Best Nonlinear Storytelling Podcasts (2025)

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Karrie Shao & Ros Dachtler 1:31:52

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4M ago1:31:52

1:31:52

We're over halfway through 2025 and we've got Karrie (Lead Writer and Lead Narrative Designer of Pacific Drive, previously wrote and designed on League of Legends for Riot Games, Totemic for Collage Games, and Not Tonight 2 for Panic Barn. Also worked as a Director of Marketing at Strangely Compelling Multimedia, a Producer at tinyBuild Games, a Le…

1
Brendon Chung & Laura Michet 1:17:58

6M ago1:17:58

1:17:58

Hello hello! We're back with returning guests Brendon Chung (founder of Blendo Games and creator of such games as Gravity Bone, Flotilla, Atom Zombie Smasher, Thirty Flights of Loving, Quadrilateral Cowboy, and the recently released Skin Deep) and Laura Michet (writer and editor who's worked on such games as Where the Water Tastes Like Wine, Frog F…

1
The GDC 2025 Grab Bag Episode 1:08:41

7M ago1:08:41

1:08:41

We return with another grab bag episode for GDC 2025! Like last year, we brought a bunch of simple questions to ask folks, and in these three groups you get to hear how their answers differed. In our first group we had Chase Dodge (NYU student), Ruari Root (NYU student), Calliope Ryder (prev Lead Producer on Tales of the Shire at Weta Workshop), Ch…

1
Adam Dolin & Jolie Menzel 1:35:14

10M ago1:35:14

1:35:14

It’s been an embarrassingly long time but we are BACK! Again!!! And this time we’ve brought returning guests Adam Dolin and Jolie Menzel to discuss breaking in, how they define narrative design, the differences between creative directors who come from narrative versus other displiclines, the three c’s, can game writers exist without knowing narrati…

1
Jaclyn Seto & Christal Rose Hazelton 1:20:15

1+ y ago1:20:15

1:20:15

Moving on from our GDC episodes, we're back with Jaclyn (Writer at Respawn Entertainment on Apex Legends, instructor & student mentor at Vancouver Film School. Previously a Writer on RPG Puzzle Legends and Merge Tales for Microfun) and Christal Rose (previously a Writer at Respawn Entertainment on Apex Legends and an Associate Writer on Hogwarts Le…

1
The GDC 2024 Grab Bag Episode 2:02:29

1+ y ago2:02:29

2:02:29

Hey hey! We're back with our second episode that we recorded at this year's GDC, and it's a doozy! In a switch from how we normally do things, we brought a grab bag of simple questions to the conference and hit up people who were free, and so y'all get to see how everyone's answers differed. In our first group, we had Ben Starr (actor, Final Fantas…

1
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland & Sarah Elmaleh 41:54

1+ y ago41:54

41:54

Coming to you NOT LIVE from GDC, we've got a special episode of the podcast covering SAG-AFTRA's negotiations with game studios! Duncan Crabtree-Ireland (National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator for SAG-AFTRA) and Sarah Elmaleh (Chair of the SAG-AFTRA Interactive Media (IMA) Negotiating Committee, as well as actor in titles like Helldivers …

1
Stephen Rhodes & Danny Homan 1:13:41

1+ y ago1:13:41

1:13:41

First ep of 2024! We've got Stephen (scriptwriter and narrative designer, currently Narrative Director on Motive's untitled Iron Man project in collaboration with Marvel Games. Previously a Senior Writer on Vampyr and Greedfall, Associate Narrative Director/Lead Narrative Designer on Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, Lead Narrative Designer/Senior Sto…

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Alexa Ray Corriea & Ben Starr 2:01:08

2y ago2:01:08

2:01:08

Happy Holidays! We're closing out this year with the absolutely amazing Alexa Ray Corriea (Writer and narrative designer currently working on Black Panther in partnership with Marvel Games and EA, serving as both a writer and systems designer. Previously she worked on Aztech: Forgotten Cods, Call of Duty: Vanguard and the Call of Duty: Warzone Pafc…

1
Saraswathi “Vani” Balgam on Women in Animation and Global Storytelling 45:07

2y ago45:07

45:07

We have the pleasure of sharing the adventures of Saraswathi “Vani” Balgam -- from pioneering visual effects in India to founding her studio, Dancing Atoms, and mentoring future talents. From her early beginnings in the visual effects industry in India, Vani's drive and curiosity propelled her into careers at Rhythm & Hues and DreamWorks. Vani foun…

1
A Creative Maestro - Mark Brymer Talks Show Production and Choral Arranging 37:05

2y ago37:05

37:05

I'm joined by the multitalented Mark Brymer, a creative entrepreneur with hands-on expertise in turning musical concepts into spectacular shows. Mark brings a wealth of experience — from arranging a vast collection (400,000) of choral pieces with Hal Leonard to producing dazzling shows in theme parks. We’ll get a deeper look at his journey from hig…

1
From Immersive Theater to VR Innovation: Deirdre V. Lyons' Journey 47:50

2y ago47:50

47:50

Today's guest is a true pioneer in the burgeoning field of virtual reality theater: Deirdre V. Lyons. She'll share her groundbreaking work in VR at the Ferryman Collective, such as her innovative productions like "Welcome to Respite" and "Gumball Dreams," and discuss the intricacies of producing entertainment ranging from films to webisodes. Deirdr…

1
Risk, Reward, and Representation in Hollywood with Harry Abrams 34:38

2y ago34:38

34:38

In this conversation, we are joined by a long-time innovator and entrepreneur in talent management — Harry Abrams. At the venerable age of 88, Harry reflects on a career where passion eclipsed paychecks, taking a step into adventure from lawnmower manufacturing in Indiana and instead taking a gutsy $40/week step into the glitz and competitiveness o…

1
Creating New Musical Instruments . . . with Mike Butera 50:46

2y ago50:46

50:46

Mike Butera has gone on some intriguing journeys, connecting music performance passions, philosophy and sound studies, and tech in creating new musical instruments for regular people to get into music. He shares his path to launching Artiphon after years in academic circles, ways he learned how to market new devices and thrive with Kickstarter, and…

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Discovering New Artists and Building Your Own Path . . . with Jason Kramer 56:58

2y ago56:58

56:58

Jason Kramer shares his journey to being an EMT during the AIDS Epidemic, LA Riots, and Northridge Earthquake to Fox Sports to KLOS and KCRW. He talks about the magic of Sunday nights, how he created and drove his own luck through persistent work, asking for opportunities, and taking on new challenges. He shares a bit of his experience being presen…

1
Building VR Community through Learning . . . with Dominique Wu 48:11

2y ago48:11

48:11

Dominique Wu is a real leader in bringing together education and VR for regular people. She's created the XReality Pro program. She'll talk about what it's like to be an immigrant in the United States as a creative, a different story than we've had a lot of guests share. And she'll also talk about how an early out-of-body experience in some ways se…

1
Ally Hennessy & Natalie Watson 1:35:57

2y ago1:35:57

1:35:57

We've got Ally (producer at The Voxel Agents, game director at Lemonade Games on Mystiques, Production Director at League of Geeks on Solium Infernum and the recent Jumplight Odyssey. Previously was a senior producer and development manager at Mighty Kingdom, expert product manager at Wargaming, and gamerunner on Rumu at Robot House) and Natalie (p…

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If I’m Going to Keep Evolving with Peter Kiesewalter, The Moth Project 55:30

2y ago55:30

55:30

Peter Kiesewalter creates at the divergent edge -- at the intersection of art and science. In this case, he's working at the edge of ecology and biology along with music and location-based entertainment with The Moth Project. It's a live experience in beautiful places with the stories of moths and their lives to music. Over his varied career in mus…

1
Ask the Right Questions with Isaac Saldana, CEO, Memo 40:36

2y ago40:36

40:36

Isaac Saldana leans on two core values: asking the right questions and humility. Along with a good friend, he launched several companies. And several failed -- until he launched SendGrid in 2009. After learning to hire up with strong CEOs, the company went public in 2018. Since then, he has gotten an Executive MBA, launched Joy Labs, and now is a f…

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New Markets, Bold Choices . . . with Miki Agrawal, Serial Founder & Musician 43:54

