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Guy Raz

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Guy Raz
Raz in 2015
Born (1975-11-09) November 9, 1975 (age 49)
West Covina, California, U.S.
Alma materBrandeis University
Cambridge University
Occupation(s)Podcast/Radio Host
Journalist
SpouseHannah Raz

Guy Raz (/ˈɡaɪ ˈrɑːz/; born November 9, 1975) is an American journalist and podcaster. He formerly hosted NPR's Weekend All Things Considered and the TED Radio Hour.

Early life and education

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Raz was born in West Covina, California. He graduated from Brandeis University in 1996 and received his master's degree in history from Cambridge University.[1] In 2008, Raz spent a year as a Nieman journalism fellow at Harvard University where he studied classical history.[2]

Career

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In 1997, at the age of 22, Raz joined NPR as an intern for NPR's afternoon news program All Things Considered.

In 1998, he served as personal research assistant to former "Murrow Boy" NPR Senior News analyst Daniel Schorr.[3]

He then served as a general assignment reporter, covering the 2000 presidential primaries[4] and the story behind the famous Doors song "Light My Fire" where he interviewed all surviving members of the band.[5][6]

Raz also wrote for other publications during this time, mainly for the Washington City Paper, during the tenure of editor David Carr as well as The Washington Post, among others.[7][8]

In 1999, he was awarded a Burns Fellowship to Germany to embark on a 2-month reporting assignment. His reporting would win the Burns Award for distinguished writing.[9] In the summer of 2000, Raz reported from Germany as a RIAS Berlin fellow. His work on German "Leitkultur" was awarded the RIAS Berlin Award.[10]

In mid-2000, Raz was appointed NPR's Berlin bureau chief. He covered Eastern Europe and the Balkans including the conflicts in Kosovo, Macedonia and Afghanistan. In 2002, he became NPR's London bureau chief. While in London, Raz covered stories across Europe and the Middle East including the Iraq War where he spent more than 6 months in 2003 and 2004.

During his time at CNN, Raz covered the death of Yasser Arafat, the rise of Hamas, Israel's withdrawal from Gaza and parts of the West Bank,[11] and the incapacitation of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.[12]

Raz taking notes at a press conference in Saudi Arabia, 2007

Following the 2 years working for CNN, Raz returned to NPR, working as the defense correspondent, covering the Pentagon and the US military.[3]

During his time at the Pentagon, Raz was awarded the Edward R. Murrow Award and the Daniel Schorr Prize for his 3-part series on military-medical evacuations from Iraq.[13][14]

In 2009, after a sabbatical year as a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, Raz became the weekend host of All Things Considered. He is widely credited with transforming Weekend All Things Considered when he took over as host in 2009. He created a weekly "cover story" and the popular segment "Three Minute Fiction."[15][16][17] He created a weekly podcast of this show which was the first time an NPR newsmagazine became a podcast.[3] Raz hosted Weekend All Things Considered from 2009 to 2012. In December 2012, he stepped down from that position in order to expand the TED Radio Hour into a new weekly program to air on NPR beginning in March 2013.[5][6]

It is one of the most-downloaded podcasts in the United States.[18] Raz announced he was stepping down from hosting the podcast at the end of 2019.

2016–present: How I Built This

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In September 2016, Raz started hosting a new podcast on NPR, called How I Built This about entrepreneurship.[19][20] In 2017, it became one of the 20 most-downloaded podcasts in the United States.[21] The first episode featured the founder of Spanx, Sara Blakely. [22]

In May 2017, Raz created NPR's first-ever children's program. The podcast, Wow in the World, was co-created with award-winning children's host Mindy Thomas. Raz and Thomas also created a children's production company, Tinkercast, which produces Wow in the World.[23]

In 2019, Raz became the host of Wisdom from the Top, a podcast on leadership from Luminary.[24] In 2022, he launched The Great Creators, a podcast produced by Built-It Productions and distributed by Amazon Music/Wondery. The show features conversations about creativity with celebrated actors, musicians, comedians and other performers.

Awards and achievements

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In 2016, he became the first podcast creator to simultaneously have three shows in the Apple Podcast chart's Top 20 shows.[25]

At age 25, he became the youngest overseas-based bureau chief for NPR, first in Berlin, then London and the Pentagon.[26] He also served as CNN's correspondent in Jerusalem from 2004–2006.

Personal life

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Raz has two children with his wife, Hannah, an attorney, and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.[27][28][29][30] He is a Jewish-American.[31]

References

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  1. ^ "NOTABLE ALUMNI". Brandeis University. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  2. ^ "About Guy". guyraz.com. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  3. ^ "Daniel Schorr remembers Edward R. Murrow". TODAY.com. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  4. ^ "Bauer Out". NPR.org. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  5. ^ "Set The Night On Fire: Behind The Doors' 'Light My Fire'". NPR.org. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  6. ^ "Guy Raz". KCRW. 31 January 2016. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
  7. ^ "How City Paper Remembers David Carr". Washington City Paper. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  8. ^ The WP Magazine (October 19, 2016). "Guy Raz, host of NPR's 'TED Radio Hour,' on the everyday failures of journalism". The Washington Post.
  9. ^ "ICFJ". icfj.org/.
  10. ^ "2001 – Rias Berlin Commission". riasberlin.org. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  11. ^ "CNN.com - Transcripts". transcripts.cnn.com. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  12. ^ "CNN.com - Raz: Small nation, huge influence - Jan 6, 2006". www.cnn.com. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  13. ^ "NPR NEWS RECEIVES TWO 2008 RTNDA EDWARD R. MURROW AWARDS". www.npr.org. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  14. ^ "NPR's Guy Raz Names Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize Winner | Public Relations". www.bu.edu. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  15. ^ "Revamped All Things Considered brings new sound to weekends". Current. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  16. ^ Fallows, James. "Farewell to Guy Raz at WATC". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  17. ^ Moss, E.B. (2015-10-22). "Getting to Know "TED Radio Hour" Host Guy Raz". MediaVillage. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  18. ^ "Top 20 Podcasts of 2017". Podtrac. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  19. ^ "NPR Debuts 'How I Built This With Guy Raz'". NPR Press Room. NPR. 6 September 2016. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  20. ^ Milanes, Nick (12 September 2016). "3 Tips on How to Start a Business from NPR's New Podcast". Gear Patrol. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  21. ^ "Top 20 Podcasts of 2017". Podtrac. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
  22. ^ "All episodes of How I Built This with Guy Raz". chartable.com. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
  23. ^ Hess, Amanda (2017-10-03). "The New Bedtime Story Is a Podcast". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  24. ^ Bowles, Nellie (2018-11-23). "How Guy Raz Built 'How I Built This'". New York Times. Retrieved 2024-09-25.
  25. ^ "Guy Raz '96 | Brandeis Magazine". Brandeis Magazine. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  26. ^ "Guy Raz". NPR.org. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  27. ^ "Guy Raz of 'TED Radio Hour' on the everyday failures of journalism". Washington Post. 2016-10-20. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  28. ^ I'm Guy Raz, NPR Host, and This Is How I Parent Offspring. 19 July 2018
  29. ^ "TED Radio Wow-er". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  30. ^ Guy, Raz (June 26, 2020). "Guy Raz: Host and Creator: How I Built This, Wow in the World, Wisdom from the Top". LinkedIn. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  31. ^ Nathan-Kazis, Josh. "So, Why Are All Podcasters Jewish Anyway?". Retrieved 3 June 2024.
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