Podhero Picks: 2019 Staff Picks Edition
The tail end of a calendar year leaves us all awash in “best of” lists, and 2019 marks an extra flurry of these collections because it marks the end of the decade.
As you might expect, the architects of Swoot have done some serious listening…and we have some favorites that have surfaced over the course of the year. We want to share them with you (along with our Pop Culture Patronuses), so you know what’s blasting in our headphones as we build the app, and the community that loves it so much.
Pete Curley
Co-Founder + CEO
Without Fail, An Early Facebook Insider Reckons with What He Built
I worked with Dave almost fifteen years ago, when he was still at Facebook. It was refreshing to hear a candid account from his point of view.
How I Built This, Peloton’s John Foley (Live Episode)
I love success stories that are mostly war stories about grinding it out when everything seems against them.
Reply All, #135 Robocall Bang Bang
Fuck robocalls.
Garret Heaton
Co-Founder + Engineer
13 Minutes to the Moon, series
The most memorable episode of the year for me is the 11th one in this series: the raw uncut radio communications from the moon landing. Sounds kind of boring unless you’re a space history buff, so that’s why the first 10 episodes teach you the meaning and significance of what you’re hearing. I can definitely see myself listening to this one again.
Technically released in 2018 but a 2019 listen for me. Incredible field reporting and powerful stories [on terrorism] from Rukmini Callimachi at the New York Times.
a16z Podcast: Inside Apple Software Design
A lot of people seem to “know” things about Steve Jobs’ demeanor and the reasoning behind design decisions at Apple without without having been involved. This is a fascinating glimpse into one engineer’s firsthand experiences with Jobs and the early days of Safari, iPhone, and iOS.
Doug Keen
Engineer
This was an amazing series, retelling America’s origin story and giving a much more truthful picture of who we are as Americans. If you don’t know the significance of the year 1619, this is a must listen. Then again, it’s a must listen even if you do know the significance of that date!
Getting Curious with Jonathan van Ness, “‘What’s Your Experience with the Binary?’ with Alok”
I generally love JVN’s show simply because of the raw, authentic curiosity he brings to every interview. This particular conversation was the most memorable for me this year.
Switched on Pop, “How Streaming Changed the Sound of Pop”
As a devoted music nerd, this was a really fun listen about how the business and technology surrounding music can affect the art itself.
Amma Marfo
Digital Content
1865 was my first go-around with audio drama, and was recommended to me by my younger sister. She’s well aware of my affinity for the period of history surrounding Lincoln’s assassination; if this is you, you’ll find it fascinating to hear this fictionalized but well-researched take on how Lincoln’s Secretary of War Edwin Stanton and newly elevated president Andrew Johnson butted heads in this turbulent time. The voice acting and audio production is superb, and it’s a captivating listen.
The Secret Lives of Black Women, “An Ordinary No with Bim Adewunmi”
About halfway through this Stitcher podcast’s first season, I stopped saying “how did Charla (Lauriston) and Lauren (Domino) know I needed to talk about this?”, and started saying “all of these conversations have been missing in my day to day. I gotta find more people to talk about these things with me.” This episode, about confidence and competence, is a crossover of sorts — it features the delightful host of Thirst Aid Kit Bim Adewunmi. It’s a pep talk and a giggle fest all in one.
Twenty Thousand Hertz, “The Booj”
Not only is this one of my favorite episodes of the year, it may be one of my favorite podcast episodes of all time. As not only a podcast enthusiast, but a former film student, this episode’s deep dive into the origin and evolution of movie trailers…and the familiar sounds that have dominated the latest era of previews. You’re going to giggle a lot more at trailers after this. Promise.
Chris Rivers
Developer
The Adventure Zone: Amnesty, series
It’s a serial podcast whose arc has spanned the last two years (started Jan 2018). It ended in September though, and it’s one of the ones that I look forward to listening to every (other) week.
Chelsea Handler: Life Will Be the Death of Me, My Dating History with Mary McCormack
I was torn between this and the Sean Hayes episode as to which I found funnier. This is really just an odd way of doing a book promotion, but I’ve long enjoyed Chelsea’s brand of humour.
Twenty Thousand Hertz, “The Booj”
The episode that got me to subscribe to the show. Sadly, the almost-too-good-of-an-example trailer for 9–1–1 Season 3 seems to have been taken down by Fox :(
(EDITOR’S NOTE: I found it! See what Chris means, here)
We hope you’ll check out the picks that defined our year, and maybe add a few of them to your queue as a result! And we’re not done yet! Stay tuned for a look at some of the Swoot community’s most loved listens of 2019.
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