Alyssa Edes Email & Phone Number

Chicago, Il, Us

Chicago, Illinois, United States

- The Shape of the World: Researches the natural & built environment for an interview-based podcast featuring researchers including “The Residential is Racial” author Adrienne Brown, Urban Wildlife Institute Director Seth Magle, and “Becoming Earth” author Ferris Jabr. Manages the program & edits forthcoming interviews.- Wolfpoint Studios: Co-founder of a forthcoming, Chicago-based audio production house that elevates the work of local, mission-driven partners through expertly-crafted sonic experiences. We hope to spark connection, deepen knowledge, and build collective imaginations.- Chicago Bike Grid Now: Researches and builds relationships with neighborhood groups and elected officials. Sets key initiatives for a 60+ person team on Steering Committee. Earned media in the Chicago Tribune, Sun-Times, & Streetsblog. Manages internal comms. Researches traffic crash data and transportation policy.- Ravenswood Community Services: Executes fast-paced operations for program combating food insecurity with the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Assigns tasks, problem-solves, and communicates with the public. Scaled up from serving 150 to up to 420 families / week on a 25-person team in less than 1 year. - Clean Air Club: Researches indoor air quality and public health disparities for an arts accessibility & public education org. Performs complex logistics, maintaining a digital bookings calendar of 20+ high-quality air purifiers for performances and events. Creates operational improvements replicated by 30+ other cities. Serves on the Board of Directors to guide strategy, funding, and long-term goals. - Sabbatical: Lucky enough to take a sabbatical from work to recover from news burnout and reconnect with my community. Accepted to the University of Illinois Chicago's Master of Urban Planning and Policy (MUPP) program starting Spring 2025. Future environmental and transportation planner.

- More Perfect: Researched & reported on the Supreme Court to produce audio documentaries for a global audience. Researched the conservative legal movement, court doctrine, copyright law, bodily autonomy, tribal treaties, and court history. Unearthed new information about Roe v. Wade. Best Podcast of 2023 in The New York Times & Vogue. Led successful union campaign to organize 30+ new SAG-AFTRA positions. - The Experiment: Researched the criminalization of abortion, forensic science, & mass incarceration among other subjects to produce a long-form podcast about American history, culture, and politics -- in collaboration with The Atlantic magazine. Produced a chart-topping story on grief and conspiracy after 9/11. Guest lectured at NYU Graduate School of Arts & Science and Emerson College. Coached reporters, wrote episodes, and dug through archival materials.

Chicago, Illinois, United States

- Spotify Studios: Researched, produced, & wrote an oral history podcast on the making of The Office. Scripted series around interviews with Steve Carell, Jenna Fischer, John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, Michael Schur, Greg Daniels, and 30+ other creators / cast members. Reached 5 million downloads in 10 weeks, won a People’s Voice Webby and Webby Honoree. Podcast adapted into HarperCollins book Welcome To Dunder Mifflin. - Gimlet Media: Produced, wrote, & edited episodes of an investigative narrative podcast - hosted by Habiba Nosheen - about a Jordanian-Canadian woman who disappeared, until someone from her past resurfaced. - The University of Chicago: Researched, produced, & edited interviews with academics including Nobel laureate Jack Szostak, racial sociologist Reuben Jonathan Miller, psychedelic researcher Harriet de Wit, and quantum scientist David Awshalom for a program sponsored by University Communications. - Pop-Up Magazine: Researched, produced, and edited stories about water, trees, & the night sky for an audio art project, “Field Guide,” to inspire listeners to connect with nature. "Field Guide" was of Spotify's "Best Podcasts of the Month," named one of Apple Podcasts' “New and Noteworthy," featured on 99% Invisible, and named in the Bello Collective's "Outstanding Podcasts From 2021." - Pop-Up Magazine: Booked & interviewed Margaret Cho, Cameron Esposito, and Lucy Dacus about things they’d lost & found for an interactive program, “The Sidewalk Issue.” - Chicago Public Media / WBEZ (NPR affiliate): Researched local issues, worked with host Melba Lara to produce daily news, and booked then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot for the first time on air. Created a series on the carceral system’s impact on local families with The Marshall Project. Covered arts, culture, & community.- Other work in: Slate, Juneteenth Productions, and Gerber/Hart Library & Archives

Washington D.C. Metro Area

- All Things Considered: Directed breaking national and international news, managed team assignments, collaborated with editors across departments, and strategized with decision-makers to arrange the daily program. Worked with Ailsa Chang, Audie Cornish, Mary Louise Kelly, and Ari Shapiro to deliver timely stories about political events & cultural movements. Areas of research and reporting included the White House, LGBTQ+ issues, gun violence, and the #MeToo movement. Co-created a series on sex and society. Produced interviews with musicians including Aimee Mann, Mitski, and Liz Phair. Music writing published in HarperCollins book How Women Made Music. - Morning Edition: Researched & produced interviews with lawmakers, authors, artists, and people living through the news across the country and globe. Reported with host Steve Inskeep for 2 weeks in China. Researched/produced a series on the Flint water crisis. Covered the 2016 election from the field with David Greene. Areas of research and reporting included the far-right, the Syrian civil war, and Black Lives Matter. Created a series on romance in the digital age. Produced interviews with creatives including Charles Bradley, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Roxane Gay.- Weekend Edition: Produced full-time with host Scott Simon for 5 months as a freelancer before being hired as NPR Staff. Conducted research, pitched stories, booked interviews, wrote questions, and edited tape.- TED Radio Hour: Selected among 200+ applicants as TED’s second-ever intern with host Guy Raz. NPR’s first podcast to reach 1 million downloads, expanding to 300+ stations in 2014. Booked and assisted in production of episodes featuring music producer Mark Ronson, researcher David Epstein, and swimmer Diana Nyad. (Summer 2014.)

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

- WBUR (NPR affiliate): Freelanced 16-20 hrs/week for 3 months (2014) while in college full-time, producing tight turnaround Newscasts & occasionally Radio Boston. Covered protests against the police brutality killing of Eric Garner & the funeral of Mayor Thomas Menino. - The Boston Globe: Reported full-time as a co-op for the Business Section for 6 months (2012-13), making front-page news. Covered local companies & policies. Later freelanced on evening breaking news for the Metro Section (2014).

- Internships: WBUR (2014: Newscast), WBEZ (2013: Multimedia), WGBH (2012: Morning Edition), NECN (2012: Assignment Desk) - News Director at WERS 88.9FM (2012): Oversaw a student staff of 30 in a paid, part-time position as college news director at a top-10 market station in Boston. Ranked #1 in college radio stations by Princeton Review. Won 11 Massachusetts/Rhode Island AP Awards during leadership including News Station of the Year. One of the first interviews I ever did was with alum Henry Winkler - it was awesome.

Bachelor Of Science (B.S.), Broadcast Journalism

Internships 2012-2014: WBUR, WBEZ, WGBH, NECN, WERS. Minor: Global & Postcolonial Studies. // GPA 3.66

High School Diploma, 3.7/4.0 Gpa

Full-ride scholarship student at a tiny, all girls boarding school in rural Virginia. Took 4 AP classes and waived a semester of college.

Education record

SALT Intensives: What Fiction Can Teach Us About True Storytelling; Sonic Strategies for Merging Worlds (2021)