Life After News

Jason Ball
  • ٤٫٦ (١٦)
  • مذكرات شخصية

What happens when the newsroom lights go out—and life begins again? Life After News explores the raw, funny, and deeply human stories of journalists who’ve walked away from the adrenaline of breaking news to reinvent themselves in surprising ways. Hosted by former TV news director Jason Ball, the podcast goes behind the headlines to talk with anchors, reporters, producers, and executives about identity, resilience, and what it takes to start over. From career pivots to personal awakenings, these conversations reveal how the skills learned under deadline pressure translate into entirely new chapters of life. It’s not just about leaving the news—it’s about discovering what comes after. Whether you’re in media, on the edge of a career change, or just fascinated by reinvention, Life After News is your invitation to listen in, learn, and maybe imagine your own next chapter.

  1. قبل يومين

    🎙️ Christina McLarty Arquette on Jumping from Entertainment Reporter to Indie Producer (and Reviving Bozo) 🎬🤹‍♀️🐄

    Send us a text Christina McLarty Arquette walked away from on-air entertainment reporting to build a prolific producing career across documentaries and scripted features. In this episode, we dig into how she finished her first doc Survivor’s Guide to Prison, produced the cult-favorite You Cannot Kill David Arquette, brought film productions to Arkansas (including Jason's hometown), and why she and David Arquette are reimagining…Bozo the Clown. Episode Highlights Career Reboot with Purpose: Burnout from daily news pushed Christina to produce impact-driven documentaries—while still using her newsroom instincts for fast writing, structure, and getting to the point.Finish the Film: Create real deadlines (festival submissions like Sundance, SXSW), back-plan delivery, and treat your doc like a job with milestones.Producer = “Whatever It Takes”: Indie producing spans financing, budgeting, crew hiring, interviews, music & footage licensing, legal, festival strategy, and distribution. Expect to learn on the fly—and phone a friend when you hit a wall.Post Is Where Budgets Break: Budget for color, mix, graphics, QC, and deliverables (the unsexy but essential tech specs buyers require). Keep finishing funds in reserve.Arkansas Advantage: Incentives + local talent + accessible locations = real value. Community support matters—from city halls to small businesses.Bozo’s Second Act: Beyond nostalgia, the work is about brand rehabilitation and storytelling that introduces Bozo to new audiences—without the “scary clown” baggage.Life After LA: Nashville offers family life, creative community, and space to build projects—plus a cause-driven lens on local issues.Practical Takeaways for Documentary Makers 🎒 Set immovable deadlines (festival calendars are perfect external pressure).Outline deliverables early so you’re not blindsided post-sale.Leverage newsroom skills: write fast, structure tight, fact-check always.Treat releases and licensing as day-one priorities, not last-minute chores.Network with purpose: today’s jail tour contact can be tomorrow’s co-producer.Budget for marketing: screeners, assets, DCPs, captions, festival travel.Works & Projects Mentioned Survivor’s Guide to Prison (producer) — issue-driven doc that toured educationally and screened on Capitol Hill.You Cannot Kill David Arquette (producer) — SXSW selection; Hulu; Critics Choice nom; Adobe Editing Award.They Call Me Magic (team involvement referenced) — Apple TV+ docuseries.12 Hour Shift (producer) — shot in Jonesboro, AR; indie thriller in a decommissioned hospital.Ghosts of the Ozarks (producer) — filmed in Trumann, AR.The First Step (EP) — on federal criminal justice reform.God Said Give ‘Em Drum Machines (producer) — Detroit techno roots.Bozo the Clown — ongoing doc + broader brand revival.Christina McLarty Arquette is an independent film & documentary producer (13+ credits) and former entertainment reporter. She focuses on character-driven stories with cultural impact, splitting time between Nashville and Los Angeles and building a multifaceted Bozo revival with husband David Arquette. Jason Ball is a former TV news director who’s charted his own “life after news.” On this show, he talks with journalists who jumped to new careers—an Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

