Jan 18, 2021
In Those Genes: Using Story and Sound to Make Complexity Delightful (ft. Janina Jeff and Sam Riddell)
If there was a podcasting cookbook, you could imagine a variety of chapters: shows about culture, science shows, comedy podcasts, etc. For example, for a culture show "recipe," you might take one host, add two commentators, sprinkle in a bunch of sound bites from the media, and add a generous helping of music.
But the podcast we’re featuring in this episode has a recipe you won’t find in any cookbook: mixing science, culture, music, history and comedy in one delicious dish. In Those Genes is an award-winning show “that uses genetics to decode the lost histories of African descendants through the lens of Black culture.” It’s the brainchild of Janina Jeff, a geneticist and public speaker whose pitch was selected out of 18,000 (!!) for Spotify’s Sound Up Bootcamp. Also joining us is Sam Riddell, an independent media producer in charge of coaching Janina and spicing up the audio with music, movie clips, sound effects and more. You’ll hear how Janina and Sam make the complex…