Jonathan Mitchell has been working in public radio for nearly 20 years. His background is in music, he often creates his own music for his stories, which use creative sounds. Mitchell studied music composition at the U of I and learned about the recording studio while working on a project that incorporated manipulated natural sounds. “I became really interested in speech … particularly natural conversation … just the way people talk in their daily lives.” Mitchell says he wanted to use the techniques he was learning in music production for radio and storytelling. These days he says he considers himself a story-teller first and foremost.
Mitchell grew up in Springfield. His work has taken him to New York City where he now lives. He’s the writer, director, and producer for a podcast called The Truth. It’s critically acclaimed and includes stories that are usually 10 to 20 minutes long. The fictitious plots are performed by actors and crafted together with compelling music and sounds.
Mitchell stopped in town for the holidays, and made a visit to the WUIS studios. We talked to him about his passion for public radio and took a listen to some of his work:
