The Study Hall Podcast

Andrew Durbin is the editor in chief of Frieze. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Durbin chats about his new book  The Wonderful World That Almost Was: A Life of Peter Hujar and Paul Thek. The book chronicles a multi-decade friendship between two queer artists and analyzes their enduring influence. In this conversation, Durbin discusses how researching and writing this book made h...

Suzy Exposito is an editor at Los Angeles Times' De Los section. Previously, she founded Rolling Stone's Latin music section. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Exposito discussed how Bad Bunny's career transformed Latin music journalism and the dynamic of advocating for more diverse coverage. In addition, she discussed her essay about her recent humanitarian trip to Cuba.    Suzy'...

Allegra Hobbs is a senior editor at Texas Monthly. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Hobbs discussed her approach to covering this dynamic moment in Texas politics and what she thinks about her legendary 2019 essay about journalists as influencers.    Keep up with Allegra's work: https://x.com/AllegraEHobbs?lang=en Music by KT The Terrible More info about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz...

Harry Krinsky is the host of Nothing But Respect and a podcast consultant/producer/showrunner. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Krinsky discussed whether or not we are in a podcast bubble, clipping, UGC marketing, Geese, side projects, and how to cultivate a niche audience.   More info about Study Hall: Studyhall.xyz.   Music by KT The Terrible

Kim Kelly is a labor reporter whose work has been featured in In These Times, The Baffler, Teen Vogue, Playboy, and numerous other outlets. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Kelly discussed the importance of labor reporting in the Trump era and her work covering labor rights struggles spanning from coalminers to OnlyFans creators. In addition, Kelly chatted about what media worker...

Jasper Craven's writing has appeared in The New York Times, Harper's, New York Magazine, Politico, and other outlets. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Craven discussed his new book "God Forgives, Brother's Don't: The Long March of Military Education and the Making of American Manhood."   Craven chatted about why he was initially drawn to the military as a research topic and how h...

Meaghan Garvey's writing has appeared in Pitchfork, New York Magazine, NPR, and numerous other outlets. She just published her debut memoir  Midwestern Death Trip .  In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Meaghan discussed her approach to the road trip memoir and how she wanted to explore kitsch, conspiracies, and ephemeral encounters. Meaghan also talked about how her criticism refute...

Alex Sammon is a features writer at Slate. In this discussion with host Daniel Spielberger, Sammon unpacks his gonzo journalism feature on an Indeed recruiter scam and his deep-dive into a controversial bookstore in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In addition, Sammon talks about how he knows an idea has the potential for longform reporting. Keep up with Alex's work: https://slate.com/author/alexander-sam...

Dake Kang, Yael Grauer, and their colleagues at the Associated Press just won a Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting for investigating how Silicon Valley companies collaborated with the Chinese government to create a surveillance state. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Kang and Grauer go in depth about what their reporting found and discuss the dynamic of shedding light on...

Ricky Camilleri is the former host of HuffPost Live and Verizon's Build Series. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Camilleri discusses his debut feature film Our Hero, Balthazar. Camilleri co-produced and co-wrote the film. "Our Hero, Balthazar" is about a Manhattan elite teenager flying to Texas to stop a prospective school shooter. The film touches upon themes of internet alienat...

Sara Yasin is the editor in chief of The Key , an outlet that's covering Palestine. Previously, Yasin was a managing editor at The Los Angeles Times. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Yasin chatted about her decision to leave legacy media and the internal dynamics of institutions. She also discussed the double standard of reporting on Palestine and how The Key is providing a new p...

Emily Gould is a features writer at New York Magazine. She writes the "Dinner Party" newsletter . She's the author of the novels " Friendship " and "Perfect Tunes." In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Gould reflects on what this next generation of media workers can learn from Gawker and discusses the craft of personal essays. In addition, she opens up about a writing community she's...

