Free Daily Podcast Summary
Origin Stories: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Campside Media
Have you ever wondered exactly how your favorite movie or book –– or podcast, TV series, documentary film, or magazine article –– got made? Origin Stories has you covered. Each week, veteran journalist Matthew Shaer talks to a different writer or director about the creation of a work close to their own hearts (and to ours). Nothing is off the table: not the frustrations and the joys, not the setbacks and the successes. Intimate and incisive, instructive and eye-opening, Origin Stories is the ultimate podcast for anyone curious about the workings of the creative mind.
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- Aug 20, 20260 min
Origin Stories is moving!
Over the past year, I’ve had the chance to talk with some of the most interesting creative minds working in film, television, podcasting, and journalism—and to discuss their inspirations, influences, and obsessions. Now, Origin Stories is moving to a new home as part of the Campside community on Substack. But don't worry: I’ll keep doing what I’ve been doing: Origin Stories will still publish new content. And you’ll also find writing, interviews, and recommendations from Campside, plus new episodes and some old favorites from the archive. Hope you’ll come along. To connect with the team and gain access to behind the scenes content, join our community at joincampside.com. You can also find us on Instagram, TikTok & Youtube. Have a question, guest recommendation or just want to say hi? Email us at Originstories@campsidemedia.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Jun 10, 202630 min
Nev Shulman on Catfish
Nev Schulman is a filmmaker, photographer, producer, and the creator and host of Catfish. What began as a deeply personal documentary about an online relationship gone wrong grew into a cultural phenomenon, helping introduce millions of people to the realities of online identity, deception, and connection in the digital age.In this episode, he talks to Matthew about the unlikely origins of the original Catfish documentary, why audiences initially struggled to believe it was real, and how that experience eventually became one of MTV's most successful reality series. He also reflects on the challenge of building a show around real people's lives, learning to trust his instincts on camera, and what it means to have his identity become inseparable from the work he's best known for.“There are not a lot of things that I've done in my life that I really felt, in that moment, as I was doing them, like, ‘This is exactly right for me."To connect with the team and gain access to behind the scenes content, join our community at joincampside.com. You can also find us on Instagram, TikTok & Youtube. Have a question, guest recommendation or just want to say hi? Email us at Originstories@campsidemedia.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
- Jun 3, 202627 min
David Owen on Where the Water Goes
David Owen is a longtime staff writer at The New Yorker and the author of numerous books about technology, infrastructure, and the hidden systems that shape everyday life. In Where the Water Goes, he follows the Colorado River from its headwaters in the Rocky Mountains to its overburdened terminus, using the river's journey to explore how water, politics, engineering, and geography have shaped the modern American West.In this episode, he talks to Matthew about the New Yorker article that inspired the book, the challenge of turning water law and infrastructure into narrative, and why following the river gave him the perfect structure for telling a much larger story. Along the way, he reflects on the value of curiosity, the art of explaining complicated subjects, and the practical realities of making a living as a freelance writer.“The freelancer's rule is: use every part of the buffalo,” he says. “Write a story, and if there are leftovers, you try to turn that into a story.”To connect with the team and gain access to behind the scenes content, join our community at joincampside.com. You can also find us on Instagram, TikTok & Youtube. Have a question, guest recommendation or just want to say hi? Email us at Originstories@campsidemedia.com.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
- May 27, 202634 min
Josh Dean on The Impossible Factory
Josh Dean is a journalist and the author of The Impossible Factory, a sweeping history of Kelly Johnson, Lockheed’s legendary Skunk Works division, and the engineers who reshaped aviation during the Cold War. Before The Impossible Factory, Dean wrote The Taking of K-129 and co-founded Campside Media.In this episode, he talks to Matthew about the origins of the Skunk Works, why Kelly Johnson’s philosophy of small teams and minimal bureaucracy still shapes Silicon Valley today, and the challenge of turning deeply technical research into compelling narrative. He also reflects on the realities of historical reporting, organizing massive archives, living inside years of research, and why writing a book often becomes an all-consuming process.“The most time-intensive part of writing a book is the reporting,” he says. “The writing part you can do at night. You can do on weekends. You can squeeze it around the edges.”To connect with the team and gain access to behind the scenes content, join our community at joincampside.com. You can also find us on Instagram, TikTok & Youtube. Have a question, guest recommendation or just want to say hi? Email us at Originstories@campsidemedia.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
- May 20, 202632 min
Ben Bradford on Are We Doomed?
