My Favorite Podcasts

This past week I was twice asked, “What’s on your podcatcher?” Now I’m answering that question by giving a rundown of my “Favorites” list in my Overcast app:

99% Invisible

Roman Mars’ weekly podcast about design and architecture – this is the podcast that renewed my interest in narrative storytelling, and it helped to shape my current list of favorites. Back in 2012, I happened upon the Kickstarter for 99% Invisible Season 3, and I backed the project after watching the intro video.

99% Invisible represents the best of a new breed of artfully-produced podcasts focusing on storytelling. If you haven’t listened to 99% Invisible before, you must go to their website immediately, download all back episodes (currently 178), and start your weekend of binge-listening.

Criminal

Criminal is a podcast about crime. Stories of people who’ve done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle. Read more…

Mystery Show

A podcast where Starlee Kine solves mysteries. If you have a mystery in your life that you’ve always wanted solved, send an email to Starlee. The only rule is that the answer to your mystery can’t be found by just Googling.

This one grew on me after the first episode. Some stories from season one are one man’s quest to find Jake Gyllenhaal’s true height and one author wanting to know what Britney Spears thought of her book. What I like about this show is how Starlee takes eclectic topics and draws connections to our everyday lives.

Reply All

If you’ve ever listened to This American Life, this show is similar. As one of my friends has said, “Reply All is the This American Life of the Internet.”

Serial

Serial is a podcast from the creators of This American Life, and is hosted by Sarah Koenig. Serial tells one story – a true story – over the course of an entire season. Each season, we’ll follow a plot and characters wherever they take us. And we won’t know what happens at the end until we get there, not long before you get there with us. Each week we bring you the next chapter in the story, so it’s important to listen to the episodes in order, starting with Episode 1.

The Serial podcast became the most listened to podcast ever when its first season premiered during the fall of 2014. Season two will premier this fall, and season three premier’s in spring 2016.

StartUp Podcast

I discovered the StartUp Podcast after its first season was over. This was a good thing as season one made for excellent binge listening. It tells the story of Alex Blumberg‘s, the show’s creator, quest to start a podcasting company. It’s a fascinating look inside something we don’t usually see: the actual building of a new business.

Welcome to Macintosh

A tiny show about a big fruit company

If you’re an Apple fanatic, you’ll love the well-researched stories Mark Bramhill shares in Welcome to Macintosh.