Romantic comedy fans like us know a meet-cute when we see one. It’s when two strangers meet in a charming, unexpected way that in retrospect looks fated. A man and a woman trip and fall into each other on the street. Or sit next to each other on a train. Or strike up a conversation … Continue reading →

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How We Met #1: the Meet Cute

In Oakland, California’s Piedmont neighborhood, there’s a place where the dead are housed in urns resembling ornate books neatly stacked on shelves. The dearly departed are organized like there’s some dead Dewey Decimal System. Welcome to the Chapel of the Chimes, a columbarium built in 1909 that featured the world’s first electric crematorium. It’s a piece … Continue reading →

Landmark Episode 1: The Library of the Dead

  The Potter School in Bodega Bay (photo courtesy of Abner Hauge)   Welcome to Backdrop! The Podcast that takes you to the scenes of Hollywood’s most iconic movies. Iconic films are immortal, and can inspire audiences for generations. A film’s setting is like an uncredited character. You can’t forget the impact of the isolated … Continue reading →

In Search of Hitchcock

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons/Ruths138   Welcome to “How We Met,” a podcast where we go deep into romantic comedy tropes, break them apart and then reassess them. In our first episode we decided to break down the meet cute—what it is, why we find it romantic and what power it holds in our relationships. … Continue reading →

    On a January morning in 2001, Sheila Magana walked out of her parent’s house in Michoacán, Mexico, with a suitcase in her hand. Magana, then 16, hadn’t ever lived away from her hometown. Through the back window of a city bus, she watched as her mother stood outside their home sobbing. Magana hasn’t … Continue reading →

Relocated #1: Call Me Sheila

    The sport of cycling has several huge one-day races that it regards as monuments. If you go watch one, here’s what you’ll see: thousands of people, covering the roads and any climb. They stretch their necks to peer over each other and wait for the racers to approach, and then suddenly, they part … Continue reading →

The Side of the Road, Episode 1: La Gleize

Biscuits For the second episode of The Joke, I caught up with one of my comedy heroes, D.C. Benny about his signature joke, Biscuits. I first saw D.C. a few years ago while scrolling through YouTube. A video popped up titled, “White Boy Rips it at the Apollo”, I had to click on it. The … Continue reading →

The Joke #2 D.C. Benny

  By Levi Bridges and Graelyn Brashear In the middle of the night last Labor Day, Ava Williams was 10 drinks deep and cuddled up on her couch next to a guy she just met at the bar. Settled in next to her potential paramour, Ava, 30, felt enraptured by that magical first flickering of … Continue reading →

Dear Craig #1: Love in the Time of Craigslist

Dr. Lindsey Doe, a clinical sexologist has dedicated her life to studying human sexuality and sharing her knowledge with others through her youtube series titled, “Sexplanations.” Continue reading →

Dr. Doe Sexplains It All

  We created this podcast to explore the stories behind jokes. Comedians write and perform jokes in a particular time and place and studying the life and death of a joke reveals the short window of time where it is current, edgy, yet appropriate enough to get laughs. A joke is more than just a … Continue reading →

The Joke #1: Marilyn Pittman

The student project showcase for the UC Berkeley course J212: Podcasting for the Real World, taught by Joshua Johnson.

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