    ٥٣ من الدقائق

  2. ٢٣ سبتمبر

    Breaking Barriers, Finding Radical Joy & Redefining Storytelling with May Lee

    Send us a text In this episode of Life After News, Jason Ball sits down with international journalist May Lee.  May is a former CNN and ABC News correspondent, anchor, talk show host, professor, and now co-host of the hit podcast Shoes Off Inside. ✨ May shares her remarkable journey: From small-market local news to becoming CNN’s “disaster queen” covering global crises 🌍Breaking into Japanese media as one of the first Asian American journalists on NHK 🇯🇵Reporting through earthquakes, attacks, and cultural upheavals while living abroadPivoting into activism during the pandemic and raising her voice against anti-Asian hate ✊Creating Shoes Off Inside with fellow trailblazers Kelly Hu and Tamlyn Tomita 💬Embracing radical joy and the Korean concept of Han as powerful forces in life and storytelling 💜This intimate, powerful conversation explores identity, resilience, cultural pride, and how journalism shapes—and is shaped by—the people who live it. 📌 Connect & Listen 🔗 Listen to May’s podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shoes-off-inside-with-mkt/id1497399536 🔗 Learn more at lotusmediahouse.com 📺 Subscribe to Life After News on YouTube ⭐ Don’t forget to rate & review the podcast—it helps us grow! 📲 Join the Conversation #LifeAfterNews #MayLee #ShoesOffInside #RadicalJoy #AsianAmericanVoices #JournalismMatters #PodcastLife #Storytelling 👉 CTA: Hit play, subscribe, and share this episode with someone who needs a dose of inspiration, resilience, and joy.   Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

    ٤٦ من الدقائق

  3. ١٦ سبتمبر

    🎙️ How You Go from Journalism to PR: Lessons from Josh Rubenstein 🎙️➡️🛡️

    Send us a text 🎙️ This episode doubles as your playbook. You’ve told stories on deadline; now you’re thinking about owning the story for an organization. Here’s how to make the jump from newsroom to PR on purpose, not in panic. What you’ll learn 🧭 How to plan your pivot years before you need itThe real difference between reporting news and making newsHow to operate inside big orgs where buy-in beats speedCrisis rules: why the story always changes and how you communicate thatThe mindset shift to truth-telling within legal limits (no spin)Step-by-step game plan ✅ Pick a mission you can sell on your hardest day. If you can’t defend it tired, stressed, or under fire… keep looking.Stack credentials that widen your lane. Add a degree/certificate outside journalism (e.g., Public Administration, Policy, Health Comms). It signals range.Build reps in public service before you switch. Join advisory boards, volunteer with public safety, healthcare, or education. Show receipts, not just interest.Learn the legal/ethical rails. In PR you are accountable to the org, the public, the media, and the law. Know what you can’t say and why.Design your 24/7 boundaries. Crisis can be round-the-clock. Protect your health and family rhythm; choose roles and teams that honor that.Teach what you know. Guest lecture or adjunct. Teaching sharpens your message discipline and grows your network.Call to action 👉 If you’re mapping your own pivot, follow the show, rate & review⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, and share this episode with one colleague who needs a nudge.  #LifeAfterNews #JournalistToPR #CareerPivot #CrisisComms #BrandReputation #PublicService #MediaCareers #TruthTelling #GetTheCake 🎧   Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

    ٣٦ من الدقائق

  4. ١١ سبتمبر · إضافة

    🎙️ Bonus Episode: Technology for Your Life After News

    Send us a text Feeling stuck in a career rut or ready for a new chapter? This bonus episode of Life After News is for you! 🎙️✨This week I’m sharing a special bonus conversation with my friend Rich DeMuro—tech reporter, host of Rich on Tech, and all-around gadget guy. ⚡ We dive into how off-the-shelf tech like AI, Canva, and Riverside.fm makes it possible for anyone to create their own podcast 🎧 and newsletter 📰 without a big newsroom behind them. From my leap out of TV news to running a Palm Springs hotel 🌴 to building Life After News and Desert Dispatch, Rich and I explore the challenges (and rewards) of reinvention. 💡 👉 What you’ll hear in this episode: How I went from news director to hotel owner to podcaster.The exact tools I use to produce Life After News on my own.Why embracing AI isn’t just smart—it’s necessary.The realities of monetizing a newsletter (and why journalists shouldn’t shy away from it).Why reinvention is scary—but worth it. ✨🔗 Follow Rich: https://richontech.tv/ 📺Catch him on KTLA + his weekly KFI show.  🌵 Check out my Palm Springs newsletter: https://desertdispatch.beehiiv.com/ 📲 Follow along on Instagram: @DesertDispatchPS 🙌 Join the conversation Subscribe to Life After News wherever you get your podcasts 🎧Share this episode with someone who’s ready to reinvent their career 🔄Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating + review—it really helps spread the word!All episodes on https://lifeafternews.com/#LifeAfterNews #Podcasting #Reinvention #PalmSprings #NewsLife #TechTools #RichOnTech #DesertDispatch Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