2y ago43:54

43:54

Some guests have a LOT of gumption and energy to create new. Miki is releasing her first album now. But over time, she has launched new companies and created new spaces. Some of the road has been bumpy and some has developed whole new categories that help people's lives. Guest: Miki Agrawal, Co-founder and former CEO of THINX and founder of TUSHY a…

1
Jennifer Hale & Debra Wilson 1:21:18

2+ y ago1:21:18

1:21:18

Everyone said it’d be impossible, but we managed to find another pair of twins to come onto this podcast. That’s right. The incredible Jennifer Hale (Has acted in the original Mass Effect trilogy, the Metal Gear Solid series, Overwatch, Star Wars: The Knights of the Old Republic, Bioshock Infinite, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, and many many many …

1
Chris Garbutt & Rikke Asbjoern 1:02:04

2+ y ago1:02:04

1:02:04

Apologies for the wait, but we're back! We don't often do episodes focused around one specific thing, but we're making an exception to talk about Netflix's newest interactive special: We Lost Our Human, and we're joined by its two co-creators, Chris and Rikke! (They also co-created the Nickelodeon series Pinky Malinky, and both have worked on many,…

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Seek Out Creative Opportunities . . . with Mark Harper 48:05

2+ y ago48:05

48:05

"I had no idea what I was doing." Mark Harper shares his story of going from ROTC to Combat Camera (leading teams of combat photographers) to Technicolor to high-end headphones to joining a startup military channel. He talked about each time where he sought out creative opportunities, the advice given to him by Sargeant Logan from his hometown (who…

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Creativity, Branding, Muppets, Yo Gabba Gabba, and other Career Adventures . . . with Mike Polis 1:02:21

3y ago1:02:21

1:02:21

Mike Polis started and ended with animation and graphic novels and cool creative content. In between, he has run marketing for Yo Gabba Gabba, Jim Henson, and other adventures. Mike shares his stories of how he moved from desktop publishing after college to food marketing, to DVDs for Universal Studios, and into adventures with Kermit and other cre…

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George Lockett & Mary Goodden 1:28:48

3y ago1:28:48

1:28:48

It's the end of the year, which means it's time for us to put out a new episode and feel guilty for not releasing more this year! (We were busy, but we got lots more planned for next year!) Our guests this month are George Lockett (Senior Writer at Failbetter Games and a Narrative Consultant, Writer, and Designer at Bear Wolf Narrative. Previously …

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I didn’t just have one thing . . . with Lafiya Watson Ramirez 37:52

3y ago37:52

37:52

From photography to musician websites to Flash to now AR, Lafiya Watson Ramirez combines visual and experience creation with storytelling. She tells her own story about how she moved from photography to web and interactive design into being inspired by Pokemon Go to pursue Augmented Reality (AR) through Snap Studios and a residency there. She share…

1
Bonus: Postcard Moments . . . with Gigi Johnson 5:11

3y ago5:11

5:11

We are in post-production on new episodes, so our host, Gigi Johnson, shared a story about "Postcards" and Postcard Moments that has come up in prior episodes and in many recent conversations. She shares how a single postcard created a pivot that changed her direction when a TA offered the suggestion that she apply for USC Film School after a singl…

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Simplifying Complexity for Indie Labels . . .with Bruno Guez 35:29

3y ago35:29

35:29

Bruno shares his saga from playing the drums and enjoying international music, mixing songs and culture from Tunisia, France, and LA. Those facets led to studying at UCLA Ethnomusicology, becoming a DJ at KCRW, and building a record label in his living room. He shared work in place-based music and compilation records, in building the sonic architec…

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Educated Luck and Building Digital Bridges . . . with Dick Huey 1:01:29

3y ago1:01:29

1:01:29

[Enjoy our podcast this week that we share with our sister Maremel Network podcast, Innovating Music, that has just launched its fifth year.] Dick Huey claims that his career jumps have been "educated luck." "Because they they are luck. And I'm, I'm I don't ever pretend that I have more information than everybody else does. But I think I'm good at …

1
Rob Forman & Andrew Walsh 1:35:54

3y ago1:35:54

1:35:54

We've got a unionization-heavy episode for y'all as we've got Rob (additional writer on Indivisible for Lab Zero Games, writer on Spider-Man 2 for Insomniac Games, and current co-chair of the WGAW's LGBTQ+ Writers Committee) and Andrew (writer, narrative designer, narrative director, story consultant, and more on games like Horizon Forbidden West, …

