Residents of Caples may know Kyle Fisher as the Community Advisor for the building’s top three floors. But you may not know that this scone-baking, costume-loving aspiring scriptwriter is also one of the creative talents behind The Magical History of Knox County, Ohio, Kenyon’s very own radio drama. Read on to learn more about Kyle and his fantastical new project.
Name: Kyle Fisher
Age: 20
Year: 2016
Major: Film Major, IPHS Concentration
Hometown: Bethlehem, New Jersey
On-campus activities: President of KWC-CWT (Creative Writing Table), CA in Caples, Writer on The Magical History of Knox County
What is The Magical History of Knox County? Magical History is a radio show I’m working on with a group of friends about a radio host who’s been thrust into the world of magic and the supernatural. It’s an episodic show airing each week, looking into different magical happenings around Knox County.
How did the idea of Magical History come to mind? The original idea for Magical History came from a story another person on the project, Chris Wilson, told while swimming at the Kokosing. There was a bridge out, and while wondering aloud what had happened to it, Chris told the story of how two giants fighting had taken out the bridge. We thought it would make a cool radio show, so we started to come up with different ideas for stories, and soon we decided to put it to air.
When can we listen to new episodes? All episodes air on the college’s radio station, WKCO, Fridays at 9:00 PM.
Is there a way for listeners to hear old episodes if they missed them? Why yes, there is! You can follow us on our tumblr, http://magicalhistoryofknoxcounty.tumblr.com, which posts new episodes shortly after they air. You can also like our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/MagicalHistoryofKnoxCounty, for updates on upcoming episodes and any behind-the-scenes glimpses at what we’re working on.
How can a student who is interested in working for the show get involved? We’re always looking for people to voice characters! You can email me (fisherk@kenyon.edu) or Colton Flick (flickc@kenyon.edu) if you want to record an audition for any future roles. And don’t worry if you’re busy; schedules are super flexible, and if you can’t record one week we’ll still have you on record to call you for future episodes!
What’s the most difficult part of writing for a radio drama? For most of us, this is the first time writing as part of a team on a large, ongoing project, so there are frequently disagreements on what directions we want to go with certain characters. For me, I’ve found it very difficult writing with a lack of visuals. In all my previous work, I’ve been a big fan of visual storytelling, even silent scenes that convey everything you need to know without noise, and I can’t do that with this show.
What city in the world would you like to learn the magical history of? Hmmm… I think I’d have to say Chicago or New Orleans. I feel like there’s a lot of stories you can tell about how magic hides among the everyday life of those cities.
Who are some of your inspirations in the multimedia industry? Well, I have to bring up Joss Whedon. The man who brought us Buffy, Dollhouse, and Firefly definitely someone I can look up to. I’m also a fan of the work Jack Kenny did on Warehouse 13, even if the show never reached the level of popularity I think it deserved.
What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened on CA duty hours? Baby powder explosions and 4 AM calls to deal with missing shower heads are among the things I’ve had to deal with.
Where do you see yourself in ten years? Is this like, ten years realistically, or ten years of good luck and rainbows? Ideally, I’d like to be working on a writing staff for a television show; if I’m super lucky, as a show runner, but we’ll see how things work out. Maybe in Seattle, or Vancouver, but New York and LA also have a lot of the television industry these days. It all depends, I guess.