Phoebe Judge hosts and co-creates both of these independent, highly produced shows.
I am sure it makes me pretty hard to work with.
Then I spent 2 12 years as the Gulf Coast reporter forMississippi Public Broadcasting.
Last February we launched our second show,This is Love.
Take us through a recent workday.
I wake up around 6:30.
By 7:30 Ive checked email and Slack and Twitter.
I have coffee and then I make a list.
I like to make lists on paper of what I have to get done that day.
Im incredibly old-fashioned in so many ways.
I am sure it makes me pretty hard to work with.
We have a shared Google calendar but I just copy everything from it onto my paper list.
By 8:30 I am on the phone with Lauren talking about the day.
After that, if Im lucky, I venture to run or go to Pilates.
Lauren, Nadia Wilson and I usually meet at the studio around 9:30.
By 11:30 I am thinking about lunch (it is a big obsession of mine).
I always propose really wonderful elaborate lunch ideas but we usually just get Chopt delivered by DoorDash.
Chopt just took away the spicy Calabrian Caesar Salad and I dont know what Ill do now.
7 out of 10 times they forget my salad dressing anyway.
We talk about story ideas while we eat.
Weve done four interviews in a day before.
Lauren and I usually have phone meetings interspersed throughout the afternoon.
Theres the story-telling aspect of the work, but were also running a business.
Around 4:30 we work on any loose ends that havent been tied up yet.
By 5:30 we are all headed home.
Were constantly sending short audio clips of episodes-in-progress to one another via Slack.
We take turns writing and mixing episodes.
If I am writing an episode, then everything goes out the window.
The evening is spent nervously pacing back and forth from my desk.
Writing a sentence and then convincing myself it is terrible.
I start making dinner at 7.
I love making dinner.
I usually eat around 8.
We are constantly on Slack.
It always feels like there is something to deal with.
By 10:30 I am in bed reading.
Right now Im readingThe Unredeemed Captiveby John Demos.
Take us through your process for making an episode ofCriminal.
Lauren, Nadia, or I will propose a story idea.
We always do a pre-interview to ensure someone is not only willing to talk but also a good fit.
We want to double-check people understand that our show is different in that were not collecting sound bites.
Its going to be a long, personal conversation.
After the pre-interview, we reconvene and talk about whether we still like the story.
Then we decide whether we should travel to interview the person face-to-face or do the interview in a studio.
Once weve made those logistical decisions, we write a list of questions and prepare to record the interview.
The best interviews go places we dont expect at all.
After that we all sit around and discuss the script and talk about how to make it better.
Scripts are also written in Google Docs for easy collaborating.
Whoever wrote the first draft of the script will go back and make changes.
We then have a second edit.
Sometimes a third after that.
Each edit comes with its own round of fact checking.
When the script is in a good place, I will record the narration.
We share a rough mix internally and revise.
In the meantime we are working withJulienne Alexander, who has been making illustrations forCriminalsince we started.
We publish on PRXs publishing platform, and our feeds are hosted by Feedburner.
Do you end up publishing every episode that you start work on?
No, we decided early on that it is better to kill a story early in the process.
If the story isnt there, then even the best writing in the world wont make it work.
What apps, gadgets, or tools cant you live without?
I use aNeumann TLM 103microphone in the studio and wearSony MDR-7506headphones.
In field I use aMarantz PMD 661recorder and anAudio Technica AT8035microphone.
I use a black moleskin notebook everyday to keep lists and take notes.
It is a little bigger than a book and a little smaller than a sheet of paper.
I am also pretty obsessed with my Garmin watch.
I use it to look at my heart rate and track my runs.
Mostly it just reminds me when to move (which I have yet to listen to.)
I also use Bose wireless headphones almost every day.
Whats your workspace setup like?
I mainly work in two places.
I have a home office where I do most of my work.
Even if I am not recording anything.
Something about it is comforting to me.
How do you keep track of what you have to do?
I mainly use a list in my notebook that I update every morning with what have to get done.
We also use a shared Google Calendar.
Take us through an interesting, unusual, or finicky process you have in place at work.
I am really obsessed with how the studio looks right before I track an episode.
I go around like a wild person just before we start making sure everything looks exactly perfect.
The shows are made by three of us.
Lauren Spohrer and I created both shows and we own Criminal Productions jointly.
I dont think the shows would continue if she werent a part of them.
I just dont think it works.
Nadia Wilson is our senior producer.
When we hired her three years ago it was like a godsend.
I dont think Lauren and I ever imagined how perfect a fit she would be to the team.
Whats your favorite shortcut or hack?
I feel like I am the picture of anti-hack.
I dont know any cool shortcuts.
I just recently learned how to take a screenshot on my computer.
How do you recharge or take a break?
I love to go for long walks.
Sometimes I will take a 10 mile walk just for the fun of it.
I also love to cook.
Whats your favorite side project?
I am currently making beer.
What are you currently reading, or what do you recommend?
I have also been reading a lot ofElizabeth Stroutlately.
Also Colson WhiteheadsThe Underground Railroad.
(I feel like as in most things in my life, I am about a year behind.)
And books about the New York City escort business in the 70s.
Who else would you like to see answer these questions?
Roman Mars, Roxanne Gay, Gail Collins.
Whats the best advice youve ever received?
Dont be afraid, it wont do much good anyway.
