History Studio Podcast History Studio

Host Jim Downs talks with writer and director Manjari Makijany about making her hit film Skater Girl (*spoiler alert* - watch it first!), building a skatepark in rural Rajasthan that challenges the patriarchy, and directing Spin - the first Disney Channel original film with an Indian-American lead.

Host Jim Downs talks with author and activist Piper Kerman about her experience of incarceration, capturing the humanity and resilience of her "bunkies" on the page and on screen, and those chickens in the Netflix hit Orange Is The New Black.

Writer / director Ty Roberts and writer / actor Lane Garrison talk with Jim Downs about their feature film 12 Mighty Orphans, playing now in theaters nationwide. They discuss the resonance of the Depression-era story in our current moment, the challenges of making period films, and the stories from Texas history that need to be told on the big screen. 

Host Jim Downs talks with author A’Lelia Bundles about her great-great-grandmother Madam C.J. Walker’s activism and deep community ties, avoiding tropes and stereotypes in translating Black stories to the screen, and the many, many African-American historical figures who need their own biopics and mini-series.

Host Jim Downs talks with Academy Award-winning filmmaker and activist Dustin Lance Black. They discuss stories as "chaos bombs," the perils of nostalgia, learning from an older generation of gay activists, and being born to write....or barbecue?

Welcome to the History Studio Podcast! Host Jim Downs explains the inspiration for the show.