Gabriel, Zach, and Sarah are taking a quick autumn break this week, but we didn't want to leave you without any No Bad Ideas this week! So check out this old favorite from our archives, featuring our friend Mark Pagán, producer of the podcast Other Men Need Help!  We certainly could use a hand, as Gabriel issues us an idea about a very unconventional way to settle disputes, which leads to a mockumentary of a divorce for the (middle) ages. Then, Sarah shows us a question about one man's quest for a licensing deal that is so strange, we immediately cast Christian Bale. Plus: 12 Techniques To Win Your Custody Battle In Three Moves Or Less, things that are Game of Thrones' fault, Paul Giamatti’s first Oscar, and the secret ingredient: friendship. Today’s Bad Ideas: Idea #1  Idea #2  If you want to follow Mark and his work, you can check out his site at http://www.markpagan.com/ or follow him on Twitter, as well as Other Men Need Help on their site or on Instagram.  Support the show: http://patreon.com/NoBadIdeas See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No Bad Ideas

Bad Ideas Classic: The C-Span of Knives (With Mark Pagán)

Zach is off this week, but we’re delighted to welcome a long time friend of the show for some mayhem at NBI HQ: we're lucky to have author extraordinaire Zoe Tokushige in the Bad Ideas Hot Seat!  Things get heated with Gabriel’s first idea about a photographer who has a terrible time at a friend's wedding, which we turn into a Fellini movie from hell, with a weird ending that even European arthouses would be proud of. Then Sarah brings us a story of high-stakes, deeply weird negotiations between the Russian space authority and a Kazakh businessman, which we turn into the lowest-stakes treasure hunt we possibly can. Then we talk to Zoe about her writing process, finding characters on the page, and the different between writing and other forms of creativity.  Plus: Ships passing in the night, one star Yelp reviews, real-time descents, brief shining moments of potential, and Werner Herzog watching Cats.  Today’s Bad Ideas™:  Idea #1 Idea #2 If you’d like to check out more of Zoe’s work and get information on her upcoming novel, The Prankmaster General: New School Skirmish, you can find more on her website and follow her on Twitter.  Support the show: http://patreon.com/NoBadIdeas See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Basically We're Gods (With Zoe Tokushige)

We have cracked the code on badness this week and/or we’ve just cracked. First, Zach brings us a tale of woe from the world of cryptocurrencies and we turn it into a tale taking place during the actual age of piracy, because that’s somehow more grounded. Then Gabriel tells us about a business marketing strategy gone horribly wrong, and we craft a story about a man who's a little too weird to work but really vibes with his CEO.  Plus: ironic hipsters, unnecessarily intense actors, the nuclear option, bargain deals that won’t bargain themselves, and only breaking the stupid laws.  Today’s Bad Ideas™:  Idea #1 Idea #2  Support the show: http://patreon.com/NoBadIdeas See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steamy Clown Nights

Today in No Bad Ideas: detached human brains! Frankenstein technology! Lotteries! Drug kingpins secretly living in your home! In our first bad idea, Sarah presents the tale of a divorce that led to a heist of cryogenically frozen bodies... and then things started getting weird! The gang does their best to turn it into a thrilling heist story in a world where the über-rich guard their minds as closely as their bank vaults. Then, Gabriel brings us the tale of a government so desperate to get rid of the house formerly owned by a drug lord they are giving it away in a lottery. The squad turns it into a Fight Club-esque tale of the mild-mannered man who is led to the dark side by the criminal mastermind he finds living in his basement.  All of that, plus: remote customer service, newfound confidence, common incessant thoughts, chess games of the mind, and lots and lots of 'tude.  Today’s Bad Ideas™: Idea #1 Idea #2 Support the show: http://patreon.com/NoBadIdeas See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yes Sir, No Sir, Please Sir, Thank You Sir

Today on No Bad Ideas... Imprisonment! Dystopias! Literature! Very intense judges! And more! In our first bad idea, Zach presents the horrific news story of an alternative to prison that may end up being even worse (and more exploitative) than jail-time. The gang tries to turn it into the story of an exploiter who is hoisted by his own exploitative petard. Then, Sarah brings us the story of a young ne'er-do-well who a judge attempts to rehabilitate by subjecting him to the greatest works of Western literature. The squad considers different ways to tell stories of enforced art-consumption making people better.  All of that, plus: vandals with too much destructive energy, things that are entirely made up, empathy training programs, Dickensian poorhouses, super downers, and old, explosive fertilizer.  Today’s Bad Ideas™: Idea #1 Idea #2 Support the show: http://patreon.com/NoBadIdeas See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I WILL Test You

We’re back at full strength this week, just in time for a pair of ideas that really go all the way. First, Gabriel brings us a nugget from the proverbial well of online bad ideas, and by “well” we mean the "Am I The Asshole?" subreddit. We take a prank gone wrong and turn it into the world's latest trend/cult/international conspiracy. Then Zach invites us to The Garden, and we take the story of a utopian community who took to the Internet and turn it into a thriller set in the near-future that involves a company definitely not named Schmoogle. Plus: playing ‘Carrot in the Wind’, an Iceland/Greenland situation, a button that can be smashed in a heroic fashion, irony being dead, and going viral for all the wrong reasons. Today’s Bad Ideas™: Idea #1 Idea #2 Support the show: http://patreon.com/NoBadIdeas See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seven-Layer Cities

This week, we have a couple super cute/disturbing ideas ready-made for your next Netflix comedy/rom-com evening.  First, Sarah brings us the story of just how many ancient artifacts might be in the US illegally (but conveniently all in one place) and we take it to a world where demons and devils have real power, and it’s up to a band of rag-tag experts to track them down. Then Gabriel brings us one of the most harrowing stunts ever attempted in the name of love, and we fictionalize it just enough to fit in the age of Instagram. Plus: Five (5) horsemen, D-list celebs, fuddy-duddy antiquities professors, 40 lbs. of weed and exposure therapy (baby).  Today’s Bad Ideas: Idea #1 Idea #2 Support the show: http://patreon.com/NoBadIdeas See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Handcuff Master 5000

Today on No Bad Ideas, a special episode from our vault of past episodes, featuring the amazing Lindz Amer and a lot of lions! This week, we’re joined in the studio by Lindz Amer of Queer Kids Stuff for two bad ideas and a roundtable discussion. First, we bring a Scooby-Doo-style ghost hunting gang into the YouTube Era and they form an unlikely alliance with an eccentric horror writer fighting off the bank from foreclosing his historically haunted mansion. Next, faced with an animal rights nightmare from the 1930s, we avoid “Green-Booking” the situation with Hugh Jackman and look for a more nuanced way to approach people with lions in motorcycles racing on walls in the circus with a non-zero amount of mauling. Finally, we chat with Lindz about finding universality as storytellers and get a sneak peek into their new fiction storytelling projects. Today’s Bad Ideas™: Idea #1 Idea #2 Today's Idea Worth Sharing By Lindz (AKA Their TED Talk): https://www.ted.com/talks/lindsay_amer_why_kids_need_to_learn_about_gender_and_sexuality?language=en Support the show: http://patreon.com/NoBadIdeas See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bad Ideas Classic: Not Everyone Is Wall-Of-Death Material (With Lindz Amer)

Today on No Bad Ideas: Pranks! Ex-boyfriends! Roars! Internet links! Spies! And more! In our first bad idea, Gabriel presents the story of a miscreant who decides to prank his ex-girlfriend by staging a contest looking for the best Chewbacca imitator. The gang turns it into a film about a man who is willing to go as far as it takes to get the role of a lifetime. Then, Zach brings us the story of old broken links being usurped for nefarious purposes. The gang cooks up the story of a disgruntled spy looking for one last big hit.  All of that, plus: the motivation of pornography companies, tax return busywork, a very high disruptive note, a matter of time, and a hilarious callback to an earlier episode of No Bad Ideas.  Today’s Bad Ideas™: Idea #1 Idea #2 Support the show: http://patreon.com/NoBadIdeas See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Operation Linkrot

Gabriel is out this week, but stepping up to fill the void is a truly special guest star: the mastermind behind The Message, Steal the Stars, and the recently unleashed Give Me Away - it's Mac Rogers!    In our first bad idea, Sarah brings us the story of a car company bringing old school smells kicking and screaming into the future. The squad turns it into a story about a one-of-a-kind event that immerses its patrons in the sights, sounds, and smells of the past. Then, in our second bad idea, Zach brings us the Pasco County Sheriff's Office, and the letters it's been sending promising enhanced accountability. The gang turns it into the story of two kids who are marked for failure from early on in life to a terrifyingly literal degree. All of that, plus: the Goodwood Festival of Speed, moving character-driven things, scents on demand,self-fulfilling prophecies, and brutally depressing dramas about there being no way out.    Today’s Bad Ideas™: Idea #1 Idea #2   For more of Mac's work, check out the website for his production company Gideon Media or follow him on Twitter. Support the show: http://patreon.com/NoBadIdeas See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The World Of Yesterday (With Mac Rogers)

