The series, producer and host Sruthi Pinnamaneni explained in the first episode, would focus on the catastrophic and public downfall of Bon Appetit‘s test kitchen. Bon Appetit‘s popular YouTube channel was revealed to be an unhealthy, deeply racist workplace. Our “unproblematic faves” went full milkshake duck, leaving many viewers shaken.

The Reply All series started with an episode that was well-received by Reply All‘s general audience, and the promise of exhuming and illuminating racist workplace practices. Pinnamaneni interviewed several prior of and current members of the Bon Appetit staff, using only the audio of the people of color instead of any of the white staffers from the food magazine. The series would have felt like a necessary investigation, had it not been a mirror for what was going on at Reply All‘s own network, Gimlet.

On February 16th, Eric Eddings posted a thread about his own experiences with Gimlet. The thread discusses how closely Bon Appetit‘s problems matched the problems he experienced at Gimlet. I–Wil Williams, specifically, writing this introduction, the managing editor for Discover Pods who is, important to note, white–highly recommend that you read the thread in full.

Brittany Luse, Eddings’s co-host and co-creator of The Nod, expressed her own frustrations with the Reply All series:

In the following days, more Black producers, creators, and employees of networks and public media shared the experiences they’ve had with racism in the workplace. I want to especially highlight an essay by renowned producer James T. Green titled “Glass Walls” about his own experiences with Gimlet:

Gimlet was a risk worth taking. Prove your worth, and you’ll stay on.

We believed it, or at least we tried to. We noticed the new batch of contractors were Black and Brown like us, and the Full Timers were mostly white.

James T. Green, “Glass Walls”

Edit 3/8/21: C. C. Paschal, another Black former Gimlet employee, has also shared their experiences in an essay. Like Green’s, Paschal’s essay, “Hidden In Plain Sight,” should also be read in full:

After reading countless narratives and records from and about enslaved people, including Harriet Tubman–star of the award-winning episode––whose values diminished in the eyes of their white masters after their bodies were broken from their work––I realized bringing my nonbinary femme and Black body to the team was not enough to counteract the toxicity. Instead, my body was the sponge––trying to sop up the worst of the mess as we pushed content out to the public. 

C. C. Pashcal

Vogt and Pinnamaneni have since stepped down from Reply All. They shared a short message about the series–which they are canceling, regardless of the unaired interviews with Bon Appetit employees whose stories have yet to be told–on the Reply All feed. I am not linking it here, because frankly, I do not want it to get more download numbers.

All of which is to say: in our Slack, the writers all felt like we should be listening to other podcasts, while taking this time to actively support those least respected and represented in the tech, media, and audio industries. Here’s our list of things to listen to instead of Reply All. We hope you give them a listen, and I hope that you take the time to read and process what people have said about the podcast and the company itself.

The Butterfly Effect with Jon Ronson

Journalist, author and filmmaker Jon Ronson has a long list of credits to his name, but The Butterfly Effect takes the cake for being one of the more curious ones. The podcast investigates internet pornography and Pornhub’s effect on the industry, starting with the story of eccentric founder Fabian Thylmann and then zooming out, or perhaps zooming tangentially, to share the website’s direct and indirect impact. The seven episode season was produced by Audible in 2017 and is a great binge listen at just over 3 hours total. Despite the subject matter, is not risque or explicit and instead tells personal, sometimes emotional stories of the people that Pornhub has impacted, and continues to impact. What makes the show especially enjoyable is that it is presented without any judgment or critique, yet it remains sharp, witty, and impactful. 

Read more: Over 200 Audio Professionals Sign Anti-Racist Open Letter to Public Media

If you enjoy this investigation, Ronson did a second project with Audible in 2019 called The Last Days of August, focused on the 2017 death of pornographic actress August Ames. The two shows are different, but on most platforms are released on the same feed.

–Brian Benton

Decoder Ring

Pop culture, tech, and the internet are like the BLT sandwich of the media these days. When you’ve got those three ingredients together, it usually leads to a story you really want to sink your teeth into. From the mania that Bart Simpson caused, to the truth about that iconic song about Fridays, Decoder Ring loves all kinds of cultural curiosities. Each episode, host Willa Paskin seeks to answer a question about the impact these sometimes seemingly insignificant things actually have on society.

Since the show references a lot of pop culture, there’s also so many opportunities for fun and nostalgic sound bites that really add to the depth and entertainment. Honestly, some of the clips used are so perfect that I also just want to know how Decoder Ring‘s producers found or remembered a quote that good. It’s like finding the gif or meme that emphasizes your point exactly. Audio memes should not be underestimated, and Decoder Ring has many to be appreciated. Beyond the memes, the producers also always finds the best voices to help crack these mysteries. Sometimes they’re pop culture experts with seriously niche knowledge, or the people closest to the story like Rebecca Black herself.

–Devin Andrade

Endless Thread

How many internet moments or memes have you stumbled upon, wondered about, and never known the origins of? On places like Reddit, the threads can go on and on. Sometimes the search for the answers behind internet stories, especially the really strange or obscure ones, can feel endless.

Getting to the bottom of internet mysteries is Endless Thread’s specialty. Each episode dives into a thread, question, or trend found on Reddit and searches for the full story behind it. Hosts Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Siverston have mastered their way around Reddit and reached out to other redditors for answers about everything from international anonymous gift exchanges to piles of plates in a forest. It’s not uncommon for these stories to span beyond the web and into real life, which helps remind you that the web’s weirdness is a reflection of just how strange real life can be. Redditors as a community already tend to band together to solve mysteries on the internet, and Endless Thread captures that same collaborative effort when they dive into each story. Not to mention, the chemistry between Johnson and Siverston also gives way to some excellent puns and banter.

