We Disrupt This Broadcast

In this episode, we examine the four-part Peabody Award-winning HBO documentary series Stax: Soulsville USA through a conversation with the film’s director, Jamila Wignot. The series chronicles the incredible rise and fall, and rise and fall again, of Stax Records, the Memphis soul record label that brought us incredible artists such as Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Rufus and Carla Thomas, Sam & Dave, and Booker T. & the MGs. Wignot explores how the history of Stax Records is interwoven with the history of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, gave rise to the birth of soul music, and was built on a racially integrated musical community. We also discuss the business acumen of Stax leader Al Bell, and the ultimate threat of Black economic success. Following that conversation, host Gabe González speaks with radio and media personality Dyana Williams about the still-unfolding legacy of Stax Records. 

This episode, we’re getting to the heart of what drives producer, writer, and showrunner John Wells. Wells is the legend behind such Peabody and Emmy Award-winning series as The West Wing, ER, and now the breakout hit The Pitt. Exploring the challenges facing ER doctors and the American healthcare system, each season of The Pitt takes place over the course of a single 24-hour shift. Wells’ dedication to accuracy and our shared humanity allows viewers to connect to healthcare professionals and patients in a revolutionary, visceral way. After, host Gabe Gonzalez sits down with We Disrupt This Broadcast’s own resident expert, media scholar, professor, and Executive Director of Center for Media & Social Impact Caty Borum, to discuss the real-world, life-changing impact of shows like The Pitt that use entertainment to portray medical challenges and the social determinants of health.

This episode, we’re talking about the Peabody Award-nominated animated children’s series Spirit Rangers, a superhero show about Native siblings who use their powers to protect the national park they call home. Showrunner and creator Karissa Valencia joins us to discuss how the show’s team came together and became the first U.S. preschool show that features an all-Native writers' room. Through this process, they created an authentically Native series that helps kids of all backgrounds connect to nature. Host Gabe Gonzalez then speaks with comedian and Spirit Rangers writer Joey Clift about the way their writers’ room and crew allowed them to tackle complex subjects that had never before been told in children’s animation.

In the season three premiere of We Disrupt This Broadcast, Jeffrey Jones, Executive Director of The Peabody Awards, leads a live-recorded conversation with this year’s Peabody Trailblazer Award winner, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson. Thompson is a musician, documentarian, author, podcaster, feature filmmaker, and DJ. As the co-founder and drummer of The Roots, he revolutionized hip-hop by introducing live instrumentation and blending genres, helping shape the Neo-Soul movement. He’s also become a cultural curator and historian through his Oscar and Peabody-winning documentary Summer of Soul, as well as Sly Lives!, a documentary on musician Sly Stone. Questlove also produced the documentary on the musical performances of Saturday Night Live. Jones spoke with Questlove about his personal record collection, his documentary work, and his advice for young artists. In this wide-ranging interview, they discuss the pressure and perils of Black genius, the importance of joy during moments of cultural upheaval and struggle, and the metaphysics of the band Earth, Wind, and Fire.

We Disrupt This Broadcast is back for season 3! Join us as we talk to the creative powerhouses that help reinvent and reimagine the kinds of stories we see on TV and who disrupt what we’ve come to expect on our screens and in our culture. We Disrupt This Broadcast is co-produced by The Peabody Awards and Center for Media & Social Impact and is produced and distributed in partnership with audio production group PRX. Hosted by comedian Gabe González, We Disrupt This Broadcast explores how the minds behind critically-acclaimed TV shows are re-imagining the world and tackling the big issues that move us forward. From intimate interviews with award-winning TV creatives to real talk with experts and social movement leaders, join us as we explore the inner workings and cultural significance of the shows that are changing all the rules and shaping our future. Listen to We Disrupt This Broadcast - back for its third season on January 22nd. Available wherever you get your podcasts.

The Peabody Award's Executive Director Jeffrey Jones sits down with Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne, the minds behind the gripping mini-series Adolescence. The Emmy-winning crime drama explores the aftermath of a brutal crime committed by a young boy against a girl classmate. With its unflinching exploration of grief and confusion in the wake of such a horrific event, the show sparked worldwide conversations regarding online misogyny and teen behaviors. Graham and Thorne discuss how concern over the role that technology plays in the lives of children was a major inspiration behind the show. Graham also shares how his personal experiences shaped his character, Eddie Miller. Later, host Gabe González is joined by Dr. Harriet Over to discuss “the manosphere:” what it is, why we should all be concerned, and ways to tackle the very real rise of misogyny online. 

This week, We Disrupt This Broadcast is excited to share an epiode of American Masters: Creative Spark. In this episode, actress, comedian and writer Natasha Rothwell shares how she connects to her character Belinda’s journey of self-discovery and how she collaborated with creator Mike White to bring greater nuance to the character. She reflects on the importance of diverse storytelling in Hollywood, the inspiration she drew from actress Nell Carter, and why she believes the arts are an empathy machine. Rothwell also opens up about her experience as a neurodivergent creator, the power of destigmatizing diagnoses, and the untapped potential of art. As she puts it, “From water lilies to Lily Tomlin, it’s all awesome.”

Host Gabe González introduces us to the shocking true story of the British Post Office scandal, and how the Peabody Award-winning series Mr. Bates vs. the Post Office led to real-world justice for the victims of this horrific abuse of government power. Jeffrey Jones sits down with the show’s Executive Producer Patrick Spence to understand the scandal, what it took to bring this story to screens, and the real-world impact the series had on public outrage and calls for justice within British politics. Gabe then sits down with journalist Nick Wallis to share his decades-long journey of bringing the story to light and keeping it in the spotlight via his website, articles, and a podcast. Finally, Gabe speaks with screenwriter Gwyneth Hughes about how she was able to earn the coveted “this is a true story” designation, reserved for TV series that adhere to a strict factual code, all while still bringing the deep emotional core of the subpostmasters’ tragic stories to life in this riveting dramatization.

Host Gabe González introduces us to the brilliant, absurdist, hilarious Peabody Award-winning HBO series Fantasmas. In a funny, enlivening conversation with creator, writer, and comedian Julio Torres, they explore how Torres uses humor to uncover the real absurdity of our immigration, healthcare, and economic systems. They discuss how creating fiction – like the “proof of existence” that the fictional Julio is so desperate to avoid – can expose our even stranger realities, like the “aliens of extraordinary abilities” visa that real Julio applied for when immigrating to the U.S. In the second half, Gabe speaks with Andrew DeWaard, author of Derivative Media: How Wall Street Devours Culture. Andrew’s work focuses on the cultural cost of the financialization of media. And don’t worry, he also explains what the word “financialization” means.

The Peabody Award-winning Disney+ movie Out of My Mind employs Jennifer Aniston’s voice alongside actress Phoebe Ray Taylor’s stellar performance to reveal the lack of accessible public school education in the early 2000s. Host Gabe González speaks with director Amber Sealey about what sparked her interest in this story, the state of accommodations in public schools, and how making her sets accessible improved working conditions for everyone. Gabe then speaks with professor and Undoing Ableism author Dr. Priya Lalvani about the ways our education system fails to achieve a truly inclusive educational environment for everyone, and what it would take to change that.