Samantha Oltman and Alessandra Ram

Samantha Oltman and Alessandra Ram are the co-hosts of Sabotage.

Describe Sabotage in 10 words or less.
AR: An investigation into a climate group and an oil dynasty.

How are you two different and how are you the same?
AR: Producing this series together has really magnified our strengths and weaknesses – and taught me quite a lot about how I work with other people. Perhaps due to years of producing with a team overseas, I tend to gravitate towards collaborative work (whereas Samantha, as an editor, often says she does her best work alone.) When I get excited about an idea, I tend to want to take action and move quickly – and there have been moments when Samantha [wisely] exercised caution.

I would say we share a similar worldview, and that’s reflected in our storytelling. We also learned how to produce a narrative podcast and start a company together; we are truly equals in this endeavor.

What are your roles for the show?
AR: We executive produced, wrote and hosted this show together. In terms of the scripting, each of us took the lead on a different major theme of the series based on our past reporting (and own interests). Samantha focused a bit more on the funding aspect, whereas I focused more on the activist movement.

Why are you the perfect hosts for it?
AR: We’re the perfect hosts for Sabotage because we created it! We wanted to address a gap in the market and are well-versed – thanks to our years working in other newsrooms – in how other media organizations covered climate stories. Our relationship as colleagues and friends, especially ones taking a giant leap to start a media company together, adds a unique depth to the story. We hope that by seeing two young women host a show of this caliber and candidly discuss their experience running a business, it will inspire others to step out on their own, too. 

SO: I think stories always sound better when you tell them in your own voice. That’s especially true for audio. And — I think audiences seek podcasts where the hosts sound how people actually talk. We wanted this story to feel immersive and conversational, not like a dry radio host read.

What was your aha moment like…Eureka! This is the podcast? How did we get here?
AR: This is chronicled in the first episode of Sabotage, but that moment came when I read a single line in an article about the soup incident – and it mentioned Aileen Getty as a mysterious figure funding the group behind this viral stunt.

What brought you to explore the Gettys?
AR: “Rich people drama” is always fun to hear about – but the Gettys in particular are endlessly fascinating. From the oil industry and finance to art and Hollywood, their influence looms large over our culture. Stories about the family lend themselves to an almost cinematic kind of storytelling. And the idea of J. Paul Getty’s legacy being disrupted by his granddaughter Aileen proved too rich and complicated to not explore – for us at least. It’s the element that we believe draws the audience into the story from the beginning, and ultimately, sets it apart from other climate narratives. 

SO: To add to what Alessandra said, I’ve been editing coverage about the ultra-wealthy and their soft power for years, so I wanted to explore this facet of their influence — how more and more heirs to great American fortunes feel conflict over the sources of their wealth, and are grappling with how to put things right. Aileen Getty is sort of a poster child for this movement, and it’s fascinating to dig into.

How is the result of the first season different than you thought it’d be?
Alessandra: We honestly had no idea how people would react to such a big, juicy story about… climate change! So it’s been incredible to see how fascinated people are after listening to the first two episodes.

We were also slightly nervous to infuse our personal origin story from the get go, but it has really resonated with people – even those who already know us in real life. 

Lastly, we never would have expected to partner with such a big name like Adam McKay for the inaugural season of our show. It’s been a very cool experience so far, and it’s clear he was the perfect fit to come onto this story.

SO: I’ll add — we’re just getting started; at this point, we’ve only released three out of nine episodes. I’m excited to see the response when people are able to listen to the whole season, especially because I think some of the juiciest and most powerful parts of the story are yet to come. 

What’s a podcast you love that everyone already knows about?
SO: Alternate Realities, from Zach Mack

What’s a podcast you love that not enough people know about?
SO: Overlooked, from Golda Arthur

Thanks, Samantha and Alessandra!