Podcasts about Alex Blumberg

This episode of Ambition Today is supported by: Finta, The Capital Copilot  In October 2024, Finta hosted a panel for LA Tech Week called “How I Raised - Seed, Series A, Series B.” Featuring founders exploringthe unique challenges and insights of securing capital at different stages of their company. Our incredible panel for this event consists of: David Kervin‍ Proteus Space ($8M Raised) - Revolutionizing satellite design with AI-driven platforms, aiming to reduce the time and cost of deploying satellites through automation and cutting-edge technology. Gaurav Bhattacharya Jeeva ($16M Raised) - Harness AI-driven customer intelligence, helping companies optimize their customer experience and reduce churn through actionable insights​. Scott Wayman Kangarootime ($37.5M Raised) - A leading innovator in the childcare management software industry, Kangarootime has risen to the forefront, providing vital solutions for daycares and preschools.   Key Fundraising Insights From This Episode: 1. Getting Investor Buy-In: Confidence Over Convincing Founders emphasized that successful fundraising begins with confidence, not just pitching facts. Believing in your mission sets the tone for investor meetings, as confidence drives a stronger, more resonant narrative. ‍ 2. Parallel vs. Sequential Fundraising Processes Gaurav shared that sequential meetings can be a trap, leading to prolonged efforts. Instead, structuring outreach as a concentrated, parallel push creates urgency and FOMO among investors, leading to quicker commitments. ‍ 3. Navigating Round Dynamics with Clear Milestones For each funding stage, specific milestones are critical. Scott noted that Series B investors expect well-established product-market fit and sales efficiency, while Series A focuses on validating product intent. Seed rounds, by contrast, require strong founder conviction and a scrappy dedication. ‍ 4. Leveraging Warm Intros for Better Outcomes Cold outreach has a low conversion rate. David and Gaurav underscored the importance of warm intros, building relationships long before “the ask,” as connections formed early often convert to funding opportunities. ‍ 5. Pitfalls in Equity Structure and Term Negotiations Gaurav and Scott highlighted the importance of a clean cap table and an informed approach to term sheets, particularly for liquidation preferences and convertible notes, which can heavily dilute founder control if unchecked. ‍ 6. Evolving Pitch Focus: Metrics Over Mission at Later Stages With each funding stage, the pitch shifts. For Series B, Scott mentioned that metrics and market dynamics become critical to justify high-value funding rounds, moving beyond storytelling toward quantifiable business growth. ‍ 7. The Role of Timing and Market Trends Market trends, such as the rise of AI, can be powerful, but founders caution to present technology realistically. David shared that aligning milestones with tech waves and managing investor perceptions is essential for positioning within emerging sectors. ‍ 8. Finding the Balance in Deal Terms and Equity Retention David noted that while SAFE notes and convertible debt can expedite early funding, they can also lead to significant dilution. Founders should prioritize understanding term sheets and use cap table modeling tools like Carta to project long-term equity impacts. ‍ 9. Building and Utilizing Investor Relationships Over Time David emphasized the value of maintaining relationships with VCs who may not invest immediately. Regular updates and casual interactions allow investors to track your progress and feel more comfortable when it's time to commit. ‍ 10. Strategic Use of Milestones to Drive Up Valuation Meeting critical operational or revenue milestones before the next round can significantly enhance valuation and interest. Scott's journey highlighted that proving product-market fit and high sales efficiency before Series B can allow for strong, valuation-focused negotiations. ‍ 11. Positioning Within Tech Waves for Strategic Advantage Each wave of technology (e.g., AI, blockchain) offers a unique angle for storytelling and market positioning. Scott and Gaurav recommended founders lean into tech trends authentically, showcasing how the wave aligns with their product rather than simply following hype. ‍ Hosting this event was a blast! A massive thank you to everyone who helped make this event happen and a success. We can't wait to see you all at the next one!       ========== Visit Ambition Today on the Web: ​www.siskar.co/ambitiontoday Follow Kevin Siskar on Twitter: ​twitter.com/TheSiskar Follow Kevin Siskar on Instagram: instagram.com/thesiskar Follow Kevin Siskar on Facebook: facebook.com/kevin.siskar Add Kevin Siskar on Snapchat: snapchat.com/add/krsiskar Kevin Siskar brings you ambitious entrepreneurs inspired by Tim Ferriss Show, How I Built This with Guy Raz, Residual Income, Entrepreneur on Fire, NPR, HBR, TED Radio Hour, the StartUp podcast with Alex Blumberg by Gimlet Media, Pat Flynn, Tony Robbins, The Uncertain Hour, Bigger Pockets, Art of Charm, Dave Ramsey, Planet Money, Jocko Podcast, EntreLeadership, Zigler, APM Marketplace, This Week In Startups with Jason Calacanis, Mixergy, Seth Godin, Joe Rogan Experience, GaryVee, James Altucher, Monocle 24, How to Start a Startup, Crooked Media, and The $100 MBA Show with Omar Zenhom, and Casey Neistat. Be sure to listen and subscribe to Ambition Today in the iTunes Store for iOS (apple.co/1NRRPzL), on Google Play Music (goo.gl/LmmciJ), or on Stitcher for Android (bit.ly/1Rn01dy).

During NY Tech Week 2024 we hosted a live panel discussion in midtown Manhattan on the state of fundraising in 2024. Delving deep into the nuances of fundraising from three different perspectives: an investor, a founder, and a lawyer. Hear from 3 different sides of the table when we gather an investor, founder, and a lawyer to discuss what fundraising venture capital in 2024. Our incredible panel for this event consists of: ​The Founder ‍David Silverstein, is the CEO of Ned, a white label lending platform that makes it easy for lenders to effortlessly deploy capital. The Investor Rachel ten Brink, General Partner at Red Bike Capital, an early-stage VC fund based in New York, specializing in SaaS, Health & Wellness, and Fintech sectors in the U.S. With over 30 years of experience, including founding a Y Combinator-backed startup that reached $100M in revenue and managing $2B in assets. The Lawyer ​Jack Sousa, is the Partner & Co-Chair of the Emerging Companies and Venture Capital Practice Group at Wiggin. He is also a wiggin(x) Co-Founder and Partner. Jack focuses his practice on venture capital, startup and early-stage companies and their financing needs.   Key Fundraising Insights From This Episode: How Should Founders Think About Fundraising David Silverstein kicked off the event emphasizes the importance of focus during a raise. Trying to shrink the amount of time you spend fundraising so you can get back to building the business. Highlighting the importance of relationship building in fundraising, while de-risking and hitting the right milestones to build trust with investors. Rachel ten Brink advises founders to start planning their next round of funding as soon as they close their current round. She emphasizes the need to reverse-engineer the process, understanding how far the current funds will take the company and what metrics need to be hit for the next raise. AI's Influence On Startups AI will fundamentally transform the venture capital landscape. Rachel notes that AI is not just a sector but a foundational technology that will touch every industry. David adds that while AI is important, it is crucial to solve fundamental business problems first. VC Investor Relations with LP's Rachel discusses the current trends in VC strategies and the importance of understanding the dynamics between VC funds and their LPs. She highlights the necessity for founders to be aware of the financial health and commitments of the VCs they are pitching to. Current Market Trends and Company Valuations The discussion centers around the importance of always being prepared to fundraise and understanding market dynamics. David stresses the situational nature of fundraising, advising founders to be ready to adapt to market conditions. Important Fundraising Legal Considerations Jack Sousa recommends involving a lawyer early in the fundraising process to navigate complex legal terms and agreements. He mentions the return of redemption provisions and full ratchet anti-dilution clauses as trends to watch. How Can Founder's Stand Out To Investors To stand out, David suggests focusing on demonstrating real customer traction and needs. Rachel emphasizes the importance of clear, concise pitch decks and consistent communication with investors. Strong Investor Communication Balancing warm introductions and cold outreach is crucial. David recommends building relationships with investors before needing to raise funds, while Rachel highlights the importance of thoughtful signaling and avoiding desperate outreach. Practical Tips for Founders Jack Sousa and Rachel discuss essential legal terms, noting the increasing prevalence of liquidation preferences and full ratchet anti-dilution clauses. They advise founders to keep their cap tables clean and to be aware of the long-term implications of their fundraising choices. Industry-Specific Insights Raising funds for deep tech ventures involves unique challenges compared to traditional SaaS startups. Rachel and David emphasize the importance of understanding sector-specific milestones and investor expectations. The End of Software...? The panel debates whether the software market has matured. Rachel argues that while the market is evolving, there is still significant upside potential for innovative software solutions, particularly those integrating AI. A massive thank you to everyone who helped make this event happen and a success. We can't wait to see you all at the next one! ========== Visit Ambition Today on the Web: ​www.siskar.co/ambitiontoday Follow Kevin Siskar on Twitter: ​twitter.com/TheSiskar Follow Kevin Siskar on Instagram: instagram.com/thesiskar Follow Kevin Siskar on Facebook: facebook.com/kevin.siskar Add Kevin Siskar on Snapchat: snapchat.com/add/krsiskar Kevin Siskar brings you ambitious entrepreneurs inspired by Tim Ferriss Show, How I Built This with Guy Raz, Residual Income, Entrepreneur on Fire, NPR, HBR, TED Radio Hour, the StartUp podcast with Alex Blumberg by Gimlet Media, Pat Flynn, Tony Robbins, The Uncertain Hour, Bigger Pockets, Art of Charm, Dave Ramsey, Planet Money, Jocko Podcast, EntreLeadership, Zigler, APM Marketplace, This Week In Startups with Jason Calacanis, Mixergy, Seth Godin, Joe Rogan Experience, GaryVee, James Altucher, Monocle 24, How to Start a Startup, Crooked Media, and The $100 MBA Show with Omar Zenhom, and Casey Neistat. Be sure to listen and subscribe to Ambition Today in the iTunes Store for iOS (apple.co/1NRRPzL), on Google Play Music (goo.gl/LmmciJ), or on Stitcher for Android (bit.ly/1Rn01dy).

Ever felt the thrill of cracking open an autobiography that reshapes your view on life? That's what we experienced with Lee Max Um's revealing tale, which stirs our conversation today alongside James O'Brien's piercing critique of British politics in "How They Broke Britain". But it's not just the pages of books that have us hooked; the podcast "Alex and Mozi" is a gold mine for business acumen paired with a dash of humor, as showcased in Alex Hormozi's quirky cooking date anecdote. We're not just sharing laughs, though; we're serving up substantial guidance on niche marketing and the potency of impactful, knowledge-rich content. Strap in as we navigate the complexities of crafting a dynamic team, inspired by the journeys of Alex Blumberg and Steve Bartlett. From solo ventures to diverse powerhouses, we dissect the evolution of team building and the value diversity brings to the entrepreneurial table. Then, we shift gears to a crucial element for any business's success—accountability. We unpack the game-changing role of coaching and the strategic finesse required when expanding a team. Learn from our candid reflections on our beginnings as a trio and how this shaped our mindset towards team growth, including the strategic addition of a fourth member with a knack for recruitment to enrich our business.Support the showCheck us out and send us a message on our instagram, Tik Tok and Youtube platforms @the.needle.moverswww.theneedlemovers.xyz

At the end of 2021 I quit my 6 figure, once dream job of working on Radio heard across the country… to start a business. A podcast business. This is a podcast about starting that podcast business… SESSION in PROGRESS   This series is inspired by 'Start Up' the story of Gimlet Media told through the voice of Alex Blumberg. Alex's podcast being a huge success as he chronicled the rise of his Podcast Company to its acquisition by Spotify for a reported 200 million dollars. Alex and I have uncanny similarities Both come from extensive radio and production backgrounds Both Fathers  Both knew/know nothing about business  Both had dreams of changing the landscape of video/audio I listen to the 'Start Up 'podcast to give me hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel, that I'm not crazy for thinking I have the ability to move the meter with my knowledge and skills, and that there is a need and want, more than ever, to tell real stories in a world of artificial lives and technology. Follow the journey as it happens in real time. This story's ending is yet to be written and recorded. We launched an Instagram Page to join like-minded business owners and Podcasters We are uploading every episode fully produced with video and captions on our new LinkedIn page   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the Million Dollar Mastermind podcast, host Larry Weidel is joined by Adam Davidson, a passionate storyteller from the word of journalism. He is the CEO of Masterful Storytelling. Adam worked with Adam McKay as a technical consultant on the Academy Award-winning movie "The Big Short." He further published a business advice book in 2020 called The Passion Economy. He also won the George Polk Award in Radio Reporting for his reporting with Alex Blumberg for a May 2008 show titled "The Giant Pool of Money." He also won the Peabody Award for "The Giant Pool of Money '. He is a volunteer Board Member for the Westbeth Housing Corporation.

This week on the Million Dollar Mastermind podcast, host Larry Weidel is joined by Adam Davidson, a passionate storyteller from the word of journalism. He is the CEO of Masterful Storytelling. Adam worked with Adam McKay as a technical consultant on the Academy Award-winning movie "The Big Short." He further published a business advice book in 2020 called The Passion Economy. He also won the George Polk Award in Radio Reporting for his reporting with Alex Blumberg for a May 2008 show titled "The Giant Pool of Money." He also won the Peabody Award for "The Giant Pool of Money '. He is a volunteer Board Member for the Westbeth Housing Corporation.

This week on the Million Dollar Mastermind podcast, host Larry Weidel is joined by Adam Davidson, a passionate storyteller from the word of journalism. He is the CEO of Masterful Storytelling. Adam worked with Adam McKay as a technical consultant on the Academy Award-winning movie "The Big Short." He further published a business advice book in 2020 called The Passion Economy. He also won the George Polk Award in Radio Reporting for his reporting with Alex Blumberg for a May 2008 show titled "The Giant Pool of Money." He also won the Peabody Award for "The Giant Pool of Money '. He is a volunteer Board Member for the Westbeth Housing Corporation.

This week on the Million Dollar Mastermind podcast, host Larry Weidel is joined by Adam Davidson, a passionate storyteller from the word of journalism. He is the CEO of Masterful Storytelling. Adam worked with Adam McKay as a technical consultant on the Academy Award-winning movie "The Big Short." He further published a business advice book in 2020 called The Passion Economy. He also won the George Polk Award in Radio Reporting for his reporting with Alex Blumberg for a May 2008 show titled "The Giant Pool of Money." He also won the Peabody Award for "The Giant Pool of Money '. He is a volunteer Board Member for the Westbeth Housing Corporation.

From his first awkward pitch to investor Chris Sacca, to their acquisition by Spotify, Alex Blumburg has built one of the most influential companies working in Podcasts today. The company was founded in 2014 by Alex Blumberg and Matthew Lieber, who serve as the company's CEO and president respectively. In February 2019, Spotify announced it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Gimlet for $230 million. This podcast is brought to you by: Miro: Go to Miro.com/podcast and get your first three Miro boards free forever. Hubspot: Listen to The Science of Scaling wherever you get your podcasts. Gigantic: Learn more about Gigantic's Product Leadership course, Generative AI, Product Management course, Executive Leadership course & Web3 for Marketing course, AI Product Management Course, and Customer Research and Discovery Course at Gigantic.is Rocketship is brought to you by The Podglomerate. *** Previous Guests include Seth Goden, Christian Idioti, Ash Maurya, Dan Shapiro of Glowforge, Lolita Taub, Amy Hood of Hoodzpah, Amanda Goetz, Helen Tran, Ben Parr, Mac Conwell, Charli Marie Prangley of ConvertKit, Kandis O'Brian, Laura Roeder, Brenna Loury of Doist, Lopa van der Mersch of Rasa, Ken Norton, Randy Silver, Sanjiv Kalevar of OpenView Venture Partners, Dan Olsen, Jay Clouse, Melissa Perri, Dheerja Kaur of Robinhood, Rahul Vohra of Superhuman, Rich Mironov, Ben Foster, ChatGPT, Ron Weiner of Earth Class Mail. *** This show is a part of the Podglomerate network, a company that produces, distributes, and monetizes podcasts. We encourage you to visit the website and sign up for our newsletter for more information about our shows, launches, and events. For more information on how The Podglomerate treats data, please see our Privacy Policy.  Since you're listening to Rocketship, we'd like to suggest you also try other Podglomerate shows surrounding entrepreneurship, business, and careers like Creative Elements and Freelance to Founder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One morning, Amy opened her mailbox and found a package with 44 photos inside—photos of complete strangers. Now Amy wonders: Who are they? And why were the photos sent to her? Credits This episode was hosted and produced by supervising producer Stevie Lane, along with Jonathan Goldstein, Phoebe Flanigan, and Mohini Madgavkar. The senior producer is Kalila Holt. Editorial guidance from Emily Condon. Special thanks to Alex Blumberg, Mimi O'Donnell, Lauren Silverman, Maureen Taylor, Estelle Ivory, and all the incredibly patient people over at the USPS. The show was mixed by Bobby Lord.  Music by Christine Fellows, John K Samson, Blue Dot Sessions, Golden Dunes, In Skies, Megatrax, Christopher Lennertz, and Bobby Lord. Our theme song is by The Weakerthans courtesy of Epitaph Records. Heavyweight is a Spotify Original Podcast. Amy has just written a new book, Artificial, a graphic memoir about her father's efforts to preserve her late grandfather's identity using AI technology. You can find it at your local bookstore. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After his father's death, Toby found a box of cassette tapes in his dad's house. These private recordings tell the story of how his parents' relationship fell apart—a story that Toby never knew, and might not want to know. CREDITS Heavyweight is hosted and produced by Jonathan Goldstein. This episode was produced by senior producer Kalila Holt, along with Phoebe Flanigan. The supervising producer is Stevie Lane. Production assistance by Mohini Madgavkar. Editorial guidance from Emily Condon. Special thanks to Alex Blumberg, Max Greene, Blythe Terrell, and Jackie Cohen. The show was mixed by Bobby Lord.  Music by Christine Fellows, John K Samson, Blue Dot Sessions, Saigon Would Be Seoul, and Bobby Lord. Our theme song is by The Weakerthans courtesy of Epitaph Records. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt Matern speaks with Zachary Frankel and Nick Halberg from the Utah Rivers Council. The discussion covers the council's efforts to safeguard rivers from proposed dams, the significance of the Great Salt Lake ecosystem, water usage challenges, conservation initiatives, and the need to reconsider the valuation and usage of water.  They discuss the Bear's Ears National Monument and the challenges faced by Lake Powell due to climate change and overuse. The urgency of addressing this crisis and retrofitting Glen Canyon Dam to secure water flow is underscored, with a call for public engagement and political pressure to drive action. The conversation also touches on notable figures in the climate change and environmental domain, including Bill McKibben, Brock Evans, Paul Hawken, Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, and Alex Blumberg, highlighting their significant contributions.

