The Deposition Podcast Premieres With Testimony Elon Musk Tried To Keep Secret

 NEW PODCAST THE DEPOSITION BY HUG HOUSE PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS A DRAMATIC READING OF THE ENTIRE MUSK DEPOSITION HE WANTED TO KEEP SECRET

Trials are dramatic. We've had some high-profile trials recently that have captured the attention of the media and the nation. We've had the Trump vs E. Jean Carroll sexual assault trial, then we had the Trump vs New York State civil fraud trial, and then we had the Trump convicted by a New York State Supreme Court jury of 34 counts of Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree.

We just had the Hunter Biden gun conviction trial, and now we have a sitting U.S. Senator, Robert Menéndez, on trial on federal corruption charges.

Usually, the legal fireworks are reserved for trials and depositions are simply the practice round for the legal battles to come.

Anybody who has watched Suits on Netflix know that Harvey Specter can light the match that turns a routine deposition into a conflagration of legal jousting.

In real life, leave it to Elon Musk to turn a deposition into an absurdist farce in which black is white, up is down, truth is no longer needed, and narcissism parades around like a stripper at a "gentlemen's club."

Here's the summary narrative: On March 27th, 2024, Elon Musk was deposed in a defamation lawsuit filed by Ben Brody, who Musk wrote about speculating Brody was a disguised federal agent in a “false flag” situation (he was not, obviously). Musk and his lawyer, Alex Spiro, attempted to retroactively make the deposition confidential. It was not.

It is, though, hilarious. The Deposition, a new podcast by Hug House Productions, uses the transcript of the deposition in full as its script.

Part reenactment, part reaction, the direction given to the actors is simple: Play your parts as seriously as you can until you absolutely cannot. The Deposition keeps in all the character breaks, laughs, and incredulity the actors experience while reading – while also making sure the audience knows what this case is about and what was actually said.

“It’s an important story, an important look into how depositions work, and something most people might not be fucked up enough to read in full like we did when we pitched the project to our team,” says showrunner, Hug House CEO, and voice of The Court Reporter, Wil Williams. “It’s unbelievable. Not a single page of the deposition lacks a moment of pure absurdism. We cannot wait to bring that to our audience in a way that is hopefully more fun and cathartic than just reading it on the page.”

The Deposition releases its first episode on the Fourth of July, 2024, with weekly releases following. This limited series includes four episodes, plus a full master cut of every individual episode stitched together for those who want to experience it the way it was given – more or less.

Hug House’s goal in coming together and creating podcasts is to bring stories to the world that feature and spotlight queer characters and artists, as well as those from other marginalized groups. In telling these stories, Hug House also seeks to educate people about the reality of and process that goes into creating these types of stories so that others may learn from our successes and our follies as they bring their own experiences and stories to the wonderful medium of podcasts.

Below are the actors playing the roles of the participants in the deposition.

Elena Fernández Collins – Mark Bankston
Ely (they/them) is a podcast critic and forensic sociolinguist living in Portland, OR with one cat and one ongoing Master’s thesis, in an apartment that ain’t big enough for all three of them. Ely is the They write about podcasts for their own website, outlets like The A.V. Club’s Podmass, The Bello Collective, and Discover Pods, and curate their own newsletter about fiction podcasts, Audio Dramatic, and also host the Radio Drama Revival podcast.

Anne Baird – Alex Spiro
Anne (they/them) is a certified mathematics nerd and business enthusiast and the Chief Operating Officer of Tink Media, a podcast growth and ideas company that specializes in creative partnerships and out-of-the-box marketing strategies to help podcasters expand their audience and grow their numbers. As the CFO of Hug House, Anne handles all the financial and operational decision as well as serving as a co-host on Scoring Magic, the producer of VALENCE, the showrunner for How to Act Fereldan, and the marketing manager and line producer for Radio Drama Revival. When Anne isn’t being consumed by work, you can find them listening to musical soundtracks and podcasts or frolicking in a field of horses.

Josh Rubino – Elon Musk
Josh (he/him) is a Boston-based voice and character actor who loves talking but hates writing about himself. You can hear him as Father Klem in Forgive Me, Bernie the mailman in Greater Boston, as Telesphore Winterlich in The Kingmaker Histories, Liam Alden in VALENCE, and really anyplace where fine audio dramas are made. Since portraying Elon Musk he has been in the shower… we’re hoping he comes out soon.

Wil Williams – The Court Reporter, showrunner, editor
Wil (they/them) is a podcast does-everything-er who loves snails and deeply upsetting media. They are the CEO of Hug House Productions, where they've been the showrunner for VALENCE, Scoring Magic, Nevermorphed, and The Deposition.

C. N. Josephs – The Videographer
C.N. (he/they) is a transsexual writer and artist from the rainy forests of the Pacific Northwest. His work as a freelancer has included pieces for Tor.com, Simplecast, and the print anthology Stories of Autistic Joy. Outside of work, C.N. enjoys drawing, crafting, and playing Dungeons & Dragons.

Zach Orsulak – Mr. Grant
Zach (he/him) is Wil’s husband, a nice, sweet guy, and the funniest person alive.

The Deposition is almost the trial of the century. Don't miss it.