Your Dark Companion Podcast

Mike Rhyner and Grubes welcome Cliff McClelland, the creator/producer/head mad scientist behind A Creature Was Stirring—a PG Christmas zombie-apocalypse movie for kids, filmed mostly in Garland (because of course it was). Cliff explains how COVID, teaching theater at Richardson High, and accidentally growing a “surprisingly legit Santa beard” led to one big question: What does Santa do when the world shuts down and kids can’t even visit the mall?
Answer: he gets on a ham radio, spreads hope, dodges zombies, and teams up with a polar bear named CeCe (no, you can’t call it Coca-Cola, lawyers exist). Along the way: slapstick “medication” side effects, three types of zombies (including a pacifist one named Ed), an AI sidekick that’s equal parts helpful and deeply uncomfortable, plus the real behind-the-scenes grind of getting a micro-budget indie film packaged and placed on streaming services.
It’s equal parts holiday spirit, absurdity, and “how the sausage is made”—with just enough talk about pants, bodily functions, and robots to keep it on brand.
CHAPTERS
00:00:00 – Lightning Strike + The Mothership Powers Up00:01:26 – Meet Cliff McClelland: The Man Behind a New Christmas Film00:02:11 – Introducing A Creature Was Stirring (Yes, It’s a PG Zombie Christmas Movie)00:03:02 – Filmed in Garland (Mostly): Local Connections and Locations00:03:39 – Two South Siders Enter the Chat (And History Is Made)00:04:09 – “Christmas Zombie Apocalypse… For Kids”: Explaining the Tone00:04:55 – COVID + Teaching Theater: Where the Idea Actually Came From00:05:58 – Santa’s Ham Radio Hope Mission00:07:00 – The Zombies Arrive: The “Calm-Down Drug” That Goes Horribly Right00:07:36 – Side Effects: Heart Attacks, Diarrhea, and the Healing Power of Potty Jokes00:08:27 – Santa vs. Zombies, PG Edition: Surviving With Hope (and Minimal Violence)00:09:01 – Ham Radio Reality Check: Accidentally Switching to Morse Code00:10:32 – Micro-Budget Filmmaking: Mom’s $7,000, Friends, and Making It Work00:11:06 – CeCe the Polar Bear: The Costume From China Gamble00:12:20 – Learning to Dance Like a Polar Bear (Disney Cruise Choreographer Assist)00:13:18 – Singing in the Movie: Cliff’s Musical Theater and Band Background00:15:04 – Plot Breakdown: Santa’s Routine + The World After the Outbreak00:15:47 – Three Zombie Types + Ed the Pacifist Zombie00:16:16 – The “Zombie Drool” Recipe and Why Art Is Suffering00:17:48 – Filming Chaos: Traffic, Resetting Takes, and Zombie Tears on Command00:19:01 – Airport Story: The Drunk Fan Who Wanted Help Committing a Federal Crime00:20:16 – AI Girl Joins the Movie: Why Santa Needed Someone to Talk To00:22:18 – Turning a Real Person into AI Girl (and Keeping It Streamer-Legal)00:23:17 – The PG “AI Kiss” Moment (and Nope-ing Out of the Weirdness)00:24:06 – Cliff’s Other Work: Horror Film, Published Novel, What’s Next00:25:08 – Sequel Talk: Easter, Zombie Ed Thinks He’s Jesus, and AI Girl Returns00:26:07 – Mid-Show Read: CBD House of Healing00:29:50 – Getting on Streamers: Aggregators, Captions, Posters, and FilmHub00:31:49 – The Bittersweet Part: Mom Saw the Rough Cut, Not the Big Release00:32:29 – Where to Watch: Prime, Tubi, Roku + The Full Streaming List00:33:32 – Tooth Mouse Puppet Sequence + Making It Work for Kids and Adults00:34:36 – Rhyner Fears AI, Shoopy Doesn’t Even Like QR Codes00:36:07 – Release Timing + Final Plug for A Creature Was Stirring
IG: https://www.instagram.com/yourdarkcompanion/X: https://x.com/YDC_DfwTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yourdarkcompanionFB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559876685445
The Old Grey Wolf: X: https://x.com/TheOldGreyWolfIG: https://www.instagram.com/theoldgreywolf16/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mikerhyner579
To reach out email us at: Info@Stolenwatermedia.com

Show Notes

Mike Rhyner and Grubes welcome Cliff McClelland, the creator/producer/head mad scientist behind A Creature Was Stirring—a PG Christmas zombie-apocalypse movie for kids, filmed mostly in Garland (because of course it was). Cliff explains how COVID, teaching theater at Richardson High, and accidentally growing a “surprisingly legit Santa beard” led to one big question: What does Santa do when the world shuts down and kids can’t even visit the mall?

