RISK!
Presentation
Hosted byKevin Allison
GenreStorytelling
LanguageEnglish
UpdatesEvery Monday
Length30–60 minutes
Production
Production
  • Kevin Allison
  • Jeff Barr
  • JC Cassis
  • John LaSala
Publication
Original release
  • August 6, 2009 (2009-08-06) (Live show)
  • October 2009 (2009-10) (Podcast)

RISK! is a weekly podcast and live storytelling show created and hosted by writer, actor, and storyteller Kevin Allison. The show's official website describes RISK! as a place "where people tell true stories they never thought they'd dare to share in public".[1] RISK! started as a weekly live storytelling series in August 2009. Chris Castiglione and Jeff Barr joined in 2010 as part of the founding team.[2] JC Cassis joined the production team in 2011.[3]

As of 2018, the podcast was averaging 1 million downloads a month.[4]

Format

Each episode of the RISK! podcast starts with an introduction from Kevin Allison. In his introduction, Allison updates listeners about upcoming events that relate to the show and he also introduces that week's theme. Past themes include "Unintended," "New At This," and "Met on the Net."

The show then continues with theme-based first-person narratives,[5] both humorous and serious.[6] RISK! initially focused on stories from celebrity guests but moved to incorporate more stories from everyday people, told with behind the scenes coaching from Allison and his team.[3] The stories from the podcast are usually a combination of material from Kevin Allison, the live show, listener submissions and work from The Story Studio, the storytelling school that the RISK! team created. These stories are often followed by interstitial music or sound collages created by the RISK! team or listeners.

RISK! is known for featuring stories that defy social taboos, such as stories about sex[7] and traumatic events.[3] RISK! stories can be humorous, scary, or tear-jerking. Some stories can be explicit and come with content warnings beforehand. The show has featured many storytellers with LGBTQ or other minority identities.[3]

Live shows

The live version of RISK! debuted as a weekly show at Arlene's Grocery in New York City on August 6, 2009. The theme of the premiere show was "Strange Sex: Our Wildest Encounters" and featured stories from Marc Maron, Jessi Klein, Margot Leitman, Jonathan Kesselman, and was hosted by Kevin Allison.[8] The weekly show moved to Joe's Pub in October 2009. Featured performers at the Joe's Pub performances include Margaret Cho, Rachel Dratch, Andy Borowitz and Janeane Garofalo.[9][10]

In 2010, RISK! began monthly live shows in both New York City and Los Angeles. The New York shows are hosted by Kevin Allison, and the shows in Los Angeles are hosted by David Crabb. Currently, live shows can be seen at Caveat in New York City or at various venues in Los Angeles.[11]

Other notable live guests have included Kurt Metzger,[12] Trevor Noah,[13] Samantha Bee,[14] Bowen Yang,[15] Julio Torres,[16] Ilana Glazer,[17] Dan Savage,[18] Sasheer Zamata,[19] Joe Lo Truglio,[20] Kumail Nanjiani,[21] John Hodgman,[22] Jenny Slate,[23] Maria Bamford[24] and Eric Andre.[25]

On tour

The RISK! live show frequently tours around the US as well, with occasional international dates. Kevin Allison hosted a live show during SXSW in Austin, Texas in 2012.[26] The live show has traveled across the United States including to Chicago, Illinois,[27] Seattle, Washington,[28] Portland, Oregon,[29] Dallas,[30] Houston[31] and Austin, Texas,[32] Atlanta, Georgia,[33] Brown University[34] and over 40 other cities in the USA, Canada and UK.[11]

Online shows

When live events were shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, RISK! moved to an online show format to continue supporting its staff of 20 including six full-time employees.[35] Storytellers broadcast from their homes and 400-600 guests tuned in for each online show.[36]

