His series on the infamous Bush Boys of Vernon and Coldstream went to No. 1 among podcasts in Canada and New Zealand.
Now, Coldstream鈥檚 Sam Mullin鈥檚 compelling eight-episode story about a pair of brothers found living in the bush outside of Coldstream in 2003, then turning out to be not who they claimed, is No. 1 among podcasting鈥檚 top awards academy.
The Podcast Academy, the pre-eminent professional podcast organization, hosted its third annual Awards for Excellence in Audio in Las Vegas March 7.
The awards 鈥� known as The Ambies 鈥� are to podcasting what the Oscars are to the film industry, and now Mullins has an Ambie for his Toronto home.
Mullins鈥� series 鈥� Chameleon: Wild Boys 鈥� was selected Podcast of the Year.
鈥淚t鈥檚 so surreal, I really can鈥檛 believe it,鈥� said Mullins, 36, who has called Toronto home for the past 10 years. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so satisfying to win, especially telling a story from my hometown.鈥�
Wild Boys beat out nine other nominations for the Podcast of the Year Ambie.
Mullins 鈥� writer, former comedian and actor, reporter, and now podcaster 鈥� turned the captivating story of Tom and Will Green, known as the Bush Boys, into an eight-episode podcast which debuted Jan. 25, 2022.
Mullins was 16 years old and living in Coldstream when the boys arrived in town, rail thin and claiming they鈥檇 been raised deep in the wilderness with no contact with society. They were living in a tent behind the Kalamalka General Store in Coldstream and as their story unfolded, they quickly made local, national and international headlines.
鈥淚 remember, like everyone who saw them, they drew my attention,鈥� Mullins said in a 2022 interview with The Morning Star. 鈥淭he younger one, he was just so gaunt and horrifyingly thin, he looked like he was about to die of starvation.鈥�
The boys were taken under the wing of a local hockey mom with a knack for helping others, and the city rallied around them, offering food, money and a roof over their heads.
鈥淭he story really tested the fabric of the town. It鈥檚 like an instructive tale about the fabric of Vernon, the mettle of Vernon, like who we really are,鈥� Mullins said.
However, the truth eventually came out: far from being raised in the woods, the two brothers had run away from their home in suburban Sacramento.
鈥淚 had always wanted to make or write something about Vernon, a TV pilot or maybe a movie, because a lot of people don鈥檛 know anything about the Okanagan,鈥� said Mullins. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so cool people are talking about my hometown now.鈥�
When the project was sold to Sony, Mullins was given a tight deadline of nine months to complete it. Wild Boys features exclusive interviews with some of the key characters in the story from 2003, including Tom and Will Green. Mullins wrote the podcast with help from his editor, Karen Duffin.
He does his podcasting from 鈥渕y little hovel in our haunted basement,鈥� referring to the home Mullins shares in the Toronto proper neighbourhood of Little Portugal with his wife, Vernonite Rachel Heinrichs, and their two daughters, aged four and two.
鈥淚 bought some stuff off Facebook marketplace and set up downstairs,鈥� laughed Mullins. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a really old squeaky house with haunted basement. I bought a desk. It鈥檚 like my work structure.鈥�
Mullins just completed Season 5 of the Chameleon podcast series, Dr. Dante.
Mullins isn鈥檛 new to making content for the airwaves. He鈥檚 been on the hit program This American Life, has contributed stories for CBC鈥檚 The Doc Project and was a staff writer for a sketch comedy show on CBC Radio called The Irrelevant Show, among other radio gigs.
The Ambies celebrate excellence in podcasting and elevate awareness and status of podcasts as a unique and personal medium for entertainment, information, storytelling and expression. Mullins鈥� win solidifies Canada as a widely acknowledged leader in podcasting, he said, citing the success of CBC podcasts.
鈥淓veryone knows the tremendous work the CBC does,鈥� said Mullins.
The Chameleon podcasts can be found on Google and Apple Podcasts, along with Spotify and other platforms.
roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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