With Friends Like These

Ana Marie Cox and Open Mike Eagle kick off the year with a conversation about survival in a collapsing media economy. They get into dry January, capitalism, self-promotion, YouTube pivots, and what it means to keep showing up even when the numbers don’t add up. Plus: the upside of YouTube thumbnails, the reality of reporting on a shoestring, and why, in a world that wants you to give up, persistence might be the most radical act of all. Support the show: patreon.com/pastdue Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalist Karen K. Ho joins us to talk about what it really means to navigate the creative economy as an immigrant, a freelancer, and a former "success story." We talk about the myth of meritocracy, the emotional and financial toll of precarity after grad school, and the difference between community and networking when your visa—and your future—are on the line. Karen shares how ADHD, burnout, and the invisibility of care shaped her path, and why finding the right support system might matter more than any byline. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Comedian, actor, and writer Baron Vaughn joins us for a deeply personal conversation about what it means to rewrite your story while you’re still living inside it. We talk about growing up with scarcity, the trauma of survival-mode success, the work behind the work, and why healing is harder when the industry expects your pain to be punchlines. Get more a patreon.com/pastdue Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Comedian and actor Paul F. Tompkins opens up about career insecurity, creative joy, and why the secret to survival in a crumbling industry might just be doing it yourself. If you want to hear more from today’s conversation with Paul F. Tompkins, including his dumbest money decision ever and the surprisingly smart investment he made that paid off big, join us at ⁠patreon.com/pastdue⁠. You’ll get exclusive extras, extended interviews, and first dibs on upcoming surprises. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To wrap up the year, Ana, Mike, and Andrew take a look at what it really costs to make Past Due. From programmatic ads and Patreon, to personal finances and more, this is a full accounting of both the numbers and the “why.” Get bonus content and help support the show at ⁠patreon.com/pastdue⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TV writer and performer Eliot Glazer joins us to talk about what happens when you’ve done everything right—and still find yourself scrambling. We unpack how the writers’ and actors’ strikes cracked open long-buried conversations about financial anxiety, class disparity, the invisible middle class of Hollywood, and the emotional cost of staying relevant in an industry that keeps changing the rules. Get more at patreon.com/pastdue Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Writer, comedian, and director Joey Clift joins us to talk about making the work that matters, especially when the world doesn’t make it easy. From Paw Patrol to Peabody nominations to his new animated short POW, Joey opens up about the long road to representation, what it means to build a career without a “big break,” and why doing it the right way isn’t always the fastest—or easiest—path. Watch POW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOTuVqdwu8Y Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Award-winning author Mary Robinette Kowal joins us to talk about building a creative ecosystem that actually fits your brain. From viral cat videos to Patreon-powered writing sessions, she shares exactly how she budgets, hires, monetizes, and prioritizes joy across multiple income streams, and how being honest about what you don’t want might be the key to building the career you do want. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Healthcare analyst and ACA expert Charles Gaba joins us to explain what freelancers, artists, and anyone with unpredictable income really need to know about this year’s open enrollment. We cover rising premiums, the danger of auto-renewals, and how to avoid surprise tax bills or lost subsidies. Whether you're switching plans or signing up for the first time, this episode breaks down what the ACA does—and doesn’t—offer the creative class. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bestselling sci-fi author John Scalzi joins us for a conversation about creative longevity, pragmatic optimism, and why the goal isn’t to stay hot, it’s to keep going. We talk about building a sustainable career with your partner, the myth of the one big break, and how generosity, structure, and a little chaos can power a life in the arts. Plus: what journalism teaches you about rejection and why it’s okay to not be the next big thing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalist and 404 Media co-founder Jason Koebler joins us to talk about what it takes to build an independent newsroom. From the cost of defamation insurance to the weight of mailing your own merch, we get into the invisible math of staying scrappy without burning out—and the true cost of reader-supported journalism. Get more at patreon.com/pastdue Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Broadcaster and podcast pioneer Jesse Thorn joins us to talk about building something sustainable without selling out. From his early days of mailing CD-Rs to NPR stations to running Maximum Fun as a listener-supported network, Jesse shares the emotional and economic math behind 20 years of independent success. We get into what it means to build trust with an audience, how community gets harder in a platform-driven world, and why “working for the people” still feels like the best job he’s ever had. Support the show at patreon.com/pastdue Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wrestler and podcaster Colt Cabana joins Ana and Mike to talk about building a life in wrestling. From getting fired by WWE to becoming a blueprint for sustainable DIY success, Colt breaks down the real economics of creative work—merch tables, mattress money, and all—and why betting on yourself might be the best decision you ever make. Hear the full interview at patreon.com/pastdue Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Comedian and podcaster Babs Gray joins us to talk about staying creative in the long middle—the part where the dream hasn’t died, but it hasn’t fully arrived either. We get into the quiet power of community, the joy of weird little projects, and why success isn’t always loud. From survival jobs to self-trust, Babs reminds us that showing up for your work, even when no one’s watching, might be one of the most important things you can do. Hear the extended episode and more at patreon.com/pastdue Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Comedian and actor Will Hines joins Ana and Mike to talk about trading a salary for freedom, and why time might be the only currency that really matters. From leaving a corporate job at 33 to building an improv school from the ground up, we get into the real economics of creative work: how to manage taxes, protect your energy, and figure out what’s worth outsourcing (and what’s not). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Actor and comedian Jacquis Neal joins us to talk about the strange space between doing good work and still feeling like you haven’t arrived. From voiceover gigs to the long-haul hustle, we explore what it means to trust the process when the results don’t always look like what you imagined. Want more? On the bonus episode, Jacquis opens up about the thing he keeps doing—whether or not anyone’s watching. Subscribe at patreon.com/pastdue for that, plus early access, ad-free episodes, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Comedian River Butcher joins us for a conversation about what happens when the gigs stop coming—and the world doesn’t end. We talk about the fear of slowing down, and how gratitude, perspective, and a working fridge might just be the real signs of success. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Writer and video essayist Michael Burns joins us to talk about what happens when the platform you helped build stops serving the work and starts serving itself. After Wisecrack, he set out to make something smaller, stranger, and more his own. We get into the emotional cost of reinvention, the illusion of creative security, and why doing it yourself might be harder… but also the only honest way left. Get more at patereon.com/pastdue Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ana and Mike compare notes from the road: Ana’s on assignment in small-town Maine chasing a political story she believes in, and Mike’s in between tour legs, chasing rent. They get into the economics of chasing meaning when the math doesn’t make sense, the disappearing budgets of real journalism, and why a DIY ethos is both a burden and a blessing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Comedian and actor Ron Funches joins us for a deeply funny and unexpectedly honest conversation about the strange economics of creative work. We talk about surviving on joy, staying positive when nothing’s going right, and why failure is sometimes part of the paycheck. Originally recorded in 2022 for Mike’s podcast "Secret Skin." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices