About Emma
Emma graduated from UCLA in 2022 with a B.A. in English and minors in Global Studies and Professional Writing. She hosts, produces, and reports for Gooned, which is her second investigative podcast. When she's not making podcasts or writing, Emma can be found roller skating around Los Angeles, embroidering, taking photos, or annoying her cat Garlic.
My Story
I grew up outside of Washington, DC, where I was steeped in politics from a young age and became an avid NPR listener. At UCLA, I found my way into the world of creative nonfiction and investigative journalism, writing for FEM Newsmagazine and contributing to FEM Radio.
In 2021, I started my first podcast Texas Twiggy, which began with a love for Shelley Duvall and a thorough reading of her Wikipedia page and eventually saw me drive from LA to Texas and back to meet and interview Shelley's brothers, neighbors, and friends. Making Texas Twiggy was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, and solidified my passion for investigative journalism in audio form. The series has charted in Arts & Culture in Mexico and Indonesia, won Racket's Podca$h grant for independent podcasters, and has received almost 10,000 downloads to date across 19 countries. Plus, Sarah Lukowski, who helped with research for the show, is now a good friend of Shelley's. Which is arguably the coolest thing one can accomplish in a lifetime.
The earliest stages of Gooned began in March of 2023, when I quit my part-time job to pursue podcasting full time. It could not be what it is without the survivors, activists, and researchers who so courageously and kindly lent their stories, artwork, and knowledge to the show. While making Gooned has been hard work for everyone on the team, its existence is owed to those strong and resilient people.
I'm almost always writing, recording, editing, interviewing, or falling down the rabbit hole of a vaguely-related research tangent. When I'm not, I like to embroider, take photos, and annoy my cat Garlic. You can usually find me roller skating somewhere in Los Angeles.