SpeakBeasty is a team of passionate volunteers who strive to bring its listeners the very best in Fantastic Beasts content as it relates to history, politics, film theory, and Harry Potter canon. Learn more about who we are and where we started below.
Hosts
Amy, a Puff, was introduced to Harry at the ripe young age of 9 when her aunt gifted her the Sorcerer’s Stone DVD for Christmas. She gave Amy’s sister the first four books, which Amy promptly snagged off her sister’s bookshelf to read for herself. The rest is history. In her Muggle life, Amy works as a television news reporter and is a proud cat mom to Luna.
Ann is a thirty-something Slytherin/Thunderbird living in Chicago with her Gryffindor husband. In her Muggle life, she has a dual degree in English and Theatre Arts from Virginia Tech and works for a pension fund. Her obsession with Harry Potter began when she was sixteen and steadfastly refusing to read the books because they were popular; then a friend shoved “Sorcerer’s Stone” into her hands and said, “You have to read this.” Since then, Ann has been to every Wizarding World in the world and spent seven hours sporadically crying in the Studio Tour during a trip to London. She plans to visit all six Disney parks and also enjoys cross-stitching, writing, and painting her nails.
If you ask her, Marjolaine is a Ravenclaw/Thunderbird, but she would actually probably be a student at Beauxbâtons ! The Wizarding World has been part of Marjolaine’s life since she was 11; she’s now 28 and still living her best Potterhead life everyday. She is on the team of La Gazette du Sorcier, the French MuggleNet, and is very active in the International Magical Cooperation of the fandom. Anthropology is Marjolaine’s Muggle/No-Maj/Non-Magique life – she has a passion for research. If you can’t find her, she is probably in the library or lost in a deep conversion with a stranger about… anything really. Or maybe she’s looking for everything magical in Paris, where she lived for many years before moving to Marseille, in the south of France.
Shannen is a writer, photographer, filmmaker, podcaster, Ravenclaw, and Wampus. Shannen’s been a fan of Harry Potter since before being able to read, thanks to family reading the series aloud. Shannen is passionate about Newt Scamander and Augureys. When not talking about Fantastic Beasts or working a real job, Shannen makes web shows and plays Dungeons & Dragons.
Lizzie is a graduate of SUNY Oneonta, where she studied Mass Communications, English, and Journalism. She is a proud Gryffinclaw (she’s a true hatstall) and Wampus. Lizzie currently resides in New York with her Ravenclaw husband and Hufflepuff cat, Leia. When not recording, Lizzie can be found cooking, playing with her cat, and watching Netflix. A fun fact about her is she was introduced on stage for a performance at LeakyCon 2012 by Evanna Lynch.
Helene is a passionate Hufflepuff with a love for magical creatures, much like Newt Scamander himself! For some reason she chose to live in Minneapolis, Minnesota where the weather makes her cry 9 months out of the year, so she doesn’t know what that says about her decision-making. When she’s not working, Helene is counting down until the next Fantastic Beasts film or re-reading the Potter series. She can usually also be found watching a true crime documentary or obsessing over the Jonas Brothers.
Geoff is a Hufflepuff at Hogwarts and a Pukwudgie at Ilvermorny! He lives in Louisville, KY with his wife Ashley and their four cats (Kaname, Yuki, Marley, and Molly). His biggest hobbies include cosplay, reading, movies, music, anime, and binging podcasts (so feel free to recommend some more). Geoff’s love of the Wizarding World started in elementary school with the release of the first Harry Potter novel, but it wasn’t until he discovered MuggleCast in 2010 that he knew he’d found his tribe! SpeakBeasty is the first podcast that Geoff has ever worked for and he couldn’t be more excited to share his passion and thoughts with all of you!
Production Team
Ashley is a proud Slytherin from Texas, and has been obsessed with Harry Potter since book 2 was released. When forced to act like a Muggle, Ashley enjoys being a taco enthusiast, cheering on her beloved Dallas Mavericks, obsessing over dogs, being the Queen of GIFs and occasionally acting her age.
Catherine, a half-and-half Ravenpuff, lives in lower Alabama with her husband Brandon (a Slytherin) and 3 furbabies. She enjoys bringing characters to life through narration in collaboration with Audible, and bringing the magic of music to the lives of muggle children in her music classroom. When she isn’t editing SpeakBeasty podcasts or audiobooks, she embodies the legacy of Professor Sprout through her love of plants and ALL things “succulents.” In short, she loves Jesus, her husband, her dogs, her plants, and people!
Carolyn is a Slytherin in every sense of the House and what that entails, except very much not evil and totally would have come back to help at Hogwarts during the final battle after making sure all the underage wizards were safe. She discovered Harry Potter in high school, and it became an obsession that would consume her life and annoy her less fandom-obsessed family and friends. She lives in a Chicago suburb with her Hufflepuff husband (he did not sort himself) and her two children, who she is turning into Potterheads as you read this. In terms of Fantastic Beasts, Carolyn is a Horned Serpent and very proud of that fact. When forced to be in the muggle/no-maj world, Carolyn is an illustrator and graphic designer and so happy to be part of the SpeakBeasty crew.
Social Media Team
Liz, a proud Ravenclaw and Pukwudgie, was introduced to “Harry Potter” after her older sister gifted her a copy of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” for her ninth birthday. Though adamant she would hate the series, she couldn’t put the books down after she started reading them. Over a decade later she is still heavily immersed in the fandom and wouldn’t change a thing. When Liz isn’t participating in fandom-related activities, she’s eating tacos, watching scary movies, or playing with her cat Gotham Gomez.
Our Story
SpeakBeasty was born in December of 2015, just after the first teaser trailer for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was released. We amused ourselves by speculating what we’d see in the film, learning about all of the beasts in the textbook, and getting to know our friend Newt Scamander. As each new trailer and film has dropped, the hosts and listeners of SpeakBeasty have found ways to continue to theorize about what would come next. We’re proud to bring Harry Potter fans new and old varied ways to examine the fandom and its contents during such a transitional period in the fandom’s history. We pride ourselves on being critical but passionate, and we hope to continue to be able to contribute to the fandom’s discussions as the Fantastic Beasts films progress.