Origin Story
Origin Story is a conversational podcast that interviews creators about their lives, their work, and what's fueling their creations. Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp.
Episodes
In this episode of Study Hall, returning guest Joe Ostrander (of The Joeys fame) helps unpack the Killers of the Flower Moon. Does Scorsese still have the juice? When is the best time to pee during this movie? Should Joe be tried at the Hague for his current top ten 2023 movies list? These questions and so much more on the latest episode of Study Hall.
Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp
Visit our website: Originstory.show
Jacob Geller is a YouTube video-essayist whose work grapples with video games, history, politics, empathy, and more. Recently his criticism has engaged with the politics of climate change and art in the pre-apocalypse as well as media preservation in the digital age.
We talked with him about video essays as an art form and what it means that they are the most popular form of criticism.
Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp
Christine Lai grew up in Canada and lived in England for six years during graduate studies. She holds a PhD in English Literature from University College London. Landscapes was shortlisted for the inaugural Novel Prize. Christine currently lives in Vancouver.
We talk to Christine about Landscapes and our enduring relationship to art - even at the end of the world.
Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp
Jamel Brinkley is the author of a new short story collection called Witness and previously published the short story collection A Lucky Man which was a finalist for the National Book Award, the Story Prize, the John Leonard Prize, the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize, and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award; and winner of a PEN Oakland Award and the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence.
His writing has appeared in A Public Space,...
In this episode of Study Hall, returning guest Joe Ostrander (of The Joeys fame) helps unpack the Spiderverse. Can two lit majors finally make peace with the canon? Will Miles Morales be forced into a flesh-and-blood body? What was Pter Ptarker's canon event, anyway? Find the answers to these questions and more on the latest episode of Study Hall.
Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp
Visit our website: Originstory.show
Hannah Nicklin is the creative director at Die Gute Fabrik, an award-winning game studio based in Denmark. Their latest game, Salt Sea Chronicles, was recently announced to release later this year. Hannah previously worked on the narrative design, writing, and production of the game Mutazione.
Outside of making games, Hannah is an artist and performer, her book Writing for Games: Theory & Practices released through CRC Press in 2022...
Victor LaValle is the author of a short story collection, five novels, and is also the creator and writer of two comic books.
His novel, The Changeling, will soon be airing on Apple TV+ starring LaKeith Stanfield.
He has been the recipient of numerous awards including the World Fantasy Award, British Fantasy Award, Bram Stoker Award, Whiting Writers' Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship,and many more.
We talk with Victor LaValle about his ...
Josh Sawyer is a studio design director for Obsidian Entertainment. He has worked as the director on Pentiment, Pillars of Eternity 1 and 2, and Fallout: New Vegas. His most recent title, Pentiment, has won numerous awards including the Nebula for best game writing and best narrative and game of the year at the Game Developers Choice Awards.
Pentiment is a historical narrative-driven game focusing on character development, heavily...
Austin Walker is the IP Director at the game studio Possibility Space. He has an extensive background in gaming journalism and criticism. He holds a Masters in Aesthetics and Politics from CalArts and also served as the Editor in Chief for Waypoint and Host of Waypoint Radio. Since 2014, Austin has hosted the popular tabletop roleplaying podcast Friends at the Table, and co-host the Star Wars podcast A More Civilized Age.
We talked ...
In this episode of Study Hall, Ben and Phil talk about Resident Evil. Specifically, the new release of Resident Evil 4 Remake, how it holds up compared to the original and how Ben is getting a little scared while playing Resident Evil 2 Remake.
Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp
Visit our website: Originstory.show
Follow us on Twitter @originstory_
Do you have feedback or questions for us? Email us theoriginstorypod@gmail.com
...
We're back to shoot the shit about what we're reading, playing, and watching. Why The Black Count by Tom Reiss rules and a long discussion of The End of the English Major. Come listen.
Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp
Visit our website: Originstory.show
Follow us on Twitter @originstory_
Do you have feedback or questions for us? Email us theoriginstorypod@gmail.com
Cover art and website design by Melody Hirsch
Original Study...
Natalie Watson is a producer at Half Mermaid Productions where she worked on Immortality. Previously she was a games critic for Vice’s games outlet Waypoint. She also co-owns the successful Star Wars podcast "A More Civilized Age” alongside former editor-in-chief Austin Walker, Rob Zacnay, and Ali Acampora.
We talked to Natalie about her work on Immortality, the games journalist to game dev pipeline, and the absolute state of games ...
Xalavier Nelson Jr. is a writer and narrative designer who also founded the game studio Strange Scaffold. He is most well known for titles such as Hypnospace Outlaw, Can Androids Pray, An Airport For Aliens Currently Run By Dogs, and more. He’s currently working on titles such as Sunshine Shuffle, and the neo-noir shooter El Paso, Elsewhere.
We talked to Xalavier about trying to create sustainability in the games industry, why games...
It's a new year and Phil has a new job and a new lease on life. We give a general life update and see whether the new job offers any new insights into game dev. Plus a look back on some of our fave things of 2022 and one of the games we're both enjoying right now: Chained Echoes. Come listen.
Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp
Visit our website: Originstory.show
Follow us on Twitter @originstory_
Do you have feedback or questi...
Come one, come all to an episode where we introduce and announce the Joey awards. Named after special guest Joe Ostrander, who represents the entire voting body of the Joeys, we discuss his picks for best movies, performances, and directors of the year. It may *seem* a lot like the Oscars but no, it's absolutely not, it's the Joeys.
You can follow Joe Ostrander on Letterboxd @ostyghosty
Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp
Visit...
"Study Hall," a series of short conversations between Ben, Phil, and people they admire about a particular work or what's fueling their creative lives right now.
Expect informal conversations with new and familiar names in the games, film, music, and writing world. Think of it like an audio newsletter, a taste of what we're up to off the air, now recorded.
This week we talk about a new Senegalese revenge thriller called Saloum, and...
Sam Barlow is the writer and director of Immortality, Telling Lies, and Her Story and the founder of the Half Mermaid production company. His most recent games are interactive fiction experiences that allow players to search through archives of footage such as police interrogations and video calls. Sam’s latest game, Immortality, asks players to comb through footage from three unreleased movies to uncover what happened to actress n...
Graham Parkes is the Writer and Creative Director of Before Your Eyes, a game about the fleeting nature of life that garnered attention because of its eye-tracking technology and the integration of blinks into the narrative of the gameplay.
We talk to Graham about trying to capture the fleeting nature of life in a video game. We also discuss how Graham felt he and his friends working on the project needed to grow up before they coul...
In the second episode of Study Hall, we're diving into the Xenoblade series with writer Autumn Wright. Autumn has written extensively about the Xenoblade games, including with their coverage of Xenoblade 3 for Polygon. We talk with Autumn about what drew them into the series, why you have to go all in on the games, and how to know if you're susceptible to Xenoblade brain worms.
Follow Autumn on Twitter @TheAutumnWright
Episode Description
Gareth Damien Martin (They/Them) is an award-winning writer, designer and artist. Their first game, In Other Waters won the Jury Prix at IndieCade Europe.
Most recently, they’ve released the critically acclaimed role playing game Citizen Sleeper which places players in the role of an escape worker on a lawless space station on the edge of interstellar society and explores themes around capitalism, gig work, precar...
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