Top Places & Travel Podcasts

“I love working on <i>Pretendians</i> because it gives me an opportunity to use humor as a vehicle to teach and inform. ” says Angel Ellis, co-host of <i>Pretendians</i>, Apple Podcasts' Spotlight show for July 2024. 

Angel Ellis is a free-press activist and director of Mvskoke Media. Her co-host Robert Jago is a freelance writer, entrepreneur, and Indigenous rights activist from Richmond, British Columbia. Together, they pitched the show to the podcast network, Canadaland, as a new original series. “I broke one of the first big Pretendian stories of this whole moment,” says Jago, “and the way that I did it didn’t provide enough context. This series gives me a chance to try and reshape that.”

Ellis and Jago hope listeners understand the serious nature of the problem, while becoming more acquainted to Native joy and humor. “The broadest part of society coming to understand its impact on Indigenous people, has always been a driving motivation for me,” says Ellis. “ If nothing else, I hope listeners learn that there is a way to be supportive of and enjoy Indigenous cultures without wearing it like some passing fad.”

What do some of the most prominent and successful Indigenous artists, leaders and professors have in common? They aren’t Indigenous. 

There are hundreds of cases of Indigenous identity fraud that we know about, and likely thousands that we do not. So why do these so-called “pretendians” do it? How do they pull it off? And what happens when they are exposed? 

In each episode of this riveting new podcast series, co-hosts Robert Jago (Kwantlen First Nation and Nooksack Indian Tribe) and Angel Ellis (Muscogee (Creek) Nation) reveal unbelievable stories of audacious fraudsters and investigate the complex phenomenon of Indigenous identity theft. 

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USA TODAY’s critically acclaimed investigative podcast about power in American cities.

Season 1, Chicago: A black neighborhood fights back when a mysterious man with mob ties builds an illegal dump across the street from an elementary school. Along the way they confront corrupt politicians, apathetic bureaucrats—and a secret undercover FBI investigation.

Season 2, Reno: A surprising proxy battle for the future of Reno pits a brash strip club kingpin against power brokers in city hall. The winner-takes-all fight could remake the city—and ruin lives in the process.

Imagine what it would be like to travel the world, meet the most amazing people on the road, learn from them and gain an incredible perspective about how they live.

Now imagine being able to do that from your home.

I created The Bus Driver Experience as a way to gain a new perspective from the unique lives of other people - Olympic athletes, monks, porn stars - to not just learn, but EXPERIENCE what it’s like to be in their shoes for a day.

And do it in a way unlike how every other travel/interview show does it. Most other shows merely talk with these individuals.

But talking with these people isn’t enough for me.

I want to live their unique story. To understand not only what they go through in their day to day, but also why they’re doing it.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.