Working
526 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 days ago - ★★★★ - 378 ratingsHosts Isaac Butler, Ronald Young Jr., and June Thomas interview creative people about how they write, compose, paint, and more.
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Episodes
Sponsored: Finding Your Work-Life Balance With Kim Scott
November 19, 2019 10:00 - 33 minutes“Work-life balance” has become a loaded phrase and a looming goal for many professionals. And for those who are self-employed, like entrepreneurs and real estate professionals, it can be especially difficult to figure out where your work ends and your personal life begins. In this episode, Julie Gurner is joined by Kim Scott, a business thought leader who has had an incredibly successful and diverse career. From managing teams at influential companies likeGoogle, Apple, and YouTube to becomin...
Working With the Homeless: How Does a Director of Street Medicine Do Her Job?
November 17, 2019 10:00 - 49 minutesThis week, Jordan talks to Bonnie Coover, a Family Nurse Practitioner and the Director of Street Medicine at Janian Medical Care. Bonnie and her team provide primary care medical services to people who are living on the street in New York City. She tells Jordan about the most common ailments she sees, what it’s like examining someone on the sidewalk in Midtown and why her job is a dream job. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Working With the Homeless: How Does a Street Outreach Leader Do Her Job?
November 10, 2019 10:00 - 50 minutesJordan sits down with Stephanie Somar, a clinical supervisor for the Center for Urban Community Services’ street outreach team. Stephanie and her team work on the very front lines of New York City’s effort to help the homeless, driving through upper Manhattan daily to find homeless men and women, talk to them, and offer them public services that hopefully will one day lead them into permanent housing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Working with the Homeless: How Does a Tenants’ Rights Attorney Do His Job?
November 03, 2019 10:00 - 1 hourJordan Weissmann returns to host a new season all about the people who work with the homeless population in New York City. In this first episode, Jordan speaks to Mark Hess, a Supervising Attorney in NYLAG’s Tenants’ Rights Unit. For many people, an eviction means that they will be left without anywhere else to go. And often, tenants are fighting landlords with much more money and resources. But New York has recently put a program in place to offer free representation to people in Housing Cou...
Working With the Homeless: How Does a Tenants’ Rights Attorney Do His Job?
November 03, 2019 10:00 - 1 hourJordan Weissmann returns to host a new season all about the people who work with the homeless population in New York City. In this first episode, Jordan speaks to Mark Hess, a Supervising Attorney in NYLAG’s Tenants’ Rights Unit. For many people, an eviction means that they will be left without anywhere else to go. And often, tenants are fighting landlords with much more money and resources. But New York has recently put a program in place to offer free representation to people in Housing Cou...
How Does an Influencer Talent Agent Do Her Job?
October 27, 2019 09:00 - 48 minutesTo wrap up the season on the Influencer Industry, Rachelle talks to Jess Hunichen, co-founder of talent agency Shine Influencers. Jess cut her teeth as a traditional film and television agent when she lived in Australia. But when she had trouble finding work after a move to Toronto, she and Shine co-founder Emily Ward found a completely new niche market. After first starting Shine PR, the duo quickly saw the need for talent representation in the world of social media. So they began Shine Infl...
How Does a Beauty Influencer Do Her Job?
October 20, 2019 09:00 - 45 minutesThis week, Rachelle talks to Hemali Mistry, a beauty influencer based in Toronto. Hemali is one of those people you see online who has figured out how to turn her skill with makeup into a full blown social media career. But, as she’ll tell you, there is so much more to it than knowing how to perfectly apply a face of makeup. Hemali tells Rachelle about the hours she spends planning and editing her videos, what’s it’s like being an Indian woman in the beauty space and why she felt she needed t...
Working With Code: How Does a Software Engineering Manager Do Her Job?
October 15, 2019 09:02 - 37 minutesFor this mini-season on coding, Slate’s own Greg Lavallee is talking to the people who write the software that makes your digital life possible. In this episode, Greg sits down with Marianne Bellotti, a software engineering manager at a company called Auth0. Over the years, Marianne has figured out what makes a good manager and what just doesn’t work when you’re managing hundreds of coders, many of whom live in different time zones. It helps that she can code in multiple languages and has th...
Working with Code: How Does a Graphics Coder Do His Job?
October 15, 2019 09:01 - 25 minutesFor this mini-season on coding, Slate’s own Greg Lavallee is talking to the people who write the software that makes your digital life possible. In this episode, Greg sits down with Omar Shehata, a graphics programmer at Cesium, a 3D mapping company. Omar has always been a storyteller and he sees his job coding as an extension of that. He talks about working on the first 3D renderings of the Egyptian Pyramids, how to understand a 4D object and what it’s like to code something so visual. Le...
Working with Code: How Does a Coder at NASA Do His Job?
October 15, 2019 09:00 - 27 minutesFor this mini-season on coding, Slate’s own Greg Lavallee is talking to the people who write the software that makes your digital life possible. In this episode, Greg speaks to Adam Michaels, a coder at Omitron, a company contracted by NASA. Adam writes code that tracks million dollar satellites throughout time and space (literally). Adam talks about what’s it’s like to have that much responsibility as a coder, how you even share coordinates for where a satellite will be at a certain time an...
How Do the Creators of an Influencer Marketing Platform Do Their Job?
October 13, 2019 10:00 - 1 hourThis week, Rachelle talks to Mae Karwowski and Max Domain, co-founders of Obviously and the company's CEO and CTO respectively. Working as a social media manager, Mae discovered the power of working with influencers to bring a brand’s campaigns to super specific audiences. Realizing that this was the future of marketing, she began to work with Max to build a platform that could make this process faster and easier. Together they talk about how they started their company, how the industry has g...
How Does an Internet Astrologer Do Her Job?
October 06, 2019 09:00 - 1 hourLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How Does an Influencer’s Husband Do His Job?
September 29, 2019 09:00 - 47 minutesThis week, Rachelle sits down with Matthew Stevens, a self-described “Instagram Husband”. Matthew is married to lifestyle blogger and influencer Lindsay Silberman. And while he has a full-time job working for a fashion house, considers it to be his third job next to being a husband and supporting Lindsay’s burgeoning brand. As the consummate Instagram Husband, Matt is Lindsay’s dedicated photographer, travel companion and overall consultant. Matthew tells Rachelle about the pros and cons of b...
Sponsored: Bouncing Back From Rejection with Actor and Comedian Adam Ferrara
September 24, 2019 09:00 - 26 minutesRejection can be an incredibly demoralizing experience. When we hear “no,” it’s easy to start doubting ourselves and giving in to our insecurities. But in life, and especially in business, success often hinges on our ability to bounce back from rejection. So how do we not only move forward after a disappointment, but use it as a learning experience to get to the next level? In Episode 4, we talked to someone who puts himself out there on a regular basis: award-winning stand-up comedian and ac...
How Does a Parenting Influencer Do Her Job?
September 22, 2019 10:00 - 50 minutesContinuing her exploration into the influencer industry, Rachelle chats with Ilana Wiles, creator of the blog Mommy Shorts and author of The Mommy Shorts Guide to Remarkably Average Parenting. Ilana started her parenting blog when she was laid off from her full-time advertising job shortly after returning from maternity leave. As her audience grew both on the blog and on Instagram, her online presence eventually became her main gig. In this episode, Ilana talks about how she made the decision...
How Does an Influencer Analytics CEO Do His Job?
September 15, 2019 09:00 - 49 minutesFor her first season hosting Working, Slate’s own Rachelle Hampton takes a deep dive into the brand new industry popping up around social media influencers. To kick off the season, she sits down with Frank Spadafora, founder and CEO of D'Marie Analytics, co-founder of The Cast Agency and owner of the ICON Convention. Frank started D’Marie Analytics before most of us even heard the term ‘influencer’ and in the years since, he’s developed a data-driven way to quantify exactly how much an Instag...
Working Classics: How Does a Music Supervisor Work?
September 08, 2019 10:00 - 53 minutesIf you really love the music in a film from the last 25 years, there’s a good chance Randall Poster was responsible for that. This week, Jordan speaks to the veteran music supervisor who has worked with Wes Anderson, Martin Scorsese, Richard Linklater, Harmony Korine and plenty of other directors you love. Randall tells about collaborating with some of the world’s best auteurs, hunting down obscure recordings in India, and delicately convincing directors that, sometimes, their favorite song ...
Working Classics: How Does Neil Gaiman Work?
September 01, 2019 09:00 - 52 minutesThis week, Working is bringing back its classic interview with author Neil Gaiman. Jacob Brogan sits down with the author of The Sandman comics, American Gods, Good Omens, and Norse Mythology. They discuss Gaiman's work routine, creative influences, perfectionism, the weirdness of the Norse gods and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How Does a Think Tank Founder Do His Job?
August 25, 2019 13:50 - 1 hourSean McElwee has one of those jobs you certainly know about, but probably can't pinpoint what it is he does all day. Sean runs a think tank called Data for Progress that he started with Colin McAuliffe. As for what they do as an organization, the name says it all, they collect data to help push liberal political policies and ideas forward. But the way they do it may not be what you expect. Data for Progress is a part of new wave of smaller think tanks running on more of a startup model. Which...
How Does Monopoly's Senior Director Do Her Job?
August 18, 2019 10:00 - 38 minutesThis week, we meet the "Queen of Monopoly" at Hasbro. Well, technically Jennifer Boswinkel's title is Monopoly Senior Director of Global Brand Strategy and Marketing. But she truly is the queen of all things Monopoly as it's her job to keep the 84 year old game relevant to today's audience. Jennifer and her team are constantly coming up with new versions of gameplay, new themes and new branding partnerships for the game you've had sitting on your shelf in some form or another since you were a...
How Does the Head Designer for Magic: The Gathering Do His Job?
August 11, 2019 10:00 - 44 minutesThis week we go back to Wizards of the Coast to talk to Mark Rosewater, the head designer for Magic: The Gathering. Last week, Alison told Jordan all about creating the stories behind Magic cards. And it’s the job of Mark and his team to come up with the mechanics of those cards. Mark explains how, once he and his team come up with the creative concept for a particular Magic set, there are a lot of other things to think about. They have to figure out not only how that deck works on its own,...
How Does a Worldbuilder for Magic and Dungeons & Dragons Do Her Job?
August 04, 2019 09:00 - 48 minutesWorking’s peek into the business of fun and games continues this week when Jordan chats with Alison Luhrs who works for Wizards of the Coast, the part of Hasbro that is responsible for the classic fantasy games Dungeons and Dragons and Magic:The Gathering. Alison’s job is one you may never have imagined existed. As a narrative designer for D&D and Magic, she does the worldbuilding that brings these games to life for the fans. Alison not only comes up with characters and spells, but also inve...
How Do a Toy Designer and Toy Engineer Do Their Job?
July 28, 2019 11:39 - 42 minutesThis week, Jordan talks to a couple of Hasbro employees. John Warden and Lynsey Bernier work closely together to create Transformers and Beyblades. John is the designer and Lynsey is the engineer (aka the "reality check"). They tell Jordan about all the fun, nerdiness and math that goes into making toys. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How Does a Firefighter Do His Job?
July 21, 2019 09:00 - 54 minutesSince his first season as the host of Working, Jordan has wanted to interview a Firefighter. It’s a job everyone knows about, but the day to day of the work of Firefighter might not be so familiar to most people. Jordan sat down with Jason Powell, a Firefighter with Engine Company 69 in Harlem, to talk about his four years on the job and all the training, danger and cooking that goes into it. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ...
How Do Oyster Farmers Do Their Job?
July 14, 2019 09:00 - 55 minutesBefore heading out to Long Island to visit Widow’s Hole Oyster Farm, Jordan couldn’t even picture what an oyster farm looked like. So there was a lot to learn from talking to Mike and Isabel Osinski, the owners of the small family farm that supplies oysters to some of New York City’s most high-end restaurants. Mike and Isabel discuss how they went from developing financial software in the city to raising their children on an oyster farm, the lengthy life cycle of an oyster and the extremely ...