–Devin Andrade

Minority Korner

Maximum Fun’s Minority Korner is a look into pop culture from an intersectional lens, dissecting how we make and interact with media and what that says about society. It’s a fun chatcast in which host James Arthur M. talks about what’s hot in the zeitgeist with his co-host of the week, but it’s more than just poppy fun. James’s knowledge of pop culture and its history is encyclopedic, and the discussions tying cultural conversations together is riveting and enlightening.

Like Reply All, Minority Korner aims to dissect and explain the cultural conversation du jour. The episodes aren’t focused on tech in the way that Reply All‘s often have been–but those who have been paying attention to Reply All for some time know that their episodes don’t really anymore, either.

–Wil Williams

There Are No Girls on the Internet

Bridget Todd’s internet culture and news podcast is there to set the record straight about marginalized people on the internet and how they have shaped it. It’s a sharp, empathetic chronicling of marginalized folks and their experiences online, so often overlooked. Todd gives an incredible breadth of space to her interviewees to tell their stories in detail, sometimes including the times that they laugh together which gives this podcast a welcoming, inclusive vibe.

Read more: Black History Month: Integrated Diversity in Podcasting

There’s a tendency in nonfiction storytelling podcasts to dramatize and craft a narrative for entertainment in the style of public media, one sanitized and framed for the consumption of the dominant culture. Todd, in the way that she keeps so much of her interviewee’s speech and voice and the kind of additions and links she provides as a narrator centers the marginalized people these episodes are about. And the topics are complex and varied and too-often covered only by cis, white men in media is covered at all, like the #NotYourMascot campaign, how The Matrix symbolizes a trans experience, and a miniseries within the podcast about the spread of disinformation and the women fighting it at the frontlines.

–Elena Fernández Collins

You’re Wrong About

As they explore internet wonders and pop culture highlights, You’re Wrong About feels like two friends eagerly sharing the new thing they learned with each other. It might sound like it’s going to be just a chatcast but it manages to go beyond that with a bit more attention to its production value. Hosts Michael Hobbes and Sarah Marshall are essentially just talking with each other, but not without extensively researching their topic beforehand. With that research also comes the addition of reference audio clips that make the story feel richer and more engaging.

Each episode looks at a cultural moment, phenomenon, or memory that has been misunderstood. Whether these misunderstandings come from people not educating themselves or from the spread of misinformation, Hobbes’ and Marshall’s research takes you along as they work to better understand these stories. They’re critical, unapologetic, and love to see how far down the rabbit hole they can go. This also means sometimes we get treated to special mini-series like one on Princess Diana because there’s just too much you need to know! Their show is a reminder that just because you heard about something in a tweet, doesn’t mean you understand it.

–Devin Andrade

The post What to Listen to Instead of Reply All appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.

Few podcasts have found such a perfect balance between deep, relevant investigative reporting  and hilarious, off-the-cuff dialogue as Gimlet Media’s Reply All. Hosted by PJ Vogt and Alex Goldman, the five-year-old show has gained a cult following for its stories about the internet and life online. In addition to well-researched stories about odd corners of the web, there are also recurring segments like “Super Tech Support” where Goldman tries his best to solve bizarre tech problems, or “Yes Yes No” where Vogt and Goldman explain memes, Tweets and other oddities to Gimlet co-founder Alex Blumberg. Though it was difficult, we were able to narrow it down to (what we feel) are the best Reply All episodes to date.

Despite the techie topics, Reply All is hardly a “tech podcast,” and you will never hear product reviews, startup gossip or even anything too technical. The real focus of the show is how technology influences people, and how people influence technology, and stories always have a human aspect. The hosts are as concerned in how certain digital problems are affecting the people involved as they are in actually figuring out what the solution is.  

You can listen to all 130+ episodes of Reply All at gimletmedia.com/reply-all. The show is also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, with new episodes released on Thursdays.

1. Long Distance, Parts I and II

Episode 102, July 27, 2017

Episode 103, August 3, 2017

Episode 102 and 103 of Reply All show how the podcast has managed to set itself apart from other similar shows. After getting a bit too invested in a scam call from India, host Alex Goldman does what any adventurous podcaster would do and books a flight to Delhi to track the caller down. What follows is a true story that feels almost like fiction, a true radio adventure for the 21st century.

Reply All has done a few similar episodes on scam calls and robocalls, including a recent look at how robocalling has found a place in the healthcare industry (#135 “Robocall: Bang Bang”), but the effort and risk in this pair of episodes sets “Long Distance” apart. So often, internet reporting takes place from behind a computer, but Goldman proves that to truly get to the bottom of something you need to dig a little deeper.

2. Today’s The Day

Episode 36, August 27, 2015

Podcast hosts and editors will love this beautifully-produced piece of radio storytelling where Vogt and Goldman decide to go outside for a day. After an interview falls through, the two co-hosts go on an adventure through New York City that takes them all the way from Central Park to Coney Island. It is a truly special piece of radio that shows off Vogt and Goldman’s friendship and proves how their chemistry has made their podcast so successful.

3. The Russian Passenger

Episode 91, March 2, 2017

The perfect episode of Reply All is one where Vogt and Goldman dive into a tech problem and the listener immediately can relate it to an issue they faced, or heard about a friend having. “The Russian Passenger” is an investigation into how Alex Blumberg’s Uber account was hacked, digging deep into common and easily solvable problem. As the hosts go through possible causes for the hack and consult an expert to get a more complete answer, Vogt and Goldman share truly helpful information about the benefits of password managers and how to avoid being hacked yourself.

This episode continues with two follow up episodes, #93 “Beward All” and #111 “The Return of the Russian Passenger” that actually reveal how the account got hacked.

4. Exit & Return, Parts I and II

#23, May 7, 2015, #24, May 14, 2015

Above all else, Reply All is a podcast about people interacting with the Internet, and this pair of episodes about Hasidic Jewish man reflecting on his first introduction to the Internet perfectly captures the human experience of life online. The two episodes, produced by Sruthi Pinnamaneni, at times felt more like episodes of This American Life because of their deeply personal nature.

At the beginning of the episode, Goldman introduces the episode as “a story of the internet destroying someone’s life completely” and then “the internet transforming someone’s life for the better.” What follows is an emotional look into not only the role of the Internet in Hasidic communities, but also introduces corners of the Hasidic web that listeners probably did not even know existed.

5. Shine On You Crazy Goldman

#44, November 5, 2015

This is the episode where PJ Vogt and producer Phia Bennin microdose on LSD and report on if it could bring about positive change in their lives. The conclusion is that it is probably not a habit they will continue, but the reporting gives a better perspective and more insight into microdosing than most over coverage that was happening on the trend at the time.

Unlike so many gonzo reports on drug use, this is not about Vogt and Bennin proving they are “cool” or trying out a trendy drug just for the thrill of it. Instead, there is a clear objective to see if in fact LSD microdoses can lead to more productive work days. The show starts with an interview with a psychedelic researcher and manages to stay educational and insightful, despite the trippy topic.

6. Lost In A Cab

#76, September 8, 2016

Another episode of “Super Tech Support” that takes Alex Goldman offline and into the real world to investigate, this episode revolves around trying to track down a camera that was left behind in a New York City taxicab. After explaining some of the bureaucracy of New York City taxis, including the massive Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) and a semi-affiliated website called, YellowCabNYC.com, Goldman realizes just how hard it is to not only recover items lost in taxis, but also get even the simplest answer from the TLC.

The story takes an unexpected twist when Vogt shares an anecdote about Delta Airlines that turns out to have more in common with taxis than either host expected. As the episode continues, Goldman and Vogt share their findings on how taxis, airlines and other online customer service forms and lines have come to be and the role that Google ad search may be playing in making it impossible to get your questions answered.

7. Why Is Mason Reese Crying?

#16, March 18, 2015

Jonathan Goldstein is the affable host of storytelling podcast Heavyweight, and in this early episode of Reply All he stepped in to offer a similar look into the life of former child actor Mason Reese. Goldstein also spent several years reporting for This American Life and is known for his weird, sometimes too personal looks into the lives of regular Americans.

In this story, he noticed a series of videos being uploaded to Youtube that featured Mason Reese, and were uploaded by Reese himself. Taken aback by why a former child actor would be uploading his whole archive of work to Youtube some 40 years later, Goldstein tracks down the now 53-year-old and asks. The resulting conversation with Reese is an open and honest reflection on falling out of childhood fame.

8. Apocalypse Soon

#114, January 18, 2018

In “Yes Yes No” episodes, Goldman and Vogt bring in a guest, usually Gimlet co-founder Alex Blumberg, and explain a certain aspect of the internet to them. The episodes begin with the guest explaining what something they encountered on the internet, and the group going around and saying if they understand it (thus, “Yes, Yes, No.”

This episode from 2018 stands out because of just how much Internet trivia gets touched on as Goldman and Vogt dive into a semi-viral Tweet that features references to Logan Paul, Tide Pods, Smash Mouth and more. While most of the memes and cultural moments mentioned in the episode have come and gone, the hilarity that ensues as the hosts peel back the layers of the Tweet still make for a great listen.  

9. Reply All’s 2018 Year End Extravaganza

#133, December 20, 2018

While the first half of this show where Vogt, Goldman and some of the show’s other producers check-in and update listeners on stories from the year is certainly worth a listen, it is the final fifteen minutes of the show that hit the hardest. From time to time, Reply All has opened up their phone lines for calls from listeners on a wide range of topics. To close out the year end extravaganza, a collection of calls from listeners in remote, lonely or unexpected places is played.

The calls take us to the mountains of Ethiopia, the coast of India and a wooden bridge near Melbourne, Australia. It is a short segment but the messages Reply All received are moving, inspiring and heartbreaking. Bringing together a collection of calls from isolated places also has a profound effect on listeners, who somehow feel like they are able to join the caller in that place. In the end, it can make everyone feel less alone.

10. The Takeover

#29, June 25, 2015

17-year-old Thomas Oscar is the subject of this story, which details to rise and decline of Stackswell and Co., a totally made up company that Oscar imagined up in the form of a Facebook group. After putting out a call for applications and “hiring” his friends, the teenager from Australia enjoyed several months of mundane office role-play before noticing that the group, which essentially served as a digital meeting room for the fake company, was skyrocketing in popularity. New members were requesting to join, applying for jobs if you will, and changing the tone of Oscar’s dull online office place.

After a new member introduces a swarm of imaginary iguanas to the office, Oscar loses it and the whole company goes spiraling down. What is discussed in “The Takeover” is not so much a pressing issue of the Internet, but instead a great example of how the web can bring us together and also tear us apart. It is a sweet, humorous story with just enough at stake to matter.

