Roman Mars | |
|---|---|
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Radio producer |
| Known for | 99% Invisible |
| Website | romanmars |
Roman Mars is an American radio producer. He is the host and producer of99% Invisible, aKALW radio show andpodcast, and a founder of the podcast collectiveRadiotopia,[1] which he describes as efforts "to broaden the radio landscape [and] make shows that aren't bound by conventions" of public radio in the United States.[2]
He has also contributed to radio programsRadiolab andPlanet Money.[3][4]Fast Company identified him as one of the hundred most creative people of 2013.[5] Mars, with Elizabeth Joh, also hosts the podcastWhat Roman Mars Can Learn About Con Law.[6]
Mars left a PhD program in genetics to undertake anunpaid internship at public radio stationKALW in San Francisco.[7]
In 2004, he produced a program calledInvisible Ink[8] on KALW.
Mars and his radio show,99% Invisible, have been credited in the mainstream press as an innovative form of radio production, defining a new movement of independent radio and podcast creators.[9][10][11] In 2016, Mars andJustin McElroy used asynchronous podcasting, a method where each person recorded their portions separately and later combined them to create a podcast episode. This new technique was used to create the first episode ofSmart Stuff, which started withMy Brother, My Brother and Me episode 316[12] and was completed in99% Invisible episode 225.[13]
99% Invisible Inc., the company that produces99% Invisible, was sold toSirius XM'sStitcher Radio in April 2021. Mars donated $1 million from the sale to Radiotopia.[7]
In partnership with theKnight Foundation and thePublic Radio Exchange (PRX), Mars also created the podcast collective Radiotopia.The Public Radio Exchange has hired Mars to curate a radio program calledRemix, which is syndicated by at least 14 public radio stations across the US.[14] In June 2017, Roman Mars began cohosting theconstitutional law podcastWhat Trump Can Teach Us About Con Law with Elizabeth Joh, a professor of the subject atUniversity of California, Davis,School of Law. The show later left Radiotopia and is now distributed independently asWhat Roman Mars Can Learn About Con Law.[6]
Mars notably used theKickstarter crowdfunding platform to support99% Invisible,raising over $170,000, making it the highest-funded journalism project ever, and the second highest-funded project across the platform's entire publishing category.[15] In November 2013,99% Invisible's season four Kickstarter campaign received 11,693 backers raising over $375,000. The original goal of $150,000 was raised in 92 hours.[16] Following this success, Mars introduced another campaign to build season two of Radiotopia, a collection of seven storytelling podcasts:99% Invisible,Fugitive Waves,Love and Radio,Radio Diaries,Strangers,Theory of Everything, andThe Truth. Its original goal of $250,000 was funded within six days.[17] By the time the campaign closed on November 15, 2014, it had more than doubled its original target, achieving $620,412 from 21,808 backers, making it the most-funded Kickstarter project in the publishing and radio and podcast categories. Meeting its 'stretch goals' allowed Radiotopia to add three podcasts hosted by women (Criminal,The Heart, andThe Allusionist), host a series of events, provide more content, wage increases and paid internships, and create a pilot development fund to find new, talented producers and hosts not covered by traditional radio. Ultimately, the fundraising allowed for a fourth podcast,Mortified, to be added to the collective.[18]
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