    ١٣ من الدقائق

  5. ٩ سبتمبر

    “Do you want to be Princess Leia’s assistant?” Byron Lane’s Life After News 🎙️✨

    Send us a text Author/playwright/former TV newsie Byron Lane talks origin stories, on-air anxiety, assisting Carrie Fisher, chasing the Northern Lights, indie films, best-selling novels, big love, and bigger reinventions. This one’s honest, funny, and full of heart. 💛 What you’ll hear 🚨 “I’m still just telling stories.” Why the news muscle never leaves🏕️ Boy Scout tour → WWL legend. Byron’s “pharmacist moment”⏰ Overnights + 8am classes. Grit that built a storyteller😬 The cost of ‘live.’ On-air nerves, pressure, and knocking on doors at 2am📡 Live shot disasters. Speakers blasting, trucks failing—lessons anyway⭐ Pivot to Princess Leia. How Carrie Fisher changed everything🌌 “Take your broken heart and make art.” Northern Lights with Carrie🎬 Herpes Boy → Octavia Spencer + JVN cameo. News rules that power scripts💍 Proposal in the acknowledgments. Yes, really—book as ring🎭 Tilda Swinton Answers an Ad on Craigslist. Why the play still has another life🌈 Big Gay Wedding. A mom’s “coming out,” Polite Society Ranch, and small-town love🌴 Palm Springs life. Community, creativity, and signed books at Best BookstorePull quotes “It’s not just before all that—I still feel like I’m just telling stories.”“Take your broken heart and make art.” —Carrie Fisher“News taught me to find the headline of a scene.”“I proposed to Steven… in the acknowledgments.”About Byron 📚 Author of A Star Is Bored and Big Gay WeddingPlaywright of Tilda Swinton Answers an Ad on CraigslistFormer local TV reporter/producer/writer; past assistant to Carrie FisherPartner to author Steven Rowley (The Guncle, The Celebrants)Mentioned Books: A Star Is Bored, Big Gay Wedding, The Guncle, The Celebrants, Chuck Palahniuk’s Invisible MonstersProjects: Herpes Boy (indie), Last Will & Testicle (web series), Tilda Swinton Answers an Ad on Craigslist (play)Shop local: Best Bookstore in Palm Springs — ask for signed copies of Byron’s books ✍️🎧 Listen • Share • Support ❤️ If this resonated, text it to one newsroom friend.⭐ Rate & review the show—helps more people find these stories.🛍️ Buy Byron’s books from your indie—if you’re in Palm Springs, request signed at checkout.🌐 Go to our website for new episodes, essays, and behind-the-scenes.👥 Know a great guest? Pitch me. Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

    ٤٤ من الدقائق

  6. ٤ سبتمبر · إضافة

    🎙️ Bonus Episode: Can Nonprofits Save Local News? 📰✨

    Send us a text In this special bonus episode of Life After News, Jason Ball sits down with Emily Barr, longtime media executive and former president of Graham Media Group. With decades of leadership at WLS in Chicago and Graham’s TV stations, Emily has seen firsthand how local journalism has changed and why its survival depends on innovation, collaboration, and nonprofit support. 🤝 Now retired from daily station management but deeply active in the industry, Emily serves on the boards of the Associated Press, the Carol Kneeland Project, and the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting / Maine Monitor (https://themainemonitor.org/).  She also writes the column Raising the Barr for TVNewsCheck, where she recently argued that local TV news and nonprofit collaborations are the only way forward. 🗞️ What You’ll Learn in This Episode 🎧 Why nonprofit journalism is rising across the U.S.—and the funding challenges it faces 💵How organizations like the Maine Monitor are filling investigative gaps in small communities 🌎The cultural shift required for TV, print, and digital outlets to collaborate instead of compete 🔄Why local reporting is vital for democracy and civic accountability 🗳️Emily’s candid take on the business pressures facing local TV, from declining ad revenue to network demands 📉Insights into WPLG’s bold move to drop its ABC affiliation—and what it means for the future of independent stations 📺Key Quotes ✍️ “We’re way past the point of competition—if we want to tell important stories, we need to lift each other up.” – Emily Barr“Local journalism is as essential as hospitals and schools—it’s part of the fabric of a community.” – Emily BarrIf you care about the future of local news, media innovation, or the survival of journalism in smaller markets, this conversation is a must-listen. 🚨 👉 If you'd like to learn more about the work Emily supports, visit the Maine Monitor (https://themainemonitor.org/) Listen now and subscribe to Life After News wherever you get your podcasts. 🎙️ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review ⭐—it helps others discover the show.  Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

    ٣٣ من الدقائق

  7. ٢ سبتمبر

    🎙️ Sharon Tay on the Good and the Bad of the TV Business.

    Send us a text An anchor from KCBS, KCAL, KTLA, and MSNBC, Sharon, gets candid about the shocking call from HR at Trader Joe's 🛒, the darker side of TV news, and her thriving career selling luxury real estate with the Altman Brothers. This is a conversation you won't want to miss. The Shocking Layoff at Trader Joe's 🤯 🎧Sharon opens up about the moment her 13-year career at KCBS ended unexpectedly during the 2020 pandemic layoffs. She shares the raw emotions of receiving the news while grocery shopping and the surprising feeling of being "speechless." She also reflects on how the experience pushed her toward a new path. 📺 The Dark Side of TV News  Sharon discusses the double standards and mistreatment she faced as a young, on-air personality. She recounts how her lively morning show persona was a "blessing and a curse," leading to public ridicule and a lack of support from management. Sharon reveals how a personal comment from her mother ultimately led her to leave Los Angeles for a fresh start. From Anchor to Agent: A New Chapter 🏡 After a successful second act in journalism, Sharon found her "life after news" in real estate. She talks about why she left the industry for good, her initial struggles with the career change, and how she's leveraged her communication skills and work ethic to succeed in the high-stakes world of luxury real estate. She shares what it's like to work with the Altman Brothers, likening the experience to a high-stakes blend of "Fast Five" and "Succession." 🔑 Key Takeaways Adaptability is key: Sharon's journey from broadcast journalism to luxury real estate shows that professional skills and a strong work ethic are transferable across industries.The importance of a fresh start: Sharon's move to the East Coast helped her rediscover her value and reclaim her identity after facing personal and professional attacks.Teamwork makes the dream work: Whether in a newsroom or a real estate firm, Sharon emphasizes the importance of a strong, collaborative team to achieve success.🗣️ CTA & Social Want to hear more stories of life beyond the news desk? Listen to the full episode and subscribe to Life After News at lifeafternews.com  What was your biggest takeaway from Sharon's story? Let us know in the comments! 👇 #SharonTay #LifeAfterNews #JasonBall #KCBS #KCAL #KTLA #MSNBC #AltmanBrothers #RealEstate #Journalism #CareerChange #LAnews #Media #SEO #Podcast #ShowNotes Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

    ٣٩ من الدقائق

  8. ٢٨ أغسطس · إضافة

    🎙️ Bonus Episode: The Future of the Television Station Business

    Send us a text 📺 What’s next for local TV? Consolidation, new technology, and the fight to stay relevant in a streaming-first world. In this bonus episode of Life After News, Jason Ball sits down with Adam Jacobson, Editor-in-Chief of the Radio and Television Business Report, to break down the big changes shaking up the television station business. 🔑 What You’ll Hear: 📉 Consolidation Nation – What it means when just three groups could own half the nation’s TV stations.🚀 NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) – The new broadcast signal that makes over-the-air TV feel like Netflix or YouTube.💰 The Ad Shift – Why digital, streaming, and personalized ads are the future of local TV revenue.🔌 Cable’s Role – Why cable and broadcast still depend on each other (for now).📰 Local News Survival – How many newsrooms can a market really support, and why the smartphone may be the most important screen of all.🎧 Adam also shares what he’s learned from his InFocus video podcast, where he talks with industry leaders shaping the future of broadcast media. 🌐 Links & Mentions: 🎥 Adam Jacobson’s InFocus Podcast & Video Series → rbr.com📲 Follow Jason on Instagram: @MrJasonBall & @LifeAfterNewsPod🌵 Visit: LifeAfterNews.com👀 Coming Up Next: Tuesday’s episode features Sharon Tay—former MSNBC, KTLA & KCAL anchor—now selling super-luxury real estate in Los Angeles. 💡 If you like the show: subscribe, rate ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, review, and share with a friend! #LifeAfterNews #BroadcastTV #NextGenTV #LocalNews #TVNews #MediaBusiness #Podcast #JasonBall #AdamJacobson Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

    ٢٤ من الدقائق
مشاهدة الكل (٣١)

مقاطع ترويجية

٤٫٦
من ٥
‫١٦ من التقييمات‬

حول

What happens when the newsroom lights go out—and life begins again? Life After News explores the raw, funny, and deeply human stories of journalists who’ve walked away from the adrenaline of breaking news to reinvent themselves in surprising ways. Hosted by former TV news director Jason Ball, the podcast goes behind the headlines to talk with anchors, reporters, producers, and executives about identity, resilience, and what it takes to start over. From career pivots to personal awakenings, these conversations reveal how the skills learned under deadline pressure translate into entirely new chapters of life. It’s not just about leaving the news—it’s about discovering what comes after. Whether you’re in media, on the edge of a career change, or just fascinated by reinvention, Life After News is your invitation to listen in, learn, and maybe imagine your own next chapter.

المعلومات

  • صناع العمل
    Jason Ball
  • سنوات النشاط
    ٢٠٢٥
  • الحلقات
    ٣١
  • التقييم
    فاضح
  • حقوق النشر
    © 2025 Life After News
  • موقع البرنامج على الويب
    Life After News

قد يعجبك أيضًا