11. Zardulu

#56, February 25, 2016

Everyone remembers Pizza Rat, the viral rodent that was seen crawling through the New York City subway with a slice in hand, but few know the real story behind that image. In this episode, Vogt and Goldman attempt to track down the illusive Zardulu, the performance artist who has taken responsibility for the viral moment and alleged it was staged. Described by Vogt as an “art villain,” the story shares Zardulu’s background and features interviews with New Yorkers that were involved in the Pizza Rat scheme and other viral rat attempts.

One of the highlights of the show is Vogt’s description of what Zardulu actually looks like from a photograph a source provided. Although Vogt and Goldman never get the interview with Zardulu that they so desperately want, their reporting is fun, revealing and feels like it is getting much closer to the truth than lots of the other news about Zardulu that came out when it was first introduced that Pizza Rat may be a hoax.

12. The Snapchat Thief

#130, November 8, 2018

Revolving around the story of Lizzie, a Snapchat user whose account was hacked and “hijacked,” this episode goes deep into the world of OG handles and SIM swapping. If those terms are new to you, don’t worry. Reply All is here to explain it.

After getting locked out of her Snapchat account, Lizzie consulted Goldman to see if he could get to the source of the hack. Lizzie’s Snapchat username was “lizard,” meaning it was an OG handle, or a rare, single word handle without any numbers, shorthands or other complexities. Goldman’s research puts him in contact with a group of European teenagers who track down OG handles that may be hackable, lock out the original user and then resell the username. The episode ends with an especially satisfying conclusion and has a great balance between technical insight and detail and personal narrative.  

The post The 14 Best Reply All Episodes appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.

But what exactly is a documentary podcast? They tell true stories through a heavily produced / polished style consisting of music, many interviews and tight editing that feels like a documentary film. They’re the most difficult and most time consuming podcasts to create. Many exists but only a few pass as the best. The following list is a glance at some of the very best documentary podcasts.

This American Life

Episode: When Patents Attack!

About: Who knew patents were so mysterious and twisted? This episode sheds light on the dark side of patent trolls and how they can bankrupt a company or make a company billions. This episode was so popular This American Life produced a sequel appropriately titled, When Patents Attack Part 2! The runtime is about one hour.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

American Fiasco

Episodes: Season 1

About: United States has always been on the cusp of a soccer revolution but soccer fever never seems to fully arrive before the excitement burns off. This was never more true than in 1998. The U.S. men’s World Cup team had a golden opportunity to create magic but the team’s internal drama destroyed their chances of becoming soccer royalty. Cinderella story to Fiasco. Disclaimer: You do not need to be a soccer fan to enjoy this show! Each episode is easily digestible, running about 30 minutes each.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

Criminal

Episode: Deep Dive

About: Criminal tells one-off stories each episode and one of their finest productions is Deep Dive. A Los Angeles rescue diver who never turns down a dive mission meets his match in this suffocating and heart pounding story. The runtime is only 20 minutes.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

Related reading: Phoebe Judge Pulls Double Duty with Criminal and This is Love

The Leap

Episode: 17 and Me

About: A college student needs money. So he donates sperm. Every week for years. Fast forward twenty years later, that poor college student is now a loving husband and dad. But his college “job” soon catches up with him as dozens of teenagers began to seek out their biological father. An easy listen in less than one hour.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

Mystery Show

Episode: Belt Buckle

About: Mystery Show was one of those rare podcast that broke the mold for what a podcast could be… unfortunately it was plagued with it’s own internal dramas and was canceled. But fortunately for us, the first season will always be online — I highly suggest Belt Buckle be your first listen of this Mystery Show. It’s a simple story with incredible heart and soul. Runtime is roughly one hour.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

Planet Money

Episode: How Four Drinking Buddies Saved Brazil

About: How does a country re-establish a new currency? For Brazil, all it took was four buddies drinking beer at a bar and advising a plan. This is truly a fascinating look into how the Real was created out of thin air — This episode is a short listen and you don’t need to be an economics geek to enjoy!

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

Reply All

Episode: Long Distance pt. 1 and pt. 2

About: Reply All creates shows around a very wide theme: the internet. These two episodes are mysterious and eye-opening that pull back the curtain on international tech scammers. Who are these people who spam for a living and why do they do it? Each part runs about one hour.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

S-Town

Episode: Season 1

About: From the producers of This American Life and Serial podcasts, S-Town is a strange one. I can’t describe it without giving anything away so just give it a listen and enjoy. A NSFW heads up, there are many F-bombs dropped and it pours with vulgar language. S-Town is a seven part series, each part running roughly one hour.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

Related reading: The 20 Best True Crime Podcasts (Beyond Serial & S-Town)

Serial

Episode: Season 1

About: This is the most popular podcast of all time so if you haven’t listened to it, you’re probably on this page by mistake. Can’t recommend season one enough. It was the OG that started the true crime podcast craze that’s been ignited over the last couple of years. The season is 12 episodes and each episode runs about one hour.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

Related reading: 8 of the most chilling podcasts like Serial

Snap Judgement

Episode: Bait and Switch

About: Snap tells different gripping stories every episode. If sneaky drug smuggler stories are your thing, then this episode is all you! It’s like an episode of Narcos in podcast form. Sketchy characters, big money, and the true tale of a man who always had to keep one step ahead. This is a one-off episode running about 30 minutes.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