Answer: he gets on a ham radio, spreads hope, dodges zombies, and teams up with a polar bear named CeCe (no, you can’t call it Coca-Cola, lawyers exist). Along the way: slapstick “medication” side effects, three types of zombies (including a pacifist one named Ed), an AI sidekick that’s equal parts helpful and deeply uncomfortable, plus the real behind-the-scenes grind of getting a micro-budget indie film packaged and placed on streaming services.

It’s equal parts holiday spirit, absurdity, and “how the sausage is made”—with just enough talk about pants, bodily functions, and robots to keep it on brand.

CHAPTERS

00:00:00 – Lightning Strike + The Mothership Powers Up
00:01:26 – Meet Cliff McClelland: The Man Behind a New Christmas Film
00:02:11 – Introducing A Creature Was Stirring (Yes, It’s a PG Zombie Christmas Movie)
00:03:02 – Filmed in Garland (Mostly): Local Connections and Locations
00:03:39 – Two South Siders Enter the Chat (And History Is Made)
00:04:09 – “Christmas Zombie Apocalypse… For Kids”: Explaining the Tone
00:04:55 – COVID + Teaching Theater: Where the Idea Actually Came From
00:05:58 – Santa’s Ham Radio Hope Mission
00:07:00 – The Zombies Arrive: The “Calm-Down Drug” That Goes Horribly Right
00:07:36 – Side Effects: Heart Attacks, Diarrhea, and the Healing Power of Potty Jokes
00:08:27 – Santa vs. Zombies, PG Edition: Surviving With Hope (and Minimal Violence)
00:09:01 – Ham Radio Reality Check: Accidentally Switching to Morse Code
00:10:32 – Micro-Budget Filmmaking: Mom’s $7,000, Friends, and Making It Work
00:11:06 – CeCe the Polar Bear: The Costume From China Gamble
00:12:20 – Learning to Dance Like a Polar Bear (Disney Cruise Choreographer Assist)
00:13:18 – Singing in the Movie: Cliff’s Musical Theater and Band Background
00:15:04 – Plot Breakdown: Santa’s Routine + The World After the Outbreak
00:15:47 – Three Zombie Types + Ed the Pacifist Zombie
00:16:16 – The “Zombie Drool” Recipe and Why Art Is Suffering
00:17:48 – Filming Chaos: Traffic, Resetting Takes, and Zombie Tears on Command
00:19:01 – Airport Story: The Drunk Fan Who Wanted Help Committing a Federal Crime
00:20:16 – AI Girl Joins the Movie: Why Santa Needed Someone to Talk To
00:22:18 – Turning a Real Person into AI Girl (and Keeping It Streamer-Legal)
00:23:17 – The PG “AI Kiss” Moment (and Nope-ing Out of the Weirdness)
00:24:06 – Cliff’s Other Work: Horror Film, Published Novel, What’s Next
00:25:08 – Sequel Talk: Easter, Zombie Ed Thinks He’s Jesus, and AI Girl Returns
00:26:07 – Mid-Show Read: CBD House of Healing
00:29:50 – Getting on Streamers: Aggregators, Captions, Posters, and FilmHub
00:31:49 – The Bittersweet Part: Mom Saw the Rough Cut, Not the Big Release
00:32:29 – Where to Watch: Prime, Tubi, Roku + The Full Streaming List
00:33:32 – Tooth Mouse Puppet Sequence + Making It Work for Kids and Adults
00:34:36 – Rhyner Fears AI, Shoopy Doesn’t Even Like QR Codes
00:36:07 – Release Timing + Final Plug for A Creature Was Stirring

IG: https://www.instagram.com/yourdarkcompanion/
X: https://x.com/YDC_Dfw
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yourdarkcompanion
FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559876685445

The Old Grey Wolf: 
X: https://x.com/TheOldGreyWolf
IG: https://www.instagram.com/theoldgreywolf16/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mikerhyner579

To reach out email us at: Info@Stolenwatermedia.com

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Creators and Guests

Host
Mike Rhyner
Mike Rhyner… "a little on the bumpy side, but rather likable"…so stated famously by a grade school teacher in Oak Cliff, where Mike grew up. A complicated guy, yet a guy who can do long division and remember call strike three to A Rod. Probably best left unattended. Don't expect assistance from him if a medical situation arises.

What is Your Dark Companion Podcast?

"Whatever I want it to be about on a given day; is what it is." Your Dark Companion couples your familiar friends from radio, Mike and Grubes! Mike brings his classic interviews that draw you in, and Grubes—The Devil—drops…well the drops, and throws the occasional grenade. Mike likes to draw on his fascinating acquaintances and friends allowing them to tell their stories as you've never heard them. But he also goes outside his network, sharing Grubes' network, and often outside of both, to bring you those they don't know, but believe have a story that will make you laugh, make you think, think differently, or just entertain you…"that's what we are trying to do here."