How Does a Tugboat Pilot Do His Job?
July 07, 2019 11:15 - 48 minutesWhen massive container ships arrive at a port city like New York, they find themselves in a tight space with lots of obstacles to navigate. Enter, ship docking pilots, the expert hands that guide these massive ships into place. This week, Jordan is talking to Captain Jeffrey McAllister of McAllister Towing. Jeffrey’s family has been in the tugboat business for decades, which, as it turned out, was a life that suited him and his wanderlust just fine. Over the years he worked his way up from de...
Working for the Holidays: How Does a Fireworks Designer Do His Job?
June 30, 2019 09:00 - 42 minutesIf you're planning on watching a major fireworks display this Independence Day, there's a good chance it was designed by this week's guest. Phil Grucci, the CEO and Creative Director of Fireworks by Grucci, is the sixth generation in his family to design, manufacture and engineer firework displays. His family company has made a global reputation by putting on some of the world's most spectacular pyrotechnics shows, including this year's 4th of July fireworks display in Washington D.C. As the...
How Does an Aquarium Director Do His Job?
June 23, 2019 09:00 - 1 hourWhat do you do with an architecture degree and a love animals? Well, as it turns out, running an Aquarium is a great option. This week, Working brings you another standalone episode with Jon Forrest Dohlin, Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s New York Aquarium. Jon tells Jordan all about the joys of the job, like educating city dwellers about all the unseen wildlife around them, and the existential dread that comes with it...like holding the lives of thousands of animals in your h...
How Does a Recording Studio Designer Do His Job?
June 16, 2019 09:00 - 47 minutesThis week, Jordan returns to talk nerdy with Tim Crossley, partner and lead designer at Crossley Acoustics. Tim’s company designs and builds recording studios for the music, film and (of course) podcasting industries -- in fact, as it turns out, he built Slate’s own studio! Tim and Jordan get into all the detailed work and planning that goes into making a room sound “good”, from using acoustic modeling software to building and rebuilding custom resonators. You can email us at [email protected]...
Working Classics: How Does a Queer Theorist Work?
June 09, 2019 09:00 - 1 hourIn celebration of Pride Month, Working is revisiting one of its best episodes from the LGBTQ season. In this episode, Jacob Brogan talks to Elizabeth Freeman, a queer theorist and professor of English at UC Davis, about the ongoing role of gender and sexuality studies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How Does a Longtime Comedy Cellar Comic Do Her Job?
June 02, 2019 09:00 - 49 minutesTo finish out the season on the Comedy Cellar, Laura talks to Marina Franklin a longtime Cellar comic. Marina has gone from comedy newbie to a comedy veteran on the Cellar stage. She has been working there so long not even she can recall exactly when she started. But the place has become like a home to her. Marina’s new special Single Black Female will be out next month. You can email us at [email protected]. Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megap...
How Does a New Comedy Cellar Comic Do His Job?
May 26, 2019 09:00 - 45 minutesThis week, Laura Bennett talks to Ian Fidance, a comic who was passed at the Cellar just last year. For an up-and-coming comic and lifelong comedy fan like Ian, joining the tight-knit community of the Cellar is a true joy and honor. But as you’ll hear, it’s one you really have to earn. You can email us at [email protected]. Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How Does The Comedy Cellar’s Outside Steve Do His Job?
May 19, 2019 09:00 - 38 minutesOn any given night, you can see a line that snakes down Macdougal Street of people waiting to get into the Comedy Cellar. And the man responsible for making sense of this mob of tourists and comedy fans is known as Outside Steve. Steve Fabricant runs the door at the comedy club, managing the reservations for multiple sold out shows each night, strategically placing guests in either the front or the back of the room and occasionally popping up in sitcoms. Learn more about your ad choices. Vi...
How Does a Server at The Comedy Cellar Do His Job?
