No Bad Ideas
The No Bad Ideas Podcast is the creation of Gabriel Urbina, Sarah Shachat, and Zach Valenti, three writer and artist-types who, in order to stay fresh creatively, have an excuse to hang out with each other once a week, and check in on what they're working on, take a terrible idea they found on the Internet each week and turn it into a compelling narrative. Or as close as they can get in 30 minutes. If you're someone trying to be creative yourself or even if you just appreciate a good story, you'll enjoy listening to Zach, Sarah, and Gabriel figure out how to make sense of the best (or worst?) absurdities the internet has to offer. We guarantee there have definitely been worse ideas.
Episodes
September 4, 2023 • 30 mins
Happy Labor Day! We are still laboring on a project we can't tell you about (yet) but we have worked mightily to find some bad ideas on the Internet and think that you'll enjoy the results!
First, Gabriel brings us an Am I The Asshole post full of culinary spite that we turn into a fractured fairy tale where ritual matters, at least to the eldritch abomination that lives in the lake. Then, Sarah brings us a tale of extreme sports...
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August 15, 2023 • 27 mins
Apologies for the delay in this one - travel, work on new projects, and some health road bumps (everyone is okay!) kept this one from being done properly until right now!
Today in No Bad Ideas: self-expression! Grumpy men! Aggressive sea animals! And more!
In our first bad idea today, Zach brings us the story of a French man who fought for his right to not be fun at work. The squad works to turn it into a comedic battle of workpl...
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July 17, 2023 • 30 mins
Today on No Bad Ideas... Wedding planning! Service Industry workers! Big purchases! TLC's new show My Surprise Bris! And more!
For our first bad idea, Gabriel brings us the story of someone who had to walk out on their surprise nuptials. The gang turns it into a fast-paced, Jacques Tati-esque romantic comedy about two waiters who have to hold a wedding together. Then, Zach keeps the episode on theme with the tale of someone who ha...
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July 5, 2023 • 31 mins
Happy July! We return from our month-long hiatus with two ideas that are the exact opposite of summer fun, but we're going to try and turn them into some hot hot IP anyway.
First, Zach brings us a Texas tragedy and we Tarantino it up a notch into a three-part (plus interludes) hunt for buried treasure where the Ennio Morricone score will be pumping. Then Sarah tells us a magical tale of petty corporate overreach, and we turn it i...
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June 5, 2023 • 30 mins
Today on No Bad Ideas... Dogs! Arrests! Fake kidnapping! And news that we're taking the rest of June off!
In our first bad idea, Gabriel brings us the tale of a man who, when faced with hardship, tried to sell out man's best friend. The trio turns it into the newest hit animated film about a talking dog. Then, Zach brings us the story of a man who, to get out of his job, took the very reasonable measures of... arranging his own (f...
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May 16, 2023 • 27 mins
Today on No Bad Ideas: nuclear subs! Naked landlords! Court cases! Ashton Kutcher and Sean William Scott! And more!
First, Sarah brings us an article about the unlikely place where some classified documents wound up. Gabriel is horrified that they actually find a narrative arc in the silly comedy of errors they come up with. Then, Gabriel presents the story of a German landlord who loves to share everything with his tenants. The g...
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May 1, 2023 • 33 mins
We're back and we're jumping right into some supernaturally awful badness this week!
First, Gabriel brings us the story of a very unconventional crime-fighting strategy and we turn it into the story of a young priest who gets in way over his head – although with hardened criminals or the demons of hell, TBD. Then Zach draws on the occult powers of the Am I The Asshole subreddit to tell the story of a woman who takes on a dubious ...
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April 19, 2023 • 30 mins
Today on No Bad Ideas... feds! Bad ideas! Training days! Birds! Spies! And more!
In our first bad idea, Zach brings us the story of an FBI training exercise gone horribly wrong. The gang spins it out into a story of comedic role-play colliding against corporate machinations. Then, in our second story, Sarah brings us news about (horrifying) innovation in the field of techno-necromancy. The team spins out in about three different d...
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April 3, 2023 • 44 mins
Writer, performer, and (comedy) sketch artist extraordinaire Tom Crowley joins the Bad Ideas Squad for two tales from beyond the grave!
For our first bad idea, Sarah brings us a witchy obituary like nothing we've ever heard before, and - naturally - the team tries to figure out how to turn it into a story of growth and self-actualization á la Amelie. Then, Gabriel presents the tale of the somewhat ghoulish thing a Belgian town has...