StartUp

Episode: S3 E4 Dear Music Fans

About: StartUp tells the stories of you guessed it, tech startups. Grooveshark was an illegal music website that attempted and (almost) succeeded in changing the music industry forever. The creators of this site saw an unbelievable rise to fame but also a heartbreaking crash to reality. This episode runs about one hour.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

Embedded

Episode: The League

About: Embedded is an extremely polished show that tells many stories pressing in today’s political climate but they also tell non-political stories about hidden worlds. Like this episode about the NBA D-League and the struggle of many players trapped in this world of almost making it to the big court of the NBA. So much hard work and sacrifice, this episode follows two players as they try to earn their way out of the D-League. This episode runs about 45 minutes.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

30 for 30

Episode: The Trials of Dan and Dave

About: ESPN’s series consistently incredible stories and The Trails of Dan and Dave is one their best. This story falls back to the 1992 ad campaign by Reebok promoting two athletes. A campaign that equated to the company’s entire year’s marketing budget of 25 million. The campaign was supposed to be a massive lift ended up being a complete bust, ending in gut wrenching embarrassment. This episode runs about one hour.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

Related reading: Jody Avirgan can’t just stick to sports hosting both ESPN’s 30 for 30 Podcast and FiveThiryEight Politics

Up and Vanished

Episode: Season 1

About: Serial spawned a slew of true crime podcasts but only one has caught similar attention and its for good reason. Up and Vanished starts like any other true crime show but as the show progresses more information comes to light and suddenly (almost in real time) the case begins to unravel. It’ll be hard to top the ending to this season, it was spectacular and if you haven’t heard this one and are a fan of mysteries — go listen now. There’s a reason it’s still on the top charts two years later. Each episode runs about one hour.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

The post The 14 Best Documentary Podcasts appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.

Instead of neat, perfectly-constructed paragraph answers to my questions, Breakmaster Cylinder responds like an excited person on a group text thread, using emojis and often splitting answers into several consecutive messages. It’s endearing, it’s real. This is usually an issue when doing interviews over email, or in this case, Twitter DM. The answers are too often canned and lack any real emotion. When Breakmaster responds with a short answer, then immediately follows up with an added statement, you get the sense the thoughts are coming unobstructed.

Probably best known as the musician who crafted the Reply All theme song and the serialized space story in the credits, Breakmaster Cylinder has become something of a celebrity within the podcasting community. Their podcast music has become in high-demand and their resume now boasts over 60 podcast theme songs. Along with the famed Reply All theme, Breakmaster created the songs for Vox’s Today, Explained, The Pitch, Say Something Worth Stealing, We The Ppl, and several other podcasts you likely recognize.

ok you got me curious!
this is most of them, though some are video, not podcasts.
let’s say like 60 themes total, 50 originals (bold). pic.twitter.com/Q7phWA8rWa

— BREAKMASTERCYLINDER (@BrkmstrCylinder) March 28, 2018

Breakmaster isn’t just a talented musician, their name itself is a clever pun. As one Redditor pointed out “breakmaster” is a term for a musician who excels during musical breaks, while “master cylinder” is a automotive part controlling the brakes of a car.

As the tale goes, it started with a tweet. Then TLDR host, Alex Goldman, saw a YouTube video Breakmaster Cylinder did remixing The Chordettes Mr. Sandman while splicing in gory images from horror movies. Goldman tells Hrishikesh Hirway of Song Exploder, “I started following their music, and then when it came time to do a theme song, I was like, ‘who is just weird enough to work with us and make this thing?’”

When I finally get my own radio show, I want to have @BrkmstrCylinder compose the theme song.

— Alex Goldman (@AGoldmund) March 14, 2013

The TLDR theme sounds like a demented video game from the 80s. In other words, it’s weird and perfect and the epitome of Breakmaster Cylinder.

Breakmaster Cylinder then went on to do Goldman’s next project, the aforementioned Reply All. As the podcast has risen in fame, so has Breakmaster Cylinder’s mystique. Each episode ends with “our theme song is by the mysterious Breakmaster Cylinder.” This has led to what is likely a pretty lucrative niche career. That’s not all Breakmaster has contributed to Reply All, however. In more recent episodes, there’s an MCU-esque story arc that takes place post-credits. When listened together, the bits form together to tell a serialized story. Breakmaster describes the story, “Dog and I are lost in space without internet, learning things about ourselves and the universe. They’re like an old serial radio play and I get to mess with making impossible weirdness sound like a live recording, best as I can.”

This story only adds to the intrigue of Breakmaster Cylinder.

When asked about staying anonymous, Breakmaster Cylinder told Exolymph, “I just don’t wanna be out there. I don’t matter. It’s nice to be any / every / nobody.”

It would be too easy to compare Breakmaster Cylinder to famed anonymous street artist Banksy or Daft Punk. True they’re anonymous and have become influential within their respective creative spaces, however, Breakmaster Cylinder is as accessible as an anonymous person can be. They’ll respond to your tweets, comments on SoundCloud, and your emails. Whereas the other two personalities have embraced their mystique, adopting it as part of their schtick, Breakmaster seems to simply be anonymous for privacy reasons. When asked if they’d ever reveal themselves, they stated (in what I can assume is a very genuine response), “really my identity just doesn’t matter at all. I enjoy the idea of people imagining BMC however they like.”

Though I didn’t press too much about their identity — that was the sole question about it — Breakmaster didn’t seem especially interested in talking about it either. Our conversation was mostly around podcasts and music. They had previously analyzed and broken apart the Reply All theme in the above quoted Song Exploder episode, however, I was interested in a similar treatment for the new marquee podcast, Today, Explained.

