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Robyn Semien is a television and radio producer who has worked on This American Life in radio, television and video formats.

Early life

Semien attended the University of California, Los Angeles.

Career

Film and television

Semien worked as an editor and producer of film and television, including as an associate editor on the first season of This American Life's television documentary series with Showtime, and then as a producer on the second season in 2008. Semien was also a producer on the 2012 video project, This American Life: One Night Only at BAM.

Radio

Semien joined This American Life's radio team in 2007. She's drawn notice for reporting and producing on a wide array of topics, from card-counting in blackjack,^[1] long-haired boys,^[2] and her father's car (for the latter, she was the listener-voted favorite in This American Life's 400th-episode competition among the show's producers to see who could develop the best radio story based on an idea pitched by the producer's parents)^[3] to race and policing^[4] (named to The Atlantic's round-up of "exceptional works of journalism" from 2015),^[5] treatment for young, non-offending pedophiles,^[6] and school inequality and violence. With Julie Snyder and Ira Glass, Semien co-produced the acclaimed 2013 "Harper High School" two-part episode of This American Life about a Chicago high school where 29 students had been shot in the previous year.^[7] The episode made "best of" lists at Slate,^[8] The Atlantic,^[9] Newsweek,^[10] and ProPublica,^[11] among others. Shortly after the episode aired, First Lady Michelle Obama visited the school, and she and President Barack Obama invited Harper High students to the White House.^[12]

Awards

Semien and collaborators on the "Harper High School" episode won a Peabody Award, with judges calling the work "vivid, unblinking, poignant and sometimes gut-wrenching”;^[13] the Dart Center prize for journalism and trauma (“profoundly moving” and “extraordinarily comprehensive and compassionate"); the Jack R. Howard Award for Radio In-Depth coverage;^[14] an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award^[15] ("truly immersive, and intercut with lively use of sound[; t]hese elements offered valuable insights");^[16] and the Third Coast International Audio Festival's Gold Award for best documentary.^[17]

In 2014, Semien, Luke Morrow and Ira Glass won Third Coast International Audio Festival's Radio Impact Award^[18] for their story about "on the struggles of young, non-offending pedophiles in their teens and early 20s and what they were doing to get treatment."^[19] Semien produced, Morrow reported and Glass edited. For the same piece, Semien, Morrow and Glass were also finalists for The Society of Professional Journalists' Deadline Club 2015 award for best "Radio or Audio Reporting" and third place in the National Headliners Award for best "Radio stations documentary or public affairs."^[20]

References

^ Sturges, Fiona (10 July 2013). "The Week in Radio: It's worth taking a gamble on This American Life". The Independent (UK). Retrieved 22 August 2016.
^ "The 8 Best 'This American Life' Episodes Of All Time". Clickhole. 21 January 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
^ Vary, Adam B. (July 11, 2013). "How "This American Life" Made It To Episode 500". Buzzfeed. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
^ Singer, Alan (30 March 2015). "Teaching About Policing and Race in America". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
^ Friedersdorf, Conor (August 11, 2016). "Slightly More Than 100 Exceptional Works of Journalism". The Atlantic. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
^ "Stories We Loved: Some Favorite Narrative from 2014". Neiman Storyboard. Harvard University. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
^ Whitaker, Morgan (March 1, 2013). "This American Tragedy: Gun violence at Harper High School". MSNBC. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
^ Haglund, David (11 July 2013). "Where Do I Start With This American Life?". Slate. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
^ Friedersdorf, Conor (October 29, 2014). "Podcasts So Good You Want to Binge-Listen". The Atlantic. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
^ Bindrim, Kira (18 December 2014). "5 Things to Fill the Serial-Sized Hole in Your Life". Newsweek. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
^ Beckett, Lois (19 September 2014). "The Best Reporting on PTSD in Children Exposed to Violence". ProPublica. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
^ Lutton, Linda (June 7, 2013). "Harper High School kids meet the president: 'My whole body just got weak'". WBEZ. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
^ "Harper High School (WBEZ Chicago 91.5)". Peabody Awards. 2013. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
^ Angelotti, Ellyn (22 December 2014). "Secrets of Prize-Winning Journalism: This American Life's Harper High School". Poynter. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
^ Zhang, Christian (19 December 2013). "Journalism School announces 2014 duPont-Columbia Award winners". Columbia Daily Spectator. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
^ ""This American Life: "Harper High School Parts 1 and 2", WBEZ Chicago | 2014 duPont-Columbia Awards Winner". Vimeo. Columbia University Alfred I. duPont Awards. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
^ Miner, Michael (October 21, 2013). "It took two: WBEZ's education reporters receive national honors". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
^ "Help Wanted". thirdcoastfestival.org. Third Coast International Audio Festival. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
^ Alim, Teta (November 9, 2014). "Radio Diaries takes gold at Third Coast, and other awards in public media". Current. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
^ "81st National Headliner Awards winners" (PDF). www.headlinerawards.org. Retrieved 26 August 2016.

