Avery Trufelman
Born (1991-03-07) 7 March 1991 (age 33)
CitizenshipAmerican
Alma materWesleyan University (BA)
OccupationRadio producer
Known for99% Invisible
Articles of Interest
Nice Try!
Websiteaverytrufelman.com

Avery Trufelman is an American podcaster and radio producer best known for her work on 99% Invisible (2013–2020) and its spin-off, Articles of Interest (2018–present).

Background

Born into a "radio family" of two WNYC producers, Trufelman was raised in Westchester County, New York. She attended Wesleyan University, graduating in 2013 with degrees in German and Letters. While at Wesleyan, she worked at the campus radio station WESU. After graduating, she interned for the now-defunct NPR Berlin in Germany.[1]

Career

Following her stint with NPR, Trufelman interned with 99% Invisible, eventually becoming the show's third full-time producer (following Sam Greenspan and creator Roman Mars), a position she would hold until her departure in 2020.[2][3][4] In 2022, she returned for a single episode as "producer emeritus".[5]

In 2018, Trufelman spearheaded 99% Invisible's first spinoff series, Articles of Interest, which explores the origins of clothing pieces and fashion subcultures. The New Yorker named the first season the fourth best podcast of 2018[6] and the second season the sixth best podcast of 2020.[7] Vulture named the season one finale, "Punk", the best podcast episode of 2018.[8] At the conclusion of the second season, she announced her departure from 99% Invisible. The following year, upon selling 99% Invisible to Sirius XM, Mars transferred ownership of Articles of Interest to Trufelman.[9] Independently, she produced a third season, American Ivy, a serialized history of preppy fashion.[10] The New Yorker named it the sixth best podcast of 2022[11] while industry creatives surveyed in Vulture named it the third best.[12] In 2023, Articles of Interest returned for a fourth season producing 16 more episodes by the end of the year.[13]

In 2019, Trufelman was recruited to host Nice Try! for Vox Media's Curbed. The first season, Utopian, profiles various failed utopian experiments throughout history, including Jamestown, Virginia and Biosphere 2. The second season, Interior, premiered in 2021, tracing the history of various homemaking tools, including the vacuum cleaner and the crock-pot.

In 2020, following her departure from 99% Invisible, Trufelman began hosting the relaunch of New York's The Cut podcast, moving from Oakland to Brooklyn in the process. Her guests included cartoonist Allison Bechdel, screenwriters Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa, and author Michelle Zauner. Trufelman left The Cut in 2021 to resume work on Nice Try! and Articles of Interest.


Projects

Year Title Role Provider Notes
2013–2020; 2022 99% Invisible Producer PRX
Radiotopia 		39 episodes[14]
2018–present Articles of Interest Writer, Performer PRX
Radiotopia 		19 episodes
2019–present Nice Try! Writer, Performer Curbed 15 episodes
2020–2021 The Cut Host New York 25 episodes[14]
2020 Switched On Pop Guest Vulture Episode: "Baz Luhrmann's 'Sunscreen Song' –– The '90s' Most Unlikely Hit"

References

  1. ^ Christian Camerota (5 December 2018). "The Invisible Woman: Avery Trufelman '13". Wesleyan University Magazine. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  2. ^ "Interview with 99pi's Avery Trufelman". inside.com. 6 August 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  3. ^ Malik, Imran Ali (12 May 2020). "Avery Trufelman's Curiosity Knows No Bounds". Medium. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  4. ^ 99pi (28 October 2013). "All the Buildings". 99% Invisible. Retrieved 5 November 2021.((cite web)): CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ "The Octagon House". 99% Invisible. 5 July 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  6. ^ "The Best Podcasts of 2018". The New Yorker. 9 December 2020.
  7. ^ "The Best Podcasts of 2020". The New Yorker. 9 December 2020.
  8. ^ "The Best Podcast Episodes of 2018". Vulture. 14 December 2018.
  9. ^ Mars, Roman [@romanmars] (April 26, 2021). "BTW, before we sold, I broke off Articles of Interest and gave it to @trufelman. She's the captain now" (Tweet). Retrieved 6 November 2021 – via Twitter.
  10. ^ "Cat's out of the bag". Avery Trufelman on Substack. 12 October 2022.
  11. ^ "The Best Podcasts of 2022". The New Yorker. 21 December 2022.
  12. ^ "The Best Podcasts of 2022, According to People Who Make Podcasts". Vulture. 21 December 2022.
  13. ^ ""Articles of Interest" from Avery Trufelman Returns with New Episodes on an Ongoing Basis..." PRX on Medium. 5 April 2023.
  14. ^ a b "Work". Avery Trufelman. Retrieved 6 November 2021.


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