Matt Matern speaks with Zachary Frankel and Nick Halberg from the Utah Rivers Council. The discussion covers the council's efforts to safeguard rivers from proposed dams, the significance of the Great Salt Lake ecosystem, water usage challenges, conservation initiatives, and the need to reconsider the valuation and usage of water.  They discuss the Bear's Ears National Monument and the challenges faced by Lake Powell due to climate change and overuse. The urgency of addressing this crisis and retrofitting Glen Canyon Dam to secure water flow is underscored, with a call for public engagement and political pressure to drive action. The conversation also touches on notable figures in the climate change and environmental domain, including Bill McKibben, Brock Evans, Paul Hawken, Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, and Alex Blumberg, highlighting their significant contributions.

On June 8, Skye Pillsbury opened the latest edition of her newsletter, The Squeeze, with the header RIP Gimlet. She continued:I'm heartbroken over the news that Spotify has laid off another 200 podcast employees, though I'm not shocked.— Skye Pillsbury, The SqueezeI devoured Alex Blumberg's Startup when it first came out, which was about a year before I started podcasting. Then, I inhaled Reply All when it launched, and despite its later troubles, was genuinely moved by its final episode. I lapped up Blumberg's earnest interviews with entrepreneurs on Without Fail. I even had the privilege of interviewing Blumberg during a course I taught at CreativeLive.I followed Gimlet's acquisition by Spotify with interest (and a healthy dose of skepticism). The bumpy ride that they've had since then was utterly predictable. Though, like Pillsbury, I find the news that Gimlet is no more—at least in any recognizable sense—quite upsetting.This short dispatch is about podcasting and the podcast industry—but really, it's about why we shouldn't judge success—or run companies—using the logic of Wall Street.Footnotes: "RIP Gimlet" in The Squeeze by Skye Pillsbury "Spotify to Layoff 200 Employees in Podcast Strategy Shift" by Amanda Holpuch, New York Times Startup by Alex Blumberg & Gimlet Media (Excerpts from Season 1, Episodes 1, 2, and 4) Reply All by Alex Goldman, Emmanuel Dsotzi, PJ Vogt, and Gimlet Media  Without Fail by Alex Blumberg & Gimlet Media "Podcast Companies, Once Walking on Air, Feel the Strain of Gravity" by Reggie Ugwu, New York Times "A U.F.O. Podcast Zooms Past the Competition" by Reggie Ugwu, New York Times "Crooked Media Hires Vice's Lucinda Treat as First CEO, Gets Funding From George Soros' Investment Firm" by Todd Spangler, Variety "'You Paid WHAT?!' Or, How Echo Chambers Distort Prices and the Way We Think" by Tara McMullin Love What Works?Become a paid subscriber and get twice-monthly bonus episodes, the chance to write in with questions, and more for just $7/month. Upgrade your subscription at: taramcmullin.substack.com/subscribeOr, share the show with a friend! You'll help out What Works and start a great conversation!Every episode is also published in essay form at: taramcmullin.substack.com ★ Support this podcast ★

This week we *literally* sit down with the Director of the Center or Entrepreneurial Studies and Clinical Assistant Professor in the Carson College of Business at Washington State University, Marie Mayes. When she isn't improving the experience for students on campus, she is teaching Launching New Ventures and New Venture Planning courses. Mayes talks to us about the hurdles for young entrepreneurs in today's world, and what she thinks is the magic that makes the most successful type of business leader. Resources in this episode: Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans StartUp (Podcast) hosted by Alex Blumberg and Lisa Chow Connect with Marie here (since she doesn't have social): WSU Entrepreneurship Instagram @wsu_entrp Join our Investor Portal: https://yieldcoach.investnext.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/yieldcoach/message

Today's guest is Alex Blumberg, who is most recently the co-host of the climate change-focused podcast, How to Save a Planet. Alex was co-founder and CEO of Gimlet Media, which was acquired by Spotify in 2019. Alex has a history of unpacking incredibly complex systemic issues and making them digestible for mass audiences. Prior to Gimlet, he was co-host of the podcast Planet Money, which had its origins in unpacking the intricacies of the financial crisis of 2008 and the role of the housing market, therein.Planet Money went on to do investigative work on a myriad of economic and financial stories. And then Gimlet Media emerged with a similar focus on broader cultural topics. On this pod, we've talked to a few different entrepreneurs who've tackled the challenging problem of climate communications, from Climate Town's comedy, to Pique Action's positivity, to The Cool Down's attempts to hook new audiences into caring about climate via individual choices. How to Save a Planet, focused on helping people find their personal agency on the Venn diagram of the intersection of "What brings you joy, what you are good at, and what work needs doing."Alex and Cody have a conversation about how his own Venn diagram has changed as his skills have shifted from being good at podcasting to being experienced a company building. And they talk about how the broader narrative on climate change has changed over the last few years and why. They also cover the intersection of money and climate and the role of policy and politics therein. This discussion has great takeaways for those who are thinking about plugging themselves into climate-related efforts while leveraging their own skill, and for those working on communicating complex climate issues.In this episode, we cover: [3:11] Overarching thoughts about the housing crisis and the climate crisis[8:41] Public opinion and general awareness of climate change and the issues[13:10] The action side of climate communications and how Alex approached it on How to Save a Planet[17:10] Listener stories inspired by the podcast[19:00] Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson's Climate Action Venn Diagram [22:39] How Alex used his skills in podcasting  to drive climate action[24:57] His background in radio and narrative storytelling[32:44] How Gimlet Media came to be and an overview of Startup Podcast[38:28] Learnings from Alex's journey starting Gimlet through its acquisition by Spotify in 2019[43:45] How to harness personal agency while building a company[47:11] Situations where using climate change or climate benefits actually hurts business[51:39] Alex's thoughts on ESG and corporate action[57:26] What's next for AlexGet connected: Cody Simms Twitter / LinkedInAlex Blumberg TwitterMCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on December 13, 2022. 

In 1525, the Archbishop of Glasgow placed a curse on the Elliott family. Now, 500 years later, one very unlucky branch of the Elliotts wants it lifted. Credits Heavyweight is hosted and produced by Jonathan Goldstein. This episode was produced by supervising producer Stevie Lane, and Mohini Madgavkar. The senior producer is Kalila Holt. Special thanks to Emily Condon, Alex Blumberg, Valentina Powers, Max Green, Damiano Marchetti, and Jackie Cohen. The show was mixed by Bobby Lord.  Music by Christine Fellows, John K Samson, Michael Hearst, Blue Dot Sessions, Sean Jacobi, Gideon Freudmann, Hew Time, Jaybird Blonde, Roma, and Bobby Lord. Our theme song is by The Weakerthans courtesy of Epitaph Records. Dillon Elliott has been volunteering for a suicide-prevention organization, Samaritans, for years. To find out more about their important work, visit www.samaritans.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is Nick hearing his dead brother's voice in a song by a Grammy-nominated musician? Credits Heavyweight is hosted and produced by Jonathan Goldstein. This episode was produced by senior producer Kalila Holt, along with Mohini Madgavkar. The supervising producer is Stevie Lane. "We Are the Paradox" is by The Brilliant. Written and produced by James Moss/Jake Wherry at The Herbgarden. Guitars/Bass/Keys/Programming by Jake Wherry. Vocals/Programming/Keys by James Moss. Special thanks to to to Chris's parents, Steve and Stephanie, as well as to Emily Condon, Steve Marsh, Liz Fulton, Max Green, Ellen Frankman, Nathalie Russell, Alex Blumberg, and Jackie Cohen The show was mixed by Bobby Lord.  Music by Christine Fellows, John K Samson, Blue Dot Sessions, Angular Wave Research, Lamalo, and Bobby Lord. Our theme song is by The Weakerthans courtesy of Epitaph Records. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For Jesse, Tori has always been the one that got away. Credits This Heavyweight short was hosted and produced by Stevie Lane, along with Mohini Madgavkar and Jonathan Goldstein. The senior producer is Kalila Holt. Production help from Damiano Marchetti. Special thanks to Special thanks to Emily Condon, Alex Blumberg, and Sanya Dosani. The show was mixed by Bobby Lord.  Music by Christine Fellows, John K Samson, Ben Alleman, Aaron Paul Low, Michael Charles Smith, and Bobby Lord. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The new season of Heavyweight is out now, and to celebrate, we are re-releasing episodes from Season 6. When Mark was in college, his dream was to be a famous painter. It's a dream he missed out on by only an inch. This is the story of that inch. Credits This episode of Heavyweight was hosted and produced by Stevie Lane, along with Mohini Madgavkar and Jonathan Goldstein. The senior producer is Kalila Holt. Special thanks to Emily Condon, Alex Blumberg, Phoebe Flanigan, Reyhan Harmanci, Andrea B Scott, and Bobby Lord. The show is mixed by Bobby Lord.  Music by Christine Fellows, John K Samson, Michael Hearts, Sean Jacobi, Bobby Lord, Hew Time, Of Tropique, Bauble, and Virginia Violet and the Rays. Our theme song is by The Weakerthans courtesy of Epitaph Records. If you want to check out Joe Zucker's work, you can find out more at: www.joezucker.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What is hypnosis? Is it mind control? Are some people just faking? We're revisiting this episode in which we explore the science of hypnosis and take Science Vs to the edge of consciousness. In the service of journalism, Wendy tries to get hypnotized at a comedy club and in a doctor's office. We talk to comedian Jim Spinnato, Prof. Philip Muskin, Prof. Amanda Barnier, and Prof. Amir Raz.  Find our transcript here: bit.ly/sciencevshypnosis  This episode was produced by Heather Rogers, Michelle Dang and Wendy Zukerman, with help from Kaitlyn Sawrey, Austin Mitchell, Diane Wu, and Shruti Ravindran. Edited by Annie-Rose Strasser, Caitlin Kenney and Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Michelle Harris and Ekedi Fausther-Keeys. Sound design and music production by Matthew Boll, mixed by Martin Peralta and Peter Leonard. Music written by Martin Peralta, Bobby Lord, Peter Leonard and Emma Munger. Thanks to Alex Blumberg for being the man that spoke pretty often in the end … and Jonathan Goldstein from the very amazing podcast Heavyweight for being our CIA agent. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This Week: Apple Podcasts is using machine learning to tag episodes, IAB to require annual recertification, Edison Research shares Share of Ear Q3 statistic, and Headliner announces automated YouTube integration. Bumper Discovers Apple Podcasts Assigns Topics Automatically. Manuela: This Tuesday Bumper co-founder Dan Misener posted a new discovery that explains how Apple Podcasts can recommend individual podcast episodes based on topics discussed. The example Misener uses is an episode of Today, Explained which, if one opens the web page source on Apple Podcasts, is tagged with twenty topics ranging from broader concepts like ‘world politics' to individual names of celebrities and politicians mentioned in the episode. The catch? Those keywords and topics do not appear anywhere in the episode description or RSS feed. The only way to assign them to that particular episode is a transcript. From the article:  “Here's my best guess: Apple is using machine-generated transcriptions, then applying natural language processing techniques like topic modeling to generate lists of relevant topics on an episode-by-episode basis.” According to Misener's reporting, the current top 250 podcasts on Apple Podcasts consists of 70,094 episodes. Approximately 63.5% of those episodes are currently tagged with topics generated by Apple.  “Here's my best guess: Apple is using machine-generated transcriptions, then applying natural language processing techniques like topic modeling to generate lists of relevant topics on an episode-by-episode basis.”The topics are also ranked with a per-episode relevance score and appear to be integrated into the Apple Podcasts search function. Misener tested this by searching the phrase ‘war in Donbass,' which he had seen as a tag on Today, Explained. Apple Podcasts returned an episode of The Inquiry that discusses the issue at length, but also does not specifically include those keywords in the title or description. This suggests the assigned topics influenced its search ranking. As Misener says in his breakdown of what this means for podcasters, the implications of this automated topic system are numerous and all signal better relevancy in podcast discovery. SEO now goes far beyond what they chose to include in RSS feeds. In response to the Bumper article, Podnews has quickly developed an episode topic viewer. Visitors can type in the name of a podcast and choose one of the 20 most recent uploads to see what topics Apple has assigned. That is, if it has been assigned any at all. Unfortunately the Sounds Profitable feed has not been fed through their machine learning, so we don't know what Apple thinks last week's episode of The Download is about.  IAB to require annual recertification.  Shreya: Last Thursday Podnews reported the Interactive Advertising Bureau is now requiring annual re-certification from podcasting companies. The information came from a note Podnews editor James Cridland discovered on the IAB website. From the IAB post: “As podcast listenership increases and the technology to support that listenership improves, the podcast technical measurement capabilities are continuing to evolve at a rapid pace. As such, and to be aligned with other industry auditing programs, IAB Tech Lab is updating its compliance program to require annual recertification. “ The post then cites the fact several complaint companies were certified on the 2.0 version of the standards but have not re-certified under 2.1. As of this podcast 12 of the 25 companies on the IAB list are certified for 2.1.  For context: version 1 of the Measurement Technical Guidelines was released in September of 2016. Version 2.0 released the following September. Version 2.1 released five years later, finalizing in February of 2022. The bulk of the updates in 2.1 involve guidelines blocking the Apple Watch user agent to prevent duplicate download stats. Members of the audio committee and the tech lab were not briefed on the upcoming changes prior to Cridland's reporting on this story. Using numbers available on the IAB website, the original Podnews report cited the cost for annual recertification at $45,000, split between a $35k certification fee and $10,000 annual membership fee. The page has since been updated to reflect previously un-announced, cheaper certification prices. Now the cost of initial certification is $17,500 for non-members and $12,500 for members. Recertification will cost $8,750 and $6,250 for the same respective categories.  Reducing the price for certification is a step in the right direction, creating more competition and reinforcing standards that others are likely to flaunt when compared against those who decide to merely be IAB compliant instead of IAB certified.An issue remains the recertification itself, as the process has had a life cycle of six years between 2.0 and 2.1 with no commitment whatsoever to improvements in the certification process to drive interest into certification. Third party solutions like Podtrac have been shown to receive special accommodations that allow them to uphold questionable behaviors. The most recent example of such behavior being Podtrac's honoring of downloads for iHeartRadio podcasts generated by auto-playing web players into video game ads, classifying them as legitimate.  Going forward, we hope the IAB standard is applied consistently, updated with more regularity, and accessible to as many companies in the space as possible. Podcast reach with people 13+ growing, Share of Ear shows.  Manuela: Last Thursday Edison Research published a bit of data from the Q3 Share of Ear that shows good news for the growth of podcasting. The issue of Weekly Insights opens with fond recollections of Cliffhanger, a popular price-guessing game segment on the game show The Price is Right. The game featured a model of a mountain climber making his way up a cartoon mountain based on correct or incorrect bids made by the contestant.  A mountain not unlike the positive trending growth represented in the graph  “In 2014, the first year of the Share of Ear survey, podcasts reached 5% of those in the U.S. age 13+. As of our most recent data, Q3 2022, podcasts now reach 18% of those age 13+ in the U.S. — a 20% increase in the past year (Q3 2021), and over three times the reach of 2014. The years in between show a steady growth in reach. There have been some fluctuations in podcast reach from quarter to quarter as we saw the beginning and end of quarantine restrictions, but this graph that shows the climb of podcast reach should be encouraging for the podcast community.”  Headliner Releases YouTube Auto-Upload Shreya: This Monday the Headliner blog posted a video and short article announcing their newest feature. “YouTube has become one of the hot ticket items in podcasting, and for good reason. Each month over 2.6 Billion people go to the site and watch videos. YouTube is a great place to get your podcast in front of new audience and increase your listenership. If you want to get your podcast on YouTube, but have a bunch of older episodes that you'd like to upload, this feature will save you tons of time.”  In addition to Headliner's normal offerings that allow podcasters to generate animated video clips for social media from their podcast audio, Headliner subscribers at the Pro and Enterprise level can now create a template that will then automatically generate a full-episode video and upload it to the podcast's YouTube channel. This automation comes at the perfect time as YouTube pushes its interest in podcasting and podcasters, small and large, comes to terms with sizable backlogs of audio-only content.  Fundraiser Roundup Manuela: Occasionally when there have been a few stories involving fundraising in podcasting and podcasting-adjacent companies, we graduate them from Quick Hits into their own small segment. Today we have two success stories to round out our coverage of news from the past week: Last Wednesday Swedish audiobook and ebook subscription service Storytel announced they have raised 400 million krona,  equivalent to 37 million US dollars.  Then, on this Tuesday, French digital audio and podcast monetization startup Audion announced they have raised six million euros in Series A funding.  Quick Hits Shreya: Finally, it's time for our semi-regular roundup of articles we're calling Quick Hits. These are articles that didn't quite make the cut for today's episode, but are still worth including in your weekend reading. This week:  Alex Blumberg is leaving Spotify. A tweet from New York Times reporter Ben Mullin last Tuesday announced the Gimlet Media and Startup star has left Spotify, where he has worked on Gimlet since its $230 million dollar acquisition in 2019. Goodbye Podland, hello to Podnews Weekly Review. On November 4th the Podnews Weekly Review published its 100th and final episode, technically. The feed has been rebranded to Podnews Weekly Review, starting with its first episode last Thursday.  The Download is a production of Sounds Profitable. Today's episode was hosted by Shreya Sharma and Manuela Bedoya, and the script was written by Gavin Gaddis. Bryan Barletta and Tom Webster are the executive producers of The Download from Sounds Profitable.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This Week: Apple Podcasts is using machine learning to tag episodes, IAB to require annual recertification, Edison Research shares Share of Ear Q3 statistic, and Headliner announces automated YouTube integration. Bumper Discovers Apple Podcasts Assigns Topics Automatically. Manuela: This Tuesday Bumper co-founder Dan Misener posted a new discovery that explains how Apple Podcasts can recommend individual podcast episodes based on topics discussed. The example Misener uses is an episode of Today, Explained which, if one opens the web page source on Apple Podcasts, is tagged with twenty topics ranging from broader concepts like ‘world politics' to individual names of celebrities and politicians mentioned in the episode. The catch? Those keywords and topics do not appear anywhere in the episode description or RSS feed. The only way to assign them to that particular episode is a transcript. From the article:  “Here's my best guess: Apple is using machine-generated transcriptions, then applying natural language processing techniques like topic modeling to generate lists of relevant topics on an episode-by-episode basis.” According to Misener's reporting, the current top 250 podcasts on Apple Podcasts consists of 70,094 episodes. Approximately 63.5% of those episodes are currently tagged with topics generated by Apple.  “Here's my best guess: Apple is using machine-generated transcriptions, then applying natural language processing techniques like topic modeling to generate lists of relevant topics on an episode-by-episode basis.”The topics are also ranked with a per-episode relevance score and appear to be integrated into the Apple Podcasts search function. Misener tested this by searching the phrase ‘war in Donbass,' which he had seen as a tag on Today, Explained. Apple Podcasts returned an episode of The Inquiry that discusses the issue at length, but also does not specifically include those keywords in the title or description. This suggests the assigned topics influenced its search ranking. As Misener says in his breakdown of what this means for podcasters, the implications of this automated topic system are numerous and all signal better relevancy in podcast discovery. SEO now goes far beyond what they chose to include in RSS feeds. In response to the Bumper article, Podnews has quickly developed an episode topic viewer. Visitors can type in the name of a podcast and choose one of the 20 most recent uploads to see what topics Apple has assigned. That is, if it has been assigned any at all. Unfortunately the Sounds Profitable feed has not been fed through their machine learning, so we don't know what Apple thinks last week's episode of The Download is about.  IAB to require annual recertification.  Shreya: Last Thursday Podnews reported the Interactive Advertising Bureau is now requiring annual re-certification from podcasting companies. The information came from a note Podnews editor James Cridland discovered on the IAB website. From the IAB post: “As podcast listenership increases and the technology to support that listenership improves, the podcast technical measurement capabilities are continuing to evolve at a rapid pace. As such, and to be aligned with other industry auditing programs, IAB Tech Lab is updating its compliance program to require annual recertification. “ The post then cites the fact several complaint companies were certified on the 2.0 version of the standards but have not re-certified under 2.1. As of this podcast 12 of the 25 companies on the IAB list are certified for 2.1.  For context: version 1 of the Measurement Technical Guidelines was released in September of 2016. Version 2.0 released the following September. Version 2.1 released five years later, finalizing in February of 2022. The bulk of the updates in 2.1 involve guidelines blocking the Apple Watch user agent to prevent duplicate download stats. Members of the audio committee and the tech lab were not briefed on the upcoming changes prior to Cridland's reporting on this story. Using numbers available on the IAB website, the original Podnews report cited the cost for annual recertification at $45,000, split between a $35k certification fee and $10,000 annual membership fee. The page has since been updated to reflect previously un-announced, cheaper certification prices. Now the cost of initial certification is $17,500 for non-members and $12,500 for members. Recertification will cost $8,750 and $6,250 for the same respective categories.  Reducing the price for certification is a step in the right direction, creating more competition and reinforcing standards that others are likely to flaunt when compared against those who decide to merely be IAB compliant instead of IAB certified.An issue remains the recertification itself, as the process has had a life cycle of six years between 2.0 and 2.1 with no commitment whatsoever to improvements in the certification process to drive interest into certification. Third party solutions like Podtrac have been shown to receive special accommodations that allow them to uphold questionable behaviors. The most recent example of such behavior being Podtrac's honoring of downloads for iHeartRadio podcasts generated by auto-playing web players into video game ads, classifying them as legitimate.  Going forward, we hope the IAB standard is applied consistently, updated with more regularity, and accessible to as many companies in the space as possible. Podcast reach with people 13+ growing, Share of Ear shows.  Manuela: Last Thursday Edison Research published a bit of data from the Q3 Share of Ear that shows good news for the growth of podcasting. The issue of Weekly Insights opens with fond recollections of Cliffhanger, a popular price-guessing game segment on the game show The Price is Right. The game featured a model of a mountain climber making his way up a cartoon mountain based on correct or incorrect bids made by the contestant.  A mountain not unlike the positive trending growth represented in the graph  “In 2014, the first year of the Share of Ear survey, podcasts reached 5% of those in the U.S. age 13+. As of our most recent data, Q3 2022, podcasts now reach 18% of those age 13+ in the U.S. — a 20% increase in the past year (Q3 2021), and over three times the reach of 2014. The years in between show a steady growth in reach. There have been some fluctuations in podcast reach from quarter to quarter as we saw the beginning and end of quarantine restrictions, but this graph that shows the climb of podcast reach should be encouraging for the podcast community.”  Headliner Releases YouTube Auto-Upload Shreya: This Monday the Headliner blog posted a video and short article announcing their newest feature. “YouTube has become one of the hot ticket items in podcasting, and for good reason. Each month over 2.6 Billion people go to the site and watch videos. YouTube is a great place to get your podcast in front of new audience and increase your listenership. If you want to get your podcast on YouTube, but have a bunch of older episodes that you'd like to upload, this feature will save you tons of time.”  In addition to Headliner's normal offerings that allow podcasters to generate animated video clips for social media from their podcast audio, Headliner subscribers at the Pro and Enterprise level can now create a template that will then automatically generate a full-episode video and upload it to the podcast's YouTube channel. This automation comes at the perfect time as YouTube pushes its interest in podcasting and podcasters, small and large, comes to terms with sizable backlogs of audio-only content.  Fundraiser Roundup Manuela: Occasionally when there have been a few stories involving fundraising in podcasting and podcasting-adjacent companies, we graduate them from Quick Hits into their own small segment. Today we have two success stories to round out our coverage of news from the past week: Last Wednesday Swedish audiobook and ebook subscription service Storytel announced they have raised 400 million krona,  equivalent to 37 million US dollars.  Then, on this Tuesday, French digital audio and podcast monetization startup Audion announced they have raised six million euros in Series A funding.  Quick Hits Shreya: Finally, it's time for our semi-regular roundup of articles we're calling Quick Hits. These are articles that didn't quite make the cut for today's episode, but are still worth including in your weekend reading. This week:  Alex Blumberg is leaving Spotify. A tweet from New York Times reporter Ben Mullin last Tuesday announced the Gimlet Media and Startup star has left Spotify, where he has worked on Gimlet since its $230 million dollar acquisition in 2019. Goodbye Podland, hello to Podnews Weekly Review. On November 4th the Podnews Weekly Review published its 100th and final episode, technically. The feed has been rebranded to Podnews Weekly Review, starting with its first episode last Thursday.  The Download is a production of Sounds Profitable. Today's episode was hosted by Shreya Sharma and Manuela Bedoya, and the script was written by Gavin Gaddis. Bryan Barletta and Tom Webster are the executive producers of The Download from Sounds Profitable.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The new season of Heavyweight is out now, and to celebrate, we are re-releasing episodes from Season 6. This is the second and final part of episode #40 Barbara Shutt. So if you've not yet heard it, go back and listen to that first. Credits Heavyweight is hosted and produced by Jonathan Goldstein. This episode was produced by Stevie Lane, along with Mohini Madgavkar. The senior producer is Kalila Holt. Special thanks to Emily Condon, Alex Blumberg, Phia Bennin, Justin McGoldrick, JT Townsend, the Cincinnati History Museum, the Berea College Archives, and Jackie Cohen. The show was mixed by Bobby Lord.  Music by Christine Fellows, John K Samson, Sean Jacobi, Michael Hearst, Blue Dot Sessions, and Bobby Lord. Our theme song is by The Weakerthans courtesy of Epitaph Records. To read Lenore DePree's memoir, you can find it under the reissued title, "90 Brothers and Sisters." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben was just a kid when Sihan arrived from Korea. He lived with Ben's family for several years. And then one day, just as suddenly as he'd arrived, Sihan was gone. Ben has been trying to find him ever since. Credits Heavyweight is hosted and produced by Jonathan Goldstein. This episode was produced by Mohini Madgavkar. The Supervising Producer is Stevie Lane. The Senior Producer is Kalila Holt. Production help from Damiano Marchetti. Special thanks to Emily Condon, Brendan Klinkenberg, Lisa Wang, Alex Blumberg, Christopher Ibeling, and Jackie Cohen. The show was mixed by Bobby Lord.  Music by Christine Fellows, John K Samson, Ben Alleman, Bobby Lord, Blue Dot Sessions, Graham Barton, Liefie, and Bauble. Our theme song is by The Weakerthans courtesy of Epitaph Records. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Maia found a painting in the garbage and took it home. But as it turned out, it wasn't just any painting. Credits This episode was hosted and produced by senior producer Kalila Holt, along with Jonathan Goldstein. The supervising producer is Stevie Lane. Production help from Damiano Marchetti. Special thanks to Sam Reisman, Emily Condon, Alex Blumberg, Lydia Polgreen, Marcy Flynn, Karl McCool, Caitlin Kenney, and Kayla Lattimore. The show was mixed by Bobby Lord.  Music by Christine Fellows, John K Samson, Blue Dot Sessions, Michael Hearst, Sun Shapes, and Bobby Lord. Our theme song is by The Weakerthans courtesy of Epitaph Records. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A dead body turns up with a stolen identity. We tell the story of how a grandmother tracked down the truth — and helped create a whole new and controversial world of crime fighting. To tell this story, we talk to U.S. Marshal Peter Elliott, Dr. Margaret Press, and Phil Nichols. [REBROADCAST] CN: This episode discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, in the U.S. you can call or text 988 to reach the government's suicide and crisis help line. More mental health resources are available at spotify.com/resources. Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/3Rf1Vj1 This episode was produced by Rose Rimler and Kaitlyn Sawrey with help from Wendy Zukerman, Meryl Horn and Odelia Rubin. We're edited by Blythe Terrell. Editing help from Alex Blumberg and Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Michelle Harris and Ekedi Fausther-Keeys. Mix and sound design by Emma Munger. Music by Emma Munger and Bobby Lord. A huge thanks to all the people we got in touch with for this episode, including Dr. Colleen Fitzpatrick at DNA Doe Project and Curtis Rogers at GEDmatch. Recording help from Selene Ross, Tana Weingartner and Daniel Robison. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Dan's first date with his wife Nancy, a stranger took their photograph. Nineteen years later, Dan wants the photo back. But to get it, he'll have to face the last person he wants to. Credits Heavyweight is hosted and produced by Jonathan Goldstein. This episode was produced by supervising producer Stevie Lane, and Mohini Madgavkar. The senior producer is Kalila Holt. Production help from Damiano Marchetti. Special thanks to Emily Condon, Alex Blumberg, Caitlin Kenney, Phoebe Flanigan, and Jackie Cohen. Nancy Updike, who you heard in this episode, is coming out with a new series called We Were Three, which drops on October 13th, from Serial Productions. The show was mixed by Bobby Lord.  Music by Christine Fellows, John K Samson, Michael Hearst, Blue Dot Sessions, Aaron Paul Low, Tropique, and Bobby Lord. Our theme song is by The Weakerthans courtesy of Epitaph Records. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sara received a letter from a woman with the exact same name as her. In it, the woman claimed to be her childhood best friend. The only problem? Sara doesn't remember this person. At all. Credits Heavyweight is hosted and produced by Jonathan Goldstein. This episode was produced by supervising producer Stevie Lane, and Mohini Madgavkar. The senior producer is Kalila Holt. Production help from Damiano Marchetti. Special thanks to Emily Condon, Alex Blumberg, Mimi O'Donnell, Sanya Dosani, Rosie Guerin, and Jackie Cohen. Thank you also to Professor George Bonanno, author of the book The End of Trauma. The show was mixed by Bobby Lord.  Music by Christine Fellows, John K Samson, Blue Dot Sessions, Florian Le Prise, and Bobby Lord. Our theme song is by The Weakerthans courtesy of Epitaph Records. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. And in their opinion, we found a lot of scientific-sounding statements. So we wanted to find out whether these statements are true. We'll tell you what actually happens in an abortion, whether a fetus can feel pain, and what the risks are for a pregnant person. We visit an abortion clinic in Texas and talk to Dr. Amita Murthy, Dr. Lisa Harris, and Dr. Diana Greene Foster. Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/3OBfveK This episode was produced by Heather Rogers, Meryl Horn, Wendy Zukerman, Ben Kuebrich, Kaitlyn Sawrey, Shruti Ravindran, Courtney Gilbert, Rose Rimler and Michelle Dang. Edited by Annie-Rose Strasser and Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Diane Kelly and Ekedi Fausther-Keeys. Extra help with production and editorial from Rachel Ward, Alex Blumberg and Jorge Just. Music production and original music written by Bobby Lord. Mix and sound design by Bobby Lord, Catherine Anderson and Emma Munger. Thanks to Dr. Lola Pellegrino, Ronnie Shankar, Dr. Diane Horvath-Cosper, Rachel Jones, Elizabeth Nash, Dr Yoon-Jin Kim, Delma Limones. and Gilda Sedgh. Also thanks to Katie Bishop and Reverend David Gushee.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We sat down with one of the most influential people in tech, Lorenzo Thione, who shares his very inspiring journey and how that led him to be where he is today. Lorenzo grew up in Milan, Italy and had a technical background at an early age. He completed his studies at the University of Texas at Austin, from which he holds a M.S. in Computer Engineering. He is now the Managing Director of Gaingels, a leading LGBTQIA+/Allies investment syndicate and one of the largest and most active private investors in North America. He is also the co-founding Chairman of StartOut, Chairman of the Board at Social Edge, and previously co-founded Powerset, a natural-language search engine startup sold to Microsoft for $100 million in 2008. Lorenzo is named one of the most influential LGBT people in tech in 2014 and 2018 and his dedication in supporting and elevating leaders of the LGBTQ+ in the venture startup is amazing. As the Managing Producer at Sing Out, Louis! Productions, he is also a Tony-Award winner (Hadestown, The Inheritance). He produced and co-created the Broadway musical, Allegiance starring George Takei and Lea Salonga. He is currently working in a new original musical, Indigo, as well as The Elephant Whisperer. We covered a lot of ground in this episode, including: Topics Discussed: Where his passion comes from and how Lorenzo found entrepreneurship. Helping others to build a diverse company by providing more than just funding. The different companies that he had a part in building. His mark on Broadway. How your descent can make a difference in your future and your thinking. How the model of angel groups is evolving to syndicates and SPV's. The role of a “Platform” strategy to help Gaingels portfolio companies. What does Lorenzo think about the future of Venture Capital.   Quote of the Episode: “Strategic Value, what is all being brought to the table”   The Greatest Piece of Advice: His mentor told him to, “ be obsessive, about how you can add value, to your own network and relationships” Links & show notes from this episode: Lorenzo Thione on Bio Lorenzo Thione on LinkedIn Lorenzo Thione on Twitter Gaingels StartOut Shearshare Bryan Janeczko episode   ========== Visit Ambition Today on the Web: ​www.siskar.co/ambitiontoday Follow Kevin Siskar on Twitter: ​twitter.com/TheSiskar Follow Kevin Siskar on Instagram: instagram.com/thesiskar Follow Kevin Siskar on Facebook: facebook.com/kevin.siskar Add Kevin Siskar on Snapchat: snapchat.com/add/krsiskar Kevin Siskar brings you ambitious entrepreneurs inspired by Tim Ferriss Show, How I Built This with Guy Raz, Residual Income, Entrepreneur on Fire, NPR, HBR, TED Radio Hour, the StartUp podcast with Alex Blumberg by Gimlet Media, Pat Flynn, Tony Robbins, The Uncertain Hour, Bigger Pockets, Art of Charm, Dave Ramsey, Planet Money, Jocko Podcast, EntreLeadership, Zigler, APM Marketplace, This Week In Startups with Jason Calacanis, Mixergy, Seth Godin, Joe Rogan Experience, GaryVee, James Altucher, Monocle 24, How to Start a Startup, Crooked Media, and The $100 MBA Show with Omar Zenhom, and Casey Neistat. Be sure to listen and subscribe to Ambition Today in the iTunes Store for iOS (apple.co/1NRRPzL), on Google Play Music (goo.gl/LmmciJ), or on Stitcher for Android (bit.ly/1Rn01dy).

When a little girl, Ella Kissi-Debrah, suddenly got sick and landed in the hospital, doctors were stumped. In this episode, her mom, Rosamund, takes on the fight to find out what exactly happened to Ella. And the answer has BIG implications — for us all. We'll hear from Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah and Professor Stephen Holgate. Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/3z17Gdv This episode was produced by Ekedi Fausther-Keeys with help from Rose Rimler, Wendy Zukerman, Michelle Dang, Meryl Horn, and Courtney Gilbert. We're edited by Blythe Terrell. Wendy Zukerman is the Executive Producer. Extra help from Saidu Tejan-Thomas, Nicole Beemsterboer, Kendra Pierre-Louis, and Alex Blumberg. Fact checking by Erica Akiko Howard. Mix and sound design by Bumi Hidaka. Music written by Bumi Hidaka, Peter Leonard, Emma Munger, Bobby Lord and SoWylie. Thanks to the researchers and experts we got in touch with for this episode, including Jocelyn Cockburn, Professor Vernon Morris, Dr. George Thurston, Dr. Lauren Zajac, Dr. Jennifer Burney, Dr. Sacoby Wilson, Dr. Melissa Burroughs, Dr Wei Peng, Professor Barbara Hoffman, Dr. Michael Craig, and Dr. Wes Austin. Special thanks to Rachel Humphreys, BBC Motion Gallery / Getty Images, Jonah Delso, Jackie Llanos, The Zukerman Family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

U.S. politicians are trying to keep trans kids from getting the medical care they need to transition — and states are banning them from playing on the sports teams that match their gender. So we're looking at the science here, and asking: are the medical treatments for trans kids dangerous? And do trans folks have an advantage when it comes to sports? We talk to Florence Ashley, Dr. Jack Turban, and Joanna Harper to find out. Note: in this episode we discuss suicide and self-harm. Please take care when listening to the show, and here are some resources: Trans Lifeline: A Trans peer support hotline: 1-877-565-8860 Trevor Project: crisis support services to LGBTQ young people: Call 1-866-488-7386 or Text ‘START' to 678-678 US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or text the Crisis Text Line (text HELLO to 741741).  International suicide hotlines: https://www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines  Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/3tmtFsh  This episode was produced by Meryl Horn, Rasha Aridi, Ekedi Fausther-Keeys, and Wendy Zukerman with help from Michelle Dang, Rose Rimler, and Courtney Gilbert. We're edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Nick DelRose. Consulting by Rebecca Kling. Music written by Mr Mu Menage, Leon Trapedera, Robby Bold, and Lucas Ambarga. Thanks to the experts we got in touch with for this episode, including Dr. Arjee Javellana Restar, Dr. Jody Herman, and Dr. Toni D'Orsay. Very special thanks to all the trans kids and their parents we heard from, Crispin Torres, Alex Blumberg, Jack Weinstein, the Zukerman family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the fall we sat down with one of the godfathers of Venture Capital, Jordan Levy, who shares his very inspiring founder story and how that led to his career as an investor. Jordan co-founded Software Distribution Services which was acquired by Ingram Micro, before going on to be a Partner on the early-stage investing team at SoftBank Capital (SBNY) for 16 years. Jordan has served on the boards of BuzzFeed, TalkSpace, Work Market, ACV Auctions, and many others. Using his upbringing and religion to pay it forward (Tzedakah) to the community that he grew up in, in Buffalo, New York. Jordy also co-founded Z80 Labs, a startup incubator in Buffalo, and 43North, an accelerator that hosts an annual startup competition, investing $5M per year in Buffalo, NY. We cover a lot of ground in this episode, including:   Topics Discussed: Building Software Distribution Services in the early days of venture capital. How to think about the private vs public markets. The intricacies of SPACs vs the IPO. Lessons learned from decades of investments. Betting on the first days of the internet and what has changed since. Investing through the dot com boom and bust. How ACV Auctions re-defined the auto market. The importance of investing in people over markets, trends, and other aspects of the business.   Quote of the Episode: “You invest in the people and I will always believe that” and “if you don't think someone can take this company to the promised land, then don't invest in them.”   The Greatest Piece of Advice: As his grandmother passed down to him, “never go to bed angry with your wife.” Links & show notes from this episode: Jordan Levy's Bio Jordan Levy on LinkedIn Jordan Levy on Twitter Finta 43North ========== Visit Ambition Today on the Web: ​www.siskar.co/ambitiontoday Follow Kevin Siskar on Twitter: ​twitter.com/TheSiskar Follow Kevin Siskar on Instagram: instagram.com/thesiskar Follow Kevin Siskar on Facebook: facebook.com/kevin.siskar Add Kevin Siskar on Snapchat: snapchat.com/add/krsiskar Kevin Siskar brings you ambitious entrepreneurs inspired by Tim Ferriss Show, How I Built This with Guy Raz, Residual Income, Entrepreneur on Fire, NPR, HBR, TED Radio Hour, the StartUp podcast with Alex Blumberg by Gimlet Media, Pat Flynn, Tony Robbins, The Uncertain Hour, Bigger Pockets, Art of Charm, Dave Ramsey, Planet Money, Jocko Podcast, EntreLeadership, Zigler, APM Marketplace, This Week In Startups with Jason Calacanis, Mixergy, Seth Godin, Joe Rogan Experience, GaryVee, James Altucher, Monocle 24, How to Start a Startup, Crooked Media, and The $100 MBA Show with Omar Zenhom, and Casey Neistat. Be sure to listen and subscribe to Ambition Today in the iTunes Store for iOS (apple.co/1NRRPzL), on Google Play Music (goo.gl/LmmciJ), or on Stitcher for Android (bit.ly/1Rn01dy).