External links

This American Life's Radio Archive by Contributor - Robyn Semien

[1] Sturges, Fiona (10 July 2013). "The Week in Radio: It's worth taking a gamble on This American Life". The Independent (UK). Retrieved 22 August 2016.

[2] "The 8 Best 'This American Life' Episodes Of All Time". Clickhole. 21 January 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2016.

[3] Vary, Adam B. (July 11, 2013). "How "This American Life" Made It To Episode 500". Buzzfeed. Retrieved 22 August 2016.

[4] Singer, Alan (30 March 2015). "Teaching About Policing and Race in America". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 22 August 2016.

[5] Friedersdorf, Conor (August 11, 2016). "Slightly More Than 100 Exceptional Works of Journalism". The Atlantic. Retrieved 22 August 2016.

[6] "Stories We Loved: Some Favorite Narrative from 2014". Neiman Storyboard. Harvard University. Retrieved 26 August 2016.

[7] Whitaker, Morgan (March 1, 2013). "This American Tragedy: Gun violence at Harper High School". MSNBC. Retrieved 22 August 2016.

[8] Haglund, David (11 July 2013). "Where Do I Start With This American Life?". Slate. Retrieved 22 August 2016.

[9] Friedersdorf, Conor (October 29, 2014). "Podcasts So Good You Want to Binge-Listen". The Atlantic. Retrieved 22 August 2016.

[10] Bindrim, Kira (18 December 2014). "5 Things to Fill the Serial-Sized Hole in Your Life". Newsweek. Retrieved 22 August 2016.

[11] Beckett, Lois (19 September 2014). "The Best Reporting on PTSD in Children Exposed to Violence". ProPublica. Retrieved 22 August 2016.

[12] Lutton, Linda (June 7, 2013). "Harper High School kids meet the president: 'My whole body just got weak'". WBEZ. Retrieved 22 August 2016.

[13] "Harper High School (WBEZ Chicago 91.5)". Peabody Awards. 2013. Retrieved August 26, 2016.

[14] Angelotti, Ellyn (22 December 2014). "Secrets of Prize-Winning Journalism: This American Life's Harper High School". Poynter. Retrieved 22 August 2016.

[15] Zhang, Christian (19 December 2013). "Journalism School announces 2014 duPont-Columbia Award winners". Columbia Daily Spectator. Retrieved 22 August 2016.

[16] ""This American Life: "Harper High School Parts 1 and 2", WBEZ Chicago | 2014 duPont-Columbia Awards Winner". Vimeo. Columbia University Alfred I. duPont Awards. Retrieved 22 August 2016.

[17] Miner, Michael (October 21, 2013). "It took two: WBEZ's education reporters receive national honors". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 22 August 2016.

[18] "Help Wanted". thirdcoastfestival.org. Third Coast International Audio Festival. Retrieved 26 August 2016.

[19] Alim, Teta (November 9, 2014). "Radio Diaries takes gold at Third Coast, and other awards in public media". Current. Retrieved 26 August 2016.

[20] "81st National Headliner Awards winners" (PDF). www.headlinerawards.org. Retrieved 26 August 2016.

