Origin Story

Joshua Karpeh, more widely known as Cautious Clay, is a producer, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter from Cleveland, OH, and currently based in Brooklyn, NY. His music mixes hip-hop and r&b, and blends organic and electronic instrumentation to create a unique sound.

He’s collaborated with musicians like Taylor Swift, John Mayer, Billie Eillish, and more and has released three EPs, Bloodtype, Resonance, and Table of Context. Most recently he released his debut album, Deadpan Love.

We talked with Karpeh about who he is apart from Cautious Clay and how music helps him express himself.

Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp

You can follow Cautious Clay here.

Visit our website: Originstory.show

Follow us on Twitter @originstory_

Do you have feedback or questions for us? Email us [email protected]

Cover art and website design by Melody Hirsch

Origin Story original score by Ryan Hopper 

Lydia Millet has written more than a dozen novels and story collections which have both won and been nominated for numerous awards - including her story collection Love In Infant Monkeys which was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. Her latest novel, A Children’s Bible, was a finalist for the national book award and shows children grappling with climate disaster - and their parents - in the wake of n apocalyptic storm. When not writing novels Millet works for the Center for Biological Diversity in Arizona, a nonprofit that works to protect endangered species. 

We talked to Lydia about climate change, the creative process, and trying to ween her son off anime.

Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp

You can follow Lydia Millet here.

Visit Lydia Millet’s website here.

Visit our website: Originstory.show

Follow us on Twitter @originstory_

Do you have feedback or questions for us? Email us [email protected]

Cover art and website design by Melody Hirsch

Origin Story original score by Ryan Hopper 

Greg Lobanov is a game designer from Philadelphia currently living in Canada. He is the director of Chicory: A Colorful Tale and has previously created Wandersong, and Coin Crypt, and a number of other projects.

Alexis Dean-Jones Storyboarder, illustrator, animator, and character designer originally from Brisbane, Australia, and currently based in Canada. She’s worked on projects for the Australia Post, as well as Slap Happy Cartoons where she worked on Tom & Jerry and the Hollow. Most recently she’s worked as the character animator and designer for Chicory: A Colorful Tale.

We talk to them about how Chicory helped them explore the anxieties and pressures around creating art and trying to build player creativity into a game. 

Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp

You can follow Greg here and Alexis here.

Visit our website: Originstory.show

Follow us on Twitter @originstory_

Do you have feedback or questions for us? Email us [email protected]

Cover art and website design by Melody Hirsch

Origin Story original score by Ryan Hopper 

Jeff Pianki is a singer-songwriter based in LA. He's released two full-length albums, Paper Window, and most recently, Remember It Now, after a 10-year hiatus from releasing music.

We sat down with Jeff to talk about what he's been up to for all these years, the creation of his new album Remember It Now, and his new determination for forging a path in music as his full-time profession.

Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp

You can listen to Remember It Now here.

Visit our website: Originstory.show

Follow us on Twitter @originstory_

Do you have feedback or questions for us? Email us [email protected]

Cover art and website design by Melody Hirsch

Origin Story original score by Ryan Hopper

Steven James Aguilar is a producer, songwriter, sound engineer, and musician based in Seattle, WA. He has worked with artists including The Head and The Heart, Billie Eilish, Macklemore, Dave Matthews Band, and many more.

He also releases his own music under the name Heatmaps and most recently put out his new record, Kissing Teeth.

We talk to Steven about the power of brevity in music, and his working theory that there are no good band names. 

Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp

You can follow Steven Aguilar here.

Visit our website: Originstory.show

Follow us on Twitter @originstory_

Do you have feedback or questions for us? Email us [email protected]

Cover art and website design by Melody Hirsch

Origin Story original score by Ryan Hopper 

Tali Faulkner is a Maori game developer behind Umurangi Generation, a semi-realistic photography game set in an apocalyptic future with mechs, an occupational United Nations, and the looming threat of the end of the world. The game recently won the top prize at the Freeplay Independent Games Festival.

