* NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MEDIA ALERT *
Launching October 26, New Episodes Will Air Weekly
WASHINGTON, DC (Oct. 26 2021) — National Geographic’s podcast, Overheard at National Geographic, will return for its eighth season on Tuesday, October 26. Each weekly episode takes listeners behind the conversations overheard at Nat Geo headquarters, Zooms and Slack chats, as editors plan stories with Explorers and scientists, photographers and journalists all over the world. The podcast is co-hosted by Peter Gwin, National Geographic editor at large, and Amy Briggs, executive editor of History magazine, and produced by Davar Ardalan, Eli Chen, Carla Wills, Brian Gutierrez, Jacob Pinter, Marcy Thompson, and Ilana Strauss.
This season will take listeners on audio experiences through topics such as rebranding bats’ villainous reputation through tequila, watching hippos bathe in the Serengeti with wildlife protectors, and American Indians’ fight to protect mounds made by their ancestors. Additionally, the season closes out with a special episode that explores the events of 2021 through the lens of Whitney Johnson, National Geographic’s Director of Visuals and Immersive Experiences, as she works on the special Year in Pictures issue of the magazine (January 2022 issue).
The first episode of the new season will be available October 26 on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, Google Podcasts, Castbox and wherever podcasts are found.
The eighth season of “Overheard” is sponsored by Geico and Citibank.
Season eight episodes include the following (all episodes subject to change):
- 10/26, EP1: A Skeptic’s Guide to Loving Bats: Bat myths aren’t new, but COVID-19 misinformation is spreading them like never before. National Geographic Explorer at Large, Rodrigo Medellin—aka the Bat Man of Mexico—is here to save the day with the help of facts, science… and tequila.
- 11/2, EP2: Modern Lives, Ancient Caves: There’s a lost continent waiting to be explored, and it’s right below our feet. We’ll dig into the deep, human relationship to the underground, and why we understand it from an instinctive point of view — but not so much from a physical one. National Geographic explorer, Tamara Merino, takes us underland in Utah, Australia, and Spain where modern-day cave dwellers help us get comfortable in the dark.
- 11/9, EP3: When Family Secrets (And Soap Operas) Fuel Creativity: National Geographic photographer, Diana Markosian, tells us about her remarkable childhood and how her career as a photographer led her into the war in Chechnya—and eventually to her long-lost father’s doorstep in Armenia.
- 11/16, EP4: The Ancient Orchestra: From conch shells to carved wooden flutes, humans have been making musical instruments from natural materials for tens of thousands of years. Take a listen and learn why humans need to make music.
- 11/23, EP5: How Cousteau Learned to Breathe Underwater: When Jacques Cousteau was young, an accident sent him on a path that led him to invent scuba, opening up the underwater world to humans. Today, scuba explorers like David Doubilet and Laurent Ballesta follow in his footsteps, making discoveries on their own amazing and sometimes terrifying adventures.
- 11/30, EP6: Kenya’s Wildlife Warriors: How can we protect African wildlife? After captivating TV audiences with a nature show made by Kenyans, for Kenyans, National Geographic Explorer of the Year, Paula Kahumbu, says it’s up to African people—not outsiders. Host Peter Gwin meets up with Paula in the Serengeti to learn more.
- 12/7, EP7: Cahokia: North America’s Forgotten Native Metropolis: It was forgotten, partially dismantled, and crisscrossed by interstate highways. Centuries after its abandonment, archaeologists are piecing together the rise and fall of Cahokia, North America’s most monumental Native city.
- 12/14, EP8: Capturing the Year in an Instant: We’ll unpack some of the defining moments of 2021 with Whitney Johnson, National Geographic’s Director of Visuals and Immersive Experiences, as she works on the special Year in Pictures issue and shares what makes an unforgettable image. We’ll also talk with photographers, Lynsey Addario and Muhammad Fadli, who share their stories of capturing images of California wildfires and communities in Indonesia hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
For more information on the podcast and to dive in deeper, visit www.natgeo.com/overheard.
Download key art for the podcast HERE.
Press Contacts:
Anna Kukelhaus: anna.kukelhaus@natgeo.com, 202.258.8020
Caitlin Holbrook: caitlin.holbrook@natgeo.com, 716.225.0502
Janean Ruttner: janean.ruttner.-nd@natgeo.com, 909.677.8989
