A Pop of Culture with Vanessa Grigoriadis

Image courtesy of Media from Wix.

When you enter the workforce, you learn many languages. There’s corporate speak. There’s HR talk. But the most important might be water cooler language.

Image courtesy of Getty Images.

Water cooler topics are the subjects you can discuss endlessly with coworkers without offending anyone. In an increasingly divided world, that neutrality is valuable. The latest fashion trend or celebrity drama lets you read your coworkers’ personalities while maintaining professional boundaries.

But what happens when workplace relationships revolve around other people’s drama? How do you build meaningful connection on the back of someone else’s misfortune? And what does that say about us?

I wanted to understand pop culture stories from multiple angles. That curiosity led me to Infamous and a conversation with Vanessa Grigoriadis , co-founder of Campside Media, about how the network approaches storytelling, ethics, and audience appetite.

Image courtesy of Max Farago.

---

1. What makes something newsworthy?

Well, that’s an interesting question in this day and age! It seems like anything can be newsworthy right now, especially if it involves a wackadoodle conspiracy theory. But I was taught that something is newsworthy when it changes how we understand the world, whether that's war or an election or a small bore human interest story. My podcast Infamous looks at cultural scandals not for gossip’s sake (or not entirely for gossip’s sake), but because they reveal how money, fame, and psychology intersect.

Image courtesy of Campside Media.

2. What does the content you consume say about you?

It says a lot. There’s so much content out there that is just junk food.

It’s really scary when you think about the fact that people are looking to be entertained rather than think.  -  Vanessa Grigoriadis

3. Why did you create Campside Media?

I co-founded Campside because I believed podcasting could be a home for deeply reported, cinematic nonfiction, just the way magazines always have been. Our stories try to have the emotional pull of film, and be both fun to listen to and provide new, nuanced information.   

4. How has Campside Media evolved since its founding?

We’ve made dozens and dozens of limited series, and are now branching out into audiobooks and chat shows. And we have our first documentary, Wild Boys, premiering on Paramount+ this month!  

Image courtesy of Campside Media.

5. How do you incorporate your mission and vision into your content?

Our mission has always been to tell stories with integrity, empathy, and craft. That means rigorous reporting, strong narrative structure, and again, making something entertaniing while also giving people some “medicine,” meaning helping them learn something new.   

Image courtesy of Campside Media.

6. What advice would you give to students and young professionals who want to create content

   Well, I would normally say you should read constantly, but it seems smarter now to watch constantly too. You have to be able to understand what type of short-form video is resonating with the audience in order to survive, I think. But if you want to write, you also need to read a lot of short fiction stories and understand how to tell a story that has clever turns and a surprising ending.  

   

   Image courtesy of Campside Media.

7. What is the future of the company?

Well, the media world is changing fast, but audiences still crave excellent nonfiction: stories that are true but seem like they might not be. I don’t think that will go away. 

Logo courtesy of Campside Media.