Finding the Right Character

The episode discussed on today's Sound Judgment is Classy with Jonathan Menjivar, Episode 1: Are Rich People Bad?

Jonathan Menjivar is a senior producer at Pineapple Street Studios and the creator and host of Classy with Jonathan Menjivar. He also made the hit shows Project Unabom and The Clearing. Prior to Pineapple, he was a longtime producer at the public radio show This American Life and also served as the show's music supervisor. He's also worked as a producer at Fresh Air with Terry Gross and contributed to numerous public radio outlets, including Marketplace and Transom.org. 

Classy with Jonathan Menjivar: Credits
Host Jonathan Menjivar also serves as senior producer on Classy. Additional credits: Kristen Torres, producer; Marina Henke, associate producer; Asha Saluja, senior managing producer; Haley Howle, editor; Joel Lovell, executive editor; Marina Paiz, senior engineer; Max Linsky and Jenna Weiss-Berman, executive producers.

You can follow Jonathan on X/Twitter; Instagram; and Threads or Pineapple Street Studios on X/Twitter and Instagram.

If you liked my conversation with Jonathan Menjivar, you’ll love: 

Sound Judgment Episode 16: How to Pitch an Audio Documentary and the Unusual Origin of a This American Life Story, with Katie Colaneri, senior podcast editor at New Hampshire Public Radio

If you love Sound Judgment, help us grow our show by giving us a five-star rating and a review. Visit soundjudgmentpodcast.com and click on Reviews – you can give us a five-star rating that’ll go to Apple or Spotify instantly. We’re grateful.

The Sound Judgment team is: 
Host & Producer: Elaine Appleton Grant

Production Assistant: Audrey Nelson
Audio engineer/sound designer: Kevin Kline
Podcast manager: Tina Bassir

Cover art by Sarah Edgell
Sound Judgment is a production of Podcast Allies, LLC

Contact Us
To contact us with questions, comments, partnership and guesting requests, media interviews or speaking engagements, write to us at allies@podcastallies.com. We also welcome your voice memos; click the microphone icon at soundjudgmentpodcast.com. 

To follow Elaine Appleton Grant and the show: 
Subscribe to the Sound Judgment newsletter, about creative choices in audio storytelling
Sound Judgment website
Elaine's LinkedIn

Elaine's Facebook

Sound Judgment Instagram
http://podcastallies.com  Podcast Allies is a boutique production and consulting company making magical podcasts for NGOs and nonprofits, higher ed, and media organizations. 

Jonathan’s takeaways
These are the takeaways from the end of the episode. For more takeaways from all of our guests, subscribe to the Sound Judgment newsletter and visit our blog. 

1. Tough topics don’t have to sound dreary or earnest. Right from the very beginning, Jonathan sets a scene that evokes joy. It makes you want to dance. In this way, he’s letting listeners know that he’s talking about class, but it’s not a lesson. You’re going to be entertained. 
    
2. It may be even more helpful to use humor when you’re tackling difficult topics than it is with anything else. When we add some jokes, people listen more. We can deal with hard stuff better. Make sure you point the jokes at yourself, though, not someone else. Jonathan says Classy listeners “should feel comfortable knowing that if I'm going to criticize anyone…it's going to be me first.”
    
3.  Classy is very revealing. We learn a lot about Jonathan’s feelings. So when you write your own scripts, think about what’s personal versus what’s private? Set boundaries. Know what you’re willing to share and what you’re not. 
    
4. Finding your own style of delivery is important, and it can be deceptively hard. It’s OK to start out copying someone else’s style, Jonathan says. Eventually, you’ll find what Jonathan found – his Hulk energy – the true voice that’s yours and nobody else’s.
   
    

Improve your storytelling Check out our popular workshops on interviewing, story editing, story structure, longform narrative, audience engagement, guesting, scriptwriting and more. 

Hire Elaine to speak at your conference or company. Subjects include: Effective Storytelling; Communicating for Leaders; Communicating about Change; Mastering the Art of the Interview; Success in Guesting, and much more. 

Discover our strategic communication services and coaching for thought leaders using storytelling tools to make the world a better place. Serving writers, podcasters, public speakers, and others in journalism & public media, climate change, health care, policy, and higher education. Visit us at www.podcastallies.com.

Subscribe to Sound Judgment, the Newsletter, our twice-monthly newsletter about creative choices in audio storytelling. 

Connect:

Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram

✉️ Email Elaine at allies@podcastallies.com

💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts

🟢 Leave a rating on Spotify 

🗣️ Share the show by word of mouth and on your socials

Help us find and celebrate today’s best hosts
Who’s your Sound Judgment dream guest? Email me: allies@podcastallies.com. Because of you, that host may appear on Sound Judgment.

Credits 

Sound Judgment is a production of Podcast Allies, LLC. 

Host: Elaine Appleton Grant

Podcast Manager: Tina Bassir

Production Manager: Andrew Parrella

Audio Engineer: Kevin Kline

Production Assistant: Audrey Nelson