When Maura was 17, her favorite cousin died in a car crash. Maura's been too afraid to drive ever since. But now, a decade later, she wants to face her fear. Credits This episode of Heavyweight was hosted and produced by Kalila Holt, Mohini Madgavkar, Stevie Lane, and Jonathan Goldstein. Special thanks to Emily Condon, Augie Goldstein, Alex Blumberg, Bethel Habte, Anna Foley, Lynn Levy, Paul Bowman, Zac Schmidt, and Jackie Cohen. The show is mixed by Bobby Lord.  Music by Christine Fellows, John K Samson, Sean Jacobi, Bobby Lord, Blue Dot Sessions, Hew Time, and Bauble. Our theme song is by The Weakerthans courtesy of Epitaph Records. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Maura was 17, her favorite cousin died in a car crash. Maura's been too afraid to drive ever since. But now, a decade later, she wants to face her fear. Credits This episode of Heavyweight was hosted and produced by Kalila Holt, Mohini Madgavkar, Stevie Lane, and Jonathan Goldstein. Special thanks to Emily Condon, Augie Goldstein, Alex Blumberg, Bethel Habte, Anna Foley, Lynn Levy, Paul Bowman, Zac Schmidt, and Jackie Cohen. The show is mixed by Bobby Lord.  Music by Christine Fellows, John K Samson, Sean Jacobi, Bobby Lord, Blue Dot Sessions, Hew Time, and Bauble. Our theme song is by The Weakerthans courtesy of Epitaph Records. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Mark was in college, his dream was to be a famous painter. It's a dream he missed out on by only an inch. This is the story of that inch. Credits This episode of Heavyweight was hosted and produced by Stevie Lane, along with Mohini Madgavkar and Jonathan Goldstein. The senior producer is Kalila Holt. Special thanks to Emily Condon, Alex Blumberg, Phoebe Flanigan, Reyhan Harmanci, Andrea B Scott, and Bobby Lord. The show is mixed by Bobby Lord.  Music by Christine Fellows, John K Samson, Michael Hearts, Sean Jacobi, Bobby Lord, Hew Time, Of Tropique, Bauble, and Virginia Violet and the Rays. Our theme song is by The Weakerthans courtesy of Epitaph Records. If you want to check out Joe Zucker's work, you can find out more at: www.joezucker.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is the second and final part of episode #40 Barbara Shutt. So if you've not yet heard it, go back and listen to that first. Credits Heavyweight is hosted and produced by Jonathan Goldstein. This episode was produced by Stevie Lane, along with Mohini Madgavkar. The senior producer is Kalila Holt. Special thanks to Emily Condon, Alex Blumberg, Phia Bennin, Justin McGoldrick, JT Townsend, the Cincinnati History Museum, the Berea College Archives, and Jackie Cohen. The show was mixed by Bobby Lord.  Music by Christine Fellows, John K Samson, Sean Jacobi, Michael Hearst, Blue Dot Sessions, and Bobby Lord. Our theme song is by The Weakerthans courtesy of Epitaph Records. To read Lenore DePree's memoir, you can find it under the reissued title, "90 Brothers and Sisters." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1968, Jonathan's mother-in-law Becky spent one of the best summers of her life with a woman named Barbara. But then they never spoke again. Now, over fifty years later, Becky learns something about Barbara that makes her question whether she ever really knew her at all. Credits Heavyweight is hosted and produced by Jonathan Goldstein. This episode was produced by Stevie Lane, along with Mohini Madgavkar. The senior producer is Kalila Holt. Special thanks to Emily Condon, Alex Blumberg, Brendan Klinkenberg, Mitch Hansen, Phia Bennin, Justin McGoldrick, JT Townsend, Rachel Strom, Mark Barlett, Jason Alexander at the Hamilton County Clerk of Courts, and Jackie Cohen. The show was mixed by Bobby Lord.  Music by Christine Fellows, John K Samson, Blue Dot Sessions, Hew Time, Lullatone, Shanghai Restoration Project, and Bobby Lord. Our theme song is by The Weakerthans courtesy of Epitaph Records. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is the second and final part of last week's episode. So if you've not yet heard the episode “Justine,” go back and listen to that first. Credits Heavyweight is hosted and produced by Jonathan Goldstein. This episode was produced by senior producer Kalila Holt, along with Stevie Lane and Mohini Madgavkar. Special thanks to Emily Condon, Jorge Just, Alex Blumberg, Sharon Mashihi, Connie Walker, Isabelle Larreur, and Jackie Cohen. News footage courtesy of Gray Media Group, Inc. and WAVE 3 News. The show was mixed by Bobby Lord.  Music by Christine Fellows, John K Samson, Blue Dot Sessions, Katie Mullins, and Bobby Lord. The song Stephen listens to in the episode is “The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack” by Liars. Our theme song is by The Weakerthans courtesy of Epitaph Records. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Growing up, Justine's father always told her unbelievable stories about his life: that he was a big winner on Jeopardy; an outlaw who robbed banks armed only with flowers. But now, as an adult, Justine has started to question—are her father's stories so unbelievable because none of them are true? In the process of fact-checking her dad's life, something surprising emerges that neither Justine nor Jonathan ever saw coming. Credits Heavyweight is hosted and produced by Jonathan Goldstein. This episode was produced by senior producer Kalila Holt, along with Stevie Lane and Mohini Madgavkar. Special thanks to Emily Condon, Alex Blumberg, Sharon Mashihi, Connie Walker, and Marie-Claude. The show was mixed by Bobby Lord.  Music by Christine Fellows, John K Samson, Blue Dot Sessions, Ben Alleman, Bauble, Chris Zabriskie, Shanghai Restoration Project, and Bobby Lord. Our theme song is by The Weakerthans courtesy of Epitaph Records. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Before he became a best-selling author, John Green was going to dedicate his life to God. Until he crossed paths with Nick. Twenty years later, John sets off to find Nick and revisit the day that changed the course of both their lives. Credits Heavyweight is hosted and produced by Jonathan Goldstein. This episode was produced by senior producer Kalila Holt, along with Stevie Lane and Mohini Madgavkar. Special thanks to Emily Condon, Reverend Patricia Shelden, Alex Blumberg, Caitlin Kenney, Gabby Bulgarelli, and Jackie Cohen. The show was mixed by Bobby Lord.  Music by Christine Fellows, John K Samson, Blue Dot Sessions, and Bobby Lord. Our theme song is by The Weakerthans courtesy of Epitaph Records. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Throughout high school, Brandon was a misfit. Then one day, out of the blue, one of the school's prettiest, most popular girls asked him to prom. Fifteen years later, Brandon wants to know: why him? Credits Heavyweight is hosted and produced by Jonathan Goldstein. This episode was produced by Stevie Lane, and Mohini Madgavkar. The senior producer is Kalila Holt. Special thanks to Emily Condon, Alex Blumberg, Sharon Mashihi, Mimi O'Donnell, Jessica Yung, and Jackie Cohen. The show was mixed by Bobby Lord.  Music by Christine Fellows, John K Samson, Michael Hearst, the Jacobi Family Band, Podington Bear, and Bobby Lord. Our theme song is by The Weakerthans courtesy of Epitaph Records. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today, we're re-airing one of the most popular episodes from the 3 Clips archives. Jay breaks down what makes Gimlet Media's StartUp so arresting -- especially during moments when nothing all that gripping ACTUALLY happened.JOIN THE NEWSLETTER: Subscribe to “Playing Favorites,” Jay Acunzo's weekly email, and get 1 new concept or technique every Friday morning to help you create your audience's favorite things: marketingshowrunners.com/subscribe/. CONSIDER THE WORKSHOP: In the Showrunner Sessions, learn how to make a podcast that makes a difference. Join Jay and a group of your peers in this 8-week intensive to develop your ideas and do real work on your real show, tackling the tough, important, and creative challenges you can't quickly google.We run 1 workshop per quarter. Learn more and sign up for updates and discounts here: https://www.marketingshowrunners.com/podcast-workshops-content-marketers/INSIDE THIS EPISODE: StartUp can be found here: https://gimletmedia.com/shows/startupFollow StartUp host Alex Blumberg on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/abexlumbergFollow 3 Clips host Jay Acunzo on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/jayacunzo/You can find all episodes of 3 Clips wherever you listen to podcasts, or by browsing the show's home page at marketingshowrunners.com/podcastThanks for listening!

