Downlowd: The Rise and Fall of Harry Knowles and Ain't It Cool News

Downlow.d series creator Joe Scott and executive producer Kristina Bell take a break from the narrative story to discuss episodes One and Two of "The Rise of Harry Knowles and Ain't It Cool News." They also share deleted scenes and answer a few listener questions. Joe Scott then interviews Garth Franklin, the lone survivor of the pioneers of internet movie geek culture to celebrate 25 years of his website www.DarkHorizons.com. PLUS there is a preview of Episode Three.

During the gold rush days of the internet, a rabble of nerds went online to forge friendships, arguments, and for some, a chance at fortune and glory. But to become the biggest name of the internet movie geek revolution, Harry Knowles had to transform himself into the man who killed "Batman & Robin."

Episode Credits:

Executive Produced by Kristina Bell

Sound Engineered by Eddie Garcia

With Production Assistance by Ries Allyn

And Online Production by Janessa Smith

Episode One: "Citizen Knowles and the Lord of the Geeks" - In 2001, there was a rumor that a webmaster by the name of Harry Knowles would host the secret U.S. premiere of Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring." This is the story of how it went down as well as the origin of the man who made it happen.

Episode Credits:

Executive Produced by Kristina Bell

Sound Engineered by Eddie Garcia

With Production Assistance by Ries Allyn

And Online Production by Janessa Smith

A short preview of the very first season of Downlow.d, a narrative podcast series that explores the forgotten oral histories of the internet. Our first season, "The Rise and Fall of Harry Knowles and Ain't It Cool News," will start in January. Subscribe today!

In 1996, a semi-paralyzed man named Harry Knowles launched Aint-It-Cool-News, a massively popular website that, for better and for worse, pushed for changes in cinema culture that we see to this very day. The first season of Downlow.d, titled "The Rise and Fall of Harry Knowles,” will chronicle the meteoric rise of proto-online influencer Harry Knowles as told by key collaborators (aka, 'spies'), colleagues, journalists and filmmakers before both Knowles and his website were engulfed in controversies. Coming soon wherever you find great audio stories. Subscribe today!

Downlowd is a deep dive audio documentary series that explores the morally complicated, occasionally inspiring and often forgotten oral histories of the internet.

For its first season titled “The Rise and Fall of Harry Knowles,” Downlow.d will delve into the meteoric rise of proto-online influencer Harry J. Knowles and his movie news website Ain’t It Cool News.

This eight-part series attempts to understand how a no-budget website created in a spare bedroom in Austin, Texas flexed unchecked power and influence over Hollywood.

Harry Knowles, a semi paralysed man who frequently weighed more than 400 pounds was the last person anyone thought would be famous. Yet through his work on his formerly venerable movie news and reviews site Ain't It Cool News, which he launched in 1997, Knowles became the internet’s ‘second celebrity.’

The series will also show how Ain’t It Cool News helped take internet movie geek culture out of fan conventions and into the mainstream before the site’s creator was mired in controversy at the dawn of the #MeToo movement.