Gothic horror writer honoured at Webby Awards

Michael Alan Herman was honored this week for Best Scripted Podcast Series in the 27th Annual Webby Awards for his creation of The Call of the Void Podcast. Hailed as the “Internet’s highest honor” by The New York Times, The Webby Awards, presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS), is the leading international awards organization honoring excellence on the Internet.

Michael (born May 26, 1992) is an award-winning gothic horror writer from St. Joseph, Michigan. In 2016, he co-wrote the historical horror film – THE MAD WHALE (starring James Franco & Camilla Belle). The film is a grim adaption of Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick” and tells the story of a group of female inmates in a Victorian insane asylum that are forced to perform therapy. It was here that Michael’s taste for muscular horror writing began.

In 2017, he worked as a staff writer for Spotify, writing on dark nonfiction podcasts like CULTS, SERIAL KILLERS, GONE, and UNEXPLAINED MYSTERIES. Each of these shows takes a deep dive into the minds of murderers and cultists and tries to uncover the darkest parts of the human psyche.

Now, his work has been honored on one of the highest stages of the internet – The Webby Awards. His fiction podcast – The Call of the Void has over 950,000 global downloads across 150 countries.  Co-showrun by Michael and his wife Josie Eli Herman, it follows a tour guide and a palm-reading outcast in modern-day New Orleans as they battle a mysterious entity that longs to bring the world into perfect stillness. It is a cosmic horror story told across three seasons with the same cast of characters throughout.

“Honorees like Michael Alan Herman are setting the standard for innovation and creativity on the Internet,” said Claire Graves, President of The Webby Awards. “It is an incredible achievement to be selected among the best from the nearly 14,000 entries we received this year.”Michael’s next feature film – HOUSE OF KA, co-authored with Josie Eli Herman is currently in post-production. The film is inspired by Bram Stoker’s mummy story – “The Jewel of Seven Stars” and promises to be a twisting Victorian mystery.
More of his work can be seen on his personal website.