For a daily podcast that covers the recent news and fluctuates from somber to lighthearted to informative stories on any given episode, the theme song needed to be versatile. “We tried a lot of different drafts. Ranging from organic sounds treated organically like the midroll music (a Books-style guitar chop up thing) to more purely beep boop Raymond Scott synth kind of jams.”

Asked about the final theme, Breakmaster admired their work, “I think what works with their theme is the clattering drums. They’re imperfect but still hold together, which is appropriate for a daily news podcast right this second. Other important elements include a distinct single tone or note that you could play and immediately recognize the podcast from.”

Breakmaster did mention a previous version that on my initial reading seemed more interesting. “I wrote another full length theme for them I really like actually but it’s true it didn’t fit as well as this one did. It sampled James Comey saying ‘lordy I hope there are tapes’ and then the beat drops.”

Though no two podcast themes are alike, neither is the process that goes into composing them. Breakmaster typically starts the conversations trying to get as much detail from the podcast creators as possible. Things like ideal song, theme, tone, and what they like about other podcast themes. From there, Breakmaster creates several samples to gauge initial feedback and both composer and creator go back and forth until the finished product, typically two to four weeks later.

For podcast themes in general, Breakmaster has the recipe. “Catchy hook, straight to business, sometimes an introductory single riff or sound effect so even just that one chime is enough to announce your show.. you need that stuff.” Breakmaster continued, “you should be able to conjure the show’s theme easily when listening. Sometimes that’s on the nose, like water sounds for a show about bathing. Wall-to-wall animal noises for a show about animals.”

Whether Breakmaster is in space with Dog or beamed into your brain via your favorite podcast app, you’ll now start to recognize their signature style.

The post Breakmaster Cylinder: A Conversation with Podcasting’s Most Prolific (And Mysterious) Artist appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.

In 2015, a writer took his passion and decided to create a short story podcast, each episode depicting another tall tale or conspiracy. Amazon premiered Lore in October 2017.

Tonight, ABC will premiere Alex Inc. — a sitcom starring Zach Braff based on the first season of the podcast StartUp. Which as it happens, is a real podcast account of Gimlet Media founder Alex Blumberg creating the now podcast empire.

Podcasts, like all relatively new mediums, have become a haven for creative folks to flex their muscles. Because of the low barrier of entry, podcasts are alluring because there are no restrictions, you can tell your story however you’d like. As documentarian and podcaster, Andrew Jenks recently told me, “If it’s three hours or ten minutes, tell me the best fucking story you can. In that sense it’s the most raw form of storytelling and it’s awesome.” Because of this onslaught of creativity (gasp), some amazing stories have been told that larger studios and networks want to get their hands on. In this age of #content, podcasts are pumping original IP out available to be bid on.

An unconfirmed story I once heard tells of the days after Disney acquired Marvel, a team scoured through every comic book, noting every original character. These characters were now Disney’s property, original stories that Disney could option into any number of projects at any given time. Whether this actually happened exactly as I was told or not is irrelevant. Disney didn’t buy a comic book company, they bought the future those stories would tell. Several movies, TV shows, and billions of dollars later, the Marvel Cinematic Universe looks like one of the best purchases in recent history.  

Podcasts are the next wild wild west, where the big fish are gobbling up the little fish to turn a profit. Movies, TV shows, books, and more are just some examples of podcast adaptations already in the works.

This isn’t just a one-off trend either. At least one company, the aforementioned Gimlet Media, has a dedicated full-time employee focused on these greater-than-podcasts adaptations. Meet Chris Giliberti, Head of Gimlet Pictures (a thing). Giliberti joked on The Wolf Den podcast — a meta podcast about the podcasting industry — that “he’s the steward of Gimlet’s audio library and think with a view into how our stories could live in another format.” In short, his job is identify which podcasts or podcast episodes are ready for primetime. He’s very good at his job. In addition to Alex Inc., Gimlet also has agreed upon projects for a film version of a Reply All episode, an Amazon series based on Homecoming, and I’m sure several other yet-to-be-announced deals.

Asked about his recent success, Giliberti told Variety, “We really have just this incredible trove of super high quality stories.” He continued, “With audio storytelling there’s just an incredibly high bar for the maintenance of attention. You don’t have something for folks to look at.”

Not only are the stories told through podcasts a potential goldmine for would-be buyers, but these larger organizations can also find new talent. These podcasters are providing free focus group and beta-tested talent hotbeds. Looking for a new comedian, storyteller, actor, or journalist? Check out their podcast resume and gauge their fanbase. Akin to how YouTube opened the talent floodgates for Saturday Night Live — no longer only relying on the local improv groups —  networks can find talented people they’d like to work with and give them the resources. Netflix has been doing this for years, “here’s a bunch of money, go make something dope.” HBO recently premiered essentially this same plan with 2 Dope Queen creators, Jessica Williams and Phoebe Robinson. In lieu for their talent and unique voice, HBO gave them a four-special deal. They continued this trend with a deal with Crooked Media.

What we’ve seen now is only the first wave of many. Netflix, you had a breakout hit with Making a Murderer and missed out on Dirty John (two current adaptation deals), can I introduce you to Atlanta Monster? Nameless movie studio, check out the Reply All episode Long Distance. Hulu, here’s a nudge nudge to listen to the first season of Ear Hustle. HBO, Heaven’s Gate by Stitcher would be a compelling miniseries.

