The Audio File: Young Ben Franklin: Welcome to New York

Sometimes a great audio drama dies after only one season. Other times, an audio drama is specifically designed to be a limited series. Then, on rare occasions, there are shows that looked like they’d only last one season, but wind-up getting more seasons. We’re going to be taking a look at a show which falls in the third category. We’re taking a look at Young Ben Franklin: Welcome to New York. 

When we last left our hero, fourteen-year-old Benjamin Franklin was about to depart from Boston to either New York City or Philadelphia. I assumed it would be the later, but it would seem that I was wrong. New York is a vibrant, but also very seedy and corrupt, city in 1722. Ben’s going to need all of his wits and cunning if he’s going to stay out of trouble. Along the way, he’ll make some new allies, and several new enemies. There’s plenty of thrills and adventures to be had in the next exciting chapter of young Ben Franklin’s life.

Well, I have to be honest, I was not expect this to be the Gen-Z Media show to get a sequel. Don’t get me wrong, season one of Young Ben Franklin was absolutely fantastic, and I loved it. However, the ending felt like it tied everything together pretty well. There weren’t any dangling plot threads, or hints that a new season might be on the way. But then there’s been exciting things happen behind the scene at Gen-Z Media. Gen-Z Media was recently purchased by Wondery. They’re a podcast network that has help make several fantastic shows such as 1865, Imagined Life, Blood Ties, American History Tellers, and a pretty good adaption of The Handmaid’s Tale. To any parents reading this, I must here warn that most of the shows I just mentioned are decidedly not kid-friendly. 

Anyway, funnily enough, it wasn’t all that long ago that Wondery got purchased but Amazon. So, this means more money all around. And more money means more audio dramas. I wonder what other Gen-Z Media shows will be getting new seasons? I hope this means we won’t have to wait as long for season three of The Natureverse.

Some of you will probably note that Benjamin Franklin never visit New York City during his youth in real life. Old Ben notes, towards the end of the season, that this is one of the events that didn’t make it into the history books. So, you can view Young Ben Franklin in general as the untold story of the lost years of Benjamin Franklin. Well, assuming that Old Ben can be trusted, and isn’t embellishing/fabricating any details.

Ben makes new allies in the form of some local ne’er-do-wells called The Dirty Dogs. They’re pretty clearly a stand-in for Ben’s friends from season one, The Wharf Rats. Though, there are a few slight differences. The Dirty Dogs are headed by a charismatic Irishman named Danny Quinn, who doesn’t really have an equivalent within The Wharf Rats. Well, perhaps he parallels Ben himself to an extent. Danny is extremely quick-witted and can talk his way out of just about any situation. He also crafts incredibly intricate plans, often on the fly, but always manages to pull them off. I think my favorite member of The Dirty Dogs was Ruby. She’s the token girl of the girl, but she’s streetwise and tough-as-nails. She’s can be a bit jerk at times, and is very snarky towards Ben, but is also kind of endearing. In fact, she’s the first person Ben encounters upon arriving in New York. She pretended to be in need of help, but then mugged Ben at knifepoint after she lured him into a back alley.

In other characters, there’s Hannah. She is a free person of color, and hopes to open the first school for black children in New York. Hannah is a fictional character, and thus, her plan is doomed from the start. Young Ben Franklin has its fun, and bends historical events slightly, but tries to be reasonably true to the historical record. But hey, her granddaughter gets to attend New York’s first school for black children in 1794, so, not a total bust. Overall, I thought that Hannah was reasonably well written. That being said, I found there were a few times the dialogue got a tad clunky. When Ben first meets Hannah, she sasses him around and launches into a lecture about how being a slave is very different from being an indentured servant. Okay, fair point, but it could have been delivered in a far more organically. I’m not a big fan of delivering messages didactically. I find to be lazy, and bad writing in general.

On the other hand, I liked how this season touched on more serious issues, such as the legacy of slavery in Early America. When we think of slavery, we tend to think of places below the Mason-Dixon Line, such as Charleston or New Orleans. However, many Northern states also practiced slavery prior to, and even several decades after, the American Revolution. Many streets of New York and Philadelphia were built using slave labor. The dockside of Manhattan used to be home to a fairly large slave auction. Quite ironic in the case of Pennsylvania, which later become a major stop on the Underground Railroad. New York granted gradual manumission starting in 1799. Full abolitions of slavery in New York was finally achieved in 1827.