Heather Akumiah and Leah Abrams are the hosts of the Limousine podcast. Heather is the author of the novel " Bad Witches ," while Leah is the author of the forthcoming novel "Dated." In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Leah and Heather chat about literary events, book marketing, ideal sponsorships, literary feuds, and more. The two even reveal the next novel for their critically acc...

Willy Blackmore is the editor in chief of Midcoast Villager, a weekly newspaper based in Maine. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Blackmore discusses his team's effort to build a community around local news. He also talks about finding local angles to national news stories. Read Midcoast Villager: https://www.midcoastvillager.com/   More about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz    Music by...

Betsy Morais is the editor in chief of Columbia Journalism Review. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Morais discusses CJR's reporting on press freedom. She highlights the case studies of Mario Guevara and Perez Hilton. In addition, she delves into how the uncertainty over finding a sustainable business model has factored into the fight for press protection. Keep up with CJR: https...

Jeff Maysh's investigative reporting has appeared in The New Yorker, Financial Times, The Daily Beast, and numerous other outlets. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Maysh discusses what's behind our collective fascination with scammer content and how he finds stories with IP potential. In addition, he offers advice on how writers should navigate the contract negotiation process to...

Fortesa Latifi is a senior writer for Yahoo News. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Latifi discusses her new book "Like, Follow, Subscribe: Influencer Kids and the Cost of a Childhood Online."  The book chronicles the rise of mom influencer content. Latifi shares insight her reporting process. She also offers a nuanced assessment on the risks of family influencers.    More info ab...

Kate Wagner is the architecture critic at The Nation. She also runs the blog "McMansion Hell." In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Kate chats about the significance of McMansions, President Trump's tacky design choices, 1880s/1980s, gilded palaces, Saudi Arabia's failed future city, Iranian architecture, and gentrification.    Subscribe to "McMansion Hell":  https://mcmansionhell.co...

Miles Klee, senior writer at Wired, chats about his reporting on Meta, social media addiction, AI, and  internet culture. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Klee discusses how he translates niche internet stories for a broader audience.   Works Cited: -https://www.wired.com/story/the-tesla-influencers-leaving-the-cult/ -https://www.wired.com/story/everyone-speaks-incel-now/ -https:...

Jamie Hood's writing has appeared in The Drift, Bookforum, The Nation, and numerous publications. She is the author of How To Be A Good Girl: A Miscellany and Trauma Plot: A Life. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Hood discusses the process of writing her memoir, the survivor narrative, personal essays in the post- #MeToo era, and the confessional form. More info about Trauma Plot...

Cale Weissman is one of the worker-owners of Gourmet, a food magazine that has been recently revitalized. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Weissman chats about the return of Gourmet. He also discusses food content, restaurant coverage, worker-owned outlets, and aesthetically unappealing, albeit delicious, recipes.    More info about Gourmet: https://gourmetmagazine.net/ More info...

Daisy Alioto is the co-founder and CEO of Dirt. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Alioto discussed the origins of her media company, the "post-subscription" model for media revenue, the taste economy, "Call Her Daddy," book coverage, and more.    More info about Dirt: dirt.fyi  More info about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz   Music by KT The Terrible

Daniel Kolitz's reporting has appeared in Harper's, The Nation, The Atavist, and numerous other publications. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Kolitz shares the inside story about his viral Harper's article and discusses what it's like to "go gonzo." Kolitz also shares insight into earning a source's trust and offers a nuanced take on narratives about Gen Z/millennials. Works Cit...

Liam Scott's reporting has appeared in The Nation, Columbia Journalism Review, and numerous other outlets. He currently writes a newsletter for The Washington Post on press freedom. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Scott discusses his reporting on Jimmy Lai, a Hong Kong-based publisher who was recently sentenced to 20 years in prison. Apple Daily, Lai's newspaper, published conte...

Natan Last's work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Drift, The New York Times, and Los Angeles Review of Books. He also writers the bimonthly crossword puzzles for The New Yorker. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Last chats about his new book "Across The Universe: The Past, Present, and Future of Crossword Puzzles ."   More info about "Across The Universe": https://bookshop.org...