We talk to Tali about making politics explicit in games, and what it means to be part of the last generation.

Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp

You can follow Tali Faulkner here.

Visit our website: Originstory.show

Follow us on Twitter @originstory_

Do you have feedback or questions for us? Email us [email protected]

Cover art and website design by Melody Hirsch

Origin Story original score by Ryan Hopper 

Neil Jones is a game artist currently working out of Detroit, MI. Jones is an artist and game designer who worked on indie titles like Clique and Aerial Knight’s Never Yield.

Neil garnered a lot of attention after his game was featured as part of Nintendo's 2021 indie world showcase. We talk with him about how Never Yield was his last-ditch effort to see if he could stay in an industry that is unwelcoming to black creators and his complicated feelings around the attention the showcase gave him.

Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp

You can follow Neil Jones here.

Visit our website: Originstory.show

Follow us on Twitter @originstory_

Do you have feedback or questions for us? Email us [email protected]

Cover art and website design by Melody Hirsch

Origin Story original score by Ryan Hopper 

Brooke Maggs is a Senior Narrative Designer for Remedy Games in Helsinki - although she originally hails from Austrailia. She’s worked on a host of award winning games including Control, Florence, Paperbark, and The Gardens Between.

In 2017 she won the MCV Pacific Xbox Women in Games Creative Impact award for her role in the game industry.

We talk about how Brooke got into gaming and what "narrative design" really means. 

Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp

You can find Brooke Maggs here. 

Visit our website: Originstory.show

Follow us on Twitter @originstory_

Do you have feedback or questions for us? Email us [email protected]

Cover art and website design by Melody Hirsch

Origin Story original score by Ryan Hopper 

Steve Pardo is a composer and interactive audio designer in the video game industry. He’s the co-founder of audio production house SkewSound, a game developer at The Pardo Brothers, and an audio director at Authentic Artists.

Pardo has a background in jazz, and his professional career began at legendary music-game studio Harmonix Music Systems where he led the audio team for games such as Rock Band VR, Dance Central, and Super Beat Sports.

In addition to collaborating on some of the world’s most recognizable music gaming titles, he’s also composed a range of other interactive soundtracks such as Signs of the Sojourner, Gigantic, Grim Dawn, and Fantasia: Music Evolved. Outside of games, he’s scored music for networks such as Netflix, Adult Swim, and IFC.

We spoke with Steve about how he designs the sound of home in his music. 

Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp

Learn more about Signs of the Sojourner here.

Explore more of Steve Pardo's work at his website.

Check out Phil's essay on Signs of the Sojourner here.

Visit our website: Originstory.show

Follow us on Twitter @originstory_

Do you have feedback or questions for us? Email us [email protected]

Cover art and website design by Melody Hirsch

Origin Story original score by Ryan Hopper 

Matthew Seiji Burns is a writer, director, composer, and game designer. With the help of Zachtronics game studio, he created Eliza a visual novel about an AI counseling program, the people who develop it, and the people who use it.

Prior to Eliza, Burns worked on a variety of games. He’s the creator of the interactive fiction projects Apology Simulator, The Writer Will Do Something, and The Arboretum. He’s also worked with Zachtronics to write and compose for titles such as EXAPunks, Opus Magnum, and more.

Burns has also worked as a producer at Treyarch, Bungie, and 343 Industries on titles such as Halo 3 & Halo ODST.

We talk with burns about our complicated, sometimes worrying, relationship to computers and why he's attracted to interactive novels. 

Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp

Check out Matthew's website here.

Learn more about Eliza here.

Try out this recreation of Eliza chatbot here.

Visit our website: Originstory.show

Follow us on Twitter @originstory_

Do you have feedback or questions for us? Email us [email protected]

Cover art and website design by Melody Hirsch

Origin Story original score by Ryan Hopper