Origin Stories

Matthew Shaer

questions@campsidemedia.com

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Booking Overview

Origin Stories pairs veteran journalism with creators’ real “how it was made” moments—filmmakers, writers, and directors explain the creative and practical origin behind their most compelling work. For PR professionals, it’s a strong placement for authors and screen/series creatives looking to reach a culture-and-craft audience that values process, not promotion.

Metrics

Episodes: 50

Frequency: Weekly

Rating: 4.6/5.0

Estimated listeners: 1k-10k

Gender skew: Male

Location: USA

Contact Information

questions@campsidemedia.com

For verified host and producer emails, sign up to view.

Host

Matthew Shaer - A veteran journalist who hosts Origin Stories, interviewing writers and directors about how creative works (movies, books, TV series, documentaries, and articles) came to be. The show emphasizes th...

Booking Intelligence

Booking Requirements

high
Typical Credentials:  
Established writers, journalists, directors, or creators with published books/articles or major film/TV/documentary/series credits; often credited for a specific work that has a clear “origin” behind it.
Required Achievements:  
Published books and longform reporting, Major media franchises or widely recognized creative projects (film/TV/documentary/series), Work credited with shaping public understanding of a topic (e.g., culture, technology, infrastructure, history)

Recent Guest Discussions

Nev Shulman - Origins Of The Original Catfish Documentary; Audience Skepticism About Authenticity; Transition Into Mtv’s Reality Series; Building A Show Around Real People; Online Identity And Deception

David Owen - New Yorker Article That Inspired Where The Water Goes; Challenges Turning Water Law And Infrastructure Into Narrative; Using The River As Narrative Structure; Explaining Complicated Subjects

Josh Dean - Origins Of Skunk Works And Kelly Johnson’s Philosophy; Challenge Of Turning Technical Research Into Narrative; Realities Of Historical Reporting And Archival Work

Recent Topics

Film, Books, Writing, Technology, Infrastructure

Episodes

Here's the recent few episodes on
Origin Stories
:

Nev Shulman on Catfish

June 10, 2026

Nev Schulman is a filmmaker, photographer, producer, and the creator and host of Catfish. What began as a deeply personal documentary about an online relationship gone wrong grew into a cultural phenomenon, helping introduce millions of people to the realities of online identity, deception, and connection in the digital age.In this episode, he talks to Matthew about the unlikely origins of the original Catfish documentary, why audiences initially struggled to believe it was real, and how that...

David Owen on Where the Water Goes

June 03, 2026

David Owen is a longtime staff writer at The New Yorker and the author of numerous books about technology, infrastructure, and the hidden systems that shape everyday life. In Where the Water Goes, he follows the Colorado River from its headwaters in the Rocky Mountains to its overburdened terminus, using the river's journey to explore how water, politics, engineering, and geography have shaped the modern American West.In this episode, he talks to Matthew about the New Yorker article that insp...

Josh Dean on The Impossible Factory

May 27, 2026

Josh Dean is a journalist and the author of The Impossible Factory, a sweeping history of Kelly Johnson, Lockheed’s legendary Skunk Works division, and the engineers who reshaped aviation during the Cold War. Before The Impossible Factory, Dean wrote The Taking of K-129 and co-founded Campside Media.In this episode, he talks to Matthew about the origins of the Skunk Works, why Kelly Johnson’s philosophy of small teams and minimal bureaucracy still shapes Silicon Valley today, and the challeng...

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