Revisiting Ira Glass Behind the Scenes at This American Life
Ira Glass, host and producer of This American Life, captured in his New York studio with Prizes Department Executive Director Abi Wright and duPont-Columbia Awards Director Lisa R. Cohen in 2019.
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“A story is an engine for feelings.”
- “This American Life” founder, host and producer Ira Glass
Many consider This American Life founder, host and producer Ira Glass to be the father of modern podcasts. Even though in this episode, he wryly calls that “factually inaccurate,” with its character-focused, emotion-driven editorial bent, Glass’s documentary radio show, founded in 1995, has certainly influenced generations of podcasters, and catalyzed the rise of the narrative podcast genre in recent decades. Along the way, his TAL team has won numerous duPont-Columbia Awards, including Our Town, Party in the USA, and several others.
In 2019, Glass gave a behind-the-scenes tour of the editorial processes within This American Life, his considerations on story development, and more with Prizes Department Executive Director Abi Wright and duPont-Columbia Awards Director Lisa R. Cohen at his New York studio.
Now in 2022, Glass’s notes on crafting compelling stories for the ear continue to resonate.. As the duPont-Columbia awards enter its 81st season, we turn back to Glass to reconsider how the best narrative stories are built.
The conversation is interspersed with excerpts from Glass’s wildly popular graduation speech at the 2018 Columbia Journalism School Commencement. Watch the full speech here.