Fandom Made Me with Sabrina Cartan

How can Swifties change the world? On this episode of Fandom Made Me, host Sabrina Cartan talks to India Abrahams, the 11-year-old CEO and founder of Beads for Good, and her mom, social impact expert Tara Abrahams. Inspired by the Taylor Swift fan tradition of trading bracelets at The Eras Tour concerts, India creates and sells bracelets and donates 50% of sales to She’s the Firs

What do movies teach us about our feelings and values? On this episode of Fandom Made Me, host Sabrina Cartan is joined by Alex Steed, co-host of the popular movie podcast “You Are Good.” Alex geeks out about being a Kevin Smith fan as a teen in the 90s, how movies like Clerks and Chasing Amy relate to labor rights and the growing anti-work movement, and how early 90s message b

We are so back! On the season 2 premiere of Fandom Made Me, Sabrina Cartan talks about fixing philanthropy with Amy Schiller, author of The Price of Humanity: How Philanthropy Went Wrong–and How to Fix It. Known on the Internet for her pop culture takes such as “Beyonceder” and a viral Atlantic essay on American Girl dolls, Amy answers some of our most pressing questions, nam

It's the Season 1 finale of Fandom Made Me! Host Sabrina Cartan invites author and USC Professor Henry Jenkins to reflect on Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide, his widely celebrated book that changed the way we think about the relationship between media and fandom. Together, Henry and Sabrina talk about what's changed in the 17 years since the book's release and

Award-winning filmmaker, philanthropist, and social activist Dr. Abigail Disney joins host Sabrina Cartan to discuss the latest Fandom Forward campaign, Be A Hero, inspired by her latest film on the labor movement at Disney Parks. The two explore the magic of Disney fandom, how Disney fans are uniquely positioned to engage in shareholder activism, and what Bob Iger and his colleagu

Actor and writer Mara Wilson (Matilda, Mrs. Doubtfire, Welcome to Night Vale) joins host Sabrina Cartan to geek out about her favorite foreign teen dramas, My Mad Fat Diary, SKAM, and Dance Academy. Mara and Sabrina discuss how these shows (and a few movies, including the classic Grease) shaped their impressions of teendom vs. what they actually experienced. Through this lens, Mara

In this special 4th of July episode, America’s #1 burger scholar George Motz joins host Sabrina Cartan to geek out about food and how a dish can become pop culture. George explains how his career as an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker led to his work in burger scholarship and the creation of the Food Film Festival. Inspired by his father’s love of jingles, George recalls his favori

Feminist activist and writer Veronica I. Arreola joins host Sabrina Cartan to talk about Buffy the Vampire Slayer through the lens of leadership. A hardcore Buffy fan since the 90s and advocate for Latinx students, staff, and administrators at the University of Illinois Chicago, Veronica talks about how Buffy shapes the way she approaches leadership, and how the Scooby Ga

White collar crime and corporate governance expert Jen Taub joins host Sabrina Cartan to geek out about Succession ahead of its series finale. Jen puts on her law professor hat and shares what's realistic (or not) about the C-suite at Waystar Royco, and she and Sabrina explore the qualities of a great CEO. They share their favorite Succession moments and charact

Award-winning filmmaker Therese Shechter joins host Sabrina Cartan to discuss My So-Called Selfish Life, her new feminist documentary about the growing childfree movement and how it relates to reproductive justice for all. Therese geeks out about Free to Be... You and Me, the classic 1970s children's album and TV special that defied gender stereotypes, and recalls how it turned her