The Official Wingfeather Podcast

In this Season 2 finale episode, Chris welcomes A.S. “Pete” Peterson, Story Editor for The Wingfeather Saga Season 3 and a longtime storyteller, playwright, and author. As Story Editor, Pete helps shape the narrative spine of the season—working closely with writers and the creative team to refine character arcs, strengthen themes, and ensure each episode fits into the larger story being Beyond animation, Pete is deeply involved in the creative community at The Rabbit Room, a Nashville-based arts collective founded to cultivate story, music, and art within a Christ-centered creative community. There he serves as Publisher of Rabbit Room Press and Artistic Director of Rabbit Room Theatre, helping develop books, stage productions, and gatherings like Hutchmoot that encourage artists to pursue meaningful storytelling. Pete is also the author of the historical adventure novels The Fiddler’s Gun and Fiddler’s Green, and a playwright whose works include The Battle of Franklin, an adaptation of Frankenstein, and The Hiding Place.Learn more about The Rabbit Room by visiting rabbitroom.comAll episodes of Season 3 are now streaming on Angel!To watch The Wingfeather Saga, visit: wingfeathersaga.comFollow The Wingfeather Saga on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook: @wingfeathersagaA Shining Isle ProductionTheme Music: “Lively Tavern” by Alexander Nakarada — licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Bill Breneisen, supervising director and storyboard artist who worked on VeggieTales and Disney Junior, oversees visual storytelling and season-wide tone. He talks about translating scripts into staging and camera choices. He describes moving from 2D animation into storyboarding and learning composition. He reflects on leading story teams through big production challenges.

Marynia Gottfred, post-production and editorial coordinator for Season 3, keeps schedules and teams aligned. She talks coordination across editorial, sound, and animation. She shares how organization, tracking, and QC catch small fixes that make scenes work. She also previews technical and artistic upgrades coming in future seasons.

Benjamin Botkin, composer and music editor for Seasons 3 and 4 of The Wingfeather Saga, shapes the show’s sonic world with thematic, character-driven scores. He discusses crafting memorable themes, balancing legacy material with new motifs, spotting sessions and cue structure, the choice of silence, and Season 4’s Celtic-inspired palette including bagpipes and regional instruments.

This week, Chris welcomes Stephen Mitchell, CG Coordinator on the Wingfeather Saga Animated Series, who in addition to managing the artists in the CG department also contributes his own voice and art to the series through modeling, animation and other disciplines. Stephen plays the role of Coordinator as someone who champions his team to not only create the assets that are needed in Season 4, but also makes sure that they stay encouraged and motivated as the season progresses. In this episode he shares his mindset on why it's important to support artists during production, the different approaches to making an asset, and what it's like to work simultaneously in production and art. All episodes of Season 3 are now streaming on Angel!To watch The Wingfeather Saga, visit: wingfeathersaga.comFollow The Wingfeather Saga on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook: @wingfeathersagaA Shining Isle ProductionTheme Music: “Lively Tavern” by Alexander Nakarada — licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Chris Vlaha, an Unreal Engine technical artist who shapes materials, simulations, and visual R&D, talks about making Ban Rona and the show’s stylized oceans. He recounts early R&D on snow and waterfalls. He describes procedural building generation, tradeoffs for production speed, and what lighting and season four advancements mean for the series.

Keith Lango, co-founder of Shining Isle Productions and Head of Production on The Wingfeather Saga, talks about building a studio and scaling a creative team. He explains developing a real-time Unreal Engine animation pipeline and choosing a painterly, non-photoreal visual approach. He also discusses giving artists creative authorship and the practical choices that preserved quality on a budget.

Grace Wall, script and casting coordinator who helps translate the Wingfeather books to screen. She discusses bridging book-to-screen adaptation. She explains how casting shapes story and how animatics and writers’ rooms refine scripts. She recalls production surprises, family involvement, and the work behind maintaining lore and continuity.

This week, Chris welcomes Neal Harmon — Co-Founder and CEO of Angel. Neal has helped pioneer a new model for film and television distribution, empowering audiences to directly support and champion the stories they want to see in the world. Under his leadership, Angel has become one of the most disruptive platforms in entertainment, backing breakout projects like The Chosen, Sound of Freedom, and The Wingfeather Saga.With a passion for mission-driven storytelling and innovative business models, Neal has built Angel into a creator-friendly ecosystem that blends technology, community, and faith-forward values. In this episode, he talks about the vision behind Angel’s growth, what it takes to scale a values-based media company, and how audience participation is reshaping the future of entertainment. You’ll also hear his perspective on creative risk, cultural impact, and why projects like The Wingfeather Saga represent a new standard for independent family storytelling. All episodes of Season 3 are now streaming on Angel!To watch The Wingfeather Saga, visit: wingfeathersaga.comFollow The Wingfeather Saga on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook: @wingfeathersagaA Shining Isle ProductionTheme Music: “Lively Tavern” by Alexander Nakarada — licensed under CC BY 4.0.

MERRY CHRISTMAS: This week, Chris welcomes Brock Starnes — COO and Executive Producer of The Wingfeather Saga. Brock brings decades of experience in animation, branding, and family entertainment, beginning his career at Big Idea (VeggieTales) before earning his Master’s degree from Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand.With a passion for building memorable brands and stories, Brock has produced episodic television, campaigns, branded products, and immersive experiences. He spent a decade as Partner at Brentwood Studios, developing and managing media properties across animation, publishing, and new media.In 2021, Brock joined Shining Isle Productions, where he now serves as COO and Executive Producer of The Wingfeather Saga—the largest crowdfunded animated family series of all time. In this episode, he talks about guiding a creative team at scale, the business and vision behind launching Season 3, and how Shining Isle is shaping new standards for high-quality family storytelling. You’ll also hear about his approach to brand-building, what makes Wingfeather a special kind of franchise, and a few surprises from behind the scenes. All episodes of Season 3 are now streaming on Angel!To watch The Wingfeather Saga, visit: wingfeathersaga.comFollow The Wingfeather Saga on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook: @wingfeathersagaA Shining Isle ProductionTheme Music: “Lively Tavern” by Alexander Nakarada — licensed under CC BY 4.0.