April 09, 2025

Behind the History Mysteries

47 minutes

EPISODE 134 | Behind the History Mysteries

Guest: Neil Laird, Emmy-nominated TV producer (Discovery, BBC, PBS, History, National Geographic), author of the Prime Time novel series

TV has so many of these Secrets of..., Mysteries of... shows, you have to wonder how they keep the stories fresh and compelling. Well, wonder no more, as Emmy-nominated producer Neil Laird takes us behind the camera on some of the many shows he's produced to kick off the start of our sixth year.

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SECTIONS

02:18 - How he got into the biz, how it works,

08:37 - You need a hook, the business is dying, In Search of..., don't ignore the woo crowd

19:07 - What on Earth?, structuring the shows, History's Greatest Mysteries, Errol Morris changes documentaries, reenactments in docs, "JFK" uses documentary techniques for fiction, cinéma vérité vs. direct cinema, Blair Witch

26:27 - How can we trust what we see?, the industry is getting democratized but many people lose their jobs, modern hybrid docuseries with fictional techniques in reenactments (Rise of Empires: Ottoman, etc.), after the hook you live or die on the story you tell, no one wants to watch a textbook

32:43 - Blowing Up History (Unearthed) and using computer reconstructions, video games like Assassin's Creed and Mafia as educational tools, get the audience to trust the journey, conspiracy belief is emotional and personal, the audience responds with fact-checking, don't forget Israel on your maps

38:59 - The future of docuseries, streaming needs less content than network, formats are changing, the How to Become a.... trilogy, a specific point of view instead of objective distance, the Prime Time series and Gay Ancient History

Music by Fanette Ronjat

More Info

Neil Laird on IMDb

Neil Laird on TikTok

Neil Laird website

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DIGITAL SIGNAGE DONE RIGHT - Winner of a 2022 Gold Quill Award, 2022 Gold MarCom Award, 2021 AVA Digital Award Gold, 2021 Silver Davey Award, 2020 Communicator Award of Excellence, and on numerous top 10 podcast lists.

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