Rock Creek Sound is an audio production company. Rock Creek Sound productions include: Blind Landing, a critically-acclaimed sports documentary podcast; An Arm And A Leg, a reported series about health care; Organized Money, a podcast about anti-monopoly from leading experts Matt Stoller & David Dayen; Trauma Town, from filmmaker Amanda Mustard exploring her HBO documentary "Great Photo, Lovely Life"; and Breakdown, a collaboration with Maine Public & Frontline PBS.
PROJECTS
Organized Money is a business podcast from two of America's leading voices on antimonopoly: Matt Stoller & David Dayen. Matt and Dave break down the ways monopolies control the food we eat, the drugs we take, the way we communicate and so much more. The series debuted in Fall 2024, immediately entering the top 200 of all podcasts on Apple.
Blind Landing is an award-winning documentary podcast that takes listeners behind the scenes of elite sports, highlighting untold stories from marginalized athletes. Amongst its accolades, Blind Landing was one of The Atlantic’s Best Podcasts of 2021, a 2022 & 2023 Webby Award Honoree, and 2023 Ambie Award Winner.
Breakdown is a collaboration with Frontline PBS, The Portland Press Herald and Maine Public. The six episode limited podcast series delves into the worst mass shooting in Maine history, detailing the aftermath for shooting victims and the ripple effects for the communities affected.
An Arm And A Leg is an independent investigative series hosted by Dan Weissman about the cost of health care and what can be done about it. The podcast is a co-production of KHN and Public Road Productions, and won the 2022 Ambie Award for Best Independent Podcast.
Trauma Town is a five episode limited series hosted by award-winning documentary filmmaker Amanda Mustard. Unpacking her HBO documentary "Great Photo, Lovely Life", the series explores the precariousness of breaking cycles of trauma.
ABOUT US
Rock Creek Sound is a family-owned business, founded by Ari Saperstein and Ellen Weiss, a mother-son production team.
Our mission is to make audio storytelling a more accessible space for emerging storytellers. We both have been fortunate enough to work at some of the most prestigious public radio and podcast institutions. We want to demystify what it takes to make a series and combat the gatekeeping practices that happen in this industry. Our aim is to work with passionate storytellers who need guidance and support to get their audio projects to the next stage.
We work on a sliding scale to keep our consulting services affordable for independent productions.
In addition to their work at Rock Creek Sound, Ari & Ellen give back to the greater audio ecosystem through the non-profit Radio Club Collective (and the LA Radio Club and DC Radio Club chapters, respectively), where they organize workshops & trainings for local audio storytellers.
Ari Saperstein is a multimedia journalist based in Los Angeles. He has worked as producer at Pineapple Street Studios, This American Life and the KPCC/LAist He is the host and creator of the critically-acclaimed podcast Blind Landing, named one of The Atlantic's Best Podcasts of 2021. Outside of his work in audio, Ari's contributed to publications like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, The Advocate and The New Yorker. He's been nominated for multiple Los Angeles Press Club awards, a finalist for NAEJ's Journalist of the Year and the one of AIPS Young Reporters Under 30 Award.
Ellen Weiss is an award-winning journalist and leader with more than 40 years experience working in audio, video and digital newsrooms. Most recently, as Washington Bureau Chief and Vice President at The E. W. Scripps Company, she created a multimedia national investigative team and launched podcasting for the company. While there, she received her forth Peabody Award for the “Under the Radar” investigative series and the RFK’s Journalism Grand Prize for the investigative documentary “A Broken Trust.” Prior to that she spent nearly 30 years at NPR and served as Senior Vice President of News. In that role, she oversaw global expansion of NPR News, the creation of award-winning programs, an investigative unit, podcasts and the digital integration of the newsroom.