Name

Night Vale Presents

Legal name

Night Vale Presents

Website

https://nightvalepresents.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Podcast Network / Audio Entertainment

NAICS

Other Sound Recording Industries (512290)

akta.pro primary industry

Podcast Hosting & Enterprise Solutions (Private/Branded Podcasts) (MPACADAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Audio Production & Podcasting (BPAFAIAE)

Keywords

• Fiction podcast network
• Audio drama production
• Serialized storytelling
• Podcast distribution
• Audio entertainment

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Patreon/Listener Support: Monthly recurring support from listeners through Patreon, offering rewards such as ad-free episodes, exclusive backstage content, bonus episodes, live FanZones, food recommendations, and quarterly merchandise packages.
2. Podcast Advertising: Sponsorships and advertising within podcasts, with contact handled through PRX (Radio Public Exchange) and Soundrise. Good Morning Night Vale features sponsors like Progressive insurance.
3. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including t-shirts, posters, pins, hats, and specialty items through their online store and Topatoco.
4. Book Sales: Publication and sale of novels based on podcast properties, such as Alice Isn't Dead novel available in paperback, hardcover, e-book, CD, and digital audio formats through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and independent bookstores.
5. Audiobook/Audible Originals: Production of multi-season audio dramas released as Audible Originals, such as Unlicensed starring Molly Quinn, Lusia Strus, and T.L. Thompson across multiple seasons.
6. Music Sales and Vinyl: Release of cover song albums on vinyl and digital formats through Merge Records, such as I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats: All Hail West Texas featuring 14 artists covering Mountain Goats songs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Night Vale Presents is an independent podcast network producing and distributing serialized fiction and non-fiction audio entertainment, including shows like Welcome to Night Vale, Alice Isn't Dead, Within The Wires, and the Audible Original Unlicensed. The company monetizes through Patreon subscriptions, podcast advertising (via PRX/Soundrise), branded merchandise (Topatoco), book sales, Audible Originals licensing, and vinyl/music collaborations with Merge Records.

Product overview

Night Vale Presents is an independent podcast network and audio entertainment company co-founded by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor, the creators of Welcome to Night Vale. The company produces multiple fiction and non-fiction podcasts including horror series (Alice Isn't Dead), current events commentary (Our Plague Year), creative writing instruction (Start With This), TV criticism (The Best Worst), Audible audio dramas (Unlicensed), music fiction (Dreamboy), artist documentation (I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats), show recaps (Good Morning Night Vale), and adult-themed comedy (Pounded In The Butt By My Own Podcast). The portfolio operates as a collection of individual podcast brands distributed through major platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Audible, rather than a unified platform with integrated modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Alice Isn't Dead: A horror fiction podcast about a truck driver searching for her missing wife, written by Joseph Fink.
• Within The Wires
• I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats
• Dreamboy
• Start With This
• Our Plague Year
• The Best Worst
• Unlicensed
• Pounded In The Butt By My Own Podcast
• Good Morning Night Vale

Products and services

• Welcome to Night Vale A serialized fiction podcast presenting the fictional community of Night Vale as a local news broadcast, blending horror, mystery, comedy, and surreal storytelling for a global listener audience.
• Alice Isn't Dead A horror fiction podcast following a truck driver searching across America for her presumed-dead wife, encountering supernatural serial murderers and conspiracies. Also adapted as a novel.
• Our Plague Year A current events podcast providing commentary on news and anxiety during challenging times, offering human connection and perspective.
• Start With This A creativity playground podcast where listeners receive writing assignments to practice and develop their creative skills, hosted by Jeffrey Cranor.
• The Best Worst A podcast where hosts review classic TV shows by watching both the worst and best IMDB-rated episodes to analyze what makes television work.
• Unlicensed An Audible Original detective noir audio drama following unlicensed PI Molly Hatch and her disorganized partner Lou Rosen in Los Angeles, featuring three seasons.
• Dreamboy A music fiction podcast co-created by Dane Terry and Ellie Heyman about mysterious events at Pepper Heights Zoo, featuring original music and a cast of voice actors.
• I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats A podcast collaboration between Night Vale Presents, the Mountain Goats, and Merge Records exploring what it means to be an artist and fan, hosted by Joseph Fink and John Darnielle. Season Two documented the creation of the In League With Dragons album.
• Good Morning Night Vale The official Welcome to Night Vale recap show hosted by cast members, featuring deep dives into episodes with interviews and behind-the-scenes information.
• Pounded In The Butt By My Own Podcast A Night Vale After Dark collaboration with author Dr. Chuck Tingle featuring celebrity guests performing his short stories (tinglers) about love.

Quantifiable outcome

• Welcome to Night Vale has caught the ears of listeners around the globe since 2012
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• AudiblecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAudible serves as the exclusive home for Unlicensed, a critically acclaimed audio drama produced by Night Vale Presents. Unlicensed spans multiple seasons as an Audible Original, with Audible handling production costs, executive production (Ann Heppermann), and distribution while Night Vale Presents handles creative development. The partnership has produced three seasons of the detective noir series.
• Merge RecordscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMerge Records is a key collaborator on I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats, a podcast exploring artistry and fandom. The partnership includes the release of physical vinyl albums (like the double LP I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats: All Hail West Texas) alongside the podcast content, merging podcasting with traditional music distribution.
• PRX (Public Radio Exchange)secondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPRX handles advertising sales and sponsorship representation for Night Vale Presents shows, including Good Morning Night Vale. PRX connects podcasters with sponsors and manages the advertising relationships, functioning as a distribution channel for monetization.
• SpotifysecondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSpotify serves as a primary podcast distribution platform for Night Vale Presents shows, making content available to Spotify's massive user base through direct podcast integration.
• Apple PodcastssecondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorApple Podcasts serves as a primary podcast distribution platform for Night Vale Presents shows, enabling discovery through Apple's podcast ecosystem and directory services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Merge Records: Independent record label that collaborated with NVP on the I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats podcast and vinyl releases. Comparable in indie, artist-friendly ethos and direct-to-fan distribution model, though operating in recorded music rather than podcasting.

Direct peers

• Maximum Fun: Independent podcast network producing multiple comedy, fiction, and culture podcasts with a member-supported (Patreon-style) revenue model. Closely comparable in scale, GTM motion (community/Patreon), and multi-show indie podcast network structure.
• Crooked Media: Independent podcast network with multi-show portfolio, Patreon/membership backing, and merchandising. Comparable in indie-network structure, talent-led brand, and diversified monetization across ads, subscriptions, and live events.
• Headgum: Independent comedy and culture podcast network producing multiple shows with sponsorship-backed revenue. Comparable in indie multi-show portfolio model, though more comedy-focused than NVP's fiction specialization.
• QCODE: Premium fiction podcast studio producing scripted audio dramas with celebrity casts and platform distribution deals. Direct competitor in the high-end serialized fiction podcast space, including Audible Originals-style productions.
• Earwolf / Scott Aukerman: Long-running independent comedy podcast network with multiple shows, sponsorships, and live events. Comparable network-of-shows structure with founder-led creative identity and multi-revenue-stream monetization.
• Realm (formerly Serial Box): Producer and publisher of serialized audio fiction and podcasts. NVP's homepage links to Realm for sponsorship, and the two share a niche in serialized fiction audio with talent-driven narratives and premium platform deals.

Broad incumbents

• Wondery: Major podcast production company (Amazon-owned) producing narrative and fiction podcasts at scale. Comparable in producing high-production-value audio drama, though at much larger scale and with broader topic coverage.
• Radiotopia / PRX: Curated podcast network from Public Radio Exchange (PRX), which also sells ads for Night Vale Presents. Adjacent peer given NVP's PRX partnership, with shared emphasis on independent, narrative-driven podcasting and listener support.
• Audible Originals (Amazon): Amazon-owned audiobook platform that produces and distributes original audio dramas. Both a partner (Unlicensed) and a broader incumbent that funds and competes with indie fiction audio producers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/nightvalepresents
• Xx.com/NVPresents

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Night Vale Presents