Crash Course Q+A (Patreon)

The Crash Course team discussed two of your questions this month in slack. Keep reading to hear their book recommendations and to learn more about how Crash Course hosts are chosen!

Jameson: How involved are the hosts in creating the videos and writing the content? Do hosts apply, or do you invite them?

Hannah Bodenhausen, Producer: We find hosts in a variety of ways, depending on what's best for the particular series. We've put out calls for applicants in the past, but probably the most common way of finding hosts is reaching out to people who's background aligns with the subject of the series and we think would be a good host! Usually the hosts are not super involved with writing the scripts themselves, but we have had some hosts who were also writers. But we always like to make sure that hosts have the opportunity to go through the scripts before shoots to personalize them and make the content feel more authentic to themselves and their experiences!

Brandon Brungard, Producer: Right! Finding hosts is tough! We've done public callouts for auditions in the past, but as with all job postings it's difficult to make sure we reach the right people and that those people feel emboldened to apply in the first place. And Crash Course is kind of a weird show since we're always looking for hosts that live and breathe these sometimes pretty niche fields that are also new to us too! Traditional hosting experience is always great, but we like to work with people that our audience can follow well after a series has wrapped.

And yep, like Hannah said, host involvement in the content itself is varied. We’ve had some hosts that write quite a bit of the content, but we usually prefer to spread the expertise across our entire editorial team of writers, editors, consultants, and fact-checkers to make sure we’re keeping the content accurate and fair. That said, all of our hosts play a huge role in shaping the series as we endeavor to incorporate their ideas, expertise, and experiences into the show.

Stan Muller, Producer: Also, we used a casting agency for Quimica (upcoming Chemistry in Spanish series). I really liked the experience, and I think we saw some people we may not have found on our own. We'll be using an agency in some future series, too.

Anonymous: What are some of your favorite books right now?

Hannah Bodenhausen, Producer: My favorite book I've read so far this year is Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-ju, and some of my favorites I read last year were A Mind Spread Out on the Ground by Alicia Elliot and Persuasion by Jane Austen.

Brandon Brungard, Producer: I've got serious recency bias when it comes to book recommendations, so you might as well read my favorite reads list as just my most recent reads list. That said, I've been on a bit of a fantasy trilogy binge and really enjoyed the Daevabad series by S.A. Chakraborty and Jade City series by Fonda Lee!  As for non-fiction I'm really liking Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner (a rec from CC's very own Alizé Carrère) and am SO EXCITED to crack open Mary Roach's Fuzz.

Meg Sebesta, Illustrator: Lately I've been really enjoying Brandon Sanderson's books. Last year I read The Stormlight Archive series and I'm just about to finish the first trilogy of the Mistborn series!

Brandon: Ah yes. I've heard great things about Brandon Sanderson from Sheridan too (if I'm remembering correctly)? But where to start?!

Sheridan, Study Hall Producer: Yes, I highly recommend Sanderson! I read the first Mistborn trilogy at the beginning of the pandemic. I’m returning to that world now and am on the 6th book in the overall Mistborn series. Meg, Stormlight Archives is on my tbr but that 1000+ page count for each book is so intimidating!

Meg: Yes they're huuuge! Definitely a commitment, but well worth it!

Stan: Currently reading The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by VE Schwab. Next up The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles (I really like his last book, A Gentleman in Moscow). Recently finished: Edge of Eternity by Ken Follett. Hummingbird Salamander by Jeff Vandermeer. In 2021 I got into reading a bunch of David Mitchell books. Cloud Atlas was made into that famously confusing movie, but the book (and his other books) was good!

Brandon: Right?! I'm a big fan of the Wachowskis, but they really did a disservice to Cloud Atlas -- which is was such a sensibly structured read.

Stan: Oh, what a wreck that movie was. But the trailer was so good. Although I'll admit I may have been unduly influenced by the M83 song in the second half of the trailer, which seems to be designed to have all the elements of music I like.