The Rough Draft

Episode Summary Daniel Parris is creator of the Stat Significant newsletter , where each week he uses data analytics to answer pop culture questions. In this episode he talks about creating one of his most popular essays, ‘ Why Do People Hate Nickelback So Much? A Statistical Analysis ’.  Guest Bio Daniel Parris is a California-based data scientist, journalist, and consultant who writes about...

Episode Summary Daniel Parris is creator of the Stat Significant newsletter , where each week he uses data analytics to answer pop culture questions. In this episode he talks about the tools he uses to compile data sets and write essays for his Substack.  Guest Bio Daniel Parris is a California-based data scientist, journalist, and consultant who writes about the intersection of statistics an...

Episode Summary Daniel Parris is creator of the Stat Significant newsletter , where each week he uses data analytics to answer pop culture questions. On this episode, Daniel talks about his career journey that started as a production assistant in Hollywood, to working as a data scientist at DoorDash and eventually creating Stat Significant .  Guest Bio Daniel Parris is a California-based data...

Episode Summary Today we’re joined by Sky Dylan-Robbins, founder of the Video Consortium. In this full interview with Sky, she talks about why she created a community of creatives and why a community is important in today’s market. She also talks about her decade-long process of making ‘On Our Own Island’, her documentary that chronicles her parents’ marriage from its romantic beginnings to her fa...

Episode Summary Today we’re joined by Sky Dylan-Robbins, founder of the Video Consortium. Today, Sky talks about the decade long process of making ‘On Our Own Island’, her first feature length documentary that chronicles her parents’ marriage from its romantic beginnings through life’s final moments. Guest Bio Sky Dylan-Robbins is an award-winning producer, filmmaker, and media entrepreneur. After...

Episode Summary Today we’re joined by Sky Dylan-Robbins, founder of the Video Consortium. In this mini episode, Sky discusses some of her favorite tools for cultivating a good creative process and environment.  Guest Bio Sky Dylan-Robbins is an award-winning producer, filmmaker, and media entrepreneur. After producing documentaries at NBC News and The New Yorker, she founded The Video Consort...

Episode Summary Today we’re joined by Sky Dylan-Robbins, founder of the Video Consortium.  In this mini episode, Sky talks about why she started the Video Consortium as a way to create a community for nonfiction storytellers in an ever-changing media landscape.  Guest Bio Sky Dylan-Robbins is an award-winning producer, filmmaker, and media entrepreneur. Sky has worked for ABC News and th...

Episode Summary Today we’re joined by Jamilah King , an editorial director at Mother Jones . She oversees a team of investigative reporters covering race, politics, criminal justice and more. She previously worked as a managing editor at Buzzfeed News. In this episode, Jamilah talks about how she got into her career in journalism, her process for editing other reporters and how Kamala Harris’ care...

Episode Summary Today we’re joined by Jamilah King , an editorial director at Mother Jones . She oversees a team of investigative reporters covering race, politics, criminal justice and more. She previously worked as a managing editor at Buzzfeed News. In this episode, Jamilah talks about her experience covering Kamala Harris’ career starting when she was a DA in San Francisco and what she’s watch...

Episode Summary Today we’re joined by Jamilah King , an editorial director at Mother Jones . She oversees a team of investigative reporters covering race, politics, criminal justice and more. She previously worked as a managing editor at Buzzfeed News. In this episode, Jamilah talks about her process for editing other reporters and what that looks like in her role at Mother Jones.  Guest Bio...

Episode Summary Today we’re joined by Jamilah King , an editorial director at Mother Jones . She oversees a team of investigative reporters covering race, politics, criminal justice and more. She previously worked as a managing editor at Buzzfeed News. In this episode, Jamilah talks about how she got into her career in journalism and she’s watched it change over her 15 year career. Guest Bio Jamil...

Nadia Hamdan is a producer for Reveal, from the Center for Investigative Reporting : the nation’s first investigative journalism nonprofit. The podcast and radio show is a winner of multiple Peabody, duPont, Emmy, and Murrow awards. In this full episode, Nadia talks about her career path that led to investigative journalism, her creative process when working on an audio piece, and she talks about...

