The Austin Meyer Podcast

Jane Ferguson is a Beirut-based Special Correspondent for the PBS NewsHour. She reports from across the Middle East, Africa and beyond, often working in conflict zones.

Some of her reporting highlights include front-line dispatches from the war against ISIS in Iraq, an up-close look at Houthi-controlled Yemen, and reports on the war and famine in South Sudan.

On top of her work at the PBS NewsHour, Jane also writes for various outlets including the New Yorker. And before PBS, she reported extensively for Al Jazeera English and CNN International.

In this conversation, Jane and I discuss her journey from correcting spelling errors at a newspaper in Dubai to working for The NewsHour, her 2018 reporting trips to cover the ongoing war in Yemen, and the impact she hopes to have in the world when she puts her life on the line to bring us these untold stories.

If you enjoy this episode, please share it with a friend, as well as rating and reviewing the show on Apple Podcasts! And if you want to have your questions asked on the show to future guests, head on over to www.patreon.com/austinmeyerfilms to support the show!

Go out and tell some stories <3

This week my guests are Susan Milstein and Andi Brady. Susan and Andi a cofounders Personal History Productions, a company that helps an individual capture their life story and family memories as a legacy for future generations. Writing a life story can be daunting, so Susan and Andi come in and make it easy. They handle everything from interviewing the individual, to writing the narrative, to creating beautiful physical books, and by doing so, help people create a legacy through storytelling.

In this conversation, Susan, Andi, and I talk about how this business idea came about, the step-by-step process of creating a personal history, and how telling the story of your life allows you to come to terms with, and make meaning, of your life narrative. Hope you enjoy!

Also, if you haven't checked out my (Austin Meyer) most recent short documentary for National Geographic, check out: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/2019/01/zambia-handball-team-dreams-olympic-gold/

Follow me on social media @austinmeyerfilms and on Patreon at www.patreon.com/austinmeyerfilms

This week my guests are Susan Milstein and Andi Brady. Susan and Andi a cofounders Personal History Productions, a company that helps an individual capture their life story and family memories as a legacy for future generations. Writing a life story can be daunting, so Susan and Andi come in and make it easy. They handle everything from interviewing the individual, to writing the narrative, to creating beautiful physical books, and by doing so, help people create a legacy through storytelling.

In this conversation, Susan, Andi, and I talk about how this business idea came about, the step-by-step process of creating a personal history, and how telling the story of your life allows you to come to terms with, and make meaning, of your life narrative. Hope you enjoy!

Also, if you haven't checked out my (Austin Meyer) most recent short documentary for National Geographic, check out: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/2019/01/zambia-handball-team-dreams-olympic-gold/

Follow me on social media @austinmeyerfilms and on Patreon at www.patreon.com/austinmeyerfilms

This week my guest is award winning radio journalist, Jake Warga. Jake is a contributor to NPR, Public Radio International, and American Public Media. His stories have been featured on programs such as All Things Considered and This American Life. On top of making his own stories, Jake also teaches storytelling as a lecturer at Stanford University.

In this conversation, Jake and I discuss how one of his first radio stories ended up on This American Life, the three layers of a well told story, and how the brevity, clarity, and visual nature of writing for radio can teach us all how to tell better stories.

Like this episode? Consider sharing it with a friend! Want to ask questions on storytelling to a future guest? Check out the Patreon page at www.patreon.com/austinmeyerfilms to learn more!

This week my guest is award winning radio journalist, Jake Warga. Jake is a contributor to NPR, Public Radio International, and American Public Media. His stories have been featured on programs such as All Things Considered and This American Life. On top of making his own stories, Jake also teaches storytelling as a lecturer at Stanford University.

In this conversation, Jake and I discuss how one of his first radio stories ended up on This American Life, the three layers of a well told story, and how the brevity, clarity, and visual nature of writing for radio can teach us all how to tell better stories.

Like this episode? Consider sharing it with a friend! Want to ask questions on storytelling to a future guest? Check out the Patreon page at www.patreon.com/austinmeyerfilms to learn more!

Happy New Year! In today's episode I am reflecting on my life changing 2018. 2018 was a year in which I quit my job, moved out of California for the first time to go live in Zambia, and went 100% all in on pursuing my dream of becoming the best documentary filmmaker I can be.

To help guide my reflection, I sat down with my good friend and fellow documentary filmmaker, Joe Alexander-Short, who interviewed me about the highlights, setbacks, and learnings from this past year.

In this conversation we talk about how I got my National Geographic grant and why that was such a catalyzing moment for my career, how my background as an athlete influences my work as a storyteller, and what my long-term goals are that I use as fuel everyday.

If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe! We’re going to have many amazing storytellers on the podcast this year, and I don’t want you to miss out. Also, I launched a PATREON! If you want to support this podcast and my work as a documentary filmmaker, head on over to www.patreon.com/austinmeyerfilms! Thank YOU!

Happy New Year! In today's episode I am reflecting on my life changing 2018. 2018 was a year in which I quit my job, moved out of California for the first time to go live in Zambia, and went 100% all in on pursuing my dream of becoming the best documentary filmmaker I can be.

To help guide my reflection, I sat down with my good friend and fellow documentary filmmaker, Joe Alexander-Short, who interviewed me about the highlights, setbacks, and learnings from this past year.

In this conversation we talk about how I got my National Geographic grant and why that was such a catalyzing moment for my career, how my background as an athlete influences my work as a storyteller, and what my long-term goals are that I use as fuel everyday.

If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe! We’re going to have many amazing storytellers on the podcast this year, and I don’t want you to miss out. Also, I launched a PATREON! If you want to support this podcast and my work as a documentary filmmaker, head on over to www.patreon.com/austinmeyerfilms! Thank YOU!

This week on the podcast my guest is Xandra Clark. Xandra is an actor, writer, documentarian, musician, performance-maker, and all-around storyteller. Xandra is currently a 2018-19 Queer|Art Fellow in Performance, a member of The Bats Company at The Flea, a company member of Poetic Theater Productions, and a performer and experience designer with immersive performance company Odyssey Works. As an audio documentarian, Xandra has worked at StoryCorps and was a cofounder of the True Story Podcast, a podcast of true personal stories told live at intimate gatherings, which has over 6 million downloads. Xandra’s latest work is a show called Polylogues, which is a solo show about non-monogamy that combines her passions for theatrical and audio storytelling. In this conversation, Xandra and I talk about the process of creating Polylogues, how she blends storytelling mediums to foster an understanding of diverse perspectives, and the power of being open and receptive to the stories that the world presents to you.

This week on the podcast my guest is Xandra Clark. Xandra is an actor, writer, documentarian, musician, performance-maker, and all-around storyteller. Xandra is currently a 2018-19 Queer|Art Fellow in Performance, a member of The Bats Company at The Flea, a company member of Poetic Theater Productions, and a performer and experience designer with immersive performance company Odyssey Works. As an audio documentarian, Xandra has worked at StoryCorps and was a cofounder of the True Story Podcast, a podcast of true personal stories told live at intimate gatherings, which has over 6 million downloads. Xandra’s latest work is a show called Polylogues, which is a solo show about non-monogamy that combines her passions for theatrical and audio storytelling. In this conversation, Xandra and I talk about the process of creating Polylogues, how she blends storytelling mediums to foster an understanding of diverse perspectives, and the power of being open and receptive to the stories that the world presents to you.

This week’s guest on The Austin Meyer Podcast is Annalisa Quinn. Annalisa is a contributing writer, reporter, and literary critic for NPR where she created NPR's Book News column and covers literature and culture. Annalisa also writes about arts and culture for the New York Times and the Financial Times, and is a frequent contributor to the New York Times Magazine section First Words, which includes essays on what language reveals our current moment in culture and politics. In this conversation Annalisa and I talk about life as a freelance journalist, the end-to-end process of reviewing books for NPR, how reading hundreds of books has influenced her writing, how stories benefit from posing big questions, and then just in time for the holiday season, what books she recommends you get your loved ones!