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@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 ===Radio===
-Semien joined ''This American Life''<nowiki/>'s radio team in 2007. She's drawn praise for work on a wide array of topics, from card-counting in blackjack,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Sturges|first1=Fiona|title=The Week in Radio: It's worth taking a gamble on This American Life|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/the-week-in-radio-its-worth-taking-a-gamble-on-this-american-life-8701295.html|accessdate=22 August 2016|work=The Independent (UK)|date=10 July 2013}}</ref> long-haired boys,<ref>{{cite news|title=The 8 Best ‘This American Life’ Episodes Of All Time|url=http://www.clickhole.com/article/8-best-american-life-episodes-all-time-1765|accessdate=22 August 2016|work=Clickhole|date=21 January 2015}}</ref> and her father's car (for the latter, she was the listener-voted favorite in ''This American Life''<nowiki/>'s 400th-episode competition among the show's producers to see who could develop the best radio story based on an idea pitched by the producer's parents)<ref>{{cite news|last1=Vary|first1=Adam B.|title=How "This American Life" Made It To Episode 500|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/adambvary/ira-glass-this-american-life-500-episodes?utm_term=.feMAJEPkR#.blDQrADBX|accessdate=22 August 2016|work=Buzzfeed|date=July 11, 2013}}</ref> to race and policing<ref>{{cite news|last1=Singer|first1=Alan|title=Teaching About Policing and Race in America|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alan-singer/teaching-about-policing-a_b_6968546.html|accessdate=22 August 2016|work=The Huffington Post|date=30 March 2015}}</ref> (named to ''[[The Atlantic]]'''s round-up of "exceptional works of journalism" from 2015),<ref>{{cite news|last1=Friedersdorf|first1=Conor|title=Slightly More Than 100 Exceptional Works of Journalism|url=http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/08/slightly-more-than-100-exceptional-works-of-journalism/490622/|accessdate=22 August 2016|work=The Atlantic|date=August 11, 2016}}</ref> treatment for young, non-offending pedophiles,<ref>{{cite news|title=Stories We Loved: Some Favorite Narrative from 2014|url=http://nieman.harvard.edu/stories/stories-we-loved-some-favorite-narrative-from-2014/|accessdate=26 August 2016|work=Neiman Storyboard|publisher=Harvard University}}</ref> and school inequality and violence. With Julie Snyder and [[Ira Glass]], Semien co-produced the acclaimed 2013 "Harper High School" two-part episode of ''This American Life'' about a Chicago high school where 29 students had been shot in the previous year.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Whitaker|first1=Morgan|title=This American Tragedy: Gun violence at Harper High School|url=http://www.msnbc.com/politicsnation/american-tragedy-gun-violence-harper|accessdate=22 August 2016|work=MSNBC|date=March 1, 2013}}</ref> The episode made "best of" lists at ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]'',<ref>{{cite news|last1=Haglund|first1=David|title=Where Do I Start With This American Life?|url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/07/11/this_american_life_best_episodes_in_honor_of_episode_500_audio.html|accessdate=22 August 2016|work=Slate|date=11 July 2013}}</ref> ''[[The Atlantic]]'',<ref>{{cite news|last1=Friedersdorf|first1=Conor|title=Podcasts So Good You Want to Binge-Listen|url=http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/10/podcasts-so-good-you-want-to-binge-listen/382055/|accessdate=22 August 2016|work=The Atlantic|date=October 29, 2014}}</ref> ''[[Newsweek]],''<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bindrim|first1=Kira|title=5 Things to Fill the Serial-Sized Hole in Your Life|url=http://www.newsweek.com/5-things-fill-serial-sized-hole-your-life-293184|accessdate=22 August 2016|work=Newsweek|date=18 December 2014}}</ref> and ''[[ProPublica]]'',<ref>{{cite news|last1=Beckett|first1=Lois|title=The Best Reporting on PTSD in Children Exposed to Violence|url=https://www.propublica.org/article/the-best-reporting-on-children-with-post-traumatic-stress|accessdate=22 August 2016|work=ProPublica|date=19 September 2014}}</ref> among others. Shortly after the episode aired, First Lady [[Michelle Obama]] visited the school, and she and [[Barack Obama|President Barack Obama]] invited Harper High students to the White House.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Lutton|first1=Linda|title=Harper High School kids meet the president: 'My whole body just got weak'|url=https://www.wbez.org/shows/wbez-news/harper-high-school-kids-meet-the-president-my-whole-body-just-got-weak/373bb3f1-ffea-4129-8448-18737c363a5d|accessdate=22 August 2016|work=WBEZ|date=June 7, 2013}}</ref>