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Sarah Baylus & Mike Laidlaw 1:26:23

3+ y ago1:26:23

1:26:23

Somehow we're over halfway through the year, but this podcast is still going! Our guests this month are Sarah Baylus (Principal Writer at Larian Studios where she’s currently working on Baldur’s Gate III, and previously she wrote on Divinity: Original Sin, and its sequel Divinity: Original Sin II) and Mike Laidlaw (Chief Creative Officer at Yellow …

1
Corey Brotherson & Kelsie Mhoon 59:47

3+ y ago59:47

59:47

Back in the throes of summer, we've got Corey (lead narrative designer at Silver Rain Games, writer and narrative designer on WindRush Tales, editor and social media manager of Butterfly Books, and a journalist, critic and content producer for companies such as PlayStation, Yahoo! and the Eurogamer Network) and Kelsie (narrative designer at Obsidia…

1
Architecture, Mars, and VR . . . with Alfredo Muñoz 50:15

3+ y ago50:15

50:15

Questions: How do we design for extreme conditions and resource challenges? Is that for Mars or Earth? Guest: Alfredo Muñoz, Architect; Founder; Onteco; Founder, ABIBOO Studio; Chair for Memberships of the Technical Committee of Space Architecture at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Digital twins? Space architecture? Alfredo M…

1
Out on a Limb . . . with Darryl Hurs 46:43

3+ y ago46:43

46:43

Question: How can you build a rich creative life based on referrals and going out on a limb? Guest: Darryl Hurs, Owner/CEO, Indie Week; Managing Director, Downtown Canada; Director, Market Development, Canada, CD Baby; Educator, Harris Institute In this episode, Darryl Hurs shares his journey from studying music, working in retail at HMV, and being…

1
Zoe Franznick & Franciska Csongrady 1:31:19

3+ y ago1:31:19

1:31:19

It’s time to get MEDIEVAL with our guests Zoe (currently an Associate Narrative Designer at Obsidian Games working on unannounced projects, and she is also the cohost of the Maniculum Podcast) and Franciska (currently the Narrative Lead on Around for Primal Game Studios, and also the Senior Narrative Designer on Ayna: Shattered Truth for Designmati…

1
Music + India . . . .plus Ritnika Nayan 28:39

3+ y ago28:39

28:39

Question: How do you connect independent artists and music business in India as a young woman? Guest: Ritnika Nayan, Managing Director, Downtown India; Owner: Music Gets Me High Ritnika Nayan shares stories about her passion: helping indie artists succeed and make money through various avenues that they might have been neglecting. She does that in …

1
Arturo O'Farrill on Building Campfires 39:05

3+ y ago39:05

39:05

Question: How can you build campfires, mixing music and social activism? Guest: Arturo O'Farrill, Founder, Artistic Director, Afro Latin Jazz Alliance; Professor, Global Jazz Studies, The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Arturo O'Farrill builds campfires and connects music, activism, and communit…

1
Asking for What You Want . . . with Shirin Laor-Raz Salemnia 40:35

3+ y ago40:35

40:35

Question: What can you do with focus on drive in both toys and STEM? And what can a persistent Shirin Salemnia do? Guest: Shirin Laor-Raz Salemnia, Founder and CEO, WhizGirls Academy and PlayWerks Shirin shares a passionate tale of drive, success with extreme persistence, and then designing new businesses to give back. She talks about her journey t…

1
Making Sense Backwards . . . with Jeremy Yuille, Meld Studios 48:01

3+ y ago48:01

48:01

Question: How can life make better sense backwards? How can we weave together arts, spatial sound, architecture, and organizational change? Jeremy Yuille, with Meld Studios in Melbourne, Australia, works with organizations to transform how they work in the face of changing futures. His own past weaves through architecture, art, music, and spatial i…

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AR and Love of the Lab . . . with Ippolito Caradonna 34:04

3+ y ago34:04

34:04

Question: How can we use Augmented Reality to enhance the practice of collaborative biology? Guest: Ippolito Caradonna, Co-Founder/CEO, Aug Lab; Director, HoloPractice Ippolito Caradonna mixes his love for biology with his background in film and passion for assisted research. He is co-founding Aug Lab, an AR software interface for laboratory produc…