With more advertising money, creative podcasters will continue to produce amazing stories, and as the “peak TV” model continues it’s insatiable desire for more #content, this trend will only continue as podcasts further entrench their way into the mainstream culture.

The post Dear podcasts, you’re ready for prime time appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.

Tech folks pride themselves on being early adopters and being in front of the wave of mass appeal, so tech podcasts have become a logical extension and a new medium for them to provide their thoughts. However, while there are many pundits who have a podcast to simply check the box of “oh I have a podcast”, there are some truly exceptional podcasts that provide amazing anecdotes, insights, and stories on the tech industry. Here are 15 of our favorites.

Related reading: 25 of the Best Podcast Microphones

1. Exponent

Exponent is one of those podcasts you tune into to hear the host — or in this case, co-hosts — simply discuss their thoughts on a given topic. It’s really that simple. What makes this podcast wholeheartedly unique, and the first one listed here, is the intelligence, analysis, and ability to articulate complex concepts for everyone to understand.

Stratechery founder, Ben Thompson, co-hosts along with James Allworth. Together they discuss and analyze the big picture trends and consequences in the technology industry. If you’re interested in whether or not Google and/or Facebook having a monopoly is good for business or users, or what the future of Apple holds, subscribe to this tech podcast.

Listen: iTunes

2. Clockwise

Clockwise describes itself as a “rapid-fire discussion of current technology issues”, and well, I couldn’t have said it better myself. As an avid listener, however, I will add their format makes it a great listen for those oddball 30-minute chores or commute into work. With relatively short episodes, and an outlined format that covers four topics only, it lends itself easily to quick binging when you have some spare time.

Listen: iTunes

3. a16z

I can’t confirm if it was the first VC to start a podcast, but it’s definitely the most prominent in a trend that’s reaching fever pitch. The venture capital firm a16z, also known as Andreesen Horowitz, produces a podcast of the same name that’s become a must-listen for every startup entrepreneur and everyone in the tech industry. With various co-hosts and guests, they touch on everything from growing your company, UI and design, funding rounds, and everything in between.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

4. StartUp

Regardless if you’re running a startup or just interested in tech, StartUp is a podcast detailing the behind the scenes efforts of creating and working at the company. The first two seasons are serialized versions featuring one company, while the latest details a different company each episode. Produced by Gimlet Media, you can expect great production value and story telling throughout the entire series.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

5. How I Built This

Ok, before the comments start rolling in about this not being a “tech podcast”, this is definitely a must-listen for every entrepreneur regardless if it’s tech-focused. NPR backed, How I Built This is an excellent sit down interview podcast of founders telling their story of creating their company. Latest episodes range from 1-800-GOT-Junk, to AOL, to even Lady Gaga.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

6. Upgrade

Upgrade, not to be confused with The Upgrade, is a podcast about how our habits and society are shaped by the technology in our life. Daily interactions with Google, Facebook, Apple, Amazon and others have become so commonplace we take them for granted and can barely remember a life without them. This podcast takes a careful look at the technology, design, and implications behind our interactions with technology on a daily basis.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

7. Under the Radar

Under the Radar has a noble mission after my own heart: providing notoriety and telling the stories of independent app developers. We all know the household names in tech, and seemingly everything having to do with Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Mark Cuban, and others gets some press. Here’s your chance to hear from the lesser-known people making some groundbreaking products.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

8. Accidental Tech

Billed succinctly as “Three nerds discussing tech, Apple, programming, and loosely related matters,” there’s no better way I could really describe it. What I will add, however — and perhaps the co-hosts are too humble to put this in the description — Accidental Tech knows their shit and provides a great, non-bias look at the tech industry and the implications. Whether they’re reviewing the latest gadget or talking about the latest iPhone rumors, the three hosts have some great insight into the industry as a whole.

Listen: iTunes

9. Reply All

Another Gimlet podcast, Reply All has a great balance of diving deep into a specific topic, but also providing grounded insights. Admittedly, I was a late subscriber to this podcast, but it has quickly become one of my favorites. Recent episodes include the ease (and access) of hacking a Galaxy 3 — President Trumps favorite phone, the scientists debating how to approach aliens, and how to truly hide your internet history.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

10. This Week in Tech

This Week in Tech, or more commonly known as TWiT, started as a video series way before podcasts took off. Since then, they’ve evolved and grown to produce a number of podcasts under the umbrella brand. Each episodes aims to detail the latest news from the tech industry and have a panel of experts give their thoughts and reactions. Though maybe not an entirely unique format, the frequent panelists include prominent figures such as Kevin Rose and Jason Calacanis. They also have a-list guests such as Steve Wozniak and Kevin Mitnick.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

11. Talk Python With Me

This list wouldn’t be quite complete without a true tech podcast about software development. Talk Python With Me is just that, a podcast around the Python coding language, overcoming challenges, and how engineers work at various tech companies. If you’re looking to learn Python or get into coding, Talk Python With Me also provides helpful resources and courses to get you started.

Listen: iTunes

12. Startup School Radio

Startup School Radio is another product of the aforementioned wave of tech podcasts from insiders and luminaries. Backed behind the notorious Y Combinator accelerator, Startup School Radio aims to provide the stories and advice to help other tech founders run their company. Whether it’s advice on funding or scaling your company 10x, hear from the people who have done it. Y Combinator, and by extension Startup School Radio, has produced companies such as Reddit and Airbnb and because of that influence are able to get top notch guests to share their stories.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

13. Acquired

Acquired stays relatively true to it’s namesake and narrows its focused from a general tech podcast, to only focusing on tech company exits, regardless if they’re acquired, merge, or go public. In an era where innovative startups are getting gobbled up by the larger tech giants, hosts Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal discuss strategies and the future of the company(ies).

