The Austin Meyer Podcast

Josh Estey is one of the world’s top humanitarian relief and development documentary photographers. His work for UNICEF, CARE, USAID, World Food Programme, World Bank, Mercy Corps, and others captures moments of dignity and spirit without ever sacrificing truth or context, and has helped lead the transformation of non-profit photography and videography over the past two decades. Josh is a Pulitzer nominee and his photojournalistic and video work has appeared in every major news outlet from The New York Times to the PBS NewsHour, Time, Newsweek, CNN, and many more.

In this conversation, Josh and I talk about what it’s like to cover humanitarian crises. We go into everything from navigating logistics in an emergency situation, to crafting images and videos that drive impact.. And we’re not just talking in the abstract here. We’re grounding all these details in stories, as Josh takes his through two of his most recent assignments covering the devastation of the cyclone that hit Mozambique and the Venezuelan migrant crisis.

To hear the post-show with Josh, and to support this podcast, visit www.patreon.com/austinmeyerfilms

To see Josh Estey’s photography, follow www.instagram.com/joshestey.

To follow Austin Meyer, follow @austinmeyerfilms on Instagram and Facebook!

Lauren Gunderson is one of the world’s most prolific playwrights. At 37, she is the most produced playwright in America and has taken home many of the most coveted awards in the business. In 2017, The New Yorker wrote a profile on Lauren and titled it, “You’ve Probably Never Heard of America’s Most Popular Playwright.” Well everybody, it’s about time you heard!

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In this episode Lauren and I discuss how a lack of female representation in theater fueled her to write her first plays as a teenager, how she structures stories with an eye on pacing and character transformation, and why storytelling is at the core of what makes us human.

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To get access to the post show with Lauren, visit www.patreon.com/austinmeyerfilms

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Follow Lauren: https://twitter.com/LalaTellsAStory

Follow Austin Meyer: www.instagram.com/austinmeyerfilms

Lauren Gunderson is one of the world’s most prolific playwrights. At 37, she is the most produced playwright in America and has taken home many of the most coveted awards in the business. In 2017, The New Yorker wrote a profile on Lauren and titled it, “You’ve Probably Never Heard of America’s Most Popular Playwright.” Well everybody, it’s about time you heard!

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In this episode Lauren and I discuss how a lack of female representation in theater fueled her to write her first plays as a teenager, how she structures stories with an eye on pacing and character transformation, and why storytelling is at the core of what makes us human.

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To get access to the post show with Lauren, visit www.patreon.com/austinmeyerfilms

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Follow Lauren: https://twitter.com/LalaTellsAStory

Follow Austin Meyer: www.instagram.com/austinmeyerfilms

David Zinn's Art: www.instagram.com/davidzinn

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David Zinn is a world renowned street artist based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. David’s temporary street drawings are composed entirely of chalk, charcoal and found objects, and are always improvised on location through a process known as “pareidolic anamorphosis.” This technique makes his chalk art appear three dimensional.

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In this episode, David and I talk about how he makes a living drawing tiny creatures on the sidewalk out of chalk, why he loves the ephemerality of an art form that disappears after it rains, and his advice for people who are searching to find their own creative voice. I hope you enjoy my conversation, with David Zinn.

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Follow David at www.instagram.com/davidzinn.

Follow Austin Meyer at www.instagram.com/austinmeyerfilms.

To support the show, visit www.patreon.com/austinmeyerfilms!

Go out and tell some stories!

David Zinn's Art: www.instagram.com/davidzinn

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David Zinn is a world renowned street artist based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. David’s temporary street drawings are composed entirely of chalk, charcoal and found objects, and are always improvised on location through a process known as “pareidolic anamorphosis.” This technique makes his chalk art appear three dimensional.

.

In this episode, David and I talk about how he makes a living drawing tiny creatures on the sidewalk out of chalk, why he loves the ephemerality of an art form that disappears after it rains, and his advice for people who are searching to find their own creative voice. I hope you enjoy my conversation, with David Zinn.

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Follow David at www.instagram.com/davidzinn.

Follow Austin Meyer at www.instagram.com/austinmeyerfilms.

To support the show, visit www.patreon.com/austinmeyerfilms!

Go out and tell some stories!

Link to Maja Ruznic’s artwork: http://bit.ly/MajaPaintings

Maja Ruznic is a prolific artist currently based in Roswell, New Mexico. Primarily a painter, her artwork often explores themes related to trauma. A graduate of UC Berkeley and the California College of Arts, Maja has exhibited internationally and is a 2018 Hopper Prize winner.

In this episode, Maja and I talk through the step-by-step process of how she creates her paintings, how she cultivates her authentic voice by resisting the pressures of what art should be and what’s trendy, and her advice for aspiring artists/storytellers for how to unlock their creative potential.

To listen to the post show with Maja, visit www.patreon.com/austinmeyerfilms where you can get access the the private podcast feed!

Follow Maja Ruznic: www.instagram.com/majaruz

Follow Austin Meyer: www.instagram.com/austinmeyerfilms

Link to Maja Ruznic’s artwork: http://bit.ly/MajaPaintings

Maja Ruznic is a prolific artist currently based in Roswell, New Mexico. Primarily a painter, her artwork often explores themes related to trauma. A graduate of UC Berkeley and the California College of Arts, Maja has exhibited internationally and is a 2018 Hopper Prize winner.

In this episode, Maja and I talk through the step-by-step process of how she creates her paintings, how she cultivates her authentic voice by resisting the pressures of what art should be and what’s trendy, and her advice for aspiring artists/storytellers for how to unlock their creative potential.

To listen to the post show with Maja, visit www.patreon.com/austinmeyerfilms where you can get access the the private podcast feed!

Follow Maja Ruznic: www.instagram.com/majaruz

Follow Austin Meyer: www.instagram.com/austinmeyerfilms

Jonathan London is a children’s book author who has over 100 publications to his name.

Jonathan is best known as the author of the Froggy series, which has sold over 20 million copies and has been translated into 7 different languages. The first of the series, which was published in 1992, is called Froggy Gets Dressed, and now there are 29 others.

In this conversation, Jonathan and I discuss how he went from a struggling poet to a world renowned children’s book author, what qualities make a good children’s book, and the detailed, end-to-end process of creating the Froggy series.

For more on the craft of storytelling, check out @austinmeyerfilms on instagram and FB. And to get access to post shows and additional episodes, check out www.patreon.com/austinmeyerfilms!

Go out and tell some stories.

Jonathan London is a children’s book author who has over 100 publications to his name.

Jonathan is best known as the author of the Froggy series, which has sold over 20 million copies and has been translated into 7 different languages. The first of the series, which was published in 1992, is called Froggy Gets Dressed, and now there are 29 others.

In this conversation, Jonathan and I discuss how he went from a struggling poet to a world renowned children’s book author, what qualities make a good children’s book, and the detailed, end-to-end process of creating the Froggy series.

For more on the craft of storytelling, check out @austinmeyerfilms on instagram and FB. And to get access to post shows and additional episodes, check out www.patreon.com/austinmeyerfilms!

Go out and tell some stories.

Kat Zdan studied theater at UCSB and got her MFA in ensemble based physical theater from Dell’Arte International school of physical theater. Kat has been performing, teaching, and directing professionally in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond since 2009. Not only does Kat work in scripted theater, she is also a member of Improv Playhouse, one of the top improv troupes in the Bay Area.

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Off the stage, Kat is a conversation designer at Xandra, a company which brings artists and developers together to create interactive voice experiences for technology like Amazon Alexa and Google Home.

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In this episode, Kat and I discuss the story techniques she has learned working in play development, what elements create memorable and compelling characters, and how she is leveraging both creativity and logic to tell stories with emerging technology.

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To get access to the post-show, head on over to www.patreon.com/austinmeyerfilms!