Beneath the Static Issue #1

Yo!

Welcome to the weird little world of Ghost Wolf Creative Studios. This has been an idea long in the making, and I finally pulled the trigger on it. The site is in flux right now, as I’m working to design everything to my liking - however, the content is here to stay. I’m not exactly sure what I’m planning to do with this Beneath the Static section, and it’s going to be pretty inconsistent as I still have a work life and family life beyond the scope of GWCS. But, expect Broadcast Updates on the shows as I progress through the pipeline on them, Signal Logs filled with lore drops and other fun things about the shows, and these Beneath the Static Issues where i ramble incoherently for a bit with insights and reflections on the brand, the shows, and myself!

From Cryptids to Grease Traps

Fun fact, Smackie’s came about as a solution to another problem I was running into - a lack of voices for my projects.

The Veiled Codex is the first project I began working on underneath the Ghost Wolf Creative brand. I’ve worked previously on audio dramas and even horror narrations (spookyou represent!), however I wanted to do things a bit different here. Aside from an old Film Noir podcast I created back in 2017, I was relying on other people to write my scripts for me: Reddit authors (permission was ascertained), and my buddy Quaid, who lends his voice to The Veiled Codex. I began writing The Veiled Codex about 2 years ago, and I’m currently 3 episodes in, with Episode 1 fully produced (pending a few adjustments in post). However, the depth of the lore for this podcast is pretty extensive, creating my own version of SCP, and the rules and guidelines that go into all of that.

The biggest hurdle with this project, however, doesn’t lie within the writing - it lies within scheduling time to get together with Quaid and record his lines.

So, I began working on and devising another podcast: The Hanson Tapes. This one is more centralized on a singular character, Jack Hanson, and the audio logs he leaves for a Detective, Tate. About 90% of this podcast is Jack Hanson, with Detective Tate providing the framework for the show. I actually have Season 1 completely written, and all of Jack’s lines recorded, edited, and placed on a timeline ready to go. But, again, I’m running into scheduling issues with the voice actor for Tate. Which is a shame, because The Hanson Tapes was originally supposed to release on September 5th, 2025, and I’m so excited to bring this project to life for you. There’s a lot that I don’t want to spoil, but believe me when I say that this is going to be more than a podcast - if you’re willing to put in the work.

Anyways, I called an audible.

Around July it became pretty apparent that The Hanson Tapes wasn’t going to make that Sept. 5th release date. I debated pushing it back, giving up. I was pretty bummed about it, honestly. Then, one night I’m laying in bed trying to get my 2 year old to sleep, scrolling on my phone and I come across a video on X. It’s a pretty simple concept. You’ve seen all the iterations of it, I’m sure:

• Empty fast food restaurant

• Ominous atmosphere

• Creepy voiceover with various rules that you must follow during your shift

But something about this particular video struck a cord in me. Lightning struck and immediately I began thinking about all the ways I could do this in podcast form. But then the hesitation: how would I make this work, when I’ve got 2 projects on the shelf because I can’t figure out schedules? So, I started looking at it from a different angle - how could I write this in such a way that I only need one voice? My voice. Now is probably the appropriate time to admit that I have a bit of a fascination with old training videos and commercials from the 80s & 90s. Suddenly, it was crystal clear: the main character is being trained through a series of 90s training videos by a future version of himself. Now, the scope of the show has expanded quite a bit from that simple premise, but that was the birth of Smackie’s Smile Shack. From Cryptids to grease traps, and here we are. You’re reading this, and I somehow managed to cobble together a show good enough to get you here.

And the best part? This is just the beginning.

I’ve got so many ideas rattling around inside my head with these shows, and it may take some time, but I’m determined to bring every single one of them to life. I appreciate you joining me in this journey. Let’s create something weird together. Beneath the static.

Trey Falco