Husband and wife producing team Ray Nowosielski and Ruth Vaca seem to everywhere these days. Their latest creation is the 10-episode podcast series, "George Bailey Was Never Born." a behind-the-scenes story of the beloved holiday classic 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘢 𝘞𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦. We caught up (barely) with the always-on-the-go media-makers for a behind-the-scenes talk: Tell me about the new podcast that just dropped: (Ruth & Ray) It’s from iHeartMedia, all 10 episodes come out in November, called George Bailey Was Never Born. Our friend David Cassidy, who executive produced, describes it as “a nerd’s wet dream of a film school as a podcast.” It looks deeply into American identity and the human experience through the holiday classic It’s a Wonderful Life. One Apple Podcasts reviewer wrote, “This is the podcast that you didn't know you needed!” I think that was what we were going for. Ray co-created it, Ruth helped develop it and executive produced through our company True Stories. This a Double Asterisk production, a company co-owned with Bloomingtonian John Duffy, another exec producer, and the show was co-created by Kurt Engfehr, best known for his documentaries with Michael Moore. It's available wherever anyone listens to their podcasts, like Spotify, YouTube, etc. SaveGeorgeBailey.com gives more info and all the listening options. What's the synopsis for the "Ray and Ruth Story"? Ray mostly grew up in a suburb of Indianapolis, where he had what some would say was a very wholesome Midwest upbringing worthy of a classic sitcom before heading to Columbia College Chicago. Ruth was born in Mexico, migrated to south Chicago with parents and her two older siblings, then to northwest Indiana, south Florida and Bloomington simutaneously, an unpredictable and colorful upbringing worthy of a dramedy. We eventually met in New York City. Ruth was working at People Magazine, Ray was making documentaries. We had both chased big dreams. Ruth seeking a career in daytime talk show or radio, plus culinary arts. We met through a memorable hang-out with a mutual friend one night in NYC, at the Sidewalk Cafe in the East Village. Ruth suggested we walk to Sing Sing Karaoke Bar on St. Marks, where Ruth belted out “Maps” atop the bar. She avoided getting kicked out only due to the support of riled-up hipsters. What brought you to Bloomington? We moved to Bloomington in 2018 after many years of hard work in NYC to build our careers. Despite a lot of what felt like success, we still found the city to be a financially overwhelming place to start a family. We wanted more space and to be closer to family, and southern Indiana also has turned out to be a great place from which to grow our own production companies. How did you both connect with Morgensterns? When we moved to Bloomington, Ruth was upset there was no major book store, so we were thrilled when Morgensterns opened. At the time, Ruth was managing some PR for Ray’s latest work and connected with Morgensterns, resulting in the first podcast-related event at the bookstore. Mitch Teplitsky gave a great career-spanning interview with Ray and John Duffy, co-owners of Double Asterisk. Ruth has hosted the Spanish language storytime on multiple occasions. We love this place. What's on your nightstand now? (Ray): Fiction, currently re-reading John Duffy’s novel A Ballroom for Ghost Dancing, and non-fiction, Bruce Cannon Gibney’s interesting Boomer take-down A Generation of Sociopaths. (Ruth): I am more of an audiobook person, and I alternate about three books at a time. I am a memoir junkie, particularly celebrity. My favorite one I listened to this year is I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy. It is well written, heart-breaking and transparent, about growing up as a reluctant child star with toxic parents. I also just started listening to Barbra Streisand’s memoir, which is 48 hours long. I hope to finish it by 2025. As husband and wife, what's it like working together? How do your different personalities and skills complement each other...or not! (Ray) Pure hell. Kidding. (Ruth) Yea, just the worst, only 4 out of 10 recommend. Actually, despite us being very different, we align well as producers and on vision for where we want to go. We work intensely and at a fast pace and understand each other's work life balance requirements. It would be hard for many to tolerate the ups and downs of the media biz. Who were your biggest creative influencers? (Ruth) I have so many, depending on the genre, but I would say, in the way I see myself in this industry as a self-deprecating and sarcastic humored person, Kathy Griffin in her Life on the D-List era. Wendy Williams, Cristina Saralegui, Rosie O’Donnell, Larry King, and Oprah for television and radio hosts. Anthony Bourdain for his brilliant writing and approach to food culture on television. Andy Warhol for his brilliant use of mocking consumerism and his off-beat, controversial, nonsensical yet intriguing films. Honestly, I may have too many influencers! If you could interview any other couple, who would it be? We would love just one dinner date with Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt. This question is especially rigorous: what are your favorite beverages from the Morgenstern's cafe? (Ruth) I love the Matcha Soy Latte with light ice. (Ray) Coffee. Black. Any future projects or collaborations in the works? Everybody Has A Podcast with Ruth & Ray, first episode out next week. Check back to TrueStories.us from time to time to learn about projects as they come. What do you do for fun, to get your mind off of work? Guess we can’t get enough of the biz – when not doing family stuff or traveling, we tend to watch movies or TV. Ray likes Real Time with Bill Maher. Ruth prefers escapism and low-brow entertainment on stressful days, like Bravo and reruns of Sex and the City. And obviously, hang with our almost 5 year old, Pablo. (Ruth) I also love to cook, creative writing, make digital collage art, and take long-distance walks and hikes. (Ray) I like to hang at bars, bookstores, and take walks with Ruth around neighborhoods or cities. . What's something about you two that fans might not know? (Ruth) I am also a vegetarian and vegan chef who specializes in using whole foods and everyday delectable yet simple food ideas. You can follow my blog @veganishvegetarian. I hope to publish a cookbook in 2024. (Ray) Our podcast listeners likely don’t connect me to my work producing Barbara Kopple-directed documentaries, including one I’m particularly proud of that came out streaming on HBO Max last month, Gumbo Coalition. This month's Bloom Magazine also has a delightful story about Ray and Ruth, pick a free issue up at Morgenstern's or around town!
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