The Karen & Ellen Letters

In Retrospective 5, Josh discusses how a family loss created massive life changes during the creation of TCB season 2. And how the pandemic and Kelly Cochran led to some massive podcast changes, gambles, and fears.

10th Anniversary Retreat
https://www.bothand.fyi/event-details-registration/ten-year-anniversary-celebration

TROVA TRIP to Slovenia
https://trovatrip.com/trip/europe/slovenia/slovenia-with-josh-hallmark-jun-2027

TROVA TRIP to Galápagos Islands
https://trovatrip.com/trip/south-america/ecuador/ecuador-with-josh-hallmark-jan-2027

TROVA TRIP to Costa Rica
https://trovatrip.com/trip/central-america/costa-rica/costa-rica-with-josh-hallmark-nov-2026

PATREON
www.patreon.com/studiobothand

SPONSORS
• Coveron: Coveron.com/TCB with code TCB for 20% off (for the first 100 users).
• Boll & Branch: BollAndBranch.com/truecrimebs for 20% off.  
• Quince: Quince.com/TCBS for free shipping and 356-day returns.  
• BetterHelp: BetterHelp.com/TCB for 10% off your first month.  
• Schedule35: Schedule35.co with promo code TCBS for 15% off your first order.

In Retrospective 4, Josh discusses how massive life changes coalesced with the creation of the first season of TCB. How he isolated himself entirely to both heal and get into the head-spaces of the people he'd spent so much time researching and writing about. Plus, what went into creating the season one finale.

10th Anniversary Retreat
https://www.bothand.fyi/event-details-registration/ten-year-anniversary-celebration

TROVA TRIP to Galápagos Islands
https://trovatrip.com/trip/south-america/ecuador/ecuador-with-josh-hallmark-jan-2027

TROVA TRIP to Costa Rica
https://trovatrip.com/trip/central-america/costa-rica/costa-rica-with-josh-hallmark-nov-2026

SPONSORS
• Quince: Quince.com/TCBS for free shipping and 356-day returns with code TCBS.
• BetterHelp: BetterHelp.com/TCB for 10% off your first month.  
• Schedule35: Schedule35.co with promo code TCBS for 15% off your first order.

In Retrospective 3, Josh discusses how 24 harrowing hours changed his life and the course of True Crime Bullsh**. He discusses how an incident re-shaped his vision for the first episode of the podcast, and his view on true crime and its darkness. Plus, the impact of that first episode on listeners, and the impact of those listeners on Josh.

10th Anniversary Retreat
https://www.bothand.fyi/event-details-registration/ten-year-anniversary-celebration

TROVA TRIP to Galápagos Islands
https://trovatrip.com/trip/south-america/ecuador/ecuador-with-josh-hallmark-jan-2027

TROVA TRIP to Costa Rica
https://trovatrip.com/trip/central-america/costa-rica/costa-rica-with-josh-hallmark-nov-2026

SPONSORS
• Boll & Branch: BollAndBranch.com/truecrimebs for 20% off.  
• Quince: Quince.com/TCBS for free shipping and 356-day returns with code TCBS.

Retrospective 2 takes us to the origin of the investigation; where Josh's interest in storytelling evolved into his obsession of needing to know everything. And it started in a surprising place: a bound book of correspondence between two teenage girls and their landlord. What started as comedic found writing, became a mystery that people could not let go. And as Josh made his way through it, while working on TCB, he learned about investigations and their repercussions.

This is parts one and two of The Karen & Ellen Letters, Josh's first full-fledged investigation.

10th Anniversary Retreat
https://www.bothand.fyi/event-details-registration/ten-year-anniversary-celebration

TROVA TRIP to Galápagos Islands
https://trovatrip.com/trip/south-america/ecuador/ecuador-with-josh-hallmark-jan-2027

TROVA TRIP to Costa Rica
https://trovatrip.com/trip/central-america/costa-rica/costa-rica-with-josh-hallmark-nov-2026

Cast:
Sara Stapleton as Karen
Sara Kitcher as Ellen
Jeff Powell as Mark
Matt Peelen as Rob

SPONSORS
• Boll & Branch: BollAndBranch.com/truecrimebs for 20% off.  
• Quince: Quince.com/TCBS for free shipping and 356-day returns with code TCBS.  
• Schedule35: Schedule35.co with promo code TCBS for 15% off your first order.