Ben Bradford is a journalist and the creator of Are We Doomed?, a narrative podcast that explores existential threats through the lens of systems, history, science, and human decision-making. Before launching Are We Doomed?, Bradford worked as a reporter at Marketplace and produced narrative podcasts including Landslide and Of the People.In this episode, he talks to Matthew about the changing economics of podcasting, why heavily produced narrative limited series have become harder to sustain, and how those realities shaped the creation of Are We Doomed?. Along the way, he reflects on the practical realities of independent journalism, his approach to structuring episodes around narrative tension, and the challenge of balancing ambition, sustainability, and time when making narrative audio.“The story is never done,” he says. “You just run out of time.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
- May 18, 202613 min
Introducing: No Such Thing
We’re excited to share a preview of a new podcast we think you’d enjoy: No Such ThingNo Such Thing is a show where three best friends and journalists settle their dumb arguments — and yours — by actually doing the research. Hosts Manny Fidel, Noah Friedman, and Devan Joseph start each episode with an argument using just their gut feelings. Then they go out into the world, investigate, talk to experts, and conduct some experiments. Finally, the guys bring their findings back to the group to see if they can change minds, enlighten each other, and move past their emotional truths.Find No Such Thing on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts. New episodes out WednesdaysListen here: No Such ThingSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
- May 13, 202639 min
Helena de Groot on Creation Myth
Helena de Groot is a writer, audio producer, and the host of Creation Myth, a deeply personal podcast about love, uncertainty, and the terrifying difficulty of knowing what kind of life you actually want. Before Creation Myth, she worked on The Paris Review Podcast and hosted Poetry Off the Shelf.In this episode, she talks to Matthew about the breakup that set Creation Myth in motion, and the deeper question at the center of the series: why she has never wanted children, and whether that feeling might one day change. She describes how the project evolved once editors pushed her to focus more deeply on her own story, the challenge of turning unresolved parts of her life into narrative, and the collaborative process that helped shape the final show.“I needed the answer,” she says. “I just thought for myself, there must be some kind of lack inside me. Can I get to the bottom of it?” To connect with the team and gain access to behind the scenes content, join our community at joincampside.com. You can also find us on Instagram, TikTok & Youtube. Have a question, guest recommendation or just want to say hi? Email us at Originstories@campsidemedia.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
- May 6, 202634 min
Jordan Ritter Conn on American Men
Jordan Ritter Conn is a journalist, a senior staff writer at The Ringer, and the author of American Men, a reported book that follows four men over the course of several years as they grapple, in different ways, with the same question: what does it mean to be a man in America today.In this episode, he talks to Matthew about how American Men came together, from reaching out to dozens of potential subjects to narrowing in on the four men at the center of the book. He describes the level of access required to tell stories that are both deeply personal and broadly representative, the challenge of getting people to open up over long periods of time, and the process of shaping a large body of material into something cohesive. He also reflects on how his approach to writing has evolved, and what it means to better understand what he’s actually good at.“I do think with any kind of talent there’s a ceiling. I know that I have a ceiling on my talent,"" he says. ""But I do think I’m getting a little bit better at maximizing that.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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About Origin Stories
Have you ever wondered exactly how your favorite movie or book –– or podcast, TV series, documentary film, or magazine article –– got made? Origin Stories has you covered. Each week, veteran journalist Matthew Shaer talks to a different writer or director about the creation of a work close to their own hearts (and to ours). Nothing is off the table: not the frustrations and the joys, not the setbacks and the successes. Intimate and incisive, instructive and eye-opening, Origin Stories is the ultimate podcast for anyone curious about the workings of the creative mind.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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It's a free AI-powered email that summarizes new episodes of Origin Stories as soon as they're published. You get the key takeaways, notable quotes, and links & mentions — all in a quick read.
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How often does Origin Stories release new episodes?
Origin Stories publishes weekly. Our AI generates a summary within hours of each new episode.
What topics does Origin Stories cover?
Origin Stories covers topics including Arts, Film, TV & Film, Performing Arts, Comedy Interviews. Our AI identifies the specific themes in each episode and highlights what matters most to you.
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