A Thousand Natural Shocks With Gabe S. Dunn

"Welcome to Night Vale" co-writers Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor have created a worldwide phenomenon with their oddball style of audio storytelling. "Night Vale" famously eschews advertising dollars in favor of making a direct appeal to its fans. Their message is simple: "If you love what we make, you should feel good about paying for it."  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Eden Dranger and Steve Basilone are just like Gaby - comedians with poor life skills. As we've learned, that's not a great combination when it comes to money. For Eden and Steve, it was particularly bad when their parents died, leaving them in charge of closing out their estates - a process which turns out to be as complicated financially as it is emotionally.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Sydney Leathers was a student in a small town before she became infamous for sexting with former Congressman Anthony Weiner. Now, she proudly and unabashedly earns her living as a sex worker - and she's not interested in your judgement or your redemption narratives, thank you very much. Gaby talks to her about the wild twists in her personal story - and also gets some advice on sex work, just in case this whole podcast thing doesn't work out. Plus: the return of Gaby's sister Cheyanne. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

When Gaby left BuzzFeed, a lot of people were confused. Why would anyone leave a job that seemed like a dream-come-true for creatives? The reality, of course, was much more complicated. First, Gaby is joined by Bloomberg's Rebecca Greenfield, who explains that companies like BuzzFeed are often using perks to mask troubling employment practices. Then, Brittany Ashley, who was fired by BuzzFeed under controversial circumstances last summer, sits down with Gaby to try to make sense of how it all went so wrong.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Hank Green is a bonafide media mogul. He's been supporting himself as an artist on the Internet for nearly a decade. Among (many) other things, he's the co-founder of Vidcon, the annual gathering of tens of thousands of YouTubers and their fans. Now he's got something even bigger up his sleeve: the Internet Creators Guild, which aims to band artists together to push back against the ripoffs, scams, and abusive business practices that so many of them face. Plus: economist Jodi Beggs explains why YouTubers would be wise to look to more traditional business models to keep themselves afloat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

An audio essay in which Gaby explains the tortured plight of content creators on YouTube, featuring the voices of some of the medium's most original creators. Too often, Gaby reveals, artists who are simply trying to keep the bills paid are branded as sellouts. Left without much in the way of options or support, many artists are beginning to view the situation as hopeless.This is an audio version of a piece Gaby originally published at Fusion in December of 2015, with editing by Nona Willis Aronowitz.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

YouTube content creators basically have two options: get rich or die vlogging. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Stephanie Beatriz grew up as an immigrant kid in Texas, and now she's on top of the world. She shares her surreal and inspiring story with Gaby, as America prepares to reckon with itself as a nation of immigrants following the presidential election. Plus: Why Oh Why host Andrea Silenzi on the depressing economics of breakups. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Stephanie Beatriz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) joins Gaby to talk about growing up in Texas as an immigrant with risky creative dreams. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Gaby's comedy partner Allison Raskin makes a triumphant return to the podcast to talk about the psychological quandaries of "success," both real and imagined. Plus, Sara Schaefer shares her journey from profligate standup comedian to moderately successful standup comedian - and the peculiar role that stuffed animals have played in her quest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy