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 is a proud graduate of Oswego State (Go Lakers!) where she earned her degree in Broadcasting and Mass Communications. She’s putting that diploma to use right now as a television reporter. Oh, and she’s met April the Giraffe in person. That is all.
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!
Rex is a Hufflepuff at Hogwarts and a Thunderbird at Ilvernmorny. He lives in Chicago working as a pediatric speech-language pathologist. He got introduced to the Wizarding World in second grade, after his mother gave him a copy of Sorcerer’s Stone. After that moment, an obsession for the fandom grew. Rex had the opportunity to live in Orlando, Florida for a couple years and visited Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley whenever he had the chance. When he is not trying to find Fantastic Beasts, Rex takes care of his numerous house plants. Stay tuned for his book, Fantastic Plants and How to Grow Them.
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!
Social Media Team
Jennifer is a Ravenclaw Horned Serpent (AKA nerdy nerd) who graduated from Cardiff University with a degree in English Language and an obsession with Harry Potter. She lives in the UK, in the same town that JK Rowling was born in (it’s only claim to fame), and is definitely part Niffler. In her spare time, she can usually be found at the cinema, writing fanfiction, or feeding her tortoise (Dobby) dandelions.
Evelyn is a proud Gryffindor and, a little reluctantly, a Pukwudgie. A rather late to the party Potter fan, Ev was aware of the series in her teens but thought she was too grown up. She was very, very wrong, and fell in love with the Harry Potter books after feeling compelled to read them following seeing the first Fantastic Beasts film, eating fancy cake and contemplating her misspent youth. She lives in Northern Ireland with her Slytherin husband and Gryffinpuff son and has given up on ever becoming a real grown-up. You can find her on Twitter @evelynblake712, or somewhere with a cup of coffee and a book.
Ananda is a 23-year-old living in South Africa with an Honors in Marketing and a proud ROAR ROAR GRYFFINDOR! The Wizarding World has been a part of her life since she was 8 and her mom was trying to make her into a bookworm. It’s 15 years later and her passion has only grown – Harry Potter taught her how to have a passion for fictional literature, how to play chess (seriously) and how to flaunt her inner nerd (her friends know her as “the one that knows all the HP stuff”) . She stands for S.P.E.W., she stands for sticking to her guns (Cursed Child is NOT canon #sorrynotsorry), and she can’t wait to grow in the SpeakBeasty community!
Shashank is 24 years of age and he lives in New Delhi, India. He is a Gryffindor and Horned Serpent. He has been a Potterhead for more than a decade now – ever since he saw the movie series on TV and later found Goblet of Fire book (accidentally) in the school library (when in doubt, go to the library). Shashank enjoys reading fiction, classics and Greco-Roman history. He is a huge sports fan. He enthusiastically follows Cricket and Football (Soccer) and sometimes feels bad for Dean Thomas when West Ham loses. He liked the old Pottermore and jkrowling.com riddles. He can usually be found watching Nat Geo in his free time or playing Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery.
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.