About
Richard Hatem is writer and producer of supernatural, paranormal and fantastical film and TV - of The Mothman Prophecies, Titans, Grimm, Witches of East End, Supernatural. And he’s about to connect his life with the paranormal books that have inspired, terrified and delighted him along the way. And share it all with you.
On Richard Hatem’s bookshelf sits a collection of 1,003 of the strangest books in the world - books on fairies and UFOs, on paranormal, supernatural, past-lives and the very odd and unexplained. Some of those books are worth thousands of dollars. Some, barely worth the paper they are printed on. Richard Hatem is going to tell you about them and also about how they are each connected to him.
But all have affected the mind of Richard Hatem. This podcast connects a book from Hatem’s bookshelf with special events in his life - from being a terrified child giving his first book report, through his marriage(s). From a frozen set in Toronto for Titans, to the hot, snake-filled bayou of Louisiana, Rich reveals everything he loves and is terrified of, and explores the books that fascinated him along the way.
“I’ve spent my entire life trying to figure out what will happen to me after I die. But as it turns out, a lot has happened before that. “
Meet The Team
Executive Producer
Scott was born near Death Valley, California, where his dad was a military engineer at China Lake Naval Base. He spent 17 years editing commercials and music videos, working in Los Angeles and New York City, In the six years since the show began, Scott and Forrest have published over 270 episodes, garnering 100 million downloads, and have barely scratched the surface of the unknown, for which they have an undying curiosity.
Scott Philbrook
Executive Producer
Forrest Burgess grew up in the Pacific Northwest with a family that encouraged discussion of the metaphysical and mysterious. Following in his father's footsteps with a passion for art, photography, design, and motion pictures, this led to a degree in Cinema from USC. Upon graduating, he worked as a video editor and in corporate event production and training.
Forrest Burgess
Executive Producer
Susan Lambert is a writer, producer and is the co-host of the award winning 80s TV Ladies, celebrating female-driven television shows from the fabulous 1980s. Susan writes and develops new works, and diverse voices for theatre, film, TV and audio through her company, 134 West. She has experienced many moments in her life which cannot be explained, not the least of which is being married to Richard Hatem, thus making her favorite paranormal book and movie The Mothman Prophecies.
Susan Lambert Hatem
Associate Executive Producer
Tess is a recovering English major and has lived in D.C for over a decade. Currently she is a Co-Producer of Astonishing Legends Podcast, Midnight Library Podcast, and Keeper of Sanity on the Scared All The Time Podcsst, in addition to her role with Richard Hatem’s Paranormal Bookshelf podcast. She has been a member of the Astonishing Legends Network since 2015. The more legends, myths, and cryptic mysteries she studies, the less she knows... and she’s oddly okay with that.
Tess Pfeifle
Sound Editor
Kevin is a SoCal-based musician who works in audio engineering, editing and sound design for video and games. He’ll have some music projects to plug here soon as well. He’s an avid watcher of modern horror movies and his favorite supernatural horror movie is Hereditary.
Kevin Ducey
Logo Designer & Illustrator
Tommy has been an illustrator and designer in and out of advertising agencies for the past 30 years. He grew up in a house where things went bump in the night and has always had an interest in the paranormal and unexplained. After a chance meeting with Scott Philbrook and his wife at a bar in North Carolina years ago, he realized quickly they had a lot in common and oddly enough, maybe even family ties. In early 2020 he redesigned the Astonishing Legends podcast logo and has worked on various projects with Scott and Forrest ever since. Tommy is so excited to now be working with Rich, illustrating and designing the logo for his new podcast and can’t wait to see where this next adventure leads!
Tommy Beaver
Website Designer
Kayla is a multi-disciplinary designer with experience in brand development, packaging, physical and digital product design. She currently works full-time as a User Experience Designer with a wide range of clientele designing solutions that find the sweet spot between what a business does and why their customers come to them - effectively she’s a therapist for digital products. She is also the designer for the Astonishing Legends website and is so grateful to have found this group of ultra-talented paranormal enthusiasts.
Kayla Lord
Music
Nima Kazerouni is a Los Angeles based multi-instrumental artist who established the dream punk band So Many Wizards. Recently, Nima concentrated much of his time working on a collection of songs recording layers of melodies and counter melodies with his arsenal of instruments he’s collected over the years.