Past Due with Ana Marie Cox and Open Mike Eagle

Ana and Mike get real about what creative work actually looks like behind the scenes, breaking down the economics of touring, Substack’s Nazi problem, how platforms trap creators, audiences, and the psychology of performing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Podcast host and producer Jody Avirgan joins us to talk about walking away from big platforms like ESPN and NPR, and what it takes to build something sustainable on your own terms. We get into the pressure to grow, the trap of prestige, and the trade-offs between stability, scale, and creative freedom. In the end, rethinking success might be the real win. Hear the full episode and more at https://patreon.com/pastdue Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Video essayist Ian Danskin joins us to talk about the exhausting economics of doing thoughtful work online—and what it means when your most meaningful content can’t pay the bills. From burnout to bad faith backlash, Ian opens up about what it takes to keep going when attention is currency... and you're broke. Bonus episodes + extras: https://patreon.com/pastdue Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Screenwriter Bob DeRosa joins us to talk about what it really takes to build a long-haul creative career—one that doesn’t go viral, but keeps going. We break down 20+ years in Hollywood by the numbers, and what it reveals about persistence, rejection, reinvention, and the myth of overnight success. If Bob’s Bluesky post made you feel seen, wait until you hear what didn’t make it into the main episode. In the bonus edition, Bob shares how a beloved project came close but never sold. Also we might have accidentally developed a Ted Cruz bio pic. Subscribe at patreon.com/pastdue to hear it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalist and podcast host Sam Sanders joins us to talk about what happens when the thing you thought you wanted turns out to be too small. We get into the emotional and financial cost of walking away, what it means to do it yourself in a collapsing industry, and how to balance ambition with reality. Want to know what the scariest career pivot Sam Sanders had to make? You can find out at ⁠patreon.com/pastdue⁠. Each week the episode continues with bonus questions, extended interviews… And if you subscribe, you get access to our discord, special episodes, early access, and more. Subscribe at patreon.com/pastdue and tell a friend! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Comedian Josh Gondelman and writer Maris Kreizman join us to talk about surviving the creative economy as individuals and as a couple. We dig into the emotional labor of staying hopeful, the financial logistics of making art with no guarantees, and what happens when even the “success stories” feel precarious. If you want more from Josh and Maris, there’s bonus conversations waiting for you at patreon.com/pastdue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Despite writing bestsellers and landing a Reese’s Book Club pick, Xochitl Gonzalez opens up about the lingering shame of precarity, the invisibility of working-class success, and why we need to drag money talk out into the light. Love this? Hear more from the conversation with Xochitl Gonzalez at patreon.com/pastdue Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ana and Mike talk about what it means to sell out... financially, creatively, and emotionally. From brand deals to burnout, they ask whether survival in the creative economy means compromising your values, or just being honest about what pays the bills. For bonus content and more, visit patreon.com/pastdue Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Writer and podcaster Jamie Loftus joins us to talk about financial anxiety, inherited frugality, and the emotional cost of choosing creative freedom. From 7-Eleven coffee to viral fame, we explore what happens when you build a life around surviving—long after you’ve made it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Writer Parker Molloy joins us to talk about the invisible costs of creative independence, from burnout to the search for meaning in an industry built on metrics, and why it’s so hard to believe your work matters, even when it clearly does. This week on our Patreon exclusive, Parker Malloy names names. She tells us who’s thriving in media right now that absolutely shouldn’t be, and who’s doing such great work it makes her forget to be jealous. Subscribe at ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/pastdue⁠⁠⁠ to hear it and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices