Interview:Nathan Hoobler (July 2001)
- What was your first episode listening to? What was your first reaction when hearing it?
I honestly don't remember which episode was the first one I heard. It was sometime back in 1988, but I can't remember for sure which it was since it was so long ago and I was only eight! I remember specifically The Case of the Secret Room, but I had been listening before that episode, so that narrows it down to about 38 or so!
- When did you start thinking of creating an AIO site?
Before I worked on AIOHQ, I made my own "magazine" for 10 years. I have always enjoyed writing and the idea of a "serial" and about the time I found that it was about time for my magazine to shut down (I was headed to college), I started thinking seriously about where my attachment to AIO would take me. The primary thing I wanted to do was to put everything I knew about Adventures in Odyssey into one place and provide a place for people to read it. At the time, I was very poor in web design skills, but I knew that the Internet was the only way I could get that volume of information available to a lot of people. In the fall of 1998, I started working on the Asbury College Web Page and it taught me a lot about web page design and it was sometime around then that I started getting the first ideas for the AIOHQ. Around Christmas time, I took the initiative and started work on the site. I think the first things I did were made the year pages and the album pages.
- Did the AIOHQ start off with the same design, title, or any of the features it has now?
The AIOHQ is currently over 40 megabytes worth of mainly text information. I first put the page up at www.toolcity.net/~hoob on January 1, 1999, if I recall correctly. At that time, it consisted of the year pages and the album page (which was all on one!). The site was originally called "Adventure HQ" because I was going to focus on Adventures in Odyssey and Travel Adventures. However, I soon discovered that Adventures in Odyssey would be enough by itself. I worked on the site for about a month on that server and then, on February 1, I announced the site and premiered it at AIOHQ.com. Since then, I have gradually added things with the help of all the people who contribute. I think the only major change has been the addition of the top bar that has all the major sections on it. I wish I could take credit for it, but the idea for the topbar actually came from the Asbury College website.
- Did you read Paul McCusker's original Adventures in Odyssey novels? Did you like them?
Yes, I've read Paul's Odyssey books. I enjoyed them a lot. I think it was great to expand the franchise and have an opportunity to dramatize an era of Odyssey history that the radio series only hinted at. One of my favorite things about the books is how they are still in the world of the audio radio series, unlike the videos which really happen in a different world.
- Have you tried the AIO computer game at all? If so, is it fun and does it have high quality?
Yes, I've played the AIO game. It has some fun games and even some stories to go with them. I hope they make a few more of these.
- What is your favorite passage/story in the Bible?
My favorite story/book in the Bible is Esther. It's such a terrific story with plot twists, excitement, and even humor. I love the verse Esther 4:14b: "An who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this". The story shows how God is working through all the small circumstances in our lives. However, my favorite verse in the Bible is Jonah 3:1: "Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time."
- What is it like now working with the people you have admired for so many years?
Well, it's sorta hard to say exactly. The word I've been using over and over again has been "overwhelming", and it really has been. From day to day, I get up most mornings and think, "I'm working in a world that I thought about for ten years." There's no denying that every job gets mundane at some point, but the best part about it is thinking about how God can use the program and maybe even the small part that I'm playing to expand his kingdom, just as He can with all jobs.
- What's your favorite part of working at Adventures in Odyssey?
I suppose my favorite activity is reading through and discussing scripts. It's wonderful to see the creative energy and work that's put into the creation of these things!
Was the writer's meeting exciting while you were there?
I was there for most of the last three days of the May writer's meeting. It was very exciting, especially since it was the first thing I saw!
- Are there many ideas going through the meeting? Do a lot of them get denied, or is it the writer's choice to pursue it or not?
Ideas are flying all over the place in the writer's meeting. Since there are so many, a lot of them get "shot down" (to use the colloquialism). However, the beauty of a show like Adventures in Odyssey is that you can work on the idea and bring it up again at the next writer's meeting.
- About how many episodes will air in the Fall season, or do you think it's too early to tell?
I think that there will be about 13 episodes, just like there was last fall.
- Do you know if John Beebee's two-parter will be the only one of that kind in the season?
I hope I'm not giving anything away, but John Beebee has two two-parters airing this fall. He has the season-opener episode and he has a KYDS Radio episode. (You didn't ask, but I suppose I'll mention that John's KIDS Radio episode is my favorite of the season so far.)
They will be dealing with the Eugene and Katrina storyline pretty soon, but I don't exactly when yet.
- Does your work include Radio Theater? If so, is it exciting doing that too?
I haven't done much with Radio Theatre yet. I was part of a Foley session that I laughed through most of (and I haven't been invited back...I wonder why!), and I attended a playback of one of the sessions. Most of my work has been specifically Odyssey.
Thank you so much for your time!