The Phi Beta Kappa Zeta Chapter of Maryland and collaborators across campus are pleased to welcome Ramtin Arablouei '05 back to campus as part of an alumni scholar visit. In addition to having several class discussions, he will present a public lecture "Storytelling in the Age of Slop" on Thursday, April 9 at 4:40pm in the Dodge Performing Arts Center Recital Hall.
In an era of hot takes and fast consumption what happens to journalistic storytelling? Does it fade away into a storm of short clips or emerge as a new democratized artform? After a ten year journey through arguably the most turbulent period in the history of media, Peabody Award winning host/producer Ramtin Arablouei '05 wants to take on these questions with you. Join us for an evening of reflections and provocations about the future of journalism.
Arablouei, who was inducted into the Zeta Chapter as an alumnus member last spring, is co-host, co-producer, and music composer for NPR's podcast Throughline, a show that explores history through creative, immersive, experimental storytelling.
He got his start at NPR in 2015 with a three-week contract to produce a pilot for How I Built This with Guy Raz, and has gone on to report and produce for shows like Hidden Brain, Planet Money, Radiolab, and many more.
A psychology and history double major and musician, he drew upon all three in 2019 to co-create NPR’s podcast and radio show, Throughline. The show quickly reached number one on Apple’s podcast charts and emerged as one of the most commercially and critically acclaimed podcasts in the world. In 2025, the show was included as one of the top 100 podcasts of all time by Time Magazine.
In 2021, Throughline’s episode “Soleimani’s Iran” was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Audio Reporting. The next year, in 2022, he earned a Peabody Award for Throughline’s three-part series on the history of Afghanistan. And in 2024, he won the prestigious Ambie Award for Best Production and Sound Design (Sponsored by Dolby Audio) for the episode about the greatest battle of the Islamic Middle Ages, “David v Goliath.” Vulture Magazine critic, Nick Quah, once wrote that his work has “the kind of ambition that makes you turn your head and go, “Holy sh*t.”
Arablouei credits his time at SMCM developing his artistic voice under professors like Lucille Clifton, Edgar Silex, Jules Boycoff, and Zach Messitte for his professional success.