Reputation: From Lived Experience to Policy Influence

An award-winning podcast series that leveraged lived experience and strategic stakeholder engagement to reshape public discourse on homelessness, securing interviews with L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and achieving national recognition for authentic storytelling on complex social issues.

Key Impact

🏆 2024 LA Press Club Award (Best Limited Series, 2nd place)


🎯 2023 Housing Narrative Award (Best Podcast Episode)


🎙️ High-Profile Interviews including L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, City Councilmember Mike Bonin


📈 National Recognition for innovative approach to social issue coverage

Homelessness coverage typically falls into two traps: sensationalism that dehumanizes, or advocacy that oversimplifies. The challenge: How do you create authentic content that honors lived experience while engaging policymakers and the general public? Reputation needed to balance personal vulnerability with journalistic rigor, using audio storytelling to create empathy without exploitation.

Key Insight: Most effective advocacy happens when you combine authentic personal narrative with diverse stakeholder perspectives, creating space for uncomfortable truths that drive real conversation.

Moving Beyond Surface Level of Crisis Coverage

Editorial Vision & Stakeholder Inclusion

Editorial Approach

  • Lived Experience Framework: Host's personal homelessness experience provided authentic foundation

  • Stakeholder Diversity: Featured voices from unhoused individuals, policymakers, service providers, and family members

  • Issue Complexity: Each episode explored specific aspects (aging, foster care, transgender experiences, mortality)

  • Solutions Focus: Balanced problem identification with actionable insights and policy discussions

Production & Relationship Building

  • Strategic interview coordination with high-level officials (Mayor Bass, Councilmember Bonin)

  • Community trust-building with vulnerable populations requiring sensitive interviewing

  • Expert sourcing including medical professionals, social service managers, and policy researchers

Industry Recognition

  • 2024 LA Press Club SoCal Journalism Award (Best Limited Series, 2nd place)

  • 2023 Housing Narrative Award (Best Podcast Episode - "Through the Looking Glass")

  • Recognition across journalism and advocacy communities for ethical coverage of vulnerable populations

Stakeholder Engagement Success

  • Secured 27-minute exclusive interview with L.A. Mayor Karen Bass during critical policy period

  • Featured former City Councilmember Mike Bonin in substantive policy discussion

  • Successfully interviewed medical death investigators on sensitive mortality data

  • Built trust with transgender community members willing to share personal experiences

Content Performance

  • 9-episode series completed within strategic timeline during heightened policy attention

  • Cross-platform distribution amplifying reach beyond traditional podcast audiences

  • Community feedback indicating impact on how listeners understand homelessness complexity

Audio Production for Social Impact

Production Quality

  • Professional audio engineering ensuring accessibility across platforms

  • Strategic episode length optimization (14-37 minutes) for engagement without fatigue

  • Narrative structure balancing personal reflection with expert analysis

  • Cross-platform distribution strategy maximizing reach and impact

Risk Management

  • Sensitive topic navigation requiring trauma-informed interviewing approaches

  • Political relationship management across different stakeholder perspectives

  • Community accountability ensuring respectful representation of unhoused voices

  • Personal boundary management between advocacy and journalism standards

Narrative Structure & Thematic Arc

  • Trailer establishing mission and approach

  • Personal foundation episode establishing host credibility

  • Issue-specific deep dives (aging, foster care, transgender experiences, mortality)

  • Policy-focused episodes with key stakeholders

  • Reflective conclusion challenging listeners to action

It’s easy to shift blame on politicians or the government. But what can regular people do to be part of the solution? What will history say about our response to this crisis? In this final episode, Ethan chats with Lizzy Calhoun, a film editor and mutual aid worker who is all about direct action.

Additional Strategic Audio Storytelling

  • LAist 89.3 Radio Reporting

    NPR-affiliate reporting on housing and social issues, recognized for editorial excellence.

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  • Slate Podcast Features

    National podcast guest appearances as a subject matter expert on housing, race, and civic identity.

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  • Marketplace/NPR

    Providing analysis on policy and human impact in national news contexts.

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