Listen: iTunes

14. Note to Self

Technology has undoubtedly altered our lives and daily habits, but it’s also opened the door and sparked us to ask new questions. Note to Self attempts to tackle these questions that impact our digital lives. Interested in the technological possibilities that open the door to simulation theory? What about the potential for our tablets and phones to spy on us? This podcast probably should have landed on my round up for podcasts guaranteed to make you think.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

15. Equity

It was only a matter of time before TechCrunch produced a podcast, right? Well, here it is. Equity combines several formats already discussed on the list including providing the latest tech news and reactions, interviews with prominent tech founders, and discussing larger technology trends. TechCrunch is typically known as the leader in tech news with a insider pulse of the industry. These transcends to their podcast hosted by journalists Katie Roof, Matthew Lynley, and Alex Wilhelm, they have unfettered access to founders, VCs, and other tech pundits that  have a great understanding of the entire tech industry.

Listen: iTunes

The post Our Top 15 Favorite Tech Podcasts appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.

Though these are listed one through 11, these are in no way a ranking. Each podcast has quality episodes that will appeal to different people.

1. 99 Percent Invisible

Any list in this fashion has to start with 99PI. Being an avid listener for a few years, there are certain everyday objects I’ll never look at the same way again like park benches, cul-de-sacs, and retain spaces just to name a few.

Host Roman Mars and team produce excellent, and relatively short (25-40 minutes), podcasts that often tell of flawed designs and origins with interesting stories and accompanying guests.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

2. Twenty Thousand Hertz

A couple weeks ago I wrote if you enjoy 99PI, then you’ll like Twenty Thousand Hertz, and thus it’s only fitting I follow with it. Where 99PI focuses a lot on the design and function of everyday objects, Twenty Thousand Hertz focuses on the sound and sound design behind them.

Recent episodes have focused on Foley artists — the people who create sound effects for movies using random objects — Space, and talking dolls. Some of my favorites include the story behind the NBC Chimes, manufactured car engine sounds, and Siri.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

3. Revisionist History

Revisionist History, currently on hiatus, is a project of Malcom Gladwell’s that analyzes some errors of the past. Though that’s an incredibly vague tagline of my own invention, it’s really more than that. It looks at why we perceive some things in certain ways.

One of my favorite episodes talks about NBA legends, Wilt Chamberlain and Rick Barry, and wonders why — despite being a proven advantage — underhand free throws never took off. Another episode explores the imbalances between university donations and the value they create.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

4. Criminal

Criminal defines itself as “a podcast about crime. Stories of people who’ve done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle.” However, this isn’t your typical true crime podcast. Each episodes tells a new story (as opposed to the more recent narrative storylines), and examines the motives and psychological reasons behind some people’s actions.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

5. The Memory Palace

The Memory Palace is hosted by Nate DiMeo and each episode looks into an event that happened in the past to teach you something new and/or revisit something through a different analysis. The episodic nature of the podcast lends itself easily to listeners looking to pick up something new or only listen to topics of particular interest. Nate has also done the great job of hand selecting some of his favorite episodes if you’re unsure where to start.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

6. Reply All

Reply All is a podcast that typically looks into a specific topic in technology and/or pop culture. If you have even the slightest interest in tech and odd ball internet topics like memes, conversations, and standards and want to understand why the internet is the way it is now, this is a podcast for you. Like others on this list, each episode is standalone and can be listened in any order.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

7. Invisibilia

Invisibilia features the invisible forces around us that influence in certain ways. Whether these are ideas, emotions, thoughts, assumptions, etc., Invisibilia looks at each of these with a unique blend of scientific research and storytelling that is extremely unique and well done. Another podcast under the NPR machine, Invisibilia should be on everyone’s subscribed list.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

8. Ungeniused

If you’re in the mood to simply learn something extremely random or up your trivia game knowledge, it’s time to tune in to Ungeniused. The podcast has a simple premise: deep dives on random Wikipedia articles with added insight and analysis. What’s unique about this podcast is how snack’able it is — most episodes are around 10 minutes long. So if you’re looking to kill time, and don’t want to commit to a longer podcast, this one’s for you.

Listen: iTunes

9. Hidden Brain

Hidden Brain follows a similar vein as Invisibilia. Both are excellently produced NPR podcasts focus on unconscious motives that drive human behavior. However, Hidden Brain looks at the biases and triggers inherent in humans and how they’re shaped by the world around us. Hosted by Shankar Vedantam, this podcast is constantly near the top of the Top Podcasts charts every week.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

10. Liftoff

Interested the expanse of the universe and all that comes with it? Perfect, Liftoff is for you. Some of the podcasts on this list have a niche theme, and Liftoff is no different. What’s excellent about liftoff is how the co-hosts are able to take these insanely complicated subjects and explain them in a layman’s way and help the audience understand the importance of each topic.

Listen: iTunes

11. Science Vs

Science Vs probably has my favorite concept of any podcast on this list. Host, Wendy Zuckerman, looks at the current fads, trends, and the latest opinions and uses science to carefully dissect them. Could ghosts be real? If not, why do so many people believe in them? What about the effects of fracking on the environment?

Science Vs tackles a variety of topics and clears out the noise to analyze the truth.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

The post 11 Podcasts Guaranteed to Make You Think appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.