Phoebe Judge

Last updated

Phoebe Judge
Phoebe Judge by LS.jpg
Judge in 2020
Born (1983-09-02) September 2, 1983 (age 39)
Education Bennington College
Salt Institute for Documentary Studies
Known for Criminal podcast
This Is Love podcast

Phoebe Valentine Judge is an American journalist, best known as the host and co-creator of the podcasts Criminal and This Is Love. [1] [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Judge was born to parents Valentine and Tony Judge, [3] and named after her aunt, Phoebe Legere. [2] She grew up in Chicago with her three siblings, [3] and attended university at Bennington College, [4] graduating in 2005. She eventually started interning at a public radio station in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, which led her to enroll at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. [5]

Career

After graduating, Judge worked for several years as a journalist for public radio, beginning with a two-and-a-half-year stint working as a reporter for Mississippi Public Broadcasting. [5] She left to go to India to report and produce for a documentary on the country. [5]

What I’ve learned is that you can ask anyone pretty much anything as long as you’re genuinely interested in what they have to say – in their answer. And so I spend a lot of time thinking about my job as an interviewer, and realising that the best thing that I can do as an interviewer is to shut up, and to let someone tell their story. [6]

Judge, in an interview with Ezra Magazine

After returning from India, Judge landed a job with The Story with Dick Gordon . [5] While planning to do an interview on wrongful imprisonment with her colleagues at North Carolina Public Radio, Judge said, "Very quickly, once we started reading about the number of exonerees, about the number of potentially innocent people in jail ... it was clear that this was going to be more than one show, that this deserved to become a series.” Their investigation became “After Innocence: Exoneration in America,” a series that aired June 10–13, 2013 on the program The Story for American Public Media. [7]

When The Story ended in 2013, Judge and two colleagues, Lauren Spohrer and Eric Mennel, decided to create their own program. [5] Spohrer came up with the idea for the show while they were brainstorming on Judge's back porch. [8] They released the first episode of Criminal in January 2014. She continued to conduct interviews for and anchor WUNC's program of Here & Now until 2015, when she transitioned into filling in for vacant shifts. [4] [8] The change came with Criminal's increased production schedule to one episode every two weeks. [8]

Judge has been invited for guest interviews on other podcasts including The Murder Squad. [9] She also continued to guest host The State of Things. [10]

During the coronavirus pandemic of 2020, Judge started a limited series podcast called Phoebe Reads a Mystery [11] , in which she reads a chapter of a novel each day. The first was Agatha Christie's first novel The Mysterious Affair at Styles . [12]

Public image

Judge's voice has drawn commentary in the media. Alexis Soloski, theater critic at The New York Times , wrote that "no matter how strange or ghastly the crime, the voice of the host Phoebe Judge somehow remains implacable and oddly soothing." [13] The Star Tribune said, "Judge's sweetly modulated voice serves as a calm foil to the blood-soaked stories." [14] Judge herself has said, "I hope my voice shows reverence, to not only the topic and subject, but also the guest." [15]

Personal life

Judge says that she is "rigid" because she tends to be inflexible about certain habits, such as running 50 miles a month, preferring to eat scheduled meals, and maintaining a regular sleep schedule. [16] She is fond of long walks "for the fun of it," and will sometimes walk for miles, then call someone to pick her up. [5] Each year, she takes a two-week trip to northernmost Maine, where she vacations Internet-free. [8]

Her sister Chloe, 13 months her junior, died in 2015. [3] [16] Judge's namesake aunt, Phoebe Legere, is a singer, painter, and musician who is the maestro of the Lower East Side Children's Chorus of the Theater for the New City. [2] Judge lives with her partner, Sara, in Durham, North Carolina. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ira Glass</span> American radio personality

Ira Jeffrey Glass is an American public radio personality. He is the host and producer of the radio and television series This American Life and has participated in other NPR programs, including Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Talk of the Nation. His work in radio and television has won him awards, such as the Edward R. Murrow Award for Outstanding Contributions to Public Radio and the George Polk Award in Radio Reporting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arianna Huffington</span> Greek-American author and columnist

Arianna Stassinopoulos Huffington is a Greek American author, syndicated columnist and businesswoman. She is a co-founder of The Huffington Post, the founder and CEO of Thrive Global, and the author of fifteen books. She has been named to Time magazine's list of the worlds 100 most influential people and the Forbes Most Powerful Women list.