RISK! book

In 2018, the book RISK!: True Stories People Never Thought They’d Dare To Share was released,[4] featuring 37 stories[37] of defining moments in the tellers' lives,[38] 31 of which are popular stories from the podcast and six are bonus stories.[13] Storytellers in the book include Aisha Tyler, Marc Maron, Michael Ian Black, Lili Taylor, Ts Madison, Dan Savage, Jonah Ray, and Jesse Thorn.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "About Us". Kevin Allison Presents: RISK!. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  2. ↑ "Chris Castiglione and Jeff Barr join the RISK! team". Kevin Allison Presents: RISK!. Retrieved 28 Dec 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Hagen, Paul (2017-05-31). "Comedian Kevin Allison Gets Storytellers to Take a RISK!". Metrosource. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  4. 1 2 Gamerman, Ellen (2018-07-16). "Podcasts Hit the Books". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  5. ↑ Everett, Cristina (2017-05-09). "Going IRL: Live podcast shows to attend this summer (and beyond)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  6. ↑ "A Podcast for the Weirdo in All of Us". Slate. 2010-08-30. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  7. ↑ Kerr, Breena (2017-03-05). "The 10 Best Sex Podcasts for Whatever You're Into". Esquire UK. Retrieved 2022-02-09.
  8. ↑ McCarthy, Sean L. "Kevin Allison: Not afraid to take a comedy RISK!". the comic's comic. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  9. ↑ "Kevin Allison of "The State" presents RISK!". Joe's Pub. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  10. ↑ Mancusco, Anne (2009-10-08). "Spare Times". The New York Times. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  11. 1 2 "Tour - RISK! podcast". Tour - RISK! podcast. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
  12. ↑ "Kurt Metzger Performs at the RISK! Live Show on 2016-06-16". {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7057838/fullcredits?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
  13. 1 2 3 "Kevin Allison Looks Back on 10 Years of RISK!". The Interrobang. 2019-10-10. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  14. ↑ "Stories About Samantha Bee". RISK! Podcast. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
  15. ↑ "Stories by Bowen Yang". RISK! Podcast. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
  16. ↑ "Stories About Julio Torres". RISK! Podcast. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
  17. ↑ "Stories by Ilana Glazer". RISK! Podcast. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
  18. ↑ "Stories About Dan Savage". RISK! Podcast. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
  19. ↑ "Stories About Sasheer Zamata". RISK! Podcast. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
  20. ↑ "Stories About Joe Lo Truglio". RISK! Podcast. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
  21. ↑ "The 500th Episode". Retrieved 2022-02-09.
  22. ↑ "Shake-Ups - RISK! podcast". RISK! Podcast. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
  23. ↑ "Stories by: Jenny Slate". RISK! Podcast. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
  24. ↑ "Stories by: Maria Bamford". RISK! Podcast. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
  25. ↑ "Stories by: Eric Andre". RISK! Podcast. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
  26. ↑ "SXSW Comedy: RISK! True Tales, Boldly Told hosted by Kevin Allison (The State) and featuring special guests". SX Schedule. SXSW Inc. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  27. ↑ Perry, Grace (9 November 2017). "The three things you need to know today in Chicago: Thu, Nov 9". Time Out Chicago. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
  28. ↑ Hamil, Brett (2017-06-01). "The Mind Behind the Stories: Q&A with Kevin Allison". City Arts. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
  29. ↑ "RISK! | Bridgetown Comedy Festival". Bridgetown Comedy Festival. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  30. ↑ Gaskin, Alex (2017-01-12). "Kevin Allison, Host Of The Risk! Podcast, Talks About The Power Of Telling The Truth Onstage". Central Track. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  31. ↑ "Risk! Live Podcast". Culture Map Houston. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
  32. ↑ "Risk! Live Podcast". Culture Map Austin. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
  33. ↑ "City Lights: Author Paula McLain; Storyteller Kevin Allison". WABE. 2018-05-16. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
  34. ↑ "RISK! Comes to Brown University!". Kevin Allison Presents: RISK!. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  35. ↑ Zinoman, Jason (2020-04-20). "Can You Make Money in Live Comedy Right Now? Some Producers Say Yes". The New York Times. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  36. ↑ Dudley, Joshua (2020-03-28). "The 'RISK!' Show Must Go On With First-Ever Livestreaming Performance". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  37. ↑ Gordon, Doug (2019-03-16). "Comedian Kevin Allison On How Taking Risks Leads To Authenticity (And A Hit Podcast)". Wisconsin Public Radio. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  38. ↑ "RISK! True Stories People Never Thought They'd Dare to Share". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
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