Ana Marie Cox and Open Mike Eagle

Ana and Mike Leave the House

Ana and Mike compare notes from the road: Ana’s on assignment in small-town Maine chasing a political story she believes in, and Mike’s in between tour legs, chasing rent. They get into the economics of chasing meaning when the math doesn’t make sense, the disappearing budgets of real journalism, and why a DIY ethos is both a burden and a blessing.

Dan Harmon from "Secret Skin"

Open Mike Eagle's interview with 'Community' and 'Rick and Morty's' Dan Harmon. They talk through their relationship to vulnerability, freestyle rap techniques and how to survive the toxicity of Hollywood.

Can You Make a Career Out of a Patchwork Quilt? with Ron Funches

Comedian and actor Ron Funches joins us for a deeply funny and unexpectedly honest conversation about the strange economics of creative work. We talk about surviving on joy, staying positive when nothing’s going right, and why failure is sometimes part of the paycheck.

Originally recorded in 2022 for Mike’s podcast "Secret Skin."

What If You Have to Leave to Stay in Love With It?

Chris Gethard has done the big stuff. HBO, late-night TV show, a wildly devoted cult following. But in this episode of Past Due, Chris talks about what happens when the thing you love starts to drain you, and why stepping away might be the only way to stay in love with it.

We talk about comedy, creative identity, fatherhood, reinvention, and what it means to choose a smaller, stranger path that still feels like yours.

Here’s what stuck with us:

2025-09-03 09:00:28 +0000 UTC View Post

Is the Garage Is Better Than the Studio? with Chris Gethard

Comedian Chris Gethard joins us to talk about walking away from the version of success he spent years chasing, and why that might be the reason he's still standing. We get into the grief of giving up the big dream, the joy of making weird stuff for the people who get it, and the radical act of building a career that actually fits your life.

What If Control Isn’t Freedom?

Siri Dahl has spent more than a decade in the adult industry, navigating everything from studio shoots to OnlyFans, social media bans, podcasting, and burnout. In this episode of Past Due, Siri shares what it’s really like to be a public-facing creator in a world that wants your content, but not your complexity.

We talk about visibility, boundaries, labor, and what it means to survive an industry that commodifies your identity, then expects you to manage the business, brandin...

What If the “Recession-Proof” Job Isn’t? with Siri Dahl

Adult performer and podcaster Siri Dahl joins us to talk about the emotional and economic realities of sex work in an era that calls itself creator-friendly, but still censors, exploits, and erases. We talk about the myth that OnlyFans is easy money, the rising pressure to be everywhere at once, and what it means to be both the product and the platform.

Do I Keep Going?

Rhett Miller has been making music in bands and by himself professionally since the 90s. He’s toured the world, played late-night TV, and built a steady career. But in this episode of Past Due, Rhett gets real about the parts that don’t make the highlight reel: the depression, the doubt, the decades of DIY survival, and what it means to keep going when the industry has changed... and so have you. We talk about the mindset it takes to endure, the economics of staying relevant, and...

What If 30 Years Is Just The Beginning? with Rhett Miller

Musician and writer Rhett Miller joins us to talk about staying creative in an industry that keeps changing. From fronting the Old 97’s to writing children’s books, Rhett opens up about the financial rollercoaster of life on the road, the loneliness of independence, and the challenge of keeping faith in your work when the world stops clapping.

What We Lost Going Direct-to-Audience

In this episode of Past Due, Ana and Mike pull back the curtain on the emotional cost of doing creative work in public. From the anxiety of touring to the loneliness of newsletter culture, they talk about what it means to be your own brand, and what gets lost in the process.

Because loving the work doesn’t always mean the work is good for you.

Here’s what stuck with us:

Touring is isolating. Mike opens up about the weir...

Ana and Mike Face the Music

Ana and Mike get real about what creative work actually looks like behind the scenes, breaking down the economics of touring, Substack’s Nazi problem, how platforms trap creators, audiences, and the psychology of performing.

What If You Leave the Dream Job… and Everything Gets Better?

Jody Avirgan has had the kind of career that looks perfect on paper. High-profile roles at ESPN and NPR, bylines that impress, and shows that reach millions. But in this episode of Past Due, he shares what it took to walk away from all of it—and why doing so made space for the creative life he actually wanted.

We talk about identity, the illusion of “making it,” and how Jody traded the grind of institutional prestige for a quieter, weirder, more sustainable path.

2025-08-06 10:00:10 +0000 UTC View Post

What Comes After the Big Job? with Jody Avirgan

Podcast host and producer Jody Avirgan joins us to talk about walking away from big platforms like ESPN and NPR, and what it takes to build something sustainable on your own terms. We get into the pressure to grow, the trap of prestige, and the trade-offs between stability, scale, and creative freedom. In the end, rethinking success might be the real win.

What If Thoughtful Work Can’t Pay the Bills?

Video essayist Ian Danskin has built one of the smartest channels on YouTube, Innuendo Studios. His breakdowns of online radicalization, culture war discourse, and YouTube grifts are thoughtful, careful, and critically acclaimed. But in this episode of Past Due, he shares the frustrating truth behind the scenes.

We talk about creator myths, audience backlash, and the strange economics of online attention, and why Ian nearly quit the platform altogether.

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2025-07-30 10:00:11 +0000 UTC View Post

One of My Cats Wouldn’t Make It Through College

Before the interview even starts, Ian Danskin, Ana Marie Cox, and Open Mike Eagle went off on a delightful tangent about cats, Lifesavers, and Gucci Mane. It's chaos, it’s cozy, it’s completely off-topic… and it might be our favorite part.

What If Making Good Work Still Isn’t Enough? with Ian Danskin

Video essayist Ian Danskin joins us to talk about the exhausting economics of doing thoughtful work online—and what it means when your most meaningful content can’t pay the bills. From burnout to bad faith backlash, Ian opens up about what it takes to keep going when attention is currency... and you're broke.

What If You Write 39 Scripts… and It's Still Not Enough?

Bob DeRosa has written 39 screenplays. Ten have made money. Three became movies. One paid for a house. But in this episode of Past Due, he shares what those numbers don’t say about the six-year stretch where nothing sold, the web series that reignited his fire, and what it really means to build a creative life over the long haul.

We talk about the reality behind “breaking in,” the math that never adds up, and why surviving isn’t just about writing—it’s about rekindl...

How Do You Keep Going? with Bob DeRosa

Screenwriter Bob DeRosa joins us to talk about what it really takes to build a long-haul creative career—one that doesn’t go viral, but keeps going. We break down 20+ years in Hollywood by the numbers, and what it reveals about persistence, rejection, reinvention, and the myth of overnight success.

What If the Goal Isn’t to Go Big, It’s to Keep Going?

Sam Sanders built a name for himself inside the machine, but in this episode of Past Due, he opens up about why he left legacy platforms behind… and how he’s navigating the freedom, fear, and chaos of being fully independent.

We talk about the economics of podcasting, the myth of prestige, and the hard work of staying creative when no one’s handing you a roadmap or a paycheck.

Here’s what stuck with us:

• The platforms...

  2025-07-16 10:00:12 +0000 UTC View Post