Rachel and Jon are siblings who were separated as young children. Jonathan helps them confront the woman responsible... fifty years later. Credits Heavyweight is hosted and produced by Jonathan Goldstein. This episode was produced by Kalila Holt, along with Stevie Lane. Special thanks to Emily Condon, Alex Blumberg, PJ Vogt, Mohini Madgavkar, Nabeel Chollampat, and Jackie Cohen. The show was mixed by Bobby Lord.  Music by Christine Fellows, John K Samson, Blue Dot Sessions, and Bobby Lord. Our theme song is by The Weakerthans courtesy of Epitaph Records. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anisa, Johan, and Sarah are joined by Molly Bryson, Editor and Chief of the Grape, to talk to Alex Blumberg '89 about his his time at Oberlin, his evolution as a journalist, and the future of podcasting. Alex worked on This American Life and created Planet Money before co-founding the podcast network Gimlet Media. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-weekly/support

Alex Blumberg is a former radio producer for This American Life and a co-founder of NPR's Planet Money. In 2014 Alex co-founded Gimlet Media, an award-winning narrative podcasting company behind shows like Reply All, StartUp, The Pitch, Science VS, and many others. 15-year-old entrepreneur and podcast enthusiast Campbell Baron talks to Alex about his experience building Gimlet Media and some of the things he learned along the way. Get 2 Months of Skillshare For Free (Paid Promotion) ⇨ https://www.skillshare.com/succeed Youtube ⇨ http://tinyurl.com/y8nl7sjn Podcast ⇨ https://anchor.fm/the-ones-who-succeed/ See you next Tuesday!

Alex Blumberg, executive producer of 'This American Life' discusses with me the power of storytelling to activate people to engage and help your nonprofit.

Alex Blumberg, executive producer of 'This American Life' discusses with me the power of storytelling to activate people to engage and help your nonprofit.

Alex Blumberg is the founder and CEO of Gimlet Media. Before this, he was an incredibly successful radio journalist. He won multiple awards in the industry. Alex hosted and produced popular NPR shows, "Planet Money" and "This American Life". When he saw the new industry of podcasting booming, he risked it all and reinvented himself. He started his own company. Today Gimlet Media oversees and produces multiple podcasts at one time. Visit gimletmedia.com to discover a variety of new podcasts you can start listening to today! ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsiHeart RadioSpotifyFollow me on social media:YouTubeTwitterFacebookLinkedIn