To celebrate 10 years in podcasting, we're spending the summer going back in time and both highlighting key episodes and telling the stories behind them; you’ll get new behind-the-scenes information about what was happening in life, in various investigations, and in the world that impacted these important episodes and their podcasts. You’ll learn how Josh started podcasting, how he started investigating Israel Keyes, some hilarious and terrifying stories from the road, and some really vulnerable and personal stories.

We start our first retrospective at, duh, the beginning. Josh shares how both his podcasting journey and Keyes obsession began. He discusses his time in Seattle and on the Olympic Peninsula, how he ended up on the East Coast, his first deep-dive investigation (not Keyes) and how that led to his second (Keyes).

And this kicks off an early episode of his very first show, Our Americana, entitled Van Life. 

TROVA TRIP to The Galapagos Islands:
https://trovatrip.com/trip/south-america/ecuador/ecuador-with-josh-hallmark-jan-2027

Truth is a tricky thing.
Three girls lived in a cottage once. They are both everywhere and nowhere in these versions of the Truth.

Starring:

• Lori Snyder as Dot
• Adrienne Hardison as Helena
• Matt Peelen as Rob
• Sara Stapleton as Herself/Karen
• Sara Kitcher as Ellen
• Jeff Powell as Mark
• Josh Hallmark as Himself
• Megan Chaney Walker as Josh Hallmark as Mark as Ellen as A girl who lived in a cottage once

Music by:

• Podington Bear
• Twin Sister
• Maria Taylor
• Roseanne Cash
• Chris Zabriskie

The results are in. Mark moves on. Crochet Pants looks back. A life is celebrated. A birthday is celebrated. Aloha Karen watches the sunrise.

Starring:

• Lori Snyder as Dot
• Adrienne Hardison as Helena
• Matt Peelen as Aloha Rob
• Sara Stapleton as Herself/Karen Crochet Pants/Aloha Karen
• Jeff Powell as Mark
• Ryan Connelly as Christopher
• Matt Valletta as Darren
• Chris Braaten as Reporter
• Josh Hallmark as Himself

Music by:

• Podington Bear
• Beach Party Hula Island
• Sara Stapleton
• Evgeny Grinko
• Radical Face

The results are in. Mark moves on. Crochet Pants looks back. A life is celebrated. A birthday is celebrated. Aloha Karen watches the sunrise.

Starring:

• Lori Snyder as Dot
• Adrienne Hardison as Helena
• Matt Peelen as Aloha Rob
• Sara Stapleton as Herself/Karen Crochet Pants/Aloha Karen
• Jeff Powell as Mark
• Ryan Connelly as Christopher
• Matt Valletta as Darren
• Chris Braaten as Reporter
• Josh Hallmark as Himself

Music by:

• Podington Bear
• Beach Party Hula Island
• Sara Stapleton
• Evgeny Grinko
• Radical Face

We touch base with David. Dot & Helena look at "pics." Patty tells a friend about her wedding. Josh finds something at the bottom of a rabbit hole.

Starring:

• Chris Braaten as Rod Downey
• Chris Green as David
• Lori Snyder as Dot
• Adrienne Hardison as Helena
• Holly Hall as Patricia
• Sara Beth Poole as Ellen
• Sara Stapleton as Herself/Karen
• Josh Hallmark as Himself

Music by:

• Podington Bear
• Mele
• Samuel Corwin
• The Do

Helena gets upset with the news. Ellen has her eye on a cat painting. Josh can't believe his eyes. Darren spills the beans. Thanksgiving is celebrated on opposite ends of the country.

Starring:

• Adrienne Hardison as Helena
• Josh Hallmark as Himself
• Sara Beth Poole as Ellen
• Sara Stapleton as Herself/Karen
• Matt Valletta as Darren
• Holly Hall as Patricia

Music by:

• Podington Bear
• Titus 12
• Gary & John
• Chris Zabriskie
• Samuel Corwin
• Lia Ices