Ben Bradford on Are We Doomed?

From Origin Stories by Campside Media

May 20, 2026 · 33 min · Episode 42

About this episode

Ben Bradford discusses the challenges of podcasting economics and the creation of his narrative podcast Are We Doomed?.

Ben Bradford is a journalist and the creator of Are We Doomed?, a narrative podcast that explores existential threats through the lens of systems, history, science, and human decision-making. Before launching Are We Doomed? , Bradford worked as a reporter at Marketplace and produced narrative podcasts including Landslide and Of the People . In this episode, he talks to Matthew about the changing economics of podcasting, why heavily produced narrative limited series have become harder to sustain, and how those realities shaped the creation of Are We Doomed?. Along the way, he reflects on the practical realities of independent journalism, his approach to structuring episodes around narrative tension, and the challenge of balancing ambition, sustainability, and time when making narrative audio. “The story is never done,” he says. “You just run out of time.” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

People in this episode

Host: Matthew

Guest: Ben Bradford

Topics covered

podcasting
journalism
narrative audio
existential threats
independent media
economic challenges

Keywords

podcasting
narrative
journalism
existential threats
independent
economics
audio production

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Marketplace

Books & works: Are We Doomed?, Landslide, Of the People