This is the story of how Criminal began. Join us on Patreon! | Forensic Files

I'm Phoebe Judge, host and co-creator of the podcast Criminal. All I've ever wanted to do since I was a little girl
is ask people questions. I grew up in a radio family [music] in Chicago, and when I was 22, I moved to Mississippi to
be the GF Coast reporter for Mississippi Public Broadcasting. [music] I basically
lived in a house on the railroad tracks. I would record at night under a towel, but I was too cheap to turn the air
conditioning on, so I would just be sweating constantly. I learned a lot. And then I came to North Carolina to
work on a national public radio show called The Story with Dick Gordon. And [music] sometimes he let me take his
seat. That's where I met Lauren Sporer. We decided one night that [music] we would create our own show. And the only
thing that mattered is that we cared about the stories. That was it. If we [music] were curious about the stories,
then we would do them. No one was going to tell us what to do. We called the show Criminal. [music]
It started in 2014. Our first episode had about 50 listeners. It was about a murder and an [music] owl that was
called Animal Instincts. And then 3 days later, we got a check from a woman in North Carolina for
>> [music] >> $10. All it said was, "Keep going." So, we did. And now, 10 years later, we're
still making these shows. And we're very thankful to all of you for listening and
[music] for continuing to listen. And now on Patreon, we get to do more things like live events, live chats, behind the
scenes photos. Anyway, thanks again for listening. We're going to [music] keep trying to do the best work we can.

This is the story of how Criminal began. Thanks to you, it's grown into something much bigger. Join Phoebe and Lauren on Patreon for behind-the-scenes access and new ways to connect with us and other fans of the show. We're very grateful to those of you who have already joined. A new bonus episode of Criminal Plus is live now — free for Patreon members. If you haven't joined us already, now is a perfect time! Find Criminal Plus on Patreon - patreon.com/criminal, or link in bio. Illustrations by Julienne Alexander.

Brief Summary

Phoebe Judge discusses her journey creating the podcast Criminal and the importance of storytelling.

Key points

The Birth of Criminal. Phoebe Judge and Lauren Sporer create the podcast Criminal, driven by their curiosity for stories.
A Listener's Encouragement. After their first episode, a listener sends a $10 check with a simple message: 'Keep going.'

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

If we were curious about the stories, then we would do them.

Phoebe Judge reflects on the motivation behind creating Criminal.

0:46WatchJan 29, 2026

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