17 Best California Documentary Podcasts

1. Embedded

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NPR's home for audio documentaries brings untold stories to light through deeply reported narrative series. We go to hidden corners of the headlines to explore what's been sealed off, undisclosed, or overlooked and the people at the heart of those stories. Support public media by joining NPR+ at plus.npr.org. You'll get perks for over 25 NPR podcasts, including early access and sponsor-free listening for Embedded (Embedded perks may vary between seasons).more Host Kelly McEvers
Producer/Network NPR
Email ****@npr.org
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.7/5Apple Reviews 13.5KTwitter 7.8MInstagram 8.4M Avg Length 36 min Format Medium form Since Mar 2016 Get Email Contact Get access to full database of 2.7M podcastsCreate podcast lists, export in spreadsheet or CSV file with email contacts and start your podcast outreach in minutes.Sign Up for Free with Email Continue with Google

2. Radio Rental

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Discover real-life horror stories, from bizarre crimes to paranormal activity. These true stories are set inside the fictional world of Radio Rental, an 80's video rental shop. This imaginative, cult classic-inspired horror brand blurs the lines of reality, with cutting-edge documentary storytelling and a splash of comedy. From the mind of Payne Lindsey— this is Radio Rental.more Host Payne Lindsey
Producer/Network Tenderfoot TV
Email ****@hotmail.com
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.8/5Apple Reviews 37KTwitter 8.2KInstagram 112.7K Avg Length 28 min Format Medium form Since Oct 2019 Get Email Contact

3. Was I in a Cult?

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Hosted by Tyler Measom and Liz Iacuzzi, Was I In A Cult? is a documentary-style podcast showcasing individuals who have been in, and most importantly, successfully left a cult. Told first-hand by the experiencer themself, these are raw, riveting and inspirational tales of what it means to be a survivor. Using levity and info-tainment, the show humanizes the cultic experience and may leave some of our listeners asking themselves 'Wait, Was I In A Cult?' If you or someone you know has been in a cult and want to share your story, contact us at ****@wasiinacult.com. We'd love to hear from you.more Hosts Liz Iacuzzi, Tyler Measom
Producer/Network PodcastOne
Email ****@gmail.com
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.5/5Apple Reviews 4.3K Avg Length 58 min Format Long form Get Email Contact

4. 30 for 30 Podcasts

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Original audio documentaries from the makers of the acclaimed 30 for 30 film series, featuring stories from the world of sports and beyond. 30 for 30 offers captivating storytelling for sports fans and general interest listeners alike, going beyond the field to explore how sports, competition, athleticism and adventure affect our lives and our world. Sports stories like you've never heard before.more Hosts Jody Avirgan, Ramona Shelburne
Producer/Network ESPN
Email ****@espn.com
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.3/5Apple Reviews 11.5KFacebook 499KTwitter 291.5K Avg Length 35 min Format Medium form Since Jun 2017 Get Email Contact

5. MUBI Podcast

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The MUBI Podcast is an audio documentary series about how great cinema happens, and why it matters. Every season's a deep dive into a different corner of movie culture — from classic needle drops, to movie theaters that changed the world. Plus, between seasons: intimate interviews with some of the best filmmakers alive. Nominated for multiple Webbys, Ambies, and British Podcast Awards. Hosted by veteran arts journalist Rico Gagliano. 'It's like This American Life for filmmaking stories' — Matt Wallinmore Host Rico Gagliano
Producer/Network MUBI
Email ****@mubi.com
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.9/5Apple Reviews 543Twitter 329.5KInstagram 1.6M Avg Length 37 min Format Medium form Get Email Contact

6. Fog of Truth

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A podcast about documentaries
Hosts Bart Weiss, John Wildman, Justina Walford
Producer/Network Bart Weiss
Email ****@videofest.org
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.9/5Apple Reviews 26Facebook 240Twitter 150 Avg Length 23 min Format Medium form Get Email Contact

7. The Dangerous Art of the Documentary

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Filmmaker Tiller Russell (Waco: American Apocalypse, Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer, Operation Odessa, The Last Narc, The Seven Five) exchanges the camera for a microphone, sitting down with other documentary filmmakers for riveting, in-depth conversations about their most successful, iconic or recent films.more Host Tiller Russell
Producer/Network Double Elvis Productions, Tiller Russell
Email ****@tillermanfilms.com
Location Los Angeles, California, United States
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.6/5Apple Reviews 13 Avg Length 44 min Format Long form Get Email Contact

8. Westdoc Online

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Everything about documentary filmmaking! Hear conversations with the most compelling producers, directors, executive and network programmers, commissioning editors, festival directors, and techies from around the world.more Host Chuck Braverman
Email ****@westdoconline.com
Location Thousand Oaks, California, United States
Estimated listeners
Twitter 133Instagram 337 Avg Length 31 min Format Medium form Get Email Contact

9. Dodger Blue Dream

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Named a 'Best New Podcast' in 2024 by Audible and Vulture. 'This is no simple sports-recap podcast. Instead, each episode plays a bit like a dispatch from a foreign land — in this case Dodgers fandom — in which a local correspondent (that would be Parks) walks you through present concerns.' (Vulture) Noted for its storytelling, sound design, and original music. A love letter to baseball and radio by a born-and-raised Angeleno. To support Dodger Blue Dream, please visit: http://www.patreon.com/DodgerBlueDream.more Host Richard Parks III
Producer/Network Richard Parks III, Bleav
Email ****@gmail.com
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.9/5Apple Reviews 225 Avg Length 30 min Format Medium form Get Email Contact

10. Root of Evil: The True Story of the Hodel Family and the Black Dahlia

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When Elizabeth Short, also known as The Black Dahlia, was brutally killed in 1947, it gripped the entire country. More than 70 years later, it remains America's most infamous unsolved murder. Many believe Dr. George Hodel was the killer, thanks to an investigation by Hodel's own son. But murder is just part of the Hodel family story, one filled with horrifying secrets that ripple across generations. Now, through never-before-heard archival audio and first-time interviews, the Hodel family opens up to reveal their shocking story...more Hosts Rasha Pecoraro, Yvette Gentile
Email ****@gmail.com
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.6/5Apple Reviews 21.4KFacebook 3.3MTwitter 168.3KInstagram 142K Avg Length 44 min Format Long form Get Email Contact

11. Rock N Roll Archaeology

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Rock N Roll Archaeology (RNRA) is more than a podcast; it's an immersive, carefully researched and produced audio documentary. RNRA explores the history of Rock Music, and then goes a step further. We contextualize Rock N Roll; we place it within the cultural, political, and technological landscapes of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. With storytelling, commentary, and a dash of musicology, we explore how music, culture, and technology interact and affect each other—how they ARE each other.more Host Christian Swain
Producer/Network Pantheon Media
Email ****@gmail.com
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.7/5Apple Reviews 320 Avg Length 48 min Format Long form Get Email Contact

12. Blind Landing

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Blind Landing is an award-winning independent documentary podcast. Hosted by Ari Saperstein, the series goes behind the scenes in the world of Olympic sports including gymnastics and figure skating. Blind Landing has been featured in dozens of publications around the world, including The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Vulture and Elle. The series was named one of The Atlantic's Best Podcasts of 2021, a 2022 Webby Awards & AIPS Awards honoree, and won the 2023 Ambie Award for Best Independent Podcast.more Host Ari Saperstein
Email ****@gmail.com
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.8/5Apple Reviews 2.1K Avg Length 36 min Format Medium form Get Email Contact

13. Webworm with David Farrier

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Join journalist and documentary filmmaker David Farrier as he explores various rabbit holes, trying to make sense of the increasingly mad world around him. webworm.substack.com
Host David Farrier
Email ****@protonmail.com
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.9/5Apple Reviews 108 Avg Length 23 min Format Medium form Get Email Contact

14. The Austin Meyer Podcast

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Conversations with the world's best documentary filmmakers — directors, cinematographers, audio experts, editors, producers, writers — about how they got their start and how they tell stories.more Host Austin Meyer
Producer/Network Austin Meyer: Documentary Filmmaker, National Geographic Explorer
Email ****@gmail.com
Location Oakland, California, United States
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.5/5Apple Reviews 54Facebook 5.7KInstagram 6.6K Avg Length 47 min Format Long form Get Email Contact

15. Cult Escape Artists

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Cult Escape Artists - Interview Podcast - Feature Documentary - Documentary Series We dive in to stories of artists escaping cults from around the globe. The director of the feature documentary WITNESS UNDERGROUND interviews artists, musicians, actors, directors, authors etc. who successfully navigated mind control tactics and got out of a cult. Through making our documentary, artists all over the world emerged with amazing music, art, and stories which we show off as powerful examples of resilience and empowerment...more Host Scott Homan
Email ****@bananaislandfilms.com
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 5/5Apple Reviews 2 Avg Length 63 min Format Long form Get Email Contact

16. The Estate

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When a parent dies, they always leave something behind to their kids. For Alex Estrada it was a burning question: was his father involved in the 1973 murder of one of his business partners? The Estate is a true-crime documentary podcast series following Alex's search for the truth. A murder mystery, political conspiracy and family memoir, touching on race, the justice system and a pain that moves from one generation to the next. Produced by Sonoro in partnership with Tenderfoot TV.more Host Alex Estrada
Producer/Network Tenderfoot TV
Email ****@tenderfoot.tv
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 3.9/5Apple Reviews 360Facebook 3.6KTwitter 6.2KInstagram 19.7K Avg Length 21 min Format Medium form Get Email Contact

17. Before We Go

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Before We Go follows the personal and emotionally charged journey of Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider, a physician and science journalist, Oscar-nominated documentary film producer, producer and host of TED Health, and founder of End Well, a nonprofit organization committed to reshaping society's perception and approach to the end of life.In the summer of 2022, Shoshana's father, Steven Ungerleider, was diagnosed with terminal cancer. His doctors were encouraged when testing showed that the cancer was related to a BRCA genetic mutation, which meant that it might respond to new, targeted therapies...more Host Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider
Producer/Network Podcast Nation
Email ****@gmail.com
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.8/5Apple Reviews 352 Avg Length 32 min Format Medium form Get Email Contact