Robyn Semien is a television and radio producer who has worked on ''

This American Life ''This American Life'' (''TAL'') is an American monthly hour-long radio program produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media and hosted by Ira Glass. It is broadcast on numerous public radio stations in the United States and internatio ...

'' in radio, television and video formats.

Early life

Semien attended the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California S ...

Career

Film and television

Semien worked as an editor and producer of film and television, including as an associate editor on the first season of ''This American Lifes television documentary series with

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, and then as a producer on the second season in 2008. Semien was also a producer on the 2012 video project, ''This American Life: One Night Only at BAM''.

Radio

Semien joined ''This American Life'''s radio team in 2007. She's drawn notice for reporting and producing on a wide array of topics, from card-counting in blackjack and her father's car (for the latter, she was the listener-voted favorite in ''This American Life'''s 400th-episode competition among the show's producers to see who could develop the best radio story based on an idea pitched by the producer's parents) to race and policing (named to ''

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s round-up of "exceptional works of journalism" from 2015), treatment for young, non-offending pedophiles, and school inequality and violence. With Julie Snyder and

Ira Glass Ira Jeffrey Glass (; born March 3, 1959) is an American public radio personality. He is the host and producer of the radio and television series ''This American Life'' and has participated in other NPR programs, including ''Morning Edition'', ' ...

, Semien co-produced the acclaimed 2013 "Harper High School" two-part episode of ''This American Life'' about a Chicago high school where 29 students had been shot in the previous year. The episode made "best of" lists at '' Slate'', ''

'', ''

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,'' and ''

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'', among others. Shortly after the episode aired, First Lady Michelle Obama visited the school, and she and

President Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

invited Harper High students to the White House.

Awards

Semien and collaborators on the "Harper High School" episode won a Peabody Award, with judges calling the work "vivid, unblinking, poignant and sometimes gut-wrenching”; the Dart Center prize for journalism and trauma (“profoundly moving” and “extraordinarily comprehensive and compassionate"); the Jack R. Howard Award for Radio In-Depth coverage; an

Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award Alfred may refer to: Arts and entertainment *'' Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series * ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne * ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák *"Alfred (Interl ...

("truly immersive, and intercut with lively use of sound tese elements offered valuable insights"); the Fred M. Hechinger Grand Prize for Distinguished Education Reporting from the Education Writers Association; and the

Third Coast International Audio Festival The Third Coast International Audio Festival (TCIAF or TCF), based in Chicago, curates audio stories from around the world and showcases them in various mediums. It is informally referred to as the "Sundance of Radio". The festival was affiliated ...

's Gold Award for best documentary. In 2014, Semien, Luke Malone and Ira Glass won Third Coast International Audio Festival's Radio Impact Award for their story about "on the struggles of young, non-offending pedophiles in their teens and early 20s and what they were doing to get treatment." Semien produced, Malone reported and Glass edited. For the same piece, Semien, Malone and Glass were also finalists for

The Society of Professional Journalists The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is the oldest organization representing journalists in the United States. It was established on April 17, 1909, at DePauw University,2009 SPJ Annual Report, letter ...

' Deadline Club 2015 award for best "Radio or Audio Reporting" and third place in the

National Headliners Award National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

for best "Radio stations documentary or public affairs." In 2008, Semien was nominated as producer, with ''This American Lifes television team, for the International Documentary Association's award for best continuing series.

Personal life

Semien is married to Damien Graef, and in April 2013, together the two opened a wine store in

Williamsburg, Brooklyn Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordered by Greenpoint to the north; Bedford–Stuyvesant to the south; Bushwick and East Williamsburg to the east; and the East River to the west. As of the 2020 United ...

, called Bibber & Bell Wine and Spirits. In 2016, ''

Brooklyn Magazine ''Brooklyn Magazine'' is an online news magazine, focusing on "New York’s most populous borough through the lens of culture, community, commerce, arts and leisure." The company was bought by Michael Bassik and the website was launched in Decembe ...

'' named Bibber & Bell to its list of the borough's best wine shops.

References

External links

* ''This American Life
Radio Archive by Contributor - Robyn Semien
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Semien, Robyn Living people American radio producers American television producers American women television producers American television editors Year of birth missing (living people) Women television editors 21st-century American women Women radio producers