Ready for some terrible decisions, everyone? First, Sarah brings us a report of strange doings at a local Home Depot, and we turn it into a competition that turns into a war that turns into a supernatural battle between the forces of good and the forces of meh. Then Zach offers up the story of an odd house in California and we craft a themed murder mystery party perfect for a bunch of (un)suspecting billionaires. Plus: people having too much money, famous lines from Chinatown, out of body experiences, one little bitty curse, and getting dangerously close to dirty jokes about lumber. Today’s Bad Ideas™: Idea #1 Idea #2 Support the show: http://patreon.com/NoBadIdeas See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bringing Your Witchcraft To Work

Gabriel, Zach, and Sarah are taking a brief summer break this week, but we didn't want to leave you without any No Bad Ideas! So check out this old favorite from our archives, featuring our good comrade Christian T. Kelley-Madera. This week on No Bad Ideas... bugs, bugs, bugs! But before that, the Bad Ideas Band is joined by their dear friend Christian T. Kelley-Madera, co-creator and director of The Once and Future Nerd. But soon, it's all business, and (thanks to Sarah's bad idea contribution) that business is a truly unhinged tale of illness and entomology in the Caribbean. Plus, cockroaches bent on world destruction, the wrong way to eat a Reese's, and a very different kind of Cuban crisis. This Week's Bad Idea™ Listen to Christian's work at The Once and Future Nerd. Follow Christian On Twitter: @Ctmadera Support the show: http://patreon.com/NoBadIdeas See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bad Ideas Classic: A Boy and His Rock 'n' Roll Cricket (With Christian T. Kelley-Madera)

Today on No Bad Ideas: Phone calls! Arrests! Dystopias! Bad breakups! As many crimes as possible! In our first bad idea, Gabriel brings the squad the tale of a man who called the police to ask why he hadn't been arrested... and was then promptly arrested. The team turns it into a film about a world so broken and destroyed that going to jail may be preferable to what you'll find in the "free" world. Then, Sarah presents a report of a heartbroken woman who went on a traffic-offense odyssey in her ex's car to get revenge. The squad barrels through the best way to adapt it into a story of stolen identity in the not-too-distant future.  All of that, plus: raid ID, ten grizzled assassins, international incidents, an adult superstore, and public parental forgiveness.  Today’s Bad Ideas™: Idea #1 Idea #2 Support the show: http://patreon.com/NoBadIdeas See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Terrible Ideas Happening In Cars

We’re back with a couple ideas that go deeper and deeper! First Sarah brings us the story of a very inappropriate toy and we turn it into a Harriet the Spy reboot working a case on a clock in time for the Christmas Rush. Then, Zach has an update on an old bad idea: the deep fakes a mom put together to sabotage a cheerleading team may not be so deep faked. We switch genres from superhero to mystery, with a high school journalist who gets in way over their head. Plus: WallStreetBets but more evil, classic clickbait headlines, the most precocious 12-year-old ever, a TRON battle situation, and the laugh this country needs.  Today’s Bad Ideas™: Idea #1 Idea #2 Support the show: http://patreon.com/NoBadIdeas See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SuperCactusFriend!!

We’re off to Europe this week, with a pair of historical farces from different eras! First Zach, brings us a tale of Swiss aristocrats trying to enforce feudal rights and we turn it into a Succession-esque thriller of a young heir who may or may not try to burn it all down. Then, Gabriel takes us all the way back to Biblical times, with a story of a Noah’s Ark stranded on the coast of England. We take it and create a contest to determine the one true ark, and the family who have devoted themselves to ark building for very varied reasons. Plus: Robber Barons, jackalopes, non-certified floating objects, three brothers named Noah, and a Boston Tea Party with Circe. Today’s Bad Ideas™: Idea #1 Idea #2 Support the show: http://patreon.com/NoBadIdeas See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sorry, Ipswich

The No Bad Ideas Podcast is the creation of Gabriel Urbina, Sarah Shachat, and Zach Valenti, three writer and artist-types who, in order to stay fresh creatively, have an excuse to hang out with each other once a week, and check in on what they're working on, take a terrible idea they found on the Internet each week and turn it into a compelling narrative. Or as close as they can get in 30 minutes. If you're someone trying to be creative yourself or even if you just appreciate a good story, you'll enjoy listening to Zach, Sarah, and Gabriel figure out how to make sense of the best (or worst?) absurdities the internet has to offer. We guarantee there have definitely been worse ideas.

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No Bad Ideas

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