Up and Vanished

4x nominee ​and WINNER at the 2024 Ambie Awards​. Host Simon Kent Fung explores the life of Alana Chen, a 24-year-old woman who disappeared from Boulder, Colorado in 2019. Alana left behind two dozen journals chronicling a deep faith, love of fashion, and dream of becoming a nun. She also harbored a secret. At 14, she confessed to her priest that she was attracted to women and was instructed not to tell her parents. Over the next seven years, Alana covertly received conversion therapy which her family believes played a role in her fate. Simon, who sought to change his sexual orientation through conversion therapy for nearly a decade in his efforts to become a priest, is compelled to understand the truth of what happened to Alana—and finally face what happened to him. “Dear Alana,” is an unraveling mystery and a poignant spiritual memoir about teenage rebellion and spiritual manipulation, the price we pay to belong and the systems that pay no price at all. ****Named one of the best podcasts of 2023 by Apple, KQED, and Lifehacker, and critically acclaimed by The Guardian, the CBC, and ​People Magazine. Explore more at www.dearalana.com

Discover real-life horror stories, from bizarre crimes to paranormal activity. These true stories are set inside the fictional world of Radio Rental, an 80’s video rental store run by an eccentric shopkeeper, Terry Carnation (Rainn Wilson). This imaginative, cult classic-inspired horror brand blurs the lines of reality, with cutting-edge documentary storytelling and a splash of comedy. From the mind of Payne Lindsey, this is Radio Rental.

When Afrikka Hardy was strangled in 2014 it seemed completely random, but it wasn’t. It was part of a pattern. Four years earlier, reporter Thomas Hargrove had created an algorithm to detect serial killers and flagged Gary, Indiana as the site of an unusual number of strangulations. But when Hargrove reached out to warn local police, he was ignored -- until Afrikka Hardy was murdered, and those cold cases suddenly didn’t look so cold. Algorithm follows the investigation into Afrikka’s murder, exposing the warnings that police ignored, and uncovering more than anyone expected -- that a serial killer was strangling women in Gary, Indiana could've been stopped. And that Afrikka Hardy should be alive today.  This podcast will explore how technology can be used to identify and track serial killers, and how an algorithm can influence the way homicides are investigated all across the country.

Podcasts play a vital role in today’s media. Think about the voices they empower, and the social impact they can have. And every podcast is led by a host whose life experience shines through in the stories they tell. But what have these podcasters been doing until now? What drove them to make a change? Every podcaster has their own story and this is our chance to hear them. From Tenderfoot TV and Resonate Recordings, this is Turned Podcaster, a narrative style podcast that provides today’s most iconic hosts a platform to tell their own stories.

In Feb 2018, an aspiring actress vanished from her Hollywood apartment. Rolling Stone journalist Neil Strauss was asked to help the family get answers. Together, they found them...sometimes at great personal risk. Now the award-winning true crime podcast returns, unraveling the baffling and tragic case that started Neil Strauss down the rabbit hole of true crime investigation, along with his wife and his neighbors, Incubus guitarist Mike Einziger, and concert violinist Ann Marie Simpson. To Live and Die in LA Season 2 is available now. www.livediela.com

In 2007, NBA referee Tim Donaghy was arrested for betting on games he officiated. It was the biggest scandal in American sports history, but it quickly faded from the headlines. Why? Because everyone in this scandal has something to hide. This isn't a story about basketball - it's a story about money, and a conspiracy that spans far beyond one referee. Sports journalist Tim Livingston takes you inside his eight-year odyssey to find the truth at the heart of the scandal. This is Whistleblower.