Project Brazen Launches ‘Fur & Loathing’ Podcast Investigating Unsolved 2014 Gas Attack on Furry Convention
Project Brazen, the Peabody-nominated global journalism studio founded by former Wall Street Journal reporters and bestselling authors Bradley Hope and Tom Wright, has launched a new podcast about the unsolved gas attack at the 2014 MidWest FurFest convention in Chicago.
The six-part “Fur & Loathing,” the first episode of which releases today, investigates what happened on the final night of the convention for furry fandom — a frequently misunderstood global internet subculture centred around anthropomorphic animal characters — when poisonous levels of chlorine gas swept through the corridors of the Hyatt Regency in Rosemont, Illinois. Nineteen people were hospitalized and hundreds were evacuated, many still wearing vividly-coloured animal costumes known as fursuits. Hazmat teams found the remains of a chlorine bomb on the ninth floor, a chemical similar to the ones used in WWI.
More from Variety
'Variety Confidential' Examines Roman Polanski, Fugitive Director and Convicted Rapist
True Crime Podcast 'Variety Confidential' Unveils the Talent Agent Who Invented the Beefcake Craze
The FBI and local police department began a short-lived investigation in the months after the attack, tracking down attendees and initial suspects, but the case has since been left cold. A decade on, the culprit is still unknown, and questions and conspiracies surrounding the domestic terrorist attack continue to haunt the furry community.
Hosted by investigative reporter Nicky Woolf, “Fur & Loathing” reopens the 10-year-old cold case, from the initial FBI investigation to today’s top suspects, with the Project Brazen team working with a furry investigator known as Patch O’Furr and a furry photographer who witnessed the attacks in the hope of providing answers to what happened on that day. Along the way, the podcast explores the challenges the vibrant furry community faces, including neo-Nazi extremist groups seeking to infiltrate and undermine the community from within.
“Essentially, at first it’s like, ‘Who could who would want to hurt the furries,'” says Hope. “But it turns out that there’s darkness in the world of the furries itself.”
“Fur & Loathing” can be streamed for free starting May 6 on Project Brazen’s own network, Brazen.fm, as well as on services including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Project Brazen, repped by UTA in LA and Levy Law in New York City, has a slate of podcasts, documentaries, books, newsletters, and film and TV projects. Its 2021 podcast “Fat Leonard” is being adapted for scripted TV by SK Global.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
