Hey there, friend, it's me, James. I'm reaching out with a quick announcement about changes

and also some exciting new beginnings here in Dakota Spotlightland. Those of you who have

been along for the ride since the beginning already know that starting with season one,

I created this podcast out of thin air while working a day job, office cubicle by day, podcast production all night long.

That was a great ride for quite a while, but also not sustainable for obvious reasons,

like lack of sleep. After that, I was fortunate to work with Forum Communications Company

out of Fargo, where I've continued to bring you new stories and seasons of the show to your headphones.

But now I've left Forum Communications to return to producing Dakota Spotlight 100% independently.

I do want to thank Forum for my time there and our paths may cross again,

but now, partially just in the name of change, but also in the name of independence and simply

staying true to myself, my vision, and my voice, the time has come for me to take a leap,

and to take some risks, all in the name of bringing to you the next phase of Dakota Spotlight,

because I honestly believe that some of my best work is still yet to come. Among other plans in

2024, I'm creating a new podcast network and planning to create brand new shows, not just

true crime. But Dakota Spotlight is not going anywhere. It's still right here, still the very

same podcast feed on the same podcast players, and it will always

be available for free. In fact, I'm already working on season 10. To keep the lights on and

the recorder rolling, I'm also announcing something called Dakota Spotlight Plus. Spotlight

Plus is a tier-based subscription offering where listeners and fans can get a bunch of exclusive goodies while at the same time helping to support the continuation of the show.

As a plus subscriber, you'll listen to Dakota Spotlight without any ads and you'll get the episodes before anyone else.

Also, plus subscribers get exclusive bonus episodes. And there's a lot,

a lot more to it than that, including an audiobook, a music album, and more, all of which you can

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