How did you end up working for "Adventures in Odyssey"?
I was a fan of the show since I was eight years old and when I was eighteen, I started a website about it, eventually called AIOHQ.  Some of the producers of Odyssey saw the site and sent e-mails about it.  Sound designer Mark Drury and I struck up a number of conversations via AOL Instant Messenger and eventually he suggested that I should be an intern for the show.  I thought that sounded like a good idea and I came out in the summer of 2000.  While there, I wrote my first script ("The Triangle") and started working as a freelancer/consultant for the show.  I was hired on staff full time in January 2002 and have been working there ever since.

What is your favorite show that you have written?
That's always a toughie, but at the moment I'd have to say "The Pact."  I think that probably has the most heart of any of my shows.  I have a hard time making shows "warm" and that's one that I think it worked pretty well on.
 

What, in your opinion, is the best episode you’ve ever heard?
I used to say "Waylaid in the Windy City" was my favorite, but now I think I like "The Time Has Come" more.

 

What is your favorite part about being on the "Adventures in Odyssey" team?
There are so many wonderful parts, but I think above all I love working with the team as a whole.  It's great to work with a bunch of people who really want to make a quality product and love doing it.  And, of course, all of us are awed when we see how God takes our efforts and makes them so much more than they could ever be on our own.

 

What do you think about Officer Harley and his banishment?
I heard most of the Harley shows years after everything was settled, so I wasn't around for the first listening of many of the controversial shows.  I think what happened shows the power fans have to influence the show...it was largely due to fan questions and concerns that Harley was sent away.

 

Do you think the name change from "Odyssey U.S.A" to "Adventures in Odyssey" was a good idea?
Absolutely.  It's hard to imagine the show called "Odyssey USA," but I'm sure I would have love the name simply because it was my favorite show.  In the end, Adventures in Odyssey is a much more exciting title.

 

What do you think about how the writers developed the original characters, the new characters that have been created recently, other new writers that have joined the team, and the overall direction the show is going?
Wow, that's a lot of questions in one! :-)  I think the original adult characters were terrific in their depth.  Whit was a character with background and history that the team planned out, but much of it wasn't known for years.  In fact, there are parts of Whit's history we still haven't explored.  It took them a little longer to get some good kid characters.  I doubt anyone feels much affection for Davey, Ralph, and Amanda from "Whit's Flop."  Not because of the actors, mind you.  It just took time to develop some kids that really had personality.  Like the Barclays, Lucy, Jack, etc.

 

We're trying to avoid introducing many new characters on the show right now because we have so many wonderful ones already.  Whit, Connie, Tom, Bart, Bernard, etc...  In the last few years, my favorite character introduced has been Wooton Bassett.  Such a great, rich character who can play in comedy AND touching scenes.

 

I think we have the perfect team in place at the moment.  Everyone brings their various areas of expertise to the board.  I like the direction we're going with the show.  We are at a bit of a crossroads because we finally have practically everything tied up with Novacom and Mitch and everything else.  In many ways, the next season is a clean slate so I'm excited to see where everything will go!

 

Why do you think the show has continued for so many years?
I don't think a show could continue this long without God's hand on it.  From a story and writing perspective, I think it's the variety.  Practically any kind of story can be told on Odyssey...Biblical, historical, slice of life, action adventure, mystery, comedy.  Name another program that can really do justice to that many genres.  I can't really think of one.

 

Are you glad the show has been on for this long?
Yes.  Because if it didn't, I wouldn't have a job. ;-)

 

What is one thing you wish you could change in the show’s history (if anything)?
I think there are always things you wish you could change.  Probably every episode has one thing that I wish were different, and that's the nature of drama.  There are some goofs that bug me and many things in my own shows that I'm sure I could have done better.  But I love the show, changes (or no changes) and all.

 

Where did you (and the other writers) get the ideas for the Novacom saga?  Did you think that it would last as long as it did when you first started it?
Paul McCusker was the primary driver behind the Novacom saga.  He came up with the core concept ("brain waves to radio waves and vice versa") before any shows were thought up.  I think his two major inspirations were "The X-Files" TV show and the book Timeline.

 

When we first started Novacom, we didn't know how long it would last, but we knew it would be years.  When we first decided to end it in summer 2002, I was wishing it was longer...at least until summer 2003 or beyond.  But, in the end, I'm glad it tied up the way it did.

 

Thank you for answering these questions and for the great work you do for "Adventures in Odyssey".
Sure.  And thanks for listening!