Jody Avirgan - Bio
Jody Avirgan is a podcast host, producer, and editor. His production company is Roulette Productions.
He is the host of the Radiotopia show “This Day In Esoteric Political History,” and was the host of “Good Sport” from the TED Audio Collective. He is currently an Executive Producer of “What Now with Trevor Noah.” He also serves as story editor and executive producer for a number of projects. Most recently he has helped make “The Puzzler with A.J. Jacobs,” “The Run,” from MLB and Audacy; “The Line,” from Dan Taberski and Apple Podcasts; Adam McKay’s “Death at the Wing” from Hyperobject Industries; and “Oprahdemics” from Radiotopia. Jody is also one of the regular hosts for “Hark Daily” on the Hark podcast discovery app.
From 2017-2020, he ran and hosted 30 for 30 Podcasts, part of ESPN Films. He oversaw the production of two seasons of original audio documentaries each year, and hosted conversations with filmmakers and others in between seasons, along with live events and more. He was also involved in larger efforts at ESPN to grow the podcast strategy and slate of shows.
He also developed FiveThirtyEight Podcasts, where he hosted, reported and edited a variety of shows and projects. He was the host of the FiveThirtyEight politics podcast, where he covered the 2016 campaign and the rise of Trump; and was host of What's The Point - a show about how data affects our lives.
The shows and series he developed at ESPN and FiveThirtyEight consistently reached large audiences, found their way to the top of the iTunes charts, and received critical acclaim.
Prior to arriving at ESPN/538, he was a producer at WNYC radio, and has worked with shows such as On The Media, Marketplace, Freakonomics, 99% Invisible, and many more.
He serves as a podcast judge for the Webbys, a mentor for the city of New York's podcast certification program, and recommends podcasts as part of the Sunday Long Read newsletter. On the side he has hosted the comedy and storytelling series Ask Roulette, which is now a newsletter. He is also organizer of the Pro-Democracy Podcast Coalition, a network of podcasts who have committed to sharing messages about protecting our democracy and reducing political corruption.
Jody grew up in Costa Rica, speaks Spanish fluently, lives in Brooklyn and is one of those people who takes Ultimate frisbee way too seriously.
