DIBS presented by Chicago History

From Office Space and Talladega Nights to The West Wing , NCIS , and more than 200 film and television credits, Gary Cole has built one of the most recognizable careers in Hollywood. But before the iconic roles, there was Chicago. Gary joins us while back in Chicago, performing in Steppenwolf Theatre Company's production of Catch as Catch Can, marking his long-awaited return to the Steppenwolf sta...

We got dibs on one of Chicago's most iconic restaurant empires with RJ Melman, President of Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants. RJ takes us behind the scenes of the family business that helped shape Chicago into one of the world's greatest food cities. From the opening of R.J. Grunts in 1971 to beloved concepts like Wildfire, RPM, Beatrix, Aba, Sushi-san, Joe's, and dozens more, Lettuce Entertain Y...

Paloma Nozicka is an acclaimed Chicago-based playwright, actor, filmmaker, and storyteller whose work explores identity, ambition, fear, and the complexities of human connection. In this episode, Paloma shares an honest conversation about creativity, artistic risk, and what it means to build a life and career rooted in the spirit of Chicago. From growing up between Glenview and the South Side to p...

We got dibs on the future of Chicago’s cultural landscape with Joshua Harris, Vice President of Public Engagement at the Obama Foundation. Joshua takes us inside the vision behind the highly anticipated Obama Presidential Center opening this June in Jackson Park. More than a presidential library, the 20-acre campus is designed as a living civic hub focused on community, leadership, culture, wellne...

Brendan Hunt joins DIBS for a wide-ranging conversation about growing up in Chicago, the emotional impact of Ted Lasso, and returning home for his deeply personal one-man show, The Movement You Need at Steppenwolf Theatre Company. From Boom Chicago in Amsterdam to the global phenomenon of Ted Lasso, Brendan reflects on the moments, music, and relationships that shaped him. The episode dives into B...

This week, we sit down with Michael Alter, principal owner of the Chicago Sky, to talk about what it really takes to build a professional sports franchise from the ground up, and why investing in women’s sports is about so much more than the game. From launching the Sky as an expansion team to winning the 2021 WNBA Championship, Michael shares the highs, the challenges, and the moments that made i...

This week, we’ve got DIBS on Kathryn Erbe. Kathryn Erbe is a celebrated stage and screen actor whose career spans Broadway, film, and some of television’s most iconic series. Many audiences know her as Detective Alexandra Eames on Law & Order: Criminal Intent , but her work reaches far beyond that role—from HBO’s groundbreaking drama Oz to beloved films like D2: The Mighty Ducks and What About...

We’re joined by Michael Hitchcock—Northwestern alum, Western Springs native, and a quietly legendary force behind some of the most influential comedies of the last 25+ years. From interning at WBEZ, CBS 2, WGN, and learning Chicago media from the inside, to finding his creative home at The Groundlings in Los Angeles, Michael’s career is a masterclass in craft, longevity, and being “in everything y...

Chicago runs on voices you feel like you’ve known forever, and Melissa Forman is one of them. In this episode, we sit down with the legendary morning host of 93.9 WLIT-FM (Light FM) to unpack what makes Chicago one of the biggest radio markets in the country, why authenticity is the only currency that works here, and how radio still builds real community in a world that’s more “connected” than eve...

This week, we got DIBS on Jeff Mauro, Food Network host, comedian, musician, and proud Chicagoan who built a career by blending two hometown obsessions: comedy and sandwiches. Jeff takes us from a big Italian-American kitchen to Taste of Chicago, from Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding to the Food Network Star stage, and shares what it really takes to turn a point of view into a long-lasting career. We talk a...

This week, we got DIBS on Chris Candy, actor, musician, and executive producer of the new Amazon Prime documentary John Candy: I Like Me . From Planes, Trains, and Automobiles to Uncle Buck to Home Alone , John Candy helped define Chicago on screen for a generation. Now, his son Chris is pulling back the curtain on the man behind the roles: the working actor, the dad, and the human being who was a...

A Red Orchid Theatre is one of Chicago’s most intimate and fearless stages, with just 60 to 70 seats, no distance between actor and audience, and storytelling that asks you to lean in. This week on DIBS , we sit down with Kirsten Fitzgerald, longtime ensemble member and Artistic Director of A Red Orchid Theatre, to talk about the craft, community, and Chicago spirit that have kept the company push...

As the Bears gear up to face the Packers, we sit down with Super Bowl-winning quarterback Jim McMahon to talk about the city that adopted him, the team that defined a generation, and what it means to live with the long-term impact of the game he helped shape. Jim takes us from San Jose to Soldier Field to Lambeau: how a kid who loved baseball wound up under center for the 1985 Bears, why he saw re...

This episode is a love letter to Chicago’s lakefront icon. As we head into the holidays, we sit down with Marilynn Gardner President & CEO of Navy Pier, to talk about what it means to steward “Chicago’s front porch”, a place where history, culture, and core memories all collide. Marilynn takes us on a journey from freight to festivals: how a municipal pier built in 1916 became a Navy training...

This week, we got DIBS on Rocky Horror at the Music Box, the Midnight Madness shadow cast that’s been turning a 35mm print, a midnight showtime, and a lot of fishnets into one of Chicago’s longest-running queer rituals. From a scrappy 1990s Rogers Park crew to five sold-out Halloween shows in 2024, this is the story of how a “weird little movie” became a pillar of the city’s cultural fabric and a...

This week, we got DIBS on filmmaker Gabe Polsky. It’s just me and Gabe in the room talking through his new documentary,  The Man Who Saves the World?  — the unbelievable, real-life story of Reverend Patrick McCollum and his mission to protect the Amazon. We delve into why Gabe was drawn to this journey, how the film came together, the moments that shook him, and what it means when one pe...

This week, we got DIBS on Kevin Shaw—Emmy-winning director, cinematographer, and one of Chicago’s most essential storytellers. From ESPN field producer to red carpets at the Chicago International Film Festival, Kevin has spent a career capturing the city’s heart. His latest documentary, One Golden Summer , revisits the 2014 Jackie Robinson West Little League team—how they united Chicago, what real...

Join us for a limited series called Chicago Unsolved, where hosts Nick Sarantos (co-host of the DIBS Podcast) and Kerry Karic explore one of Chicago’s strangest true-life mysteries — the Max Headroom Incident. In 1987, during a Sunday night Bears broadcast, WGN’s signal was hijacked by a figure in a rubber Max Headroom mask. Two hours later, it happened again—this time on PBS affiliate WTTW during...

This week, we got DIBS on Larry Potash, WGN Morning News anchor, creator/host of the Emmy-winning series Backstory, and a Chicago media institution. From Boston roots to 30+ years in the Midwest, Larry has had a front-row seat to the stories (and characters) that shape this city. In this episode, Larry pulls back the curtain on how WGN’s morning show actually gets made, why “great storytelling bea...

Join us for a limited series called Chicago Unsolved, where hosts Nick Sarantos(co-host of the DIBS Podcast) and Kerry Karic dive into one of Chicago’s most infamous mysteries: the disappearance of candy heiress Helen Brach. In 1977, Brach vanished without a trace, leaving behind whispers of fraud and foul play tied to the horse-racing world and a case that has gone unanswered for nearly fifty yea...

This week, we got DIBS on Audrey Francis and Glenn Davis, the dynamic co-artistic directors of Chicago’s legendary Steppenwolf Theatre. From its scrappy beginnings in a Highland Park church basement to its 50th anniversary season, Steppenwolf has redefined American theater, launching iconic productions, shaping generations of actors, and making Chicago a global cultural force. In this episode, Aud...

This week we’ve got dibs on Anthony Rapp, actor, singer, activist, and Chicago-area native best known for originating Mark Cohen in RENT and for Lt. Cmdr. Paul Stamets on Star Trek: Discovery . From community theater in Joliet at age six to Broadway, film, TV, and concerts, Anthony shares a generous, funny, and deeply personal look at craft, legacy, and life back in Chicago. In this episode, we co...

This week on DIBS presented by @chicago_history , we sit down with Dr. Voula Saridakis, head curator at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry. In this episode, we cover: The museum’s origins at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and how it evolved into today’s Griffin Museum of Science and Industry. What’s hidden behind the walls: 35,000+ artifacts, with only a fraction on public display....

This week on DIBS presented by @chicago_history , we sit down with Jaap Hoogstraten, Director of Exhibits at Chicago’s legendary Field Museum. For generations, the Field has been at the heart of Chicagoland childhoods, whether it was the awe of seeing Sue the T. rex for the first time, standing beneath towering dinosaurs, or peeking at ancient mummies on a school field trip. In this conversation,...

Steven Galanis is the co-founder of Cameo and a proud Chicagoan. He takes us inside the company’s journey from its scrappy beginnings in Chicago to becoming a global platform, reflecting on the challenges of building a startup in the Midwest and how the team adapted through both the pandemic boom and the subsequent difficult period. In this episode, we cover: The very Chicago origin story of Cameo...