Glynn Washington (born 1970) is a media personality and producer. He is the host, creator and executive producer of '' Snap Judgment'', a radio / podcast/ stage / television show distributed by PRX.

Early life and education

Washington was born in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, in 1970. He and his family moved to a farm in rural Michigan. He was raised in the apocalyptic religious cult, the Worldwide Church of God (now called

Grace Communion International Grace Communion International (GCI), formerly named the Radio Church of God (RCG) and the Worldwide Church of God (WCG), is a Christian denomination based in Charlotte, North Carolina. According to the organization's website, the denomination ...

). Washington studied at

Grand Valley State University Grand Valley State University (GVSU, GV, or Grand Valley) is a public university in Allendale Charter Township, Michigan, Allendale, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1960 as Grand Valley State College. Its main campus is situated on ...

, the Japan Center For Michigan Universities in Hikone, Japan, and received a bachelor's degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

and

Asian studies Asian studies is the term used usually in North America and Australia for what in Europe is known as Oriental studies. The field is concerned with the Asian people, their cultures, languages, history and politics. Within the Asian sphere, Asian ...

from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

in 1992. In 1996 he received his

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from the

University of Michigan Law School The University of Michigan Law School (branded as Michigan Law) is the law school of the University of Michigan, a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1859, the school offers Master of Laws (LLM), Master of Comparati ...

Career

Washington won the Public Radio Talent Quest sponsored by

Public Radio Exchange The Public Radio Exchange (PRX) is a non-profit web-based platform for digital distribution, review, and licensing of radio programs. The organization is the largest on-demand catalogue of public radio programs available for broadcast and internet ...

(PRX) and the

Corporation for Public Broadcasting The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB; stylized as cpb) is an American publicly funded non-profit corporation, created in 1967 to promote and help support public broadcasting. The corporation's mission is to ensure universal access to ...

(CPB), which had more than 1,400 entries. Shortly after winning, he and longtime creative partner Mark Ristich developed the ''Snap Judgment'' radio program, which first aired on NPR stations nationwide in July 2010. ''Snap Judgment'' now airs weekly on over 450

public radio Public broadcasting (or public service broadcasting) is radio, television, and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service with a commitment to avoiding political and commercial influence. Public broadcasters receive ...

stations and is downloaded over one million times each month. Inspired by his own experience growing up in an apocalyptic cult, in 2018 Washington joined forces with Pineapple Street Studios to create the popular '' Heaven's Gate'' podcast -- which later became the basis of HBO Max's docuseries ''Heaven's Gate: The Cult of Cults''. Inspired by ''Snap Judgments popular annual Halloween specials, in 2017 Washington launched the ''Snap Judgment'' spinoff podcast, ''Spooked''. The program quickly soared to the top of the podcast charts and was named one of the “Top 10 New Podcasts of 2017” by Podtrac. “The response to ''Spooked'' proved overwhelming and a real testament to how much we love the unknown,” said Washington. “There’s nothing scarier or more mesmerizing than a real-life ghost story. These encounters stay with listeners beyond each episode and ask audiences to question their own reality.” Adding to the "Snap Judgment LIVE" touring show roster, Washington and Ristich recently expanded the Spooked universe with the acclaimed "Spooked LIVE" stageshow, and plans a multi-city run in 2025. In 2023, Washington's Snap Studios was acquired by public media powerhouse KQED in San Francisco. Snap Studios has since launched a string of podcast hits including "Mind Your Own With Lupita Nyong'o" (lauded by the New York Times as one of the Best Ten Podcasts of 2024), and "Fire Escape", hosted by veteran Snap Judgment producer Anna Susssman and named as one of Mashable's 20 Best Podcasts of 2024. From 2007 until 2010 Washington was the Director of Young Entrepreneurs at Haas (YEAH), a Center within

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

Haas School of Business The Walter A. Haas School of Business (branded as Berkeley Haas) is the business school of the University of California, Berkeley, a Public university, public research university in Berkeley, California. It was the first business school at a pub ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Washington, Glynn Living people 1970 births Haas School of Business faculty NPR personalities University of Michigan Law School alumni Radio personalities from Detroit University of Michigan alumni American radio show creators American radio producers