Heavyweight

Gimlet Media CEO and founder, Alex Blumberg reflects on a promise he didn't keep. They discuss friendship, collaboration, podcast preferences, and their shared journey through Gimlet Media. The episode concludes with the announcement of the end of the season and a request for listener stories.

Russian Ark is a cinematic masterpiece. Dozens of sets, thousands of actors, years of planning. It’s a perfectly executed work of art. Almost. In this episode, Jonathan sets off to find the one guy who ruined it for everyone.CreditsHeavyweight is hosted and produced by Jonathan Goldstein.This episode was also produced by Stevie Lane, Peter Bresnan, and Kalila Holt.Editing by Jorge Just, with additional editing by Alex Blumberg.Special thanks to Emily Condon, Sruthi Pinnamaneni, and Chris Neary.The show was mixed by Bobby Lord. Music by Christine Fellows, John K Samson, Blue Dot Sessions, Michael Hearst, Bobby Lord, Y La Bamba, Michael Charles Smith, Graham Barton, Hakan Eriksson, Katie Mullins, and Virginia Violet and the Rays. Our theme song is by The Weakerthans courtesy of Epitaph Records, and our ad music is by Haley Shaw. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ten years ago, Rachael had a baby. She never told the father. All these years later, she thinks it’s about time she did.CreditsHeavyweight is hosted and produced by Jonathan Goldstein.This episode was also produced by Kalila Holt, Peter Bresnan, and Stevie Lane.Editing by Jorge Just, with additional editing by Alex Blumberg.Special thanks to Emily Condon, Katelyn Bogucki, Andrew Goldberg, Rachel Ward, and Jackie Cohen.The show was mixed by Bobby Lord. Music by Christine Fellows, John K Samson, Blue Dot Sessions, Bobby Lord, Michael Charles Smith, Hew Time, and Benny Reid. Our theme song is by The Weakerthans courtesy of Epitaph Records, and our ad music is by Haley Shaw. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Soraya was in college, her favorite professor hired her to help research a book she was writing. But when she fell into a deep depression and dropped out of school, she abandoned both the book and the professor who’d shown her so much kindness. Now, with Jonathan’s help, Soraya wants to make things right—with a grand gesture.CreditsHeavyweight is hosted and produced by Jonathan Goldstein.This episode was also produced by Peter Bresnan, Kalila Holt, and Stevie Lane.Editing by Jorge Just, with additional editing by Alex Blumberg.Special thanks to Emily Condon, Jasmine Romero, Mathilde Urfalino, Amber Davis, B.A. Parker, and Jackie Cohen.The show was mixed by Bobby Lord. Music by Christine Fellows, Blue Dot Sessions, Chris Zabriskie, Hew Time, and Bobby Lord. Our theme song is by The Weakerthans courtesy of Epitaph Records, and our ad music is by Haley Shaw. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joey recently had a very bad day, all due to awkward misunderstandings. So now, he's enlisted the help of Jonathan "Debonair" Goldstein and Jonathan’s friend Gregor to redo the day and set things right.CreditsHeavyweight is hosted and produced by Jonathan Goldstein.This episode was also produced by Kalila Holt, Peter Bresnan, and Stevie Lane.Editing by Jorge Just, with additional editing by Alex Blumberg.Special thanks to Emily Condon, Flora Lichtman, PJ Vogt, Saidu Tejan-Thomas, Grace Hawkins, and Jackie Cohen.The show was mixed by Bobby Lord. Music by Christine Fellows, John K Samson, Blue Dot Sessions, Bobby Lord, and Y La Bamba. Our theme song is by The Weakerthans courtesy of Epitaph Records, and our ad music is by Haley Shaw. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Heavyweight performed a sold-out live show in Brooklyn, NY, last June. Jonathan is joined by This American Life’s Zoe Chace and Reply All’s PJ Vogt to talk about Heavyweight stories that never made it onto the air… until now. Plus: human beatboxing, Gimlet Media CEO Alex Blumberg’s vape pen collection… and Jackie Cohen.CreditsHeavyweight is hosted and produced by Jonathan Goldstein.This episode was also produced by Stevie Lane, Peter Bresnan, and Kalila Holt.Editing by Jorge Just.Special thanks to Zoe Chace, PJ Vogt, Victoria Barner, Chris Neary, and Jackie Cohen.The show was mixed by Emma Munger, Julian Kwasneski, and Bay Area Sound.Music by Christine Fellows and Blue Dot Sessions.Animation by Arthur Jones.Our theme song is by The Weakerthans courtesy of Epitaph Records and was performed by Matthew Boll with beatboxing by Devon Guinn. Our ad music is by Haley Shaw.Links“Chanel” animation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3tSSOVglHg&feature=youtu.be“Buddy Picture” (the Little Mermaid story) on This American Life: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/203/recordings-for-someone/act-one Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sven was on a jury that sentenced a man named Paul Storey to death. He's regretted it ever since. Then, eight years later, Sven gets an email from Paul’s mother.The original article that Maurice Chammah reported with Sven about his experience on the jury: https://www.themarshallproject.org/2016/03/10/my-regrets-as-a-juror-who-sent-a-man-to-death-rowCreditsHeavyweight is hosted and produced by Jonathan Goldstein.This episode was also produced by Stevie Lane, Peter Bresnan, and Kalila Holt.Editing by Jorge Just, with additional editing by Alex Blumberg.Special thanks Emily Condon, Maurice Chammah, Emanuele Berry, Caitlin Kenney, Jon-Mikel Tuttle-Gates, Amanda Marzullo, Mike Ware, Emily Fallis, Brian Reed, Sean Cole, Diane Wu, Christopher Swetala, Ira Glass, the rest of our friends at This American Life, and Jackie Cohen.The show was mixed by Bobby Lord. Music by Christine Fellows, John K Samson, Michael Hearst, Blue Dot Sessions, and Bobby Lord. Our theme song is by The Weakerthans courtesy of Epitaph Records, and our ad music is by Haley Shaw. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Skye was in middle school, her best friends showed up at her home one night and wrote “f*ck you” on her garage door. After that, they never spoke again. Now Skye has a son entering middle school, and he can’t believe his mom never asked her friends why they did it. So, thirty years later, Skye and her son set off to find out.CreditsHeavyweight is hosted and produced by Jonathan Goldstein.This episode was also produced by Kalila Holt, Peter Bresnan, and Stevie Lane.Editing by Jorge Just, with additional editing by Alex Blumberg.Special thanks to Emily Condon, Devon Taylor, Annika Pillsbury and Jackie Cohen.The show was mixed by Bobby Lord. Music by Christine Fellows, John K Samson, Bobby Lord, and Edwin, with additional music by Blue Dot Sessions, Michael Hearst, and Hew Time. Our theme song is by The Weakerthans courtesy of Epitaph Records, and our ad music is by Haley Shaw. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rob Corddry, actor and comedian famous for his role in The Daily Show and Hot Tub Time Machine, dives into his childhood mystery: did he actually break his arm? The podcast uncovers his family's conflicting memories, sparking humor and tension as they debate over his sanity. Rob even presents evidence during a lively family call, revealing the emotional complexities of shared experiences. With doses of nostalgia, medical jargon decoding, and comedic reflections on memory, Rob's journey brings to light the laughter and chaos of family dynamics.

During a visit back home, Jonathan’s mother inadvertently admits something that forces him to question his past. In this season finale, Jonathan turns the mic around on himself for one of the more personal episodes of the series.CreditsHeavyweight is hosted and produced by Jonathan Goldstein.This episode was also produced by Kalila Holt. The senior producer is Kaitlin Roberts.Editing by Jorge Just, Alex Blumberg, and Wendy Dorr.Special thanks to Emily Condon, Emanuele Berry, Pat Walters, and Jackie Cohen.The show was mixed by Kate Bilinski. Music by Christine Fellows and John K Samson, with additional music by Y La Bamba, Caspar Babypants, Michael Charles Smith, and Blue Dot Sessions. Our theme song is by The Weakerthans courtesy of Epitaph Records, and our ad music is by Haley Shaw. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.