Hidden Brain - An Update from Shankar

Episode Date: October 3, 2020

It’s been five years since we launched this podcast. Today, we want to take a moment to thank the many people who’ve helped us over the years. And we want to share some changes with you.

Hey there, Shankar here. Five years ago, we launched this podcast, not knowing exactly how it might evolve or how many people would want to listen. Producing Hidden Brain for you has been the most rewarding work of my career. It's been more than a job. It's been a calling. Now, usually, that kind of introduction signals, we are going to be ending the show. Fear not. This announcement to be ending the show. Fear not.

This announcement is about exactly the opposite. We are planning to do more. Build more episodes, more ambitious episodes, and connect with you in more ways. Here is the context. I don't quite know how this happened, but Hidden Brain has turned into something that is more than just a podcast. It's an important part of many people's lives. Listeners write to us every week explaining how the podcast gives them a chance to have deep

conversations with family, an opportunity to reflect on a chaotic world, and oasis. Your notes, the story ideas you've suggested, the personal stories you've shared, have been a great source of encouragement and inspiration. With your help, we want to do more. We think there are opportunities for deeper connection. New shows, books, maybe even television and apps. To do all this, we've started a new production company called Hidden Brain Media. Our website, hiddenbrain.org, will be our hub.

You can continue to listen to our podcast on the podcast platform of your choice. In fact, going forward, we will be accessible even more widely than before. If you listen to our public radio program, which is currently on more than 350 radio stations around the United States, that will remain unchanged. There will be some changes. You're going to hear more new episodes in our feed. Starting Monday, we are going to drop a new four episode series on counterintuitive ways to understand our world in 2020.

We'll consider why irrational anger can sometimes be useful. And she opened the door and says, you know, what's wrong? I was like, call the police. We'll ask whether our focus on the political divide between the left and the right has caused us to overlook an important reality. What people were concerned about is essentially politics coming up in their day-to-day lives. They actually were not seemingly as concerned about the opposing partisanship component of it.

And in the midst of a year that has been tragic and disparaging in so many ways, we'll consider what's going right in the world. As long as bad things haven't gone to zero, which they never will, then the news will always present a biased sample of the state of the world. We hope you'll join us for that series. Another change you'll hear is my voice reading some of the sponsorship messages on the show. You'll also hear new names in the credits as we welcome new producers to the show and say farewell to others. We will of course continue our popular unsung hero segment.

I want to take a moment here to thank one of my unsung heroes, Ira Glass, the host and creator of the incredible public radio program, This American Life. Over the past year or so, Ira has helped me think through what's involved in setting up a new production company as he did some years ago with this American life. Most of you may know Ira as a brilliant storyteller. For me, he's also been a wise and generous mentor. Thank you Ira. We are honored to be following in your footsteps.

If you have enjoyed Hidden Brain, I hope you will extend a hand of support as we embark on this new adventure. Please tell your friends about the show and help them subscribe to the podcast if they don't know how. We look forward to bringing you Hidden Brain for many years to come. Thanks for listening. you