Jonathan Mitchell
Jonathan Mitchell is the host and producer of The Truth, an anthology fiction podcast distributed by Radiotopia. He also directed and sound designed every story, and for some of them (like Pariah) he wrote music. The Truth’s first podcast episode was released in 2012, but Jonathan has been a professional audio producer since the mid-90’s. He began his career in public radio, where he worked on shows like Studio 360, Fair Game, and Radiolab. He also created the sound design and music for two episodes of Nova on PBS, and the commercial jingles heard when you turn on the TV in the computer game “The Sims”.
Describe The Truth In ten words or less.
New, original full-cast fictional audio dramas that are fun to hear.
Fill in the blank: You will like The Truth if you like _________.
…the same things that I like. I know that’s not very helpful, but that’s truly the only basic criteria. People say Black Mirror and The Twilight Zone a lot, but we do tons of stuff that isn’t like those shows at all, so if that’s what you’re looking for then you might be disappointed. I think this show is for people who like quirky, thoughtful stories. Some episodes are suspenseful, others are funny, or shocking, or uplifting. You really won’t know until you hit play. What you’re guaranteed is incredible performances, brilliant writing, and detailed, immersive sound design that pulls you right in and never lets go.
Why did The Truth have to end and will it ever return?
Our ad sales have been down for a prolonged period of time, and for this last batch of six episodes, it cost me substantially more to produce than the show generated in revenue. So rather than go deep into personal debt by producing more stories, I decided to take a break and see what else is out there. I’m looking forward to doing something different! I don’t know if it will return yet.
Are there a bunch of near-complete episodes we might get to hear someday?
No.
What are you most proud of?
That I was able to give actors and writers and an associate producer a way to earn money.
How much time would typically go into one episode of The Truth?
The scripts generally take 2-4 months per episode to write, and then we spend about 2-3 weeks casting and recording with the actors (usually around six hours of studio time per episode). And then the post production is two solid weeks of work during which we are also writing and recording future stories.
How much money would typically go into one episode of The Truth?
We talked about this on an episode once, but I’d rather not go into it here. It’s a pretty frugal and inexpensive show, in the grand scheme of things. Most professional-level audio drama has a larger budget than we had to work with. I’m proud of the fact that we did a lot with a little, but I wish we didn’t have to.
Do you have a few favorite episodes of The Truth? People who are new to it can check them out.
I like SIlvia’s Blood, That’s Democracy, Pariah, and anything that Hunter Nelson wrote (particularly The Body Genius). I also like Louis Kornfeld (Hilly Earth Society) and Mary McDonnell’s (The Decider) stories a lot. We’ve worked with so many great writers though, so it feels a little unfair to single anyone out. My advice is to not start at the beginning, but skip around. Some of our best stories were made in the past year.
Which was your favorite theme to explore in The Truth?
I like that there’s a lot of variety to the themes. I don’t have a favorite.
What’s your listening diet like? Mostly fiction, nonfiction?
It really varies, and it’s constantly changing. Right now I’m listening to a lot of jazz, particularly Bill Evans. I like the late 50’s/early 60’s jazz period the best. But that’s just recently. I get these obsessions where I need to listen and learn everything I can about something. Like, earlier this year I was revisiting Frank Zappa. But lately, I’ve been playing a lot of jazz piano, so that’s what I want to listen to right now.
At what speed do you listen to podcasts? Is it blasphemous to listen to podcasts at anything faster than 1x?
People are going to do whatever they want to do, but if you listen to The Truth on anything other than 1x, you are doing yourself a disservice.
Do you think celebrities should be making podcasts? Any you’d recommend?
Sure, why not? I hear that Seth Rogen’s is good, but I haven’t heard it yet.
What should people do if they want to become a great audio storyteller? Should they read a lot? Listen a lot? Go to museums? Meditate? Take a road trip? Make lots and lots of audio?
Listen and absorb feedback from others, and try to develop a sharp critical ear for what makes a good story. Try to work with people who are better at it than you are, so you can learn from them. I learned a lot from the people I worked with on The Truth, particularly the writers. The writers’ meetings were the best.
What’s the best way to grow a podcast?
Make the most amazing thing you’ve ever heard in your life, and then do that every single episode.
What would you say to someone who put their heart and soul into an audio project but they can’t seem to get people to listen to it?
The audience doesn’t care about how much heart and soul you put into your podcast. You have to make something they like. If they aren’t paying attention, it’s probably not interesting enough.
If you were going to make another podcast…your budget is $1M and you don’t have to worry about logistics or whether or not anyone would like it…what would it be?
I’d just do something like The Truth, but I’d pay everyone really well and make it sound really great and maybe even get an extra engineer to help me with post. The Truth was my dream project, that’s who I am.
What’s something you wish you’d known before you started making audio projects?
I started making audio projects 35 years ago. Thinking to back then, I wish I had practiced the piano more.
What’s a podcast you love that everyone else loves, too?
You Must Remember This by Karina Longworth.
What’s a podcast you love that not enough people know about?
Modes of Thought in Anterran Literature.
Thanks, Jonathan!