Personally, I think that it is good that Young Ben Franklin touches on these issues. In many ways, America’s schools still don’t do a proper job teaching about slavery. Some people say that isn’t patriotic, but I disagree. It is perfectly patriotic to learn from the mistakes of our past. How else will we be able to build a truly better future for all Americans?

I won’t give away the villain of the season. However, I will say that the twist was both refreshing and genuinely surprising. I did not see it coming. So, hats off to Gen-Z Media for that.

There are four mini-episodes that preceded that main episodes of Welcome to New York. They are an interview with historian, and Benjamin Franklin scholar, Dr. George Boudreau. He talks about all sorts of interesting facts about the real Benjamin Franklin. For example Benjamin Franklin invented the world’s first swim fins. This fact winds up getting working into the main show. Swimming was one Benjamin Franklin’s favorite forms of exercise. Another fun fact is that printing presses required a lot of upper body strength to operate. As such, Benjamin Franklin was quite muscular in his youth. We also learn about some of Dr. Boudreau’s own escapades. For instance, he once discovered one on Benjamin Franklin’s original lightning rods at an excavation at Liberty Hall in Philadelphia. He was moved to tears by the thought that he was holding something that Franklin himself once touched. Some tourist were walking by, including a small boy who said “Daddy, a fat man fell into a hole in the ground, and now he’s crying.” ‘

Dr. Boudreau also educates listeners about Benjamin Franklin’s personal failings. Later in his life, Benjamin Franklin spoke out again slavery, and was the president of an abolitionist society. Despite this, he also owned five or six slaves over the course of his life. And yes, they were slaves, not freemen. Franklin’s letters to his wife make that very clear. It is certainly important to praise Franklin for his achievements. Indeed, there is much to celebrate about the man. At the same time, it is also important to acknowledge his shortcomings as an individual.

Unfortunately, the main show fails to do the latter. True, Old Ben does mention that he regrets that he didn’t speak out against slavery sooner. However, he also fails to mentions that he owned five or six slaves. I get why Gen-Z Media probably did this. It would be kind of hard to root for Young Ben if the listeners know he will grow up to be a slave owner. All of his speeches about liberty and freedom would certainly ring a bit hollow. It would also give the unfortunate impression that he got sick of Hannah bossing him around, and tried to get revenge on her by proxy.

Overall, however, I was very pleased with Young Ben Franklin: Welcome to New York. It would seem that Young Ben will be on many more adventures in the relatively near future. In fact, we’ve got a Halloween Special on the way. I wasn’t expecting Young Ben Franklin to be getting any sequels, but I’m excited to see where the story goes. We need more quality historical fiction aimed at kids. Young Ben Franklin is certainly doing its part to bring a quality historical fiction audio drama experience for the whole family to enjoy.

Well, I think that should do it from me for now. I will see you guys next time.

Flag of the Pueblo Sultanate

This is the flag of the Pueblo Sultanate. It comes from a world where the Ottoman Empire established colonies in the New World. The Ottomans began in the Caribbean, and soon went on to conquer Mexico. Eventually, the Ottomans made their way to the American Southwest, and subjugated the Pueblo peoples. Life was harsh for the Pueblo people under Ottoman colonialism. Pueblo people were forced to toil away in silver mines to feed the Ottomans’ hunger for precious metals. Several madrasas were established with the intent to convert the Pueblo peoples to Islam. In theory, the madrasas would provide aid, education, and social services to the Pueblo people. In practice, however, the imams often subjected their charges to horrific abuse. Despite this, Islam did manage to spread among the Pueblo peoples. The Pueblo peoples begged for a savior. But where could he be? 

The Pueblo people received their answer in the form of a charismatic preacher named Po’Pay. Despite the similar name, he is a separate individual from the Po’Pay of our world. This Po’Pay preached the highly syncretic religion that combined indigenous Pueblo beliefs with Islamic liberation theology. This was in sharp contrast to the Islam of the Ottomans, which frowned upon syncretism, and suppressed indigenous beliefs. Po’Pay teachings began to spread, and soon Po’Pay a revolt against the Ottomans. Though the fight was hard, at last the Pueblo peoples were free from the Ottoman yoke. The Pueblo peoples began to think of themselves not as a collection of disparate tribes, but as a united people sharing in a common destiny. 

 Po’Pay organized the tribes into a sultanate, with himself as the first sultan. However, the sultan would not rule alone. An assembly of tribes was created. Representatives of each tribe could voice the opinions and concerns of the tribe to the assembly. Thus, the Pueblo Sultanate became the first representative monarchy in the New World. The Pueblo Sultanate stretches over much of what would be he American Southwest.

