WGN - The Download with Justin Kaufmann Podcast

The Carry Out is the nightly segment where Justin reads the news so you don’t have to. Tonight’s top stories include Attorney General Jeff Sessions announcing the Trump administration is rescinding DACA, Chicago Public Schools coming back for another year, Houston continuing the massive clean-up after Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma threatening the Caribbean islands, the NFL regular season kicking off this week, the Chicago Bears preparing for their opener against the Atlanta Falcons, the Cubs maintaining their lead over Milwaukee, […]

Chicago City Treasurer Kurt Summers joins Justin to talk about his duties as Chicago treasurer, why there is an aversion to investing in Chicago, the importance of Chicago leading the way in economic development, what it means to be “business friendly,” the ongoing pension crisis in Chicago and Illinois, why he decided to support J.B. Pritzker’s candidacy for Illinois governor and his future political ambitions. Follow Justin on Twitter and give him a like on Facebook. The Download with Justin Kaufmann airs Monday through […]

It’s Tuesday night so that means we have another episode of “The Download on Chicago Business” sponsored by Signature Bank. Tonight, Justin speaks with Instant Alliance Founder and CEO Rona Borre about her career, where the idea for Instant Alliance comes from, why she decided to start the company, the business of human capital, what attracts her to recruiting and placing people in jobs, the importance of creating relationships, how the company creates trust from other businesses, Chicago’s emergence in the […]

Justin is back from vacation and ready to rock you with his usual style and finesse! On tonight’s episode of The Download, Justin speaks with Rona Borre, CEO of Instant Alliance, about recruiting Chicago’s top tech talent, City Treasurer Kurt Summers chats about his career, city finances and his political future, Colin Warner and former NFL great Nnamdi Asomugha tell us about their new film, “Crown Heights” and since it’s Tuesday (already!), we end the show with “The Worst,” where we complain about […]

Former NFL great Nnamdi Asomugha and Colin Warner join Justin to discuss the new film, “Crown Heights,” which tells Colin’s incredible true story about serving 21 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Nnamdi talks about how he learned about Colin’s story, why he wanted to be involved with the film, the importance of being accurate when telling Colin’s story, making the transition from the NFL to acting and how he relates to Colin’s journey. Colin talks about seeing […]

Chris Jones and Mark Caro are in for Justin Kaufmann on The Download and they are joined by plenty of guests including George Takei and Camilla Cleese! George Takei, famously known for his role in Star Trek, discusses his one night only show that covers the story of his Japanese-American family’s forced imprisonment during World War II. The show will be featured here in Chicago on September 7 at Athenaeum Theatre. Author and Professor, Dr. Lauren Streicher, then joins Chris […]

Matt Bubala (in for Justin Kaufmann) talks with notorious ballhawk Zack Hample, who has snagged exactly 10,000 balls over the course of his time chasing down baseballs at ballparks around the country.  He talks about getting Alex Rodriguez’s home run for his 3000th hit and the ensuing controversy that made him a divisive figure in the media, why he won’t watch his recent feature on HBO’s Real Sports, the logistics of ballhawking in the big leagues and giving back to […]

DNAInfo reporter Heather Cherone talks with Matt Bubala  (in for Justin Kaufmann) about Mayor Emanuel defending a proposed 2.5% property tax hike, as allowed by the latest state education bill currently on Gov. Rauner’s desk.  They discuss the ‘pension holiday’ situation that led the city (and state) to where they are, how a tax hike might only worsen the problem of residents leaving the city, the proposed $75 million voucher program as the Governor’s key to getting the education bill […]

Chris Jones and Mark Caro are in for Justin Kaufmann on The Download: Ryan Ori of the Chicago Tribune joins the show to talk about the Hard Rock Hotel’s upcoming name change to the “St. Jane Chicago”, and whether or not it even makes sense to name a boutique hotel after Jane Addams; Hollywood Elsewhere movie critic Jeffrey Wells preview the upcoming festival season and what films are picking up the most buzz with Telluride and Toronto on the horizon; […]

Chicago Tribune and RedEye reporter Adam Lukach joins Brian Noonan to break down the basics of Divvy, Chicago’s commuter bike-sharing system.   He explains the ins and outs of checking out bikes and how to maximize your bike time, the city’s plans to add more stations in the outlying neighborhoods and the logistics of how stations are laid out throughout the city in relation to the most popular routes; he also shares some of his list of the best routes in the […]