Listen to the Podcast
This original 12-part series delves into the terrifying series of murders that electrified Boston in the early 1960s. Listen now to all 12 episodes of Stranglers in Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your audio.
Stranglers Podcast
Portland Helmich is the host and one of the co-producers of Stranglers, an original 12-episode, weekly documentary podcast from Stitcher and Northern Light Productions. Portland helped to launch Stranglers, a compelling, contemporary audio investigation of the Boston Strangler story that uses never-before-heard voices, interviews with actual suspects, extensive original research, and new conversations with victims’ family members. As the host, Portland introduces listeners to every facet of the case — from the reporters who originally covered it to the police who worked furiously to solve it as well as terrified witnesses who claim to have met the Strangler himself.
Recording the Stranglers podcast in studio
#7 on Top 50 Podcasts of 2016
“It says something that amid proliferating true-crime shows, Stranglers is one of the most compelling of the year.”
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“This brilliant podcast [uses] expert research as well as old interviews with suspects and new ones [with] victims’ families that’ll fulfill all your true-crime needs.”
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“Melodious-voiced host Portland Helmich parses the various theories and suspects with the assistance of grizzled-sounding investigators and family members of victims.”
It would have been impossible to make the great show that we made without Portland Helmich. Portland is an expert interviewer, an organized and diligent researcher, and is always calm in the face of stress. Whether she was interviewing famed lawyer F. Lee Bailey, inmate and convicted murderer, George Nassar, or the family member of a victim, Portland always brought the right mix of curiosity, push-back, and warmth.
The Reverend John DeLoreThe Boston Strangler Keynote Address to the California District Attorneys Association in Lake Tahoe
Behind the Scenes of Stranglers: Portland Helmich and Executive Producer, Susan Gray, at the Podcast Garage
Press about Stranglers
On Morning Blend, KTNV Channel 13 in Las Vegas
On Talk of the Town, WTVF Channel 5 in Nashville
On the Writer’s Bone Podcast
On WBUR’s Radio Boston with Meghna Chakrabarti
WBUR’s Radio Boston with Meghna Chakrabarti
Portland has a way of connecting with people within the first couple minutes of meeting them. She is intuitive, down-to-earth, and deeply human. She has a way of immediately putting people at ease. These qualities make her an excellent podcast host. Besides her gift for instantly bonding with strangers, Portland is generally a wonderful person to work with. She’s consistent, reliable, and does what she says she’s going to do. I trust Portland immensely, and working with her was a pleasure.
Sharon MashihiStranglers Photo Gallery
Recording an interview at Northern Light Productions in Boston with Associate Producer, Taylor Dueweke.
Sound Designer: Rev. John DeLore, Adele Roof (Episodes 4 and 12), Senior Producer: Sharon Mashihi, and Portland Helmich recording Episode 12 on Cape Cod.
Speaking about the Boston Strangler as the Keynote Speaker at the 2017 California District Attorneys Association Summer Conference, Lake Tahoe.
Speaking about the Boston Strangler as the Keynote Speaker at the 2017 California District Attorneys Association Summer Conference, Lake Tahoe.
Portland with Stranglers Executive Producer, Susan Gray, at the Podcast Garage in Boston.
On WBUR’s Radio Boston with host Meghna Chakrabarti.