Snap Judgment

A fisherman down on his luck finds gold at the bottom of the sea. It’s only after his treasure hunt is underway that he discovers what is truly valuable deep down.

BIG thanks to Joe Pennisi for sharing your story with Snap.

This story would not have been possible if not for the amazing, on the ground reporting work of Tara Duggan, Jason Fagone, and Santiago Mejia who first told this incredible story for the San Francisco Chronicle.

Produced by Nikka Singh, original score by Renzo Gorrio

Sound design by Pat Mesiti-Miller

Artwork by Teo Ducot

Season 11 - Episode 27

When a young man is told is he going deaf, he sets out on a challenge to memorize the songs that defined his life. He had no idea that those songs would come back to him in the most unexpected way.

A version of this story aired on KQED's Q'ed Up.

Produced by April Dembosky, Original Score by Renzo Gorrio

Sound Design by Leon Morimoto & April Dembosky

Artwork by Mark Fiore

Snap Classic - Season 9 Episode 3

The last embers of the season. The final wander through the woods. The chill not yet hitting the air. That’s when you know it’s time… This week, experience the dark magic of Spooked on Snap. We proudly present, “Campfire Tales VII.”

STORIES

Kapu

If the sign at the mouth of the cave says “kapu,” forbidden, you better take heed. Don’t go searching for trouble. Thank you, Joe, for sharing your story with Spooked!

Produced by Greta Weber and Annie Nguyen, original score by Lauryn Newson

Route 666

Michael Kilpatrick is coming home from the venue, celebrating a great show. He’s taking a familiar road. But tonight, the conditions are bad: hard wind, rain, and… frogs? Thanks, Michael, for sharing your story with us!

Produced by Annie Nguyen, original score by Leon Morimoto

Widow’s Walk

Howling wind. Swirling fog. What lurks in the mist? To whom is the wind calling? Thank you, Bubba, for sharing your terrifying tale with us.

Produced by Greta Weber & Gaylen Koch, original score by Clay Xavier

Artwork by Teo Ducot

Sound design by Pat Mesiti-Miller

Season 5 of Spooked drops 8/21/20 & will have 22 brand new episodes, each released weekly on Mondays & Fridays. Select episodes will be available across streaming platforms, but you can find ALL the new episodes only on Luminary. Visit LuminaryPodcasts.com to start listening!

Season 11 - Episode 26

A rowdy radio show. A sick listener. A Radio DJ who gets in way, way too deep.

This story is a co-production between Snap Judgment Studios, Hi-Phi Nation with Barry Lamb, and our dear friends over at Love and Radio.

Listen & subscribe to Hi-Phi Nation with Barry Lamb, the best story-driven philosophy podcast in the universe! Love and Radio also rules and comes to you from the incredible Luminary family. You can hear the original version of Gotcha from Love and Radio here.

Learn more about Radio DJ Amber Petty and pre-order her new book, “This Is Not A Love Song”

This story was produced by Barry Lam, Steven Jackson, Nick van der Kolk, Phil Dmochowski, Julia DeWitt, and John Fecile

This story includes the voices of Amber Petty, Cory Kimm, Andrew ‘Cosi’ Costello, and Sarah

The actors featured in this story are Aliya Pabani, Corey Layton, Robin Luckwaldt-Ross

Special thanks to Diane Wu, Antimo Ianella, Ira Glass

Artwork by John Garrison

For a full list of music featured in this episode, visit the Snap site.

Sound design by Pat Mesiti-Miller

Season 11 - Episode 25

A musician writes a song so catchy, it takes over the world…then he finds out it’s become a weapon on the streets of Portland. “Easy Street” turned into something it was never meant to be.

This story contains explicit language, sensitive listeners are advised.

A big thanks to Joe Sivick & Deena Prichep.

Easy Street (Redux) single by The Occupy ICE PDX Alliance on Apple Music or iTunes.

Produced by John Fecile, original score by Renzo Gorrio

Sound design by Pat Mesiti-Miller

Artwork by Teo Ducot

Team Snap brings you the story of the devastating COVID-19 outbreak at San Quentin State Prison, as told by people on the inside.

STORIES

Outbreak at San Quentin

As the Coronavirus outbreak overwhelms San Quentin State Prison, one incarcerated person, Chanthon Bun, is awaiting his release on parole. Bun tries to protect himself from the virus, while incarcerated first responders and cleaning crews attempt to treat those who are collapsing and stop the spread of COVID-19. In this episode, we hear first-hand accounts from incarcerated people inside San Quentin trying to survive the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

This story contains graphic content, listener discretion is advised.

