About HoPful Media

My journey toward both Persian history and podcasting began with an extra credit assignment from my very first class, on the first day, of my first year in College. I listened to Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History episodes on the Achaemenid Empire, and I was instantly enthralled. Before long I was writing my first term paper on Achaemenid religion and listening to Mike Duncan’s The History of Rome, then Robin Pierson’s The History of Byzantium and many other History of XYZ shows, but there wasn’t one for my niche. I decided to do it myself.

As History of Persia grew and gained traction, I moved halfway across the country, went to (and left) graduate school, and began working and writing in new places to share history with the public. I’ve always had a preference for the history that sit just outside of popular culture and consciousness, and I realized that just one podcast wouldn’t be enough. HoPful Media grew out of that desire to share more stories with more people.

Just over a year after launching History of Persia, I found myself listening to podcasts faster than their producers could keep up during the 2020 Lock Down. I explored other formats beyond “History of… shows” as the many events of that year played out around me. That got me thinking and learning about all the bizarre conflicts in more recent, more directly relevant history. I wanted to engage with that information and make a similar impact there to what I had done with Ancient Iran. Four years later, America: Secret Wars was born, and HoPful Media officially had its second project.

So far, it’s a small (read: one person with occasional help) podcast production project, but there are many more stories left to tell.

About the Podcasts

History of Persia

This is a podcast dedicated to the history of Persia, and the great empires that ruled modern Iran before the rise of Islam. Our narrative begins with the Achaemenid Empire of Cyrus the Great and the foundation of an imperial legacy that impacted ancient civilizations from Rome to China, and everywhere in between. Join Trevor Culley as we explore the cultures, militaries, religions, successes, and failures of some of the greatest empires of the ancient world.

America: Secret Wars

The United States has more than its fair share of famous wars in history, but that doesn’t even scratch the surface. Have you ever wondered why we don’t talk about the Korean War or the War of 1812 very often? Do you even know the names of the wars fought against Native American nations? What about the battle with Japan during the Civil War? In this podcast, Trevor Culley will sit down with friends and guests to discuss all of the American military history that’s been forgotten, overlooked, or even covered up to explore lost stories from American history.

About the Host

Trevor Culley

I am an independent researcher, focused on the history of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, Ancient Iran, and Zoroastrianism. In addition to HoPful Media’s podcasts, I have made guest appearances on a several other shows, including the Agora Podcast Network, The Hellenistic Age Podcast, The History of Saqartvelo Georgia, and The Oldest Stories. Outside of audio, I have written for The Collector, Karwansaray’s “Ancient History Magazine,” BadAncient.com, Five Minutes History, and Working Classicists. Less formally, I am a flaired user on the r/AskHistorians subreddit, and there may or may not be a book or two in the works.
I’m also a dog walker, cat sitter, and miscellaneous animal lover, which makes for a fun day job.