In this mini episode, audio journalist Nadia Hamdan talks about the process of making her latest project, the 40 Acres And A Lie podcast.  Nadia is a producer for Reveal, from the Center for Investigative Reporting : the nation’s first investigative journalism nonprofit. The podcast and radio show is a winner of multiple Peabody, duPont, Emmy, and Murrow awards. Mentioned in this episode: Rev...

In this mini episode, audio journalist Nadia Hamdan talks about her creative process when working on a big podcast project (like how she manages all that tape!) Nadia is a producer for Reveal, from the Center for Investigative Reporting : the nation’s first investigative journalism nonprofit. The podcast and radio show is a winner of multiple Peabody, duPont, Emmy, and Murrow awards. Mentioned in...

In this mini episode, audio journalist Nadia Hamdan talks about her career path from working in marketing to local news and now investigative journalism. Nadia is a producer for Reveal, from the Center for Investigative Reporting : the nation’s first investigative journalism nonprofit. The podcast and radio show is a winner of multiple Peabody, duPont, Emmy, and Murrow awards. Mentioned in this ep...

Featuring honest conversations with folks from across the creative industry, Season 2 of The Rough Draft explores the creative process, tools, and resources used by some of the best in the business. From journalists to content creators and business leaders, we shed light on what it looks like to break into the industry, make mistakes, collaborate with others, and the essential tools that help us a...

Today we’re joined by Philip Edsel, a Creative Director with a background spanning across the e-commerce, advertising, professional sports, and tech industries. Edsel has led global ad campaigns from conception to creation, working with brands like Nike, Reebok, Red Bull, MTV, and Filson. In this podcast episode, Philip talks about his journey to becoming a creative director and the importance of...

Today we’re joined by Elissa Nadworny, an NPR correspondent, regularly reporting on international conflict, focusing on children and families. She has spent several months in Ukraine covering the war with Russia and most recently in Israel, covering the war with Hamas and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Elissa also guest hosts acclaimed radio shows, All Things Considered and Weekend Edition. Toda...

Today we’re joined by Lucas Harger,  an acclaimed film and commercial editor, supervising editor, and partner at Bruton Stroube Outpost. His documentary portfolio includes work on over ten features — two of which recently made their debut at SXSW, with one securing the Audience Choice Award. Lucas’ intentionality is incredibly contagious and apparent from the moment you begin talking with him...

Today on The Rough Draft, we're joined by Claire McInerny, a former journalist turned podcast producer. Her podcasting repertoire includes the award winning Terrible, Thanks for Asking and It’s Going to Be Ok. She’s the co-creator and producer of Refamulating, a new podcast that celebrates all the different ways to make a family. Prior to podcasting, Claire was a higher education reporter for NPR...

Today on The Rough Draft, we're joined by Mark Watters, a six-time Emmy Award-winning composer and conductor renowned for his work in film, television, video games, global tours such as Star Wars in Concert, and major events like the Olympics. Mark's career spans iconic Disney classics and collaborations with artists like John Legend, Mary Jo Blige, and Beyoncé. In addition, Mark serves as the Ass...

Today on The Rough Draft, we're joined by Al Black, the COO of Voquent, a company that specializes in talent matching services for global content creators and businesses seeking expert localization solutions. With over 25 years of experience in expanding global reach for brands and creators, Al shares valuable insights into the significance of accessibility in content, offering strategies for effe...

Join us on The Rough Draft as we chat with Brandon Carter, a seasoned brand strategist and copywriter with over 12 years of industry experience. Brandon's expertise lies in crafting strategic narratives for VC-backed startups and publicly traded tech companies, helping them define their brand meaning and connect with audiences across various media platforms. Together, we delve into the essence of...

Today on The Rough Draft we sit down with Austin-based commercial producer, John Rains. Along with his experience in handling multi-million dollar productions, John’s impressive portfolio boasts collaborations with iconic brands like Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, Nissan, and Reebok, to name just a few. Central to John's work is his dedication to building upon Austin’s reputation as a production hub and fo...

Today on The Rough Draft we talk with content creator & solopreneur, Courtney Johnson. Courtney has such a fascinating methodology on creative storytelling. Her delivery mechanism is primarily social media, but she uses many types of digital marketing to grow her personal brand as a mentor and consultant. We talk about how she focuses on creating a lot of content - no matter how good or bad sh...