+Semien joined ''This American Life''<nowiki/>'s radio team in 2007. She's drawn notice for reporting and producing on a wide array of topics, from card-counting in blackjack,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Sturges|first1=Fiona|title=The Week in Radio: It's worth taking a gamble on This American Life|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/the-week-in-radio-its-worth-taking-a-gamble-on-this-american-life-8701295.html|accessdate=22 August 2016|work=The Independent (UK)|date=10 July 2013}}</ref> long-haired boys,<ref>{{cite news|title=The 8 Best ‘This American Life’ Episodes Of All Time|url=http://www.clickhole.com/article/8-best-american-life-episodes-all-time-1765|accessdate=22 August 2016|work=Clickhole|date=21 January 2015}}</ref> and her father's car (for the latter, she was the listener-voted favorite in ''This American Life''<nowiki/>'s 400th-episode competition among the show's producers to see who could develop the best radio story based on an idea pitched by the producer's parents)<ref>{{cite news|last1=Vary|first1=Adam B.|title=How "This American Life" Made It To Episode 500|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/adambvary/ira-glass-this-american-life-500-episodes?utm_term=.feMAJEPkR#.blDQrADBX|accessdate=22 August 2016|work=Buzzfeed|date=July 11, 2013}}</ref> to race and policing<ref>{{cite news|last1=Singer|first1=Alan|title=Teaching About Policing and Race in America|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alan-singer/teaching-about-policing-a_b_6968546.html|accessdate=22 August 2016|work=The Huffington Post|date=30 March 2015}}</ref> (named to ''[[The Atlantic]]'''s round-up of "exceptional works of journalism" from 2015),<ref>{{cite news|last1=Friedersdorf|first1=Conor|title=Slightly More Than 100 Exceptional Works of Journalism|url=http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/08/slightly-more-than-100-exceptional-works-of-journalism/490622/|accessdate=22 August 2016|work=The Atlantic|date=August 11, 2016}}</ref> treatment for young, non-offending pedophiles,<ref>{{cite news|title=Stories We Loved: Some Favorite Narrative from 2014|url=http://nieman.harvard.edu/stories/stories-we-loved-some-favorite-narrative-from-2014/|accessdate=26 August 2016|work=Neiman Storyboard|publisher=Harvard University}}</ref> and school inequality and violence. With Julie Snyder and [[Ira Glass]], Semien co-produced the acclaimed 2013 "Harper High School" two-part episode of ''This American Life'' about a Chicago high school where 29 students had been shot in the previous year.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Whitaker|first1=Morgan|title=This American Tragedy: Gun violence at Harper High School|url=http://www.msnbc.com/politicsnation/american-tragedy-gun-violence-harper|accessdate=22 August 2016|work=MSNBC|date=March 1, 2013}}</ref> The episode made "best of" lists at ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]'',<ref>{{cite news|last1=Haglund|first1=David|title=Where Do I Start With This American Life?|url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/07/11/this_american_life_best_episodes_in_honor_of_episode_500_audio.html|accessdate=22 August 2016|work=Slate|date=11 July 2013}}</ref> ''[[The Atlantic]]'',<ref>{{cite news|last1=Friedersdorf|first1=Conor|title=Podcasts So Good You Want to Binge-Listen|url=http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/10/podcasts-so-good-you-want-to-binge-listen/382055/|accessdate=22 August 2016|work=The Atlantic|date=October 29, 2014}}</ref> ''[[Newsweek]],''<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bindrim|first1=Kira|title=5 Things to Fill the Serial-Sized Hole in Your Life|url=http://www.newsweek.com/5-things-fill-serial-sized-hole-your-life-293184|accessdate=22 August 2016|work=Newsweek|date=18 December 2014}}</ref> and ''[[ProPublica]]'',<ref>{{cite news|last1=Beckett|first1=Lois|title=The Best Reporting on PTSD in Children Exposed to Violence|url=https://www.propublica.org/article/the-best-reporting-on-children-with-post-traumatic-stress|accessdate=22 August 2016|work=ProPublica|date=19 September 2014}}</ref> among others. Shortly after the episode aired, First Lady [[Michelle Obama]] visited the school, and she and [[Barack Obama|President Barack Obama]] invited Harper High students to the White House.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Lutton|first1=Linda|title=Harper High School kids meet the president: 'My whole body just got weak'|url=https://www.wbez.org/shows/wbez-news/harper-high-school-kids-meet-the-president-my-whole-body-just-got-weak/373bb3f1-ffea-4129-8448-18737c363a5d|accessdate=22 August 2016|work=WBEZ|date=June 7, 2013}}</ref>
