When David first got the email, it just seemed like one of those offers that’s too good to be true. The idea that he would be holding the reins of a horse drawn carriage tearing across the high plains of Colorado and that his passenger would be the famous movie star Ethan Hawke, the whole idea of being in a movie just seemed unlikely. This was the dream of millions of people who have made their way to L.A. It’s become a cliche, all those starry eyed dreamers flocking to California with a singular vision of becoming a movie star. And here was this offer sitting in his lap. All he had to do was say yes.  This is the story of David Weinberg’s acting gig on the movie “Tesla” — and the story of Nikola Tesla himself, an inventor who changed the world but who spent his life watching rivals steal his ideas to reap great fortunes. 

Welcome to LA

Nikola and Fritz

A crossover spectacular! Richard Parks III, the host of Richard’s Famous Food Podcast, helps David find where food meets fame in Los Angeles. And is that Wolfgang Puck in the backseat? 

Welcome To Richard’s Famous LA Food Podcast

Remember what Friday nights used to feel like? It was freedom, that moment when you get off work, and your time no longer belongs to someone else — the night is yours. Here is an ode, a time capsule, to everyone's favorite night of the week. 

Friday Night: The Kingdom of Time

In this episode of Welcome to LA: A look at redlining in Southern California. A story about how Black families are being priced-out of LA and moving to Palmdale and other cities of the High Desert. Also some rock and roll. 

What’s Ours

‘Welcome to LA’ is not putting out a new episode this week. In the meantime, host David Weinberg recommends some podcasts that are worth a listen during this current moment.

A Quick Message

Inside an old restaurant you can hear the sound of kids hunkered down at the counter, plotting a revolution. It’s a long shot for sure, but maybe they will pull it off. Maybe they will save us all.

Deep Time: The Strange Life of an LA Googie

How did a group of stuntmen in the 1960s diversify Hollywood? On this episode of Welcome to LA, we delve into the origin story of the Black Stuntmen’s Association. 

Buffalo Soldiers

Have you ever had a friend who you thought should live their life differently than they do? A story about building a meaningful life out of chaos. 

The Best of All Possible Worlds: A Prologue

Los Angeles is a city carved out of the desert – a conjured image of paradise. Award-winning journalist David Weinberg returns with stories of people who learn what lies beyond the dream. 

Welcome Back To LA

Lost Notes is a podcast from KCRW. It's about music, and artistic legacy, and people. Listen to this episode about David Bowie's favorite rock band, Fanny. Then, go subscribe in your podcast player. See you soon for more Welcome to LA.

Listen to Lost Notes

Trevor Pan launched his architecture career by building his first building with his own hands in a barren patch of Arizona desert. It didn’t have running water or electricity, but it got him some attention in the architecture world and his career was off to a promising start. But then Trevor made a decision that, from the outside, seemed completely totally crazy.

Pan's plans

Before he launched one of the most successful porn companies in America, Rob Navarro was a chart topping Christian rock star and the voice of Ronald McDonald. Then he got the help of a few good men from the U.S. Marine Corps.

The Recruiter

Luis Gutierrez Sanchez, also known as "Grace of the Sea," had been living in a garage in South LA for six years. He sold bacon-wrapped, pineapple-stuffed hot dogs on a street corner a few blocks away to make a living. Miraculously good at finding beauty in dark places, he tells his story of surviving as a gay undocumented immigrant in Los Angeles.

Grace of the Sea

The Court TV genre started with a frustrated game show producer who pitched an idea that would make housewives’ fantasies come true. That show tanked. So instead he made “The People’s Court,” eventually creating a lucrative empire that feeds off the petty disputes of everyday Americans. This is the story of the one case that started that empire.

The Case of the Missing Sprinkles

Tyreek Bilal has gone through many transformations in his life. He’s been a confidant to powerful celebrities, a husband to six wives, father to 20 children and a celibate religious scholar. Now he's taking a stand against changes at his neighborhood mosque.

Bilal’s Calling

Los Angeles is a city carved out of the desert – a conjured image of paradise. These are the stories of people who learn what lies beyond the dream – yacht parties with theremin makers that end on the rocks, low-budget filmmaking that blurs the...

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Welcome to LA

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