1
Leaning Out Over His Skis . . . .with Jeremy Sirota, CEO, Merlin 43:58

3+ y ago43:58

43:58

Jeremy Sirota, Merlin Our first guest of Season 2 shares his tales of two loves: music and technology. His journey to Merlin includes early fandom in the Orange County punk rock scene, learning brand design in New York City while launching a mini fashion brand, and a road through technology law, Warner Music, and Facebook. He shares his adventures …

1
Welcome to Season 2! 2:24

3+ y ago2:24

2:24

Welcome to Season 2 of Creative Innovators. We're going to have intriguing guests this season. Our question to you: Who inspires you? Who would you like to see on the show? We have great folks recording now as guests, and we'd like to include creative innovators who inspire our community. Please reach out to us and let us know at https://bit.ly/CI-…

1
Ashley Swidowski & Graham Reznick 1:39:59

3+ y ago1:39:59

1:39:59

We celebrate spooky season all year round here, which is why we've brought back Ashley (Character Art Director at Bad Robot Games, previously Character Art Director at Naughty Dog, Lead Character Concept Artist on The Last of Us Part II, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, and a concept artist on The Last of Us: Left Behind) and…

1
Alyssa Wong & Lauren Mee 1:53:24

3+ y ago1:53:24

1:53:24

We’re BACK! AGAIN! And we swear we’re gonna post more episodes this year than we did last year! Alyssa (writer of fiction, comics, and games. Winner of the Nebula Award, the World Fantasy Award, and the Locus Award, finalist for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, and her fiction has been shortlisted for the Hugo, Bram Stoker, and Shirl…

1
Gregory Louden & Eevi Korhonen 57:07

4y ago57:07

57:07

We're back with a new, Returnal-focused episode! Joining us are Gregory (Narrative & Cinematic Director at Housemarque on Returnal. Also the co-founder, CEO, and Director of Convict Games, where he's made Stone and the upcoming Burn. Previously was a Senior Narrative Designer at Remedy Entertainment on Control and a narrative designer on Quantum Br…

1
Bahiyya Khan & Son M. 1:20:24

4+ y ago1:20:24

1:20:24

How are we almost done with May already?! It's bananas, and you know what else is bananas? Our guests for today's episode! Bahiyya (game designer, writer, and filmmaker who’s currently doing her masters in film, and is most well-known for her IGF award-winning game After Hours that will be released soon) and Son (writer who's currently the studio d…

1
Leslee Sullivant & Cassandra Khaw 1:14:13

4+ y ago1:14:13

1:14:13

Spring is here and so are Leslee (Design Producer on Marvel Strike Force at Scopely, previously a writer and development manager at Riot, and held a variety of narrative design and production roles at 2K and Dorian) and Cassandra (award-winning game & fiction writer who’s worked on such games as Sunless Skies, Wasteland 3, and Falcon Age)! They joi…

1
That Was an Accident . . . with Martin Atkins 45:14

4+ y ago45:14

45:14

Question: How do you decide what adventures to take in your nonlinear career? What are intentional plans vs. accidents? Guest: Martin Atkins, Music Industries Coordinator, Millikin University; producer, drummer, documentary filmmaker, DJ, and teacher Photo: Kara Hammond and NARAS Martin Atkins talked with our host, Gigi Johnson, from his studio tha…

1
Tidbit Tuesday . . . Postcard Moments and Planned Happenchance 8:37

4+ y ago8:37

8:37

This was fun. Your host, Gigi Johnson, has been speaking for college classes this past week and kept being asked to tell her/my story of the pivot points and non-linear decisions over 9 careers. So in this Tuesday Tidbit segment, I share the story of how I changed into a film major at USC based on postcard from my teaching assistant for a single cl…

1
A Very Human Culture . . . with David Hernandez 38:05

4+ y ago38:05

38:05

Question: What if you could build a company around your passions? In this episode, David Hernandez shares how he is unlearning and relearning what he knows to create competition for his company . . . in his own company! He runs Colonize Media, a multiplatform network music aggregator. He has worked to create “a very human culture” with his team of …