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“LA Made” is a series exploring stories of bold Californian innovators and how they forever changed the lives of millions all over the world. Each season will unpack the untold and surprising stories behind some of the most exciting innovations that continue to influence our lives today.
Season 3, "LA Made: The Other Moonshot," tells the story of three Black aerospace engineers in Los Angeles, who played a crucial role in America’s race to space, amid the civil unrest of the 1960s. When Joanne Higgins was growing up in Compton in Los Angeles, she heard her godfather, Charlie Cheathem, tell stories about his key role in the Apollo mission to the moon. As an adult, she realized that his experiences — and those of other Black engineers — had been left out of the history books. She set out to record for the first time the accounts of these men, now in their 90s, whose crucial contributions to the early days of the Apollo mission have been overlooked — or taken credit for by others — despite their ingenuity and determination.
Season 2, “LA Made: The Barbie Tapes,” tells the backstory of the world’s most popular doll, Barbie. Barbie is a cultural icon but what do you really know about her? Hear Barbie's origin story from the people who created her. Co-hosted by Antonia Cereijido and M.G. Lord, author of Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll, hear the wild stories from never-before-heard tapes of interviews with Barbie inventor Ruth Handler, her wardrobe designer and the sculptors and fabricators, and the innovative marketers who made her what she is today. This 3-part series premieres July 6, 2023.
Season 1, “LA Made: Blood, Sweat & Rockets,” tells the hidden story of the fearless, groundbreaking and ambitious crew who shaped our quest to outer space and ushered in the early days of space exploration at Pasadena’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) at CalTech. Known as the “Suicide Squad,” the team’s road to triumph was fraught with controversies involving the occult, a suspected spy ring, unplanned explosions, and a suspicious death. Join writer and life-long aerospace fanatic M.G. Lord as she uncovers their story and reveals the shocking origins of rocket science in this 12 episode season.
Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. This podcast was made possible with support from the Committee for Greater LA in partnership with the Weingart Foundation.
Episode | Date |
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Imperfect Paradise: How AI Became a Hollywood Villain – Especially for Animators
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Mar 12, 2025 |
Imperfect Paradise: Highland Park: Land of the Snake
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Mar 05, 2025 |
Part 4: The Landing
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Feb 19, 2025 |
Part 3: Making an Impact
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Feb 12, 2025 |
Part 2: Spring Loaded to Failure
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Feb 05, 2025 |
Part 1: Ignition Starts
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Jan 29, 2025 |
Introducing LA Made: The Other Moonshot (Coming January 29)
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Jan 22, 2025 |
The Barbie Tapes: When Girls--and Barbie--Could Do Anything
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Jul 20, 2023 |
The Barbie Tapes: Battle of the Bulge
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Jul 13, 2023 |
The Barbie Tapes: A Toy is Born
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Jul 06, 2023 |
Introducing LA Made: The Barbie Tapes from LAist Studios
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Jul 04, 2023 |
Special Feature: Pomona's Victor Glover Will Pilot NASA's 2024 Moon Mission
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Apr 08, 2023 |
Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Flights of Fancy in Southern California (Bonus Episode)
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Mar 14, 2023 |
Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Inside JPL (Bonus Episode)
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Mar 07, 2023 |
Blood, Sweat & Rockets: The Legacy of Frank Malina
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Feb 28, 2023 |
Blood, Sweat & Rockets: The Explosive Demise of Jack Parsons
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Feb 21, 2023 |
Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Operation Paperclip
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Feb 14, 2023 |
Blood, Sweat & Rockets: The Curse of Tsien
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Feb 07, 2023 |
Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Lucky Break
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Jan 31, 2023 |
Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Seeing Red
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Jan 24, 2023 |
Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Babalon
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Jan 17, 2023 |
Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Women in Aerospace
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Jan 10, 2023 |
Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Sexmagick in the Desert
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Dec 06, 2022 |
Blood, Sweat & Rockets: The Other Side of Frank Malina
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Nov 29, 2022 |
Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Cred
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Nov 22, 2022 |
Blood, Sweat & Rockets: The Suicide Squad
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Nov 15, 2022 |
Introducing LA Made: Blood, Sweat & Rockets, from LAist Studios
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Nov 07, 2022 |