Sarah Koenig (/ˈkeɪnɪɡ/; born July 9, 1969, in New York City)[3] is an American journalist, public radio personality, former[4] producer of the television and radio program This American Life,[5] and the host and executive producer of the podcast Serial.[6]
Sarah Koenig | |
|---|---|
 Koenig in 2015 | |
| Born | Sarah Augusta Koenig July 9, 1969 New York City, New York, United States |
| Alma mater | University of Chicago (Bachelor of Arts) |
| Occupations |
|
| Known for | Host and executive producer of Serial |
| Spouse | Ben Schreier |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | Maria Eckhart Koenig Matthiessen Julian Koenig |
| Family | Peter Matthiessen (step-father) Lester Koenig (uncle) |
| Awards |
|
Early life
editKoenig was born July 1969 in New York City to Julian Koenig and his second wife, Maria Eckhart.[3] Sarah is Jewish.[7] Her father was a well-known copywriter. Her mother is from Tanzania.[8][9] After her parents' divorce, Sarah's mother married writer Peter Matthiessen.[10] Koenig attended Concord Academy in Concord, Massachusetts.[11] Koenig graduated from the University of Chicago in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Political Science. She attended Columbia University for a postgraduate degree in Russian history, but she left after two weeks.[12]
Career
editAfter graduating from college Koenig began working as a reporter at The East Hampton Star.[13] Then she worked in Russia as a reporter for ABC News and later for The New York Times.[14] She covered the State House (politics) for the Concord Monitor and later for the Baltimore Sun.[2]
She began working as a producer for This American Life in January 2004.[14] She co-produced the 2006 Peabody Award-winning episode of This American Life titled "Habeas Schmabeas."[15]
In 2013, she began work on a spinoff podcast of the This American Life radio program titled Serial, which debuted in October 2014. Serial was honored with a Peabody award in April 2015, noting that it took podcasting into the cultural mainstream.[16]
Recognition and honors
editTIME magazine named Koenig one of "The 100 Most Influential People" on April 16, 2015.[17] Also in 2015, she was named as one of The Forward 50.[18]
Personal life
editKoenig lives in State College, Pennsylvania,[19] with her husband, Ben Schreier, an associate professor of Jewish studies and English at Penn State,[19] and their two children.
In popular culture
editIn the fortieth season of Saturday Night Live, Koenig was portrayed by Cecily Strong in a segment titled "Serial: The Christmas Surprise",[20] a parody of her investigative podcast Serial.[21][22] Also in 2014, Koenig was portrayed by Michaela Watkins struggling to solve the murder of Hae Min Lee in time for the first season finale of Serial in a digital skit for Funny or Die. In 2015, Koenig played herself in the second season episode of BoJack Horseman, "Out to Sea", voicing Diane Nguyen's ringtone with a parody of her Serial introduction.[23] This came a season after podcaster Ira Glass held the same to-be-recurring role.[24] In Hulu's Only Murders in the Building, the podcast All Is Not OK in Oklahoma and character Cinda Canning played by Tina Fey were inspired by Sarah Koenig and her podcast Serial.[25] Koenig was animated in the second episode of the twenty-second season of Family Guy, "Supermarket Pete", as a podcaster trying to solve a murder case and get credit for it.
References
edit- ^ "The Lowell Thomas Award 2005". Overseas Press Club of America. 2005. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ^ a b "Sarah Koenig". OFF OFF Campus. Archived from the original on November 5, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ^ a b Sarah Janssen, ed. (December 6, 2016). The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2017. United States: World Almanac. p. 1737. ISBN 978-1-60057-207-4. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
- ^ Stack, Liam (March 29, 2018). "New Trial Upheld for Adnan Syed of 'Serial'". The New York Times.
- ^ "Radio Archive by Contributor | Sarah Koenig". This American Life from WBEZ. 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ^ "SERIAL | About". SERIAL. Chicago Public Media & Ira Glass. 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ^ Eil, Philip (July 6, 2015). "Say Hello to the Internet's Biggest Jewish Stars". Jewish Daily Forward.
- ^ "In Paradise (Matthiessen) - LitLovers".
- ^ "An examined life worth sharing".
- ^ Sarah Koenig: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know Heavy.com
- ^ "2015 Commencement Note for All Students". Concord Academy. Archived from the original on March 29, 2019. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
- ^ "Uncommon Interview: Serial's Sarah Koenig (A.B. '90)". March 2015.
- ^ "Non-Cook of the Month – Sarah Koenig". Picky Grouchy Non-Cook. May 2012. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ^ a b "Staff". This American Life. Chicago Public Media & Ira Glass. 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ^ "Habeas-Schmabeas". This American Life from WBEZ. March 10, 2006. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ^ "Serial". peabodyawards.com. 2014. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
- ^ "The 100 Most Influential People". Time Magazine. April 16, 2015. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
- ^ "Forward 50 2015 –". Forward.com. November 7, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
- ^ a b Sellers, Caitlin (February 16, 2009). "Radio show offers glimpse of professors' love story". The Daily Collegian. The Daily Collegian, State College, PA. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ^ SNL (December 21, 2014). "Serial: The Christmas Surprise". youtube. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
- ^ Samantha Grossman (December 22, 2014). "This Hilarious SNL Serial Parody Is the Ultimate Christmas Present". TIME. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ Melissa Locker (June 21, 2015). "Cecily Strong's Impression of Serial Host Sarah Koenig Is Unreal". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on August 2, 2015. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ Kliegman, Julie (August 7, 2015). "BoJack Horseman Review: "Out to Sea" (2.12)". Paste Magazine. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
- ^ Arnold, Brett (September 17, 2014). "Ira Glass Stunned By How Many People Want His Ringtone From 'BoJack Horseman'". Business Insider. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
- ^ Marks, Andrea (September 21, 2021). "The True Crime Inspiration Behind 'Only Murders In the Building'". RollingStone. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
External links
edit
- NiemanStoryboard interview (transcript)
- The Serial Podcast Ending Is TBD (listen)
- Behind the Scenes at Serial (listen)