KPCC’s LAist Studios To Release Four New Podcasts In Next Month.

LAist Studios, the podcast development and production studio from “Southern California Public Radio” KPCC Los Angeles (89.3), has announced four new shows it plans to launch by the end of July. They cover a range of topics, from a western crime noir to an examination of Hollywood, and a podcast about podcasting.

“LAist Studios tells L.A. stories to the world as L.A. has always fascinated folks beyond borders. Think ‘Chinatown’ to ‘Boyz n the Hood’ to ‘Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood’. Our podcasts bring universal stories anchored in LA and Hollywood to all, and our intent is to authentically capture the diversity of the city,” said SCPR President Herb Scannell in the announcement. 

The new podcasts from LAist Studios include:

• Servant of Pod is a new show that debuts June 17. It is hosted by journalist Nick Quah, and it will offer a weekly deep dive into the evolving world of podcasts. The show will help listeners explore podcasting with a discussion of podcast industry news with established and up-and-coming producers, the executives and operators shaping the new podcast economy. Quah and his guests will also give listeners recommendations on the shows they should be checking out.
  

• Hollywood, The Sequel debuts June 23. In this podcast host John Horn will look at opportunities to change the entertainment industry for the better following this moment of severe disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that led to a halt in production, less funding for projects, and fissures in international distribution alliances.
  

• California Love debuts July 9. In this anthology series, award-winning journalist and author Walter Thompson-Hernández takes listeners on a fiercely intimate audio tour of his beloved hometown of Los Angeles. Dealing with themes such as race, healing, love, violence, immigration, family and community, Walter tells profound and moving stories of a city in transition — stories of streets that no longer look the way they did during his childhood, largely molded by gentrification. California Love is produced by Megan Tan whose previous podcast credits include Gimlet Media’s The Habitat, NPR’s Planet Money, and Millennial, which she created and hosted.
  

• California City debuts July 13 and it is a co-production of LAist Studios and L.A.Times Studios. Hosted by Emily Guerin, a senior reporter at KPCC and LAist, the series investigates real estate schemes in the Mojave Desert that have largely taken advantage of immigrants seeking their own American Dream. Instead, they lost their hard-earned money. California City will untangle a web of money, power and deception started 60 years ago by an immigrant with a dream of his own. California City is produced by Arwen Champion-Nicks, whose previous work includes the acclaimed podcast The Big One: Your Survival Guide.

LAist Studios has also tapped Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and Southern California native Aloe Blacc to create an original song that will serve as the sonic ID for the studio’s podcasts. Blacc will co-write and perform the song with rising Brazilian guitarist Fabiano do Nascimento. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Fabiano moved to Los Angeles in 2002 and quickly became in demand for his authentic sound.