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March 21, 2023 • 55 mins
Today on the show... Art criticism! Pizza! Organized crime! Crap! And special guest stars Bob Raymonda and Jack Marone, co-creators of the Forgive Me! podcast!
In today's first bad idea, Gabriel brings us the story of a ballet director who took a rather... unorthodox approach to expressing his displeasure at a critic's evaluation of his work. The gang makes it into a film that gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, "giving someo...
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February 27, 2023 • 47 mins
What's even better news than a new episode of NBI? What's EVEN BETTER news than a new 70mm print of Boogie Nights? Film critic extraordinary Ethan Warren has just the qualifications to help us turn horrible ideas into movie pitches, and we're delighted to invite him to the NBI hot seat.
First, Zach gives us a Twitch stream gone awry and we turn it into a truly twisted animated rom-com thriller about two fish (yes fish) with an en...
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February 6, 2023 • 28 mins
Today on No Bad Ideas... fraud! Inflatable dolls! Possessed objects! American cinema! And more!
For our first bad idea today, Zach brings us an article about some financial crimes inspired by the 1999 film Office Space. The gang decides to turn that into a radical reboot of a very, very different movie: Saw! Then, Gabriel presents the story of a man who used an inflatable Grinch doll in order to use the carpool lane on the highway...
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January 23, 2023 • 32 mins
We're back! New year, same human species, which means EVEN MORE! BAD! IDEAS! The NBI is back and better than ever in this year 2023 AC (after covid). We are tweaking the show's release schedule - because it's ours and we can do that - so look forword to bi-monthly episodes of NBI hitting your feed every *other* Monday.
Starting with this one! Gabriel kicks us off with one last holiday tradition that can also settle scores all yea...
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November 30, 2022 • 32 mins
It's the last episode of No Bad Ideas of 2022! We are celebrating with stories about online harassment and dysfunctional families!
For our first story, Zach brings us the story of weaponized online harassment. The gang does their best to turn it into a horror story about death that can be directly sent to those you don't like... and then bring back a classic NBI villain from a previous story to make it all come together. Then, Gab...
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November 21, 2022 • 58 mins
We return this week, or at least two of us do, to inflict terrible ideas onto one of our favorite people in podcasting: Wil Williams!
Sarah kicks us off with a high school student's nightmare made somehow even worse, and we turn it into a spy heist thriller in the grand tradition of Agent Cody Banks. Then Zach takes us to a terrible idea that fortunately never reached 30,000 feet, but we imagine the terrible story and tonal chaos...
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November 14, 2022 • 54 mins
Today the NBI squad is joined by a voice actor of intrigue and mystery, the amazing Josh Rubino, to talk about bears, wolves, and evil villains!
In our first idea, Gabriel brings us the tale of two wrestlers who take on a bear and find it to be a... surprisingly challenging experience! Who knew?! The gang turns it into a gritty, grizzly reboot of a beloved cartoon show. Then, Sarah brings us the story of a scheme to make wolves le...
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November 7, 2022 • 29 mins
We're back to take some more bad ideas to incredible new heights! First, Sarah brings us a tale of a dinner gone awry with potential links to organized crime, and we turn it into the gritty Princess Diaries reboot none of us realized we needed. Then Gabriel takes us to the never-ending well of Bad Ideas, Reddit's Am I The Asshole, and we turn the story of a big communication failure over dinner into a domestic horror/thriller made ...
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October 31, 2022 • 30 mins
Today on No Bad Ideas... Alligators! Bees! Construction! Violence! Annoyance! And more!
In our first bad idea today, Gabriel brings us the story of a Florida man who resorts to violence to solve the problem of the loud construction site next to his home. The gang turns it into an action film about a construction crew to escape from a deadly game of hide and seek with forty alligators. Then, Zach brings us a story about bees being ...
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October 26, 2022 • 48 mins
Today we have a fantastic guest in the NBI hot seat: Zoe Tokushige returns to No Bad Ideas hot off the publication of her first (very good) book, Airi Sano, Prankmaster General: New School Skirmish.
We begin with an idea of Zach's about a suburban mystery in the heart of Texas, and we turn it into a dark and twisting thriller with death (or at least social death) as the stakes. Then Sarah offers up an Am I The Asshole post about ...
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October 17, 2022 • 36 mins
Today on No Bad Ideas... NPCs! Internet drama! Bad communication! Grandma!
In our first bad idea, Zach brings us the story of a troubling trend online where people are starting to treat real life people as video game NPCs. The gang creates a story about a person who is transported into a video game just to play the part of a storekeeper NPC. Then, in our second bad idea, Gabriel gives Zach and Sarah a choice between two options. T...
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