Hello, I’m Stilgherrian. You've already pledged the funds to record five more special episodes of my podcast The 9pm Edict, as well as a very special sixth episode streamed live on Halloween. Scroll down for details. Your next challenge is to fund a further special end-of-year episode — and you did it!

ACHIEVED at $2900: Five episodes with special guests in Nov–Dec

The core of this project is a batch of five podcastslike the recent Spring Series 2020 featuring special guests to discuss what's on their mind, current events, and whatever topics you choose for them. Four have already been confirmed.

• John Birmingham (@JohnBirmingham), author and  columnist, who's been on the pod before in 2018 and 2020.
• Upulie Divisekera (@upulie), science communicator, microbiologist, nanotechnologist, and dinosaur evangelist, who's been on the pod in 2016 and 2020.
• Cam Smith (@sexenheimer), broadcaster, podcaster, and knock knock joke enthusiast, who's been exploring conspiracy theory rabbit-holes.
• Distinguished Professor Genevieve Bell (@feraldata), cultural anthropologist, technologist, futurist, and head of the 3A Institute at ANU.

ACHIEVED at $3480: The 9pm Halloween Bad Sex State Election Live

This coming Saturday 31 October I'll do a very special livestreamed episode of the Edict with all these things:

• Excerpts from some of the really bad political sex fiction that's been published recently. Sex scenes told from Donald Trump's point of view. Remember the mushroom thing? Mike Bence (definitely not Pence) having hot gay sex with a were-fly. No really. And things which are even worse that I'm not allowed to describe here.
• Live updates of the Queensland state election including commentary on Antony Green's special performance. Which isn't about sex. Probably.
• Me reading whatever bad sex stories you send me.
• A pub-style sex trivia quiz.

The livestream starts at 8pm AEST and runs for four hours. You'll be able to listen right here. 

ACHIEVED at $4800: The 9pm End of 2020 Hurrah

At least that's the working title for something like the Public House Forum episodes I've done in the past — though probably not in a pub.

This will be an end-of-year show with multiple special guests, either in the last week before Christmas, or that short week between Christmas and New Year. It may or may not be livestreamed, depending on people's availability and certain technical factors. More details will be added here in the coming days.

A Note on the Rewards

These are the standard rewards I offer for podcast projects. Further rewards may be added as the campaign progresses. Suggestions welcome.

Everyone who pledges to support the project will also get access to a secret stash of photographs and audio outtakes. Yes I know you've heard this before, but this time it will actually happen.

Your contributions will provide me with an income of $2400 while producing the podcasts. Pozible’s fees, bank fees, and other administration costs take about 9% of any total funds raised. On top of that there’s 10% GST, which brings the initial target to $2900.

The stretch goals are calculated the same way, and represent a gross income for me of $2880 and $4000 respectively.

The Fine Print

All up, each regular episode of The 9pm Edict takes a little over a day to research, prepare, record, edit, and post. Based on the MEAA award rate for casual freelance journalists that's about $960 per episode. As a casual rate, that includes allowances for superannuation, leave, and the like, as well as equipment costs.

I discount it by 30% to $650 per day because some of the work involves copying and uploading files and other mechanical tasks. I can do other things at the same time. And because I love you all, I discount it another 20% down to $480 per episode.

I've counted the livestream at the same $480 per episode, though it will probably take a bunch more time.

Based on my experience with the Public House Forum episodes I've done in the past, they take about two days all up, so I've set that at $960 per episode.

If you want to see my working, check version 2 of the numbers (PDF).