 ===Awards===
 Semien and collaborators on the "Harper High School" episode won a [[Peabody Award]], with judges calling the work "vivid, unblinking, poignant and sometimes gut-wrenching”;<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/harper-high-school-wbez-chicago-91.5|title=Harper High School (WBEZ Chicago 91.5)|last=|first=|date=2013|website=|publisher=Peabody Awards|access-date=August 26, 2016}}</ref> the Dart Center prize for journalism and trauma (“profoundly moving” and “extraordinarily comprehensive and compassionate"); the Jack R. Howard Award for Radio In-Depth coverage;<ref>{{cite news|last1=Angelotti|first1=Ellyn|title=Secrets of Prize-Winning Journalism:  This American Life’s Harper High School|url=http://www.poynter.org/2014/secrets-of-prize-winning-journalism-this-american-lifes-harper-high-school/308761/|accessdate=22 August 2016|work=Poynter|date=22 December 2014}}</ref> an [[Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award]]<ref>{{cite news|last1=Zhang|first1=Christian|title=Journalism School announces 2014 duPont-Columbia Award winners|url=http://columbiaspectator.com/2013/12/19/journalism-school-announces-2014-dupont-columbia-award-winners|accessdate=22 August 2016|work=Columbia Daily Spectator|date=19 December 2013}}</ref> ("truly immersive, and intercut with lively use of sound[; t]hese elements offered valuable insights");<ref>{{cite web|title="This American Life: “Harper High School Parts 1 and 2”, WBEZ Chicago {{!}} 2014 duPont-Columbia Awards Winner|url=https://vimeo.com/85265033|website=Vimeo|publisher=Columbia University Alfred I. duPont Awards|accessdate=22 August 2016}}</ref> and the [[Third Coast International Audio Festival]]'s Gold Award for best documentary.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Miner|first1=Michael|title=It took two: WBEZ's education reporters receive national honors|url=http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2013/10/21/it-took-two-wbezs-education-reporters-receive-national-honors|accessdate=22 August 2016|work=Chicago Reader|date=October 21, 2013}}</ref>
-In 2014, Semien, Luke Morrow and Ira Glass won Third Coast International Audio Festival's Radio Impact Award for their story about "on the struggles of young, non-offending pedophiles in their teens and early 20s and what they were doing to get treatment."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Alim|first1=Teta|title=Radio Diaries takes gold at Third Coast, and other awards in public media|url=http://current.org/2014/11/radio-diaries-takes-gold-at-third-coast-and-other-awards-in-public-media/|accessdate=26 August 2016|work=Current|date=November 9, 2014}}</ref> Semien produced, Morrow reported and Glass edited. For the same piece, Semien, Morrow and Glass were also finalists for [[The Society of Professional Journalists|The Society of Professional Journalists]]' Deadline Club 2015 award for best "Radio or Audio Reporting" and third place in the [[National Headliners Award]] for best "Radio stations documentary or public affairs."<ref>{{cite web|title=81st National Headliner Awards winners|url=https://www.headlinerawards.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/winners2015.pdf|website=www.headlinerawards.org|accessdate=26 August 2016}}</ref>
+In 2014, Semien, Luke Morrow and Ira Glass won Third Coast International Audio Festival's Radio Impact Award<ref>{{cite web|title=Help Wanted|url=http://thirdcoastfestival.org/explore/feature/help-wanted|website=thirdcoastfestival.org|publisher=Third Coast International Audio Festival|accessdate=26 August 2016}}</ref> for their story about "on the struggles of young, non-offending pedophiles in their teens and early 20s and what they were doing to get treatment."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Alim|first1=Teta|title=Radio Diaries takes gold at Third Coast, and other awards in public media|url=http://current.org/2014/11/radio-diaries-takes-gold-at-third-coast-and-other-awards-in-public-media/|accessdate=26 August 2016|work=Current|date=November 9, 2014}}</ref> Semien produced, Morrow reported and Glass edited. For the same piece, Semien, Morrow and Glass were also finalists for [[The Society of Professional Journalists|The Society of Professional Journalists]]' Deadline Club 2015 award for best "Radio or Audio Reporting" and third place in the [[National Headliners Award]] for best "Radio stations documentary or public affairs."<ref>{{cite web|title=81st National Headliner Awards winners|url=https://www.headlinerawards.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/winners2015.pdf|website=www.headlinerawards.org|accessdate=26 August 2016}}</ref>
 ==References==