The Pueblo Sultanate is famous for begin very tolerant, open-minded, and accepting of peoples with different beliefs. Most citizens practice Pueblo Islam, but don’t try to push it on other people. Most women do not veil, and most Pueblo citizen wear traditional indigenous-style clothing. to Po’Pay developed a written script based upon Arabic, and the Pueblo Sultanate is home to several libraries and other centers of learning. In fact, the Great Pueblo Library is world renown for its expansive collection of books. Qurans are written in the Pueblo script, and the call to prayer to announced in the various Pueblo languages. The Pueblo Sultanate is also quite famous for its cooking. Pueblo cuisine combines cooking techniques from the Eastern Mediterranean with spices and ingredients of the American Southwest. The Pueblo Sultanate has a noticeable minority of Greeks, Serbians, Bulgarians, and Amazighs. They are mostly descended from slaves brought over during the days of Ottoman colonialism. 

Also, the Pueblo Sultanate isn’t actually called the Pueblo Sultanate in-universe, but I couldn’t think of a better name.

The flag includes the sun symbol of the Zia people, and the crescent moon of Islam. This is a reference to the Sultanate’s mixed indigenous and Islamic heritage. The blue band represents turquoise, an important stone to many Pueblo peoples. The green band represents prosperity, and green is a color associated with Islam. The yellow band is there because it goes well with everything else.

The Audio File: Who is Cam Candor?

In many ways, we are living in a golden age of audio dramas. Dozens, if not hundreds, of new shows premiere every week. And it is a great time for independent producers. You can make a high-quality show from the comfort of your own home. Well, you can with a lot of hard work, and a little help from your friends. There’s no barrier for entry. Don’t like what you hear? Pick up a mic, and be the change you want to see. We’ve also seen major production companies taking an interest in audio dramas. Some of have teamed up with big names from the indie scene to help make shows.

Yes, these are some good times. And yet, many of us worry about how long it can last. What if the indie bubble pops? What if big name companies edge the little guys out of the market? The show we’re taking a look at today taps into many of these fears and anxieties. We’re taking a look at Who is Cam Candor? 

Who is Cam Candor? takes place in a nightmarish near future. Indie audio dramas have completely died out. The audio drama landscape is completely dominated by corporations and major companies. It is impossible to make a successful show without being attached to a major production company. The audio dramas that get churned out by these companies range from bland and forgettable to laughably bad. But in the days before the great indie collapse, there was a person who stood defiant. They are known as Cam Candor, but nobody knows if that’s their real name. They produced some of the most famous, and most mysterious, audio dramas. Cam Candor has became something of a folk hero to those who remember the glory days of indie audio dramas. But who is the real Cam Candor? B.K. Will, Cultural Obscurist and Archeologist, has created an investigative podcast in order to find out. But the question remains: Who is Cam Candor?

Who is Cam Candor? is created by Ann Sloan, creator of The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles. As regular readers of this blog will recall, I absolutely adore The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles. So, it was only natural that I would seek out Who is Cam Candor? Both shows are members of the Fable & Folly network, which includes many other fine shows such as Alba Salix, We Fix Space Junk, and Harlem Queen.

The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles does touch on serious subject matter, but with tongue planted firmly in cheek. Who is Cam Candor? takes a similar approach with issues concerning the indie audio drama community. As of late, a lot of big companies are starting to branch out into the world of audio drama. You got major audio drama production companies like QCODE and Realm, but you’ve also got places like Audible and Wondry increasingly dipping their toes into audio dramas. Even Marvel and DC have been trying their hand at audio dramas. Some members of the indie community welcome these shows with open arms, but other are more apprehensive.

I can see both sides of this. On the one hand, big-budget companies can help bring more people into audio drama, and get them interested in the medium. Pull the average person off the street, ask them what an audio drama is, and they’ll probably be scratching their heads. Many normies, for lack of a better term, have never heard of audio dramas. There’s a persistent myth that audio fiction died after television took off. Whenever I describe audio dramas to people, I say that they’re like the modern day version those radio shows from the 1940s and 1950s. The point is, the big-budget shows can help remind the unaware that audio fiction is very much still a thing. And once they’re hooked, there’s a chance that these new listens will seek out more shows, which will lead them to the indie scene.

On the other hand, there’s no guarantee that these new listeners will eventually seek out indie shows on their own. Moreover, the big-budget shows might set new listeners’ expectations sky-high. Most indie shows can’t afford to cast big-name actors. Creating a truly cinematic soundscape, while certainly not impossible for indie shows, is much harder when you’re working with less funds and a smaller team. It is also immensely frustrating when papers like the New York Times or the Washington Post publish yet another article saying “Creator X is Reviving Audio Fiction!” or “Company Y is Reinventing Fiction Podcasts!” Would it kill these journalists to do a five minute Google search?!

