The Sheridan Tapes is a serialized horror/mystery podcast written and produced by Trevor Van Winkle, the creator of Homestead on the Corner and Tales of the Echowood. Now in its third season, the show uses a found-audio structure to tell the story of disgraced detective Sam Bailey's search for missing horror writer and paranormal investigator Anna Sheridan. Along the way he's joined by a wide cast of characters with their own links to the mystery, all the while discovering more about his own connection to the strange supernatural world Anna uncovered.

In Season One, Sam went from skeptical outsider to outcast believer. In Season Two, Sam began to discover the depths and dangers of his own abilities as he confronted the sinister forces arrayed against him. And now, at the start of Season Three, he faces the revelation of an impending apocalypse… And the possibility that he might be the one to bring it about.

The Sheridan Tapes is also an ensemble series, and the "Sheridan Squad" assembled through the course of the show returns for Season Three: Bill Tyler, an ex-police officer and Sam's former co-worker – Maria Sol, longtime partner of Anna Sheridan who's struggling to find her way without her – and Anna's estranged sister Kate, who wants nothing more than to rescue Anna and make things right between them. And at the heart of the mystery are the tapes – recordings left behind by Anna Sheridan, chronicling her investigations into the strange and supernatural.

Taking inspiration from gothic fiction, cosmic horror, and classic detective stories, The Sheridan Tapes uses aural storytelling, found-audio, and in-character narration to create an expanding mystery that emphasizes existential dread, uncertain reality, and confrontations with forces beyond our understanding, all seen through the eyes of simple people hoping against hope to find redemption and set old wrongs to right.

Equal parts Twilight Zone, Doctor Who, and True Detective, The Sheridan Tapes Season Three will consist of 25 half-hour episodes along with 4 mini-episodes released in the lead-up to the premiere.

Seasons One and Two are available now at thesheridantapes.com! Pre-production and writing for Season Three is already underway, with the season fully outlined and several scripts completed. Recording is set to begin in March of this year, with the first episode released in Late Spring 2022. In the meantime, we're remastering several Homestead on the Corner short stories and producing another series of B-Side mini-episodes written by several members of the TST cast and crew.

From the beginning, every member of the Homestead on the Corner team has either generously donated their time and talent or heavily discounted their rates, including Trevor. Income from Patreon, ad revenue, and merchandise sales helps to cover the costs of doing business (web hosting, software licenses and fees, etc), but it has not reached a level where we can pay our cast anything close to what they're worth or create a stable income for our full-time crew members.

Podcasts, and especially audio dramas, are still incredibly difficult to monetize, and while that means the barrier to entry stays low and access remains open, it makes sustaining this kind of long-form project incredibly difficult. At Homestead on the Corner, we believe that crowdfunding is the best way to make sure everyone involved gets their fair share, while still maintaining our independence and creative freedom to tell stories that emphasize diverse representation, justice, equity, and inclusivity.

(For information on why we've moved away from Kickstarter after Tales of the Echowood, please check out this article from Mashable.)

First off, you get to help the story of The Sheridan Tape continue towards its conclusion, learn more about the mystery at the heart of the show, and help us maintain a higher level of quality than we could manage on our own dime. Beyond that, you also get exclusive backer rewards for contributing at every level, along with several bigger mystery rewards that will unlock as we reach our stretch goals! Check out our incentives list for more details.

Every cent we make past our goal goes right back into the production and is used to pay our cast, crew, and collaborators a better wage, purchase new equipment (mics, interfaces, etc.), assets (sound effects, stock elements), and software, as well as to cover any unforeseen expenses during production. If we reach our stretch goals, we'll release extra-special secret rewards that will be available to everyone who's already pledged at that level - you do not need to re-pledge once the mystery rewards are unlocked.

$6,000

Our base goal, and the level at which all members of the cast and crew can be paid for their work. Unlocks Mystery Reward 1: Full Length Short Film "Echoes" (digital reward, available to all backers)

$9,000

Our first stretch goal, and the level at which we can pay our cast a better per-episode rate. Unlocks Mystery Reward 2 (digital reward, available to all backers)

$12,000

Our second stretch goal, and the level at which we can pay our writers, directors, and producers a more professional rate. Unlocks Mystery Reward 3 (physical reward, available to $30 and up backers)

$20,000

Our third stretch goal, and the level at which we can pay our team a full professional rate and quit our day jobs (not really, but we can dream). Unlocks Mystery Reward 4 (physical reward, available to $50 and up backers)

First off, we're not – for our 25 episode run, our base goal breaks down to about $240 per episode, not including credit card fees and taxes (which yes, we do have to pay just like everybody else). While that might sound like a lot for audio drama, that's all the money we have to pay our entire crew for multiple weeks of incredibly hard, stressful, and time-consuming work. Additionally, most episodes feature an average of 4 main characters, with some episodes having up to 10 or 12 different voice actors who all need to be paid for their time and talent. Plus there's the monthly costs of hosting a podcast – paying Acast to host our show, paying Wordpress to host our website, paying for domain name registration, paying licensing fees for sound effects and music… It all adds up very very quickly, and we're putting out 4 episodes a month for 6 months straight.

Also, in terms of production budgets, $6,000 – or even our highest stretch goal of $20,000 – is not as much money as it seems. Most television shows have a per-episode budget larger than our entire season at its most expensive. That's not to say they don't need that much... But for a project that will take up more than half a year of our lives and most of our working hours, we need to find a way to either make it pay the rent, or dial back our vision for the show halfway through our 100 episode run.

I don't want that. I don't think anyone wants that. I want The Sheridan Tapes to remain a show that people can listen to week-by-week. I want to keep the slow-burn tension of the series going, and cutting the number of episodes or spreading the season out over multiple years will make it much less satisfying to listen to. And I don't want to lower the quality of the storytelling because that makes everyone look bad, not just me. So yeah… $240 an episode would be great, but no one's getting rich off this campaign.

If you've read to this point, then I'm guessing you're already a fan of our show, or at least of audio drama in general. If you're anything like me, there are numerous audio dramas whose stories and characters have helped you through rough times, inspired you, or perhaps let you see yourself in a story for the first time. For some of you, that podcast might even be The Sheridan Tapes. That's why I make this show… to help people deal with difficult days, to raise their spirits, and to help them see themselves in the stories I tell. That's why I've donated hundreds of hours and the better part of two years to making this show – because I believe in it, and in the medium, and in the potential for this story to help others.

But belief can only get you so far, and the reality is that bills come due, our bodies break down, and eventually creators have to decide between stepping back from their dreams or doubling down and finding a way to make them work long-term. That's not the way it should be, but that's the way it is – but you can help change that. I want to show people, both in my audience and elsewhere, what is possible when a bunch of people who believe in stories band together, give what they can, and make remarkable things possible. It's idealistic, sure, but that's what's so great about human beings: that indomitable spirit of creativity, perseverance, and community that can, has, and will move mountains.

Beyond all its trappings of mystery and horror, that's what The Sheridan Tapes celebrates, and that's why I believe this community can make this happen. So go ahead… Prove me right.

Want to help us reach our goal? Share this campaign out on social media, through email, or anywhere else you know people! Feel free to copy and paste any of these messages:

I can't wait for Season 3 of @SheridanTapes! Help support the show at seedandspark.com/fund/sheridantapes3!

I just backed The Sheridan Tapes Season 3 on Seed&Spark, and you should too! seedandspark.com/fund/sheridantapes3

@SheridanTapes is one of my favorite spooky podcasts, and you should support their third season at seedandspark.com/fund/sheridantapes3