We are pleased to announce that Michael Garofalo is returning to StoryCorps as Chief Content Officer effective May 1. This new position will oversee both the Production and Animation departments and Michael will work closely with Marketing & Communications, Development, Programming, and StoryCorps Studios to shape and align the organization’s vision and content as we move forward into new creative territory and seek new audiences, communities, partnerships, and other opportunities. As the organization’s editorial lead, this role ensures that all content meets the highest standards of artistry and craft, journalistic integrity, diversity, cultural competency, and mission alignment. Michael will report to StoryCorps CEO Sandra Clark.  

Michael began his career at StoryCorps where he developed and refined StoryCorps’ signature style and sound. Over the course of 15 years, he built and ran the Production department, produced and edited hundreds of NPR broadcasts, and launched the StoryCorps podcast, hosting more than 500 episodes. His work on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks garnered both a Peabody Award and a Columbia-DuPont Award. 

As a freelance editor and producer, Michael has developed shows—and led production teams—for a variety of clients and partners outside of public media. As an Editorial Audio Fellow at Kickstarter, he launched Just the Beginning, a narrative podcast about how creative ideas become real. At Religion of Sports, he edited the long-form sports and culture series Crushed, False Idol, Man in the Arena, and Rough Housing. Most recently, he led the development of a new show about animals for Novel, Europe’s largest independent podcasting house.

Michael is also an experimental musician weaving electronics, field recordings, found sounds, and narrative into his music