May 12, 2019 09:00 - 35 minutesThis week, Laura returns to the Comedy Cellar to talk Aaron Nystrup, a manager and server who has been working at the iconic club for 10 years. Aaron talks about what it’s like to hear hours of comedy night after night, how he ended up on stage drunkenly singing with Dave Chappelle, and just what goes on at the Cellar’s famed comedian’s table Email us at [email protected]. Podcast production be Jessamine Molli. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How Does The Comedy Cellar's Booker Do Her Job?
May 05, 2019 09:00 - 42 minutesThis week, Laura talks to Estee Adoram, a truly legendary figure in the comedy world. Estee has been the booker for the Cellar for nearly four decades, which means she's been a major factor in creating the club's incredible reputation. She's known some of many of favorite comedians since their early days on stage and has remained an essential part of what makes the Cellar so special. Email us at [email protected] Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. This episode is brought to you by the ...
How Does an MC at The Comedy Cellar Do His Job?
April 28, 2019 09:00 - 41 minutesThis week, Laura returns to the Cellar to talk to one of the comedians who has become a fixture on stage. Wil Sylvince is a New York comedian and regular MC at the Comedy Cellar. You can email us at [email protected] production by Jessamine Molli. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How Does The Comedy Cellar's Owner Do His Job?
April 21, 2019 09:00 - 41 minutesFor her first season hosting Working, Laura Bennett goes inside New York's Comedy Cellar, talking to the people who help make the comedy institution so legendary. And to kick of the season, she sits down with owner Noam Dworman to discuss what it was like taking the reins from his father, how he dealt the Louis CK controversy and what makes the Cellar so unique. Email us at [email protected]. Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. This episode is brought to you by Constant Contact. For a fre...
How Does Bon Appétit’s Video Food Director/Stylist Do Her Job?
April 14, 2019 09:00 - 51 minutesTo wrap up Working’s impromptu mini-season on the inner workings of Bon Appétit, Jordan talks to Rhoda Boone, the Video Food Director for Bon Appétit and Epicurious. Rhoda’s job encompasses so many things, you’ll never watch a food video the same way again. Not only is she the food stylist in charge of making sure every dish looks as delicious as possible, but she’s also responsible for planning out every step of the process to make sure each food element is exactly where it needs to be. Rhod...
How Does the Editor-in-Chief of Bon Appétit Do His Job?
April 07, 2019 04:00 - 58 minutesThis week, Working returns to Bon Appétit to continue its spontaneous micro-mini season on the people who make the seminal food magazine what it is today. In this episode, Jordan talks to the man running the show, Editor-in-Chief Adam Rapoport. Adam talks about what it’s like to run a food magazine in the age of Instagram, how he edits recipes with home chefs in mind, and extremely precise daily coffee ritual. You can email us at [email protected]. Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Lea...
How Does a Bon Appétit Test Kitchen Chef Do Her Job?
March 31, 2019 10:00 - 54 minutesThis week, Jordan talks to Molly Baz, Senior Associate Food Editor at Bon Appétit. Molly is part of the team of chefs who create and test recipes for the magazine--which you may already know if you're one of the millions of people who watch Bon Appétit's videos on Youtube. Molly talks life in the BA Test Kitchen, how a recipe makes it to the pages of the magazine, and her secret for a perfect bowl of cereal. You can email us at [email protected]. Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Learn ...
Second Acts: How Does a Tech Exec Become a Philanthropist?
March 26, 2019 10:00 - 47 minutesIn a special five-episode mini-season of Working, we talk with people who have had “second acts,” that is people who made a dramatic career pivot at some point in their working lives. Patty Stonesifer was running a computer-book publisher in Indianapolis when Microsoft recruited her to run its publishing division. In 10 years at the company, she rose to senior vice president of the Interactive Media Division—where one of the sites she launched was Slate. (Stonesifer is now married to the maga...
Second Acts: How Does a Lawyer Become a Rabbi?
March 26, 2019 09:59 - 41 minutesIn a special five-episode mini-season of Working, we talk with people who have had “second acts,” that is people who made a dramatic career pivot at some point in their working lives. Nicole Auerbach worked as an attorney for 10 years, first as a federal public defender in the Southern District of New York and then as a media lawyer specializing in First Amendment issues. Realizing she was unhappy in that career, she was drawn to become a rabbi and is now director of congregational engagement...