WUNC is a listener-supported public radio station, serving the Research Triangle area of North Carolina. It is licensed to Chapel Hill and is operated by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. On weekdays, WUNC carries National Public Radio, American Public Media, Public Radio Exchange, and BBC programming in an "all-news-and-information" format, including shows such as All Things Considered, Morning Edition and Fresh Air. On weekends, in addition to NPR weekend shows, WUNC broadcasts locally produced folk music programming. The longest-running continuously produced program offered by the station is Back Porch Music, a weekly folk and traditional music program. WUNC holds periodic on-air fundraisers seeking listener contributions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diane Rehm</span> American public radio talk show host

Diane Rehm is an American journalist and the host of Diane Rehm: On My Mind podcast, produced at WAMU, which is licensed to American University in Washington, D.C.. She also hosts a monthly book club series, Diane Rehm Book Club, at WAMU. Rehm is the former American public radio talk show host of The Diane Rehm Show, which was distributed nationally and internationally by National Public Radio. The show was produced at WAMU.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michelle Visage</span> American singer and radio DJ

Michelle Lynn Shupack, better known as Michelle Visage, is an American singer, television host, actress, radio DJ and producer. She first gained recognition as a member of the musical group Seduction, who charted five singles on the Billboard Hot 100. She later served as lead vocalist of another group, The S.O.U.L. S.Y.S.T.E.M., who reached the top of the dance charts with the single "It's Gonna Be a Lovely Day" in 1993. In 2011, she joined the American reality competition series RuPaul's Drag Race, and has served as a permanent judge since season three. She is also a permanent judge on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, RuPaul's Drag Race UK, and RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under. Visage has won 3 Primetime Emmy Awards as a producer of RuPaul's Drag Race.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chloë Grace Moretz</span> American actress (born 1997)

Chloë Grace Moretz is an American actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including four MTV Movie & TV Awards, two People's Choice Awards, two Saturn Awards, and two Young Artist Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Hardwick</span> American comedian and actor (born 1971)

Christopher Ryan Hardwick is an American comedian, actor, television and podcast host, writer, and producer. He hosts Talking Dead, an hourlong aftershow on AMC affiliated with the network's zombie drama series The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead, as well as Talking with Chris Hardwick, a show in which Hardwick interviews prominent pop culture figures, and The Wall, a plinko-inspired gameshow on NBC, Hardwick created Nerdist Industries, operator of the Nerdist Podcast Network and home of his podcast The Nerdist Podcast, which later left the network and was renamed to ID10T with Chris Hardwick. His podcast has broadcast 1,000 episodes as of December 2019.

Phoebe Hemenway Legere is a multi-disciplinary artist. She is a Juilliard-educated composer, soprano, pianist and accordionist, painter, poet, and a film maker. A graduate of Vassar College with a four octave vocal range, Legere has recorded for Mercury Records in England, and for Epic, Island, Rizzoli, Funtone, ESP Disk and Einstein Records in the United States. Legere plays seven musical instruments and has released 15 CDs of original music. She has appeared on National Public Radio, CBS Sunday Morning, PBS's City Arts, WNYC's Soundcheck, Charlie Rose and in films by Troma, Island Pictures, Rosa von Praunheim, Ela Troyano and Ivan Galietti, Abel Ferrara, Jonathan Demme, Ivan Reitman and many others. Legere is of Acadian and Abenaki descent through her father. She is a standard bearer of the Acadian and Abenaki renaissance in America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Candy O'Terry</span> American radio personality, singer/songwriter

Candy O'Terry, also known as Candy O, is a radio broadcaster, podcaster, singer, songwriter, and speaker coach. Chosen by her peers as the Massachusetts Broadcaster of the Year in 2015, she is the recipient of 42 national and 23 local awards for excellence as an interviewer and host. Often referred to as Boston's Beloved Radio Voice she is also the creator of the Candy O Radio Network. As the host of the award-winning podcast series The Story Behind Her Success, O'Terry has interviewed nearly 800 women from every walk of life. The co-founder of Boston Women in Media & Entertainment from 2012 to 2020, she spent 25 years on the air at WMJX, Magic 106.7, and is the creator of the station's signature public affairs program Exceptional Women. O'Terry has been profiled in the book: Boston Inspirational Women by Bill and Kerry Brett. She is also the host of the Nashville-based podcast series Country Music Success Stories and the hands-on communications series The Speaker Coach.

Audie N. Cornish is an American journalist and a former co-host of NPR's All Things Considered. She was previously the host of Profile by Buzzfeed News, a web-only interview show that lasted one season, as well as NPR Presents, a long-form conversation series with creatives about their projects, processes, and shaping culture in America.

Elizabeth Day is an English novelist, journalist and broadcaster. She was a feature writer for The Observer from 2007 to 2016, and wrote for You magazine. Day has written six books, and is also the host of the podcast How to Fail with Elizabeth Day.

<i>Vox</i> (website) American news website

Vox is an American news and opinion website owned by Vox Media. The website was founded in April 2014 by Ezra Klein, Matt Yglesias, and Melissa Bell, and is noted for its concept of explanatory journalism. Vox's media presence also includes a YouTube channel, several podcasts, and a show presented on Netflix. Vox has been described as left-of-center and progressive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radiotopia</span> Podcast network on Public Radio Exchange

Radiotopia is a podcast network founded by 99% Invisible host Roman Mars and run by the Public Radio Exchange. The network is organized as a collective of some two dozen shows whose producers have complete artistic control over their work. Podcasts in the network are downloaded more than 19 million times per month.

WNYC Studios is a producer and distributor of podcasts and on-demand and broadcast audio. WNYC Studios is a subsidiary of New York Public Radio and is headquartered in New York City.

<i>Criminal</i> (podcast) American true crime podcast

Criminal is a podcast that focuses on true crime. It is recorded in the studios of WUNC in Chapel Hill, NC, and is part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. The show describes itself as telling "stories of people who've done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle."

<i>2 Dope Queens</i> Comedy podcast

2 Dope Queens is a podcast hosted by Jessica Williams and Phoebe Robinson that aired between April 4, 2016, and November 14, 2018.

<i>This Is Love</i> (podcast) American true love podcast

This is Love is a podcast created by Phoebe Judge, Lauren Spohrer, and Nadia Wilson, producers of Criminal. The series investigates stories of love.

Lauren Spohrer is an American radio producer, best known for co-creating and producing the podcasts Criminal and This Is Love.

Siobhán McHugh is an Irish-Australian author, podcast producer and critic, oral historian, audio documentary-maker and journalism academic. In 2013 she founded RadioDoc Review, the first journal of critical analysis of crafted audio storytelling podcasts and features, for which she received an academic research award. She is Associate Professor of Journalism (honorary) at the University of Wollongong (UOW). and Associate Professor of Media and Communications (honorary) at the University of Sydney. Her latest book, The Power of Podcasting: telling stories through sound, was published by NewSouth Books in February 2022. A US edition with Columbia University Press is due October 2022.

Alison Flowers is an American journalist who investigates violence, police conduct and justice. She was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize for Audio Reporting in 2021 for her work on the podcast Somebody, which tells the story of Shapearl Wells, mother of Courtney Copeland who was killed outside a Chicago police station in 2016. She won an Emmy for her work on the SHOWTIME documentary 16 Shots and is the author of Exoneree Diaries: The Fight for Innocence, Independence and Identity, a portrait of four exonerated criminals.

References

  1. White, Peter (February 22, 2019). "'Criminal' & 'This Is Love' Creators Eye Scripted Adaptations As They Take Advantage Of Podcast "Explosion"". Deadline. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Crowley, Chris (May 17, 2019). "Podcasting Star Phoebe Judge Eavesdrops at Dinner". Grub Street. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 "Judge, Chloe Hemenway". Chicago Tribune: 49. August 11, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2020 via Newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 "Phoebe Judge". WUNC. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Douglas, Nick (January 16, 2019). "I'm Phoebe Judge, Host of 'Criminal' and 'This Is Love,' and This Is How I Work". LifeHacker. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  6. Bolger, Tanysha (March 5, 2019). "'Criminal' Podcast Host Phoebe Judge | Interview". Ezra Magazine. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  7. Vyse, Graham (June 7, 2013). "APM series examines exoneration in the U.S." Current. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "5 Burning Questions with WUNC's Phoebe Judge". Durham Magazine. October 27, 2015. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  9. Paul Holes and Billy Jensen (February 17, 2020). "Jensen and Holes: Winter Distraction with Phoebe Judge from Criminal". OMNY (Podcast). Exactly Right Media. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  10. McDonald, Glenn (July 6, 2017). "'Just tell a story': Behind the scenes at the thinking person's true crime podcast". The News & Observer. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  11. Phoebe Judge. "Phoebe reads a mystery" (Podcast). Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  12. Davies, Hannah J (April 3, 2020). "Choir practice on Skype, anyone? -- podcasts of the week; Twenty Thousand Hertz's Virtual Choir episode looks at a group of singers connected via the internet. Plus: podcasting with Poirot". The Guardian. London, England: Guardian Newspapers. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  13. Mcdermon, Daniel (July 2, 2015). "What to Do This Weekend". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved May 29, 2016.
  14. Burger, Kevyn (June 26, 2018). "10 Must-Listen True Crime Podcasts". Star Tribune: E3. Retrieved April 23, 2020 via Newspapers.com.
  15. Kennings, Josh K (October 12, 2015). "A Q&A with Criminal's Phoebe Judge". Josh Jennings: Freelance Journalist. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  16. 1 2 Lily Sloane (April 4, 2018). "The Unknown". A Therapist Walks Into a Bar (Podcast). Retrieved April 23, 2020.