At the time of this recording, 13 people from San Quentin have died due to coronavirus, bringing the total number of lives lost in California prisons to 40. Our hearts go out to them and theirs, sincerely.

Find out how you can support people on the inside with care packages and more at Prison University Project.

Chanthon Bun is a producer now living on the outside. Greg Eskridge and Thanh Tran are both multimedia journalists currently incarcerated at San Quentin. Checkout Uncuffed and First Watch for more of their work. Rasheed Lockheart, who narrated this piece, works with Planting Justice, a food and social justice organization empowering those impacted by incarceration. Many thanks to Ant, Eric Phillips, and Alex Simon for sharing their stories from the inside as well.

Special thanks to James King from the Ella Baker Center and Adnan Khan from Restore Justice.

Produced by Pat Mesiti-Miller and Ninna Gaensler-Debs

Original score & sound design by Pat Mesiti-Miller

Artwork by Teo Ducot

Letters from Uncuffed

While people inside San Quentin and other detention facilities across the country are faced with the threat of coronavirus, it is not just them who are affected. This piece is made up of a collection of letters from people on the outside trying to reach their loved ones currently behind bars.

Big thanks to everyone who shared their letters, Rasheed Lockheart, Shelly Ammons, Dario Abramskiehn, Jovina Vejar.

The letters came to us from Uncuffed, a storytelling project made by people behind bars, from inside San Quentin State Prison and Solano State Prison, in collaboration with KALW. Listen & subscribe on your favorite podcast player!

Produced by Ninna Gaensler-Debs, Gabe Grabin, Angela Johnston, and Eli Wirtschafter.

San Quentin Mixtapes Vol. 1 – “Same Prison As My Grandfather”

The San Quentin Mixtape is a music project recorded, produced, and performed by incarcerated people inside San Quentin State Prison.

The song featured in this episode is “Same Prison As My Grandfather” by Dinero G. Thank you Dinero …

Things go horribly wrong for a safari guide on the Zambezi River when he comes face-to-face with a rogue hippo.

Thank you, Paul, for sharing your story with Snap! Check out Paul Templer’s memoir, What’s Left of Me.

Produced by Erika Lantz, original score by Renzo Gorrio

Sound design by Pat Mesiti-Miller

Artwork by Teo Ducot

Snap Classic - Season 9 - Episode 25

The night of June 11, 2011, will forever be seared in Roger Stringer’s memory. The night started off with a dinner of boiled shrimp with his two sons. The night ended with his family being torn apart.

This story contains sensitive content and graphic imagery not suitable for young listeners. Listener discretion advised.

A very big BIG thank you to Roger and Zac Stringer for sharing their story with us here at Snap!

As of yet, Zac has not been exonerated. A post-conviction relief appeal to clear his name is stalled in a local circuit court. His civil lawsuit against Remington is currently in limbo. Zac is now 24. He goes to college full time. He's the first-ever convicted felon to be admitted to William Carey University in Mississippi.

Produced by Nancy Lopez, original score by Renzo Gorrio

Sound design by Pat Mesiti-Miller

Artwork by Teo Ducot

Season 11 - Episode 23

For 110 days Peter Hammarstedt and his group of ocean vigilantes hunted the most notorious poacher on the high seas, known as the Thunder. Their journey turns into an epic chase across 10,000 miles, two seas, and three oceans, through massive ice floors, violent clashes, and storms-tossed seas, where only one ship makes it home.

Thank you so much to Peter Hammarstedt for sharing your story with us!

Thanks as well to Ian Urbina. We first heard about this story thanks to his reporting. You can find his book, The Outlaw Ocean: Journeys Across the Last Untamed Frontier, on Knopf, Amazon, or anywhere books are sold. Ian has a great collection of stories and books about the lawless ocean.

Also, BIG thanks to Brick City TV & Mark Benjamin for sharing the audio from their documentary, Ocean Warriors: Chasing the Thunder. You can see a trailer of the film here.

Produced by Nikka Singh, original score by Renzo Gorrio

Sound design by Pat Mesiti-Miller

Season 11 - Episode 22

This weekend we are moving our podcast feed. You will still be able to listen to Snap Judgment on the radio and wherever you get your podcasts, but we want to make sure you don’t miss a beat. Make sure Snap stays in your feed by subscribing. Next week, check to see you have the new epic Snap episode, "Chasing Thunder." If you don't see it in your feed, please refresh or resubscribe!