Second Acts: How Does an Airline Employee Become a Park Ranger?
March 26, 2019 09:58 - 30 minutesIn a special five-episode mini-season of Working, we talk with people who have had “second acts,” that is people who made a dramatic career pivot at some point in their working lives. Gerry Allen always dreamed of becoming a National Park Ranger, but by the time he graduated from college, family obligations meant that he needed to take a different career path. He went to work for Delta Airlines, eventually focusing on the company’s environmental programs. In 2001, when Delta offered an early ...
Second Acts: How Does a Writer Become a Physician?
March 26, 2019 09:57 - 25 minutesIn a special five-episode mini-season of Working, we talk with people who have had “second acts,” that is people who made a dramatic career pivot at some point in their working lives. Adriane Fugh-Berman was a writer and reproductive-rights activist when she decided to go to medical school. She is now a professor in the department of pharmacology and physiology at Georgetown University and the director of PharmedOut, a Georgetown University Medical Center project that promotes rational prescr...
Second Acts: How Does an Economics Professor Become a Zumba Instructor for Seniors?
March 26, 2019 09:56 - 29 minutesIn a special five-episode mini-season of Working, we talk with people who have had “second acts,” that is people who made a dramatic career pivot at some point in their working lives. If it weren’t for a shoulder injury, Mary Stevenson’s retirement may have looked completely different. After benefiting from classes in the Nia Technique, she decided to teach the fitness method—along with Zumba Gold and Ageless Grave—to older adults when she left the University of Massachusetts, Boston, where s...
Working at Medieval Times: How Does the Creative Director Do His Job?
March 24, 2019 10:00 - 47 minutesIn this episode, Jordan talks to Leigh Cordner, Medieval Times’ Creative Director. Leigh is in charge of making all the various elements of the show you’ve been hearing about come together to wow the crowd. And not just at one castle--but all of them. You can email us at [email protected]. Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Working at Medieval Times: How Does a Bar Manager Do Her Job?
March 17, 2019 04:00 - 38 minutesManaging the bar at Medieval Times, is not quite the same a running things at the local dive. With a crowd full of customers clamoring for 32 oz beers in souvenir mugs and cocktails like the Royal Knight (which is apparently the Long Island Iced Tea of Medieval Times specialty drinks) you really have to have a commanding presence. Which is why Toni Ann Siri, who runs the bar at Medieval Times in Lyndhurst, NJ, will tell you she’s the Queen when it comes to her department. You can email us at ...
Working at Medieval Times: How Does a Wench Do Her Job?
March 10, 2019 05:00 - 32 minutesVictoria Militello has been a serving wench at Medieval Times for seven years (yes, that’s really what they call waitresses at the show). As she tells Jordan in this episode, the job takes a surprising amount of athletic stamina, as well as a tolerance for hearing the same Cable Guy jokes every night. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Working at Medieval Times: How Does a Falconer Do His Job?
March 03, 2019 05:00 - 1 hourWhen Bill Ponder was in third grade, he read a book about falconry and decided that’s what he wanted to do when he grew up. Unlike most kids who daydream about training and flying raptors for the King’s court, Bill actually made his dream come true by becoming the resident falconer at the Medieval Times in Lyndhurst, NJ. Bill tells Jordan how he turned his lifelong hobby into a career, what goes into training a bird of prey and why you shouldn't expect a falcon to cuddle. Learn more about yo...
Working at Medieval Times: How Does a Queen Do Her Job?
February 24, 2019 05:00 - 44 minutesCan you imagine a better day job than being Queen? Tara Henderson, a working actor who appears in roles off-broadway, really cannot. She is one of the women who plays Queen Doña Maria Isabella at Medieval Times in Lyndhurst, NJ. Queen Isabella is the first female ruler in Medieval Times history. And as you’ll hear in this episode, Tara and her “queen sisters” appreciate the challenge of this meaty new female role. Tara talks about how she is lucky to have found a steady gig that is flexible...