Big-budget shows have a much higher marketing budget. They also have built-in connections to the entertainment industry that indie shows lack. There is a fear that indie shows won’t be able to compete with big-budget shows, and will eventually get edged out. Big budget shows also typically don’t do much to promote smaller shows.

So, where do I stand? Personally, I take the middle ground. I think that it is a fair concern that normies won’t expand beyond big-budget shows. However, I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss the possibility of them finding indie shows. I have seen several people who got into audio dramas from Realm, QCODE, or Welcome to Night Vale find their way to places like the r/audiodrama subreddit, and other places that indie creators and fans congregate. There’s a lot of insanely talented people working in the indie community. If they only had bigger budgets, and more resources, who knows what wonders they could create? Well, several big-budget audio drama companies have begun to recruit people from the indie community specifically to utilize their skills and expertise. So, I’m cautiously optimistic about the future of audio drama.

Having said all of that, I do very much understand the concern that big-budget companies might try to monopolize the audio drama market. Who is Cam Candor? taps into these fears, but does so in a humorous and satirical way. And hey, apparently the Great Purge that lead to the downfall of indie audio dramas happened in 2025. I am writing this in mid-2022, and indie audio dramas are very much alive a well. Also, part of that backstory mentions Facebook attempting to branch into podcasting. In the real world, Facebook did indeed try to branch into podcasting…but said attempt quickly died a swift death, and Facebook Podcasts discontinued not long after it was launched. So, I’d say we don’t have to worry about the dystopia of Who is Cam Candor? happening any time soon.

But Who is Cam Candor? is more than just a satire. It is also a celebration of the indie audio drama community. Cam Candor was, apparently, one of the most prolific creators of audio dramas. However, they only made one episode for each of their shows. I guess Cam Candor was unaware of what anthology shows are. Anyway, many of these shows are quirky and unconventional. For example, Mr. Fezziwhig Talks Crumpets follows a man from the Victorian Era who hosts a radio show about cooking. B.K. Will notes that this is rather odd, given that radio hadn’t been invented during the Victorian Era. Evidently, B.K. Will has never heard of steampunk or alternate history. Then there’s Filthy Nuns of the Holy Roman Empire. It follows a gender ambiguous friar named Adbo in Medieval Italy. Adbo is taking confessions from a group of religious prostitutes, who have sworn vows of silence, and is recording these confessions in a manuscript. Amusingly enough, Medieval monasteries and nunneries did have reputation for being incredibly rowdy places.

Then there’s Dante 10th. It follows a sociopath finical advisor named Dante Hen. He’s so bad he winds up in the tenth circle of Hell; as opposed to the nine mentioned in The Divine Comedy. Huh, guess Cam Candor was really trying to put the comedy in The Divine Comedy. Of course, the real star of that particular Cam Candor offering is Satan, and his very campy personality. There are more Cam Candor shows, but I’ll leave them for you to discover.

There’s also a meta joke when B.K. Will discover that one of the signatures of a genuine Cam Candor show is that it includes the sound of a snare drum between breaks in the action. Joke is, this is one of Ann Sloan’s signature sound inclusions in all of her shows.

I see the shows of Cam Candor as symbolic of the indie audio drama community. You get a lot of very quirky and off-the-wall shows. Many of them take the form of comedies, but there’s also serious shows. The fact that most Cam Candor show end after only one episode could be a reference to how several indie shows end after one or two seasons. Hey, sometimes life gets in the way, and unforeseen consequences happen. Let us take a moment to mourn the fact that Lights Out and The Hermes & Hekate Road Show only lasted for one season each.

The quirky and unconventional nature of the indie community is one of the things I love best about it. Sure, not every show can be to everyone’s taste, but there’s always so many great shows to discover. I’ve always found that, for all their flash and cinematic soundscapes, the big-budget show tend to be a bit lacking when it comes to plot. It always feels like something is missing in those big-budget shows. I guess it’s like the differences between eating at a local mom and pop restaurant vs eating at a chain restaurant. You can certainly find tasty food at a chain restaurant, but maybe it won’t hit he spot like your favorite local family-run restaurant does.

