...Chris HollandDavid CummingsAugust 21, 20115"The Friendly Man"Pit PastelA woman is stalked by a disfigured creature after a cryptic conversation with her insane, emotionally broken neighbor.Wade ThorsonDavid CummingsAugust 21, 2011S01E071"Cologne"Allie BroshA paranoid woman checks everywhere in her house for intruders before going to bed every night... except for one very crucial place.Faith SayersDavid CummingsApril 9, 20112"Never Talk to Strangers"Isaac FaradayA college student strikes up a conversation with a strange old man he sees sitting on a bench every day.James LewisDavid CummingsApril 9, 20113"We Don't Talk About Sarah"William DalphinA woman recalls her sister Sarah's strange behavior while they were growing up and her mysterious disappearance.Wendy CorriganDavid CummingsApril 9, 20114"They're Not Smiling"Vittorio RomeoA man reveals his strange ability: every inanimate object with a face (paintings, photos, stuffed animals) smiles at him.Chris HollandDavid CummingsApril 9, 20115"Silly Boy"Nicole GarrisonAn aunt is disturbed by her nephew's description of his imaginary friend.Jinny SandersDavid CummingsApril 9, 20116"She Found Her Way Into My Home"William DalphinA father sees a strange, silent woman standing outside his apartment building one day... and then begins seeing her in his daughter's room every night...David CummingsDavid CummingsApril 9, 2011S01E081"The Woods"Kyle ThomasA night with the in-laws quickly spirals into horror for a man and his wife.David CummingsDavid CummingsSeptember 18, 20112"Can You Hear the Birds Singing?" Douglas BramlettA father recalls the life of hardship and toil that he's shared with his young daughter.David CummingsDavid CummingsSeptember 18, 20113"Laurel Highlands"Bill PenfieldA man hiking through the Laurel Highlands region of Pennsylvania is stalked by a mysterious woman who appears in his campsite every night.David CummingsDavid CummingsSeptember 18, 2011S01E091"A Dream My Mother Had"Richard WalkerA man tells of a mysterious dream his mother used to have - and the role it may have played in her untimely death.David
CummingsDavid
CummingsFebruary 10, 20112"My Best Friend's Grandmother"Allison StuartA woman recalls her daily visits to her best friend's grandmother's house and the strange events that transpired after the grandmother fell mysteriously ill.Wendy
CorriganDavid CummingsFebruary 10, 20113"Precious Machine"Al BrunoA detective is called in to investigate the mysterious disappearance of the headmaster of an asylum.David
Cummings, Wendy
CorriganDavid