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City of the Rails
What does full-suite production mean?
For City of the Rails (iHeartMedia & FlipTurn Studios) it meant taking a story from a pitch to the end of the line with a handpicked crew – executive producing, recording, art directing, and technically overseeing the project across the United States. And yes, sneaking into a couple of train yards and tracking down a few hobos.
In other words:
Developing story and episode formats
Field producing reporting trips
Conducting interviews and foley sessions
Script writing & story meetings
Delivery coaching
Remote tracking sessions
Technical Project management
Episode editing, mixing & mastering
Sound design & composition
Music licensing (Shout out to Flail Records)
Art direction, Logo design
Social Media content creation
Trailer and broadcast spot creation
Coordinating Marketing & PR
Why do all that?
We set out to make a new kind of podcast — a blend of memoir and investigative reporting that told Danelle Morton’s story of trying to win her daughter back from the off-the-grid underworld of America’s hobos. We worked to balance personal plot with reporting on the origins of the forces and characters that bowled Danelle over and captivated over a million listeners.
City of the Rails was #1 in Places & Travel for its entire show run in the USA, and top six in the UK and Ireland.
Our coverage of unchecked railroad powers led to a Pulitzer-nominated series on super-long trains from ProPublica.