However, fictional podcasts, as in ones that only exist in-universe, aren’t the only shows to be found on Who is Cam Candor? Shannon K. Perry, the creator of the audio drama Oz-9, appears as a fictional version of herself. Apparently, Oz-9 got adapted into a theme park attraction and a series of movies. Sounds pretty good, but it is mentioned that the corporations started executing a lot of editorial control over the audio dramas they snatched up. Said control was always to the detriment of what made the shows great. I was vaguely familiar with Oz-9 prior to listening to Who is Cam Candor? However, this cameo peaked my interest, and made me want to check out Oz-9 for myself. I hope that other audio drama creators get to make appearances in future seasons of Who is Cam Candor? 

We also meet a formed audio drama critic who is now a wine/mattress critic. Well, guess I know what I’d be doing in this scenario. 

Now, let’s talk about the voice acting. Ann Sloan takes on not just writing duties, but also voices B.K. Will. She has previously done voice acting, of a sort, in The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles. Though, that was mostly bickering with Siri during the commercial segments. Still, she does a fantastic job here. Really captures that investigative podcaster feel. Samantha Gordon, who plays Carlötta from The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles, appears briefly as a receptionist in one episode. And it goes without saying that the voice acting in all of Cam Candor’s in-universe shows is really great. So, points all around for the voice acting.

The about section on the Who is Cam Candor? website is written in the style of the in-universe podcast. I thought that it was a fun touch.

Okay, all well and good, but what do I think about Cam Candor’s identity. Well, to be perfectly honest, I’ve got nothing. This is an Ann Sloan show, so anything goes. Given the limitless possibilities, I have no idea where this show is heading. However, I can’t wait to find out.

Well, there you have it. Who is Cam Candor? is a a satirical look at the fears and anxieties of the indie audio drama community. At the same time, it is also a celebration of the boundless creativity of the indie community. I don’t know where this show is heading, but I’m eager to find out.

Well I think that should do it from me for now. I will see you guys next time.

Flag of the Federation of China

This is the flag of the Federation of China. It comes from a world where the Long March failed, and Chinese Communist forces got completely massacred by the Kuomintang. This was a crippling blow to Chinese Communist. Things only got worse once Japan invaded China. The Japanese managed almost completely eradicate the remaining Communist forces. World War II still ended in an Allied victory. However, the Nationalists now stood as the uncontested rulers of the now liberated China. 

China, fervently anti-communist, sided with America during the Cold War. China intervened during the Korean War rand the Vietnam War, resulting in Vietnam and Korea being united under the governments of South Korea and South Vietnam respectively. China remained a one-party authoritarian dictatorship for the first few decades of the Cold War. Starting in the 1970s and early 1980s, following the death of Chiang Kai-shek, China began to reform and liberalize. Genuine opposition parties were allowed to run in elections, and the Kuomintang no long held sole power. It was during this time that China’s economy took-off in earnest. China became a Tiger Economy along side other East Asian nations such as Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, and Singapore.

By the late 1980s and early 1990s China had transitioned into a full democracy. China is a federation that allows considerable autonomy for ethnic minorities. The Federation of China comprises the territory of China, Mongolia, and Taiwan in our world. Tibet, Mongolia, Xinjiang, Guangdong, and Taiwan are semi-autonomous republics within the Chinese Federation. They are allowed to use their own constitutions, rather than the Chinese constitution. They’re also allowed to use languages other than Mandarin as their official language. However, the federal government of China handles matters of national defense, international relations, and diplomacy. Hong Kong and Macau were returned to China slightly earlier than in our timeline. They’re currently designated as semi-autonomous territories to ensure things go smoothly as they integrate into the Chinese Federation.

America remains one of China’s closest allies. This is not merely an alliance of convenience, but an alliance of genuine friendship. There is less racism against Asian-Americans as a result of the Sino-American Alliance. Traditional Chinese Culture has both survived and thrived in the absence in the Cultural Revolution. China also maintains good relations with the other nations of East Asia. There’s currently talk of a join Chinese-American mission to Mars, with possibly a few astronauts from other East Asian nations as well. China is projected to overtake America economically, but most Americans aren’t concerned. The future looks bright for China, and East Asia in general.

The flag came about during the early 1990s. Most Chinese people decided that you can’t beat the classics. So, they combined first flag and seal of the Republic of China. The five bands represent the five major races of China: Han (Red), Manchus (Yellow), Mongols (Blue), Uyghurs (White), and Tibetans (Black). The dragon and phoenix are traditional symbols of China. They also symbolize Yin (Phoenix) and Yang (Dragon). They are equal and opposite, a subtle reference to the opportunities women have